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"…I Want You To Rock Me
Baby...All Night Long…"
Blues Jam In Chicago Volume 2 by FLEETWOOD MAC
(1999 and 2004
Columbia/Blue Horizon 'Expanded and Altered' CD Remaster)
The two volumes "Blues
Jam In Chicago, Vol.1" and "Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol.2" are based
around Fleetwood Mac’s 4th vinyl outing in 1969 – the 2LP set "Blues Jam
At Chess". Having a convoluted history on all formats - both the original UK
and American record issues and their subsequent 1999 and 2004 CD Reissues and
Remasters require some serious explanation as regards release dates, artwork
and even content. So here goes – the records first...
Fleetwood Mac's 4th vinyl
outing was a double-album called "Blues Jam At Chess" issued April
1969 on Blue Horizon Records S 7-66227 in the UK. Produced by MIKE VERNON and
MARSHALL CHESS at the Chess "Ter-Mar" Studios in Chicago - the
artists involved were FLEETWOOD MAC, OTIS SPANN on Piano, WILLIE DIXON on Bass,
WALTER "SHAKEY" HORTON on Harmonica, J.T. BROWN on Tenor Sax, GUITAR
BUDDY on Guitars (Pseudonym for Buddy Guy), HONEYBOY EDWARDS on Bass and S.P.
LEARY on Drums. It was recorded in one day - 4 January 1969 – and has a
multiple credited title (the artists listed in block capitols above).
The following year the
double-album was initially split into two single LPs for the USA and retitled
"Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol.1" and "...Vol.2" – released May
1970 on Blue Horizon BH 4802 and BH 4803 respectively. Neither charted - but
reissued as a double-LP proper under the title "Fleetwood Mac In
Chicago" in June 1971 on Blue Horizon 3801 – it did chart and peaked at
No. 190 on a 6-week run. To confuse matters even further - and on the back of
the success of the Buckingham/Nicks "Fleetwood Mac" Reprise Records
LP – it was reissued yet again December 1975 as "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago"
on Sire S2X 6009 and charted belatedly for a second time – peaking at No. 118
in a 16-week chart run. Again this 3rd reissue had different artwork – a plain
sort of eggplant red. Which brings us to these two reissue CDs...
The cover of the original
1969 British 2LP set had a wavy backdrop and titled sleeve - no real effort in
the art department - while the 1971 and 1975 US doubles didn't fare much better
either – a blue car door sleeve for 1971 and a plain red cover for 1975. These
new CD remasters first issued inside "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions
1967-1969" 6CD Box Set from November 1999 - and now as individual
stand-alone single CD reissues in June 2004 – use the much prettier 1970
"Blues Jam At Chicago – Volumes 1 & 2" Artwork for both volumes. Now
to the content...
The original American Volumes
issued May 1970 were simply Sides 1 and 2 of the British double-LP on Volume 1
with Sides 3 and 4 put onto Volume 2. But as these July 2004 CDs are taken from
"The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" Box Set – they're the 'Expanded Edition' versions
with rejiggered tracks. In order to show the musical differences I've detailed
the vinyl first - then the Expanded CD – Volume 2 looks like this...
ORIGINAL VINYL TRACK LIST for
Sides 3 and 4:
Side 3:
1. World’s In A Tangle
[Jimmie Rogers cover/J Lane]
2. Talk With You [Danny
Kirwan song]
3. Like It This Way [Danny
Kirwan song]
4. Someday Soon Baby [Danny
Kirwan song]
5. Hungry Country Girl [Otis
Spann cover]
Side 4:
1. Black Jack Blues [J.T.
Brown song]
2. Everyday I Have The Blues
[P Chatman cover]
3. Rockin’ Boogie [Jeremy
Spencer song]
4. Sugar Mama [Sonny Boy
Williamson cover]
5. Homework [Clark Perkins
song/ Otis Rush cover]
EXPANDED CD VERSION:
UK released June 2004 - "Blues Jam At Chicago Volume Two" by
FLEETWOOD MAC on Columbia/Blue Horizon 5164472 (Barcode 5099751644729) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reconfiguration and
Remaster and plays out as follows (75:52 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 8 as per the LP
above (1 to 5 on Side 3 and 1 to 3 on Side 4)
Track 9 is “My Baby’s Gone”
(David Edwards cover) - an outtake which first appeared on “The Blue Horizon
Story 1965-1970 Volume 1” 3CD Box Set from 1997 (reissued in 2006)
Track 10 is “Sugar Mama”
(Sonny Boy Williamson cover) [Take 1 – Incomplete – Previously Unreleased]
Track 11 is “Sugar Mama”
[Master Version, as per the LP]
Track 12 is “Homework” (Clark
Perkins song/Otis Rush cover) [as per the LP]
Track 13 is “Honey Boy Blues”
(David Edwards cover) [Incomplete – Previously Unreleased]
Track 14 is “I Need Your
Love” (Jimmie Rogers cover) [Take 1 – Incomplete – Previously Unreleased]
Track 15 is “Horton’s Boogie
Woogie” (Walter Horton cover) [Take 2 – Previously Unreleased]
Track 16 is “Have A Good Time”
(Walter Horton cover) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 17 “That’s Wrong”
(Walter Horton cover) [Previously Unreleased]
Track 18 is “Rock Me Baby”
(Jackson cover) [Previously Unreleased]
DUNCAN COWELL has digitally
remastered the original session tapes to stunning Audio quality - as fresh as a
politician's new excuses – while the booklet has informative and detailed liner
notes by MIKE VERNON – Blue Horizon’s head honcho and label leader.
WALTER HORTON plays Harmonica
on CD tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14 and 15
BUDDY GUY, HONEYBOY EDWARDS
and WILLIE DIXON are on 6 and 7
JEREMY SPENCER replaces Peter
Green on Guitar and Vocal for 8, 9 10 and 11 - these tracks also feature J.T.
BROWN on Tenor Sax with WILLIE DIXON on Upright Bass
OTIS SPANN plays Piano and
S.P. LEARY plays drums on 13, 14 and 15
Fans greet the original
double-album with equal amounts of affection and disdain because at times it
sounds like one long rehearsal - and a slightly uninspired and dull one at
that. It's not that “Blues Jam At Chess” is bad - it just isn't red hot like
you'd think it should have been and maybe another day or two would have sorted
out a coherent release.
Compared to Volume 1 – Volume
2 gets the lion’s share of previously unreleased material on CD – almost
doubling the playing time. And while the first Volume is good if not a little
dull (see separate review) - the second is fantastic. It seems that as the session
went on and they settled down and became more comfortable with each other –
sparks started to fly as is evidenced in "World’s In A Tangle" and "My
Baby’s Gone". But what sends this half of the double album into the
stratosphere is the bonus tracks - which are not incomplete takes or aimless
studio chatter - but fully realised songs – albeit a little rough around the
edges. One of the keys in their magic is Walter Horton’s wonderful harmonica
playing and sheer presence ("Have A Good Time" and "Rock Me Baby"
are dynamite).
To sum up – a 5-star
presentation to a 4 to 5-star second half – and for fans of Blues, Danny
Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac – like its little
brother – it’s family – and an absolute necessity...
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