"The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" by DUSTER BENNETT (2006 and 2018 Reissue UK 2CD Remasters on Blue Horizon and Floating World featuring Members of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Hard To Resist…"

*** 2006 ORIGINAL and 2018 REISSUE ***

Originally UK issued 26 September 2006 by Sony in the UK as a 2CD set in a card slipcase (Sony/Blue Horizon 518517 2 - Barcode 5099751851721) - this huge two-disc haul made available extremely rare LPs and singles by one of Britain's great-unsung guitar/harmonica players - Anthony "Duster" Bennett. 

The blues-mad 22 year-old from Wales was pointed in the direction of the UK's Blue Horizon label in early 1968 by none other than Fleetwood Mac's PETER GREEN. Greeney was on the money of course and here's the rocking proof. 44 tracks, 3 full albums, 9 non-album singles tracks and 1 previously unreleased cut - yummy. 

What you have here is a July 2018 'copycat reissue' on Floating World Records (part of the Retro World group of labels out of the UK) - but minus the card outer slipcase and pitched at less than mid-price for a 2CD set (I've seen this for less than eight quid). Here are the reissue details...

UK released 27 July 2018 - "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" by DUSTER BENNETT on Floating World FLOATM6367 (Barcode 0805772636729) is a like-for-like reissue of the 2006 Sony/Blue Horizon 2CD Remastered Compilation and breaks down in the same way the original 2006 issue did... 

Disc 1 (76:13 minutes):

1. Hard To Resist" - an aborted 1st UK 7" single recorded 15 May 1968, Previously Unreleased 

2. It's A Man Down There

3. Things Are Changing - tracks 2 and 3 are the non-album A & B of a 1968 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3141

4. Worried Mind [Side 1]

5. Life Is A Dirty Deal

6. Country Jam 

7. Trying To Paint It In The Sky 

8. Times Like These 

9. My Lucky Day 

10. Got A Tongue In Your Head [Side 2]

11. Jumping At Shadows

12. 40-Minutes From Town

13. Shame, Shame, Shame

14. My Love Is My Love 

15. Shady Little Baby 

Tracks 4 to 15 are the album "Smiling Like I'm Happy" issued late August 1968 on Blue Horizon S 7-63208 in the UK in Stereo. Guests include Peter Green on Guitar, Ham Richmond on Piano, Stella Sutton on Second Vocals and Mick Fleetwood on Drums. 

16. Raining In My Heart

17. Jumpin' For Joy - tracks 16 and 17 are the non-album A & B of the 17 January 1969 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3148

18. God Save The Queen/Introductions/She Live Her Life Too Fast (Live)

19. Just Like A Fish (Live)

20. What A Dream (Live)

21. Just Like I Treat You (Live)

22. Talk To Me (Live)

Tracks 18 to 22 are Side 1 of the LIVE album "Bright Lights..." issued 1969 on Blue Horizon S 7-63221 in the UK. 

Tracks 1 to 6 on Disc 2 are Side 2 of the record - the album is credited to DUSTER BENNETT and HIS HOUSE BAND - most of which is FLEETWOOD MAC

Disc 2 (78:58 minutes):

1. I'm The One (Live)

2. I Wonder If You Know (How It Is) (Live)

3. My Babe/She's My Baby (Live)

4. Honest I Do (Live)

5. Bright Lights Big City (Live)

6. Fresh Country Jam (Live)

Tracks 1 to 6 are Side 2 of the LIVE album "Bright Lights..." issued 1969 on Blue Horizon S 7-63221 in the UK 

7. I'm Gonna Wind Up Ending Up Or I'm Gonna End Up Winding Up With You

8. Rock Of Ages Cleft For Me - tracks 7 and 8 are the non-album A & B of a 11 July 1969 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3164

9. Slim's Tune [Side 1]

10. I Chose To Sing The Blues

11. Sugar Beet

12. I Love My Baby

13. Vitamin Pills

14. Everyday

15. Act Nice & Gentle [Side 2]

16. Woman Without Love

17. That Mean Old Look 

18. Sweeter Than Sugar

19. On Reconsideration

20. Hill St. Rag

21. If You Could Hang Your Washing Like You Hang Lines

Tracks 9 to 21 are the album "12 DB's" issued October 1970 on Blue Horizon S 7-63868 in the UK and BH 4812 in the USA

22. I Want You To Love Me - the non-album B-side to "Act Nice & Gentle" (on "12db's") - a 1970 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3179

DUNCAN COWELL digitally remastered the original master tapes in 2005 to stunning effect (this 2018 reissue licenses those), the original 16-page Mike Vernon-written booklet (Blue Horizon label boss and original producer) has been replaced with newly revamped paragraphs by ALAN ROBINSON dated May 2018. MIKE VERNON and TOP TOPHAM (Topham was another one of the label's guitarists and founder member of THE YARDBIRDS) are name-checked, Bennett's three albums are pictured and there are hugely detailed session notes – same as the original issue. Robinson's efforts also update the story from 2006 to 2018 (net references). 

Great guest appearances abound - the superb stand-alone cover of Slim Harpo's "Raining In My Heart" features ALAN SILVESTRI and DAVE BIDWELL of CHICKEN SHACK, while B.B. King's rhythm section GERRY JERMOTT (Bass) and HERBIE LOUVELLE (Drums) feature on the fabulously funky "I Chose To Sing The Blues". Both TOP TOPHAM and PETER GREEN grace the raucous live version of Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights Big City", while JOHNNY ALMOND adds a cool organ intro to the wonderfully slinky "Vitamin Pills". STELLA SUTTON adds lovely harmony vocals to the shuffling "Times Like These" (with Peter Green on Guitar). 

The mysterious HAM RICHMOND piano credit on the debut turns out to be none other than Bennett himself under a pseudonym! In fact many of the tracks feature ALL instrumentation by him alone - mean Harmonica blowing, Electric Piano, Snare and Bass Drums - damn he was talented! 

This is a clever reissue from Floating World – the original Blue Horizon issue having acquired nasty price tags since deletion years back. 

Signed to Zeppelin's Swan Song label by Jimmy Page in 1975, his career was poised for serious renewal, when in March 1976 at the age of only 30, Duster Bennett fell asleep at the wheel of his car on the way home from a gig - and sadly lost his life. 

At least this superb 2CD set is a fitting memorial to him and his musical legacy. 

The original 2006 Blue Horizon twofer did him proud; this 2018 reissue by Floating World of the UK simply apes that and at a cheaper price too. Nice one sons...

“Ascension Heights” - A 1970 LP Rarity Is Finally Reissued by BLUE HORIZON with Superlative Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks and Remastered Sound

At the pimply age of 15, Surrey-born Anthony “Top” Topham stepped onto stage in May 1963 at the Eel Pie Island Club in Twickenham with his new blues-wailing band - THE YARDBIRDS. A few months later he was replaced with ERIC CLAPTON and after that a certain JEFF BECK and JIMMY PAGE also joined that volatile crew. When you consider what a staggering influence CREAM, BECK and LED ZEPPELIN have had on everything in rock then and now - it’s a damn shame that Top Topham got musically lost in the mix somehow and has never been given the catalyst credit he so deserves.

Maybe this superb and slightly odd release will change all that.

This 19-track September 2008 single CD is based around his obscure sole album for the UK cult Blue Horizon label released in early 1970; it also top-quality remastered STEREO sound and 7 previously unreleased MONO bonus cuts.

Here’s the breakdown (59:43 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 12 are “Ascension Heights”, his only album released on Blue Horizon Records 7-63857 in January 1970 (recorded in London at CBS STUDIOS in October 1969)
Tracks 13 and 14 are “Christmas Cracker” and “Cracking Up Over Christmas”, his lone 7” single on Blue Horizon 57-3167, which preceded the release of the album in November 1969
Track 15 is “Hop House” which is a previously unreleased live BBC session recorded at The Paris Theatre in London on 8 January 1970 for the ‘Blue Horizon Hour’ on the JOHN PEEL SHOW – it was aired on BBC Radio 1 on 11 January 1970. It’s a slow blues tune with lovely fretwork from Top complimented by PETE WINGFIELD’s tasty keyboard rolls.
Tracks 16 to 19 are previously unreleased tracks recorded in May 1969 by then unknown Blue Horizon signing LLOYD WATSON, a talented 20-year old guitar player (Jamaican mother and English Dad) who looked and played a little like SHUGGIE OTIS meets PETER GREEN. Three are his own compositions with “You’re Gonna Ruin Me Baby” being a rocking Leslie Johnson/Jerry West cover version.

The tapes were transferred and remastered by SEAN LYNCH at TORCH MUSIC – the sound quality is GORGEOUS – really clear and clean – all the instruments given a fab new lease of life – superb stuff. The 12-page booklet has detailed liner notes and stories about Topham’s life by the label founder MIKE VERNON, colour and black & white photos from the period, full session discographies and a even sports a dapper card wrap sleeve on the outside that gives the whole package a real air of class and event.

The album “Ascension Heights” has always been a £100+ vinyl rarity (I’ve seen only one copy of it in my life), so its reissue here is to be welcomed. But it has also divided Blues purists for years because - for a blues label release – it's a slightly strange record! Firstly it’s entirely instrumental – and not in a blues way either. It doesn’t seem to quite know what it is. One minute it has the playfulness of Django Reinhardt jazz noodlings on “Spider Drag”, the next minute it’s Sixties Chet Atkins on “Globetrottin’”, the next second its funky Blood, Sweat and Tears without the vocals on the brass filled “Mini-Minor-Mo” (a personal favourite and one that soul boys should check out pronto) which also features PETE WINGFIELD on Piano. There are even times on “Hot Ginger” where it sounds a soulful version of Fleetwood Mac’s debut album! A heady mix to say the least! It’s varied, daring too – a grower that bears repeated listening.

The funky backbeat of “Christmas Cracker” sounds like something Booker T & The MG’s would dash off as festivities filler. It’s good if not great.

The 4 LLOYD WATSON tracks however are a real find – he had an excellent voice and presence; they’re mostly rockin’ blues and make for a fab surprise after the dearth of instrumentals that precede them. “Anything For You” finishes the disc in great Yardbirds meets Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac kind of a way and will have fans of both loving this release.

Another winner from Blue Horizon- highly recommended.