Even after his death, Paul Butterfield's music didn't receive the accolades that were so deserved. Outputting styles adopted from Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters among other blues greats, Butterfield became one of the first white singers to rekindle blues music through the course of the mid-'60s. His debut album, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, saw him teaming up with guitarists Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield, with Jerome Arnold on bass, Sam Lay on drums, and Mark Naftalin playing organ. The result was a wonderfully messy and boisterous display of American-styled blues, with intensity and pure passion derived from every bent note. In front of all these instruments is Butterfield's harmonica, beautifully dictating a mood and a genuine feel that is no longer existent, even in today's blues music. Each song captures the essence of Chicago blues in a different way, from the back-alley feel of "Born in Chicago" to the melting ease of Willie Dixon's "Mellow Down Easy" to the authentic devotion that emanates from Bishop and Butterfield's "Our Love Is Drifting." "Shake Your Money Maker," "Blues With a Feeling," and "I Got My Mojo Working" (with Lay on vocals) are all equally moving pieces performed with a raw adoration for blues music. Best of all, the music that pours from this album is unfiltered...blared, clamored, and let loose, like blues music is supposed to be released. A year later, 1966's East West carried on with the same type of brash blues sound partnered with a jazzier feel, giving greater to attention to Bishop's and Bloomfield's instrumental talents. [A SuperAudio version was released in 2014.]
Hybrid SACD. Ltd. Edition. Originally released in 1965.
1965 trug Paul Butterfield mit seinem Debütalbum entscheidend dazu bei, dass der Blues nicht länger einer bestimmten Ethnie zugeschrieben wurde. Zusammen mit Elvin Bishop, Mike Bloomfield, Mark Naftalin, Jerome Arnold und Sam Lay trug er den Sound aus Chicagos Süden in die Mitte der jungen weißen Gesellschaft. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band spielt intensiv und mit großer Leidenschaft, mit einer markanten Mundharmonika, die auf wundervolle Weise die Stimmung vorgibt und neue Standards für spätere Harmonika-spielende Sänger setzte.
"The Paul Butterfield Blues Band" enthält eine Mischung aus Folk, Rock, Psychedelia und sogar indianischer Klänge, eingebettet in ein solides Chicago-Blues-Fundament. Auch wenn der große Erfolg ausblieb, so hatte die Band doch einen nachhaltigen bis heute allgegenwärtigen Einfluss auf den Blues. Die Hybrid-SACD erscheint in limitierter Auflage mit fortlaufender Seriennummer und wurde von Kevin Gray für Audio Fidelity neu gemastert.
In the early Sixties, the prevailing wisdom was that the blues was a music based on the shared experience of African Americans and that any attempt by a "Caucasian" to play the blues would pale in comparison. In 1965, Paul Butterfield broke that color barrier. The Butterfield Blues Band debut album was released in 1965 and became an instant favorite among blues aficionados. Rolling Stone Magazine ranks the Butterfield Blues Band one of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Downbeat Magazine has the album listed as number 11 of the greatest blues album of all time.
Butterfield teamed-up with guitarists Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield, added Mark Naftalin on organ and hijacked Jerome Arnold on bass and Sam Lay on drums from Howlin' Wolf's band. The music that pours from this album is unfiltered, clamored, and let loose, like blues music is supposed to be and played with an intensity and pure passion in every bent note. In front of all these instruments is Butterfield's harmonica, beautifully dictating a mood and a genuine feel that set the standard for harmonica blowing vocalists.
The album features a mix of folk, rock, psychedelia, and even Indian classical music played over an embedded base of good old Chicago blues. Each song captures the essence of Chicago blues in a different way, from the back-alley feel of "Born in Chicago" to the melting ease of Willie Dixon's "Mellow Down Easy" to the authentic devotion that emanates from Bishop and Butterfield's "Our Love Is Drifting." "Shake Your Money Maker," "Blues With a Feeling," and "I Got My Mojo Working" (with Lay on vocals) are all equally moving pieces.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band is a Chicago Blues Masterpiece and the foundation of any great music collection.
Review by Mike DeGagne