An Anthology: The Elektra Years

Everyone should own the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's first two albums, groundbreaking works that are among the most important and influential of the '60s. This two-disc distillation of the band's entire eight-year oeuvre is nonetheless a terrific overview, with a generous selection of tracks from those first two seminal efforts, plus all the crucial stuff from the band's inconsistent-but-still-worthy later LPs, along with a couple of early rarities making their CD debut. Disc One is by the original band, a musical powerhouse that began as the toughest blues band in the world and eventually evolved into a free-form psychedelic jam outfit. Disc Two collects the best stuff from Butterfield's late '60s horn band albums; this incarnation was the obvious model for both Blood Sweat & Tears and Chicago, but Butterfield's ensemble was far grittier and more musically adventurous. All tracks have been digitally remastered. 2 CD Anthology Includes liner notes by Tom Ellis III. Personnel: Paul Butterfield (vocals, harp, flute, harmonica, piano); Gene Dinwiddie (vocals, flute, tenor saxophone); Bugsy Maugh (vocals, bass); Phillip Wilson (vocals, drums, percussion); Mike Bloomfield (guitar, slide guitar, piano, Hammond organ); Elvin Bishop, Buzz Feiten (guitar, French horn); Ralph Wash (guitar, background vocals); David Sanborn (soprano, alto & baritone saxophones); Trevor Lawrence (baritone saxophone); Steve Madaio, Keith Johnson (trumpet); Mark Naftalin (piano, keyboards, organ); Ted Harris (piano, keyboards); Al Kooper (organ); Rod Hicks (bass, background vocals); Jerome Arnold (bass); Billy Davenport (drums, percussion); Dennis Whitted, Sam Lay (drums); Bobby Hall (congas, bongos); Big Black (congas); John Court, Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Venetta Fields, Oma Drake (background vocals).