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An archetypal album from the legendary Paul Butterfield – and a set that would shape the sound of countless blues rock records to come! Despite what you might think of the genre or its many later incarnations, there's a raw power here that's really amazing – the young Butterfield and his Chicago comperes, hanging out at clubs on the south side, drinking in the relatively new electric sound of the city, and turning out a groove that's a lot more hard-edged than some of the overseas imitators at the time! Paul's pretty darn great on vocals and harmonica – but the group has some even more powerful sounds in the twin guitar talents of Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop – the former on slide, the latter on rhythm – along with Jerome Arnold on bass, Sam Lay on drums, and Mark Naftalin on some Hammond too. Titles include "Blues With A Feeling", "Born In Chicago", "Shake Your Money Maker", "Mystery Train", "Screamin", "Last Night", and "Look Over Yonders Wall". CD

Massive lost work from the Butterfield Blues Band – recorded in 1964, quite early in the group's career – but a set that already has them hitting hard with a really powerful sound! The recording quality and overall sound is nice and rough – a gritty groove that's more closely linked with the Chicago roots of the group than some of their later recordings – and the harmonica work of Paul Butterfield is really amazing – nicely distorted at times, almost in a fuzzy psych way – and matched by some excellent work on guitar from both Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield – the latter of whom also handles Hammond and piano too. Titles include "Nut Popper 1", "Lovin Cup", "Our Love Is Driftin", "Take Me Back Baby", "Help Me", "Just To Be With You", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", and "Goin Down Slow". CD

One of the biggest albums of Muddy Waters' career – a key crossover effort that has Waters as the "father" working with "sons" Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield! The style here is still quite rootsy overall – and the double-length session features one album recorded in the studio, and a second done live at the Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree – key evidence of the growing hippie audience for blues like this! The core group features Waters on vocals with Otis Spann on piano, Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Paul Butterfield on harmonica, Donald Duck Dunn on bass, and Sam Lay on drums – and guest players include Phil Upchurch on bass and Buddy Miles on drums – each on one number. Titles include "All Aboard", "Mean Disposition", "Forty Days & Forty Nights", "Sugar Sweet", "Twenty Four Hours", "I'm Ready", "Walkin Thru The Park", "Got My Mojo Working (parts 1 & 2)", "The Same Thing", "Baby Please Don't Go", and "Honey Bee". CD

One of the biggest albums of Muddy Waters' career – a key crossover effort that has Waters as the "father" working with "sons" Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield! The style here is still quite rootsy overall – and the double-length session features one album recorded in the studio, and a second done live at the Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree – key evidence of the growing hippie audience for blues like this! The core group features Waters on vocals with Otis Spann on piano, Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Paul Butterfield on harmonica, Donald Duck Dunn on bass, and Sam Lay on drums – and guest players include Phil Upchurch on bass and Buddy Miles on drums – each on one number. Titles include "All Aboard", "Mean Disposition", "Forty Days & Forty Nights", "Sugar Sweet", "Twenty Four Hours", "I'm Ready", "Walkin Thru The Park", "Got My Mojo Working (parts 1 & 2)", "The Same Thing", "Baby Please Don't Go", and "Honey Bee". CD reissue includes 4 previously unreleased studio tracks – "Country Boy", "I Love The Life I Live", "Oh Yeah", "I Feel So Good" – plus 6 additional live tracks! CD

Muddy kicks it live in the studio at Woodstock with a number of rock and/or blues luminaries in toe for this mid 70s gig – including the great Pinetop Perkins on piano, Paul Butterfield on harmonica, and Levon Helm on bass and drums! Interestingly, the set is much more of return to the rumbling, gritty blues and soul that made Muddy's name at Chess Records years earlier – and thankfully, not at all the crossover rock moment it could have been. There's a lot more Mud here than Water! Tracks include "Why Are People Like That", "Getting Down To Main Street", "Born With Nothing", "Caledonia", "Funny Sounds", "Love, Deep As The Ocean", "Let The Good Times Roll", and more. CD

Music from Jimmy Reed, Mississippi John Hurt, Dave 'Snaker' Ray, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Son House, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Otis Spann, Slim Harpo, Sonny Boy Williamson, John Mayall's Blues Beakers, Albert King, Canned Heat and BB King. CD

A key moment from the late sixties – includes music by the Animals, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Lou Rawls, and Johnny Rivers. CD