An Anthology: The Elektra Years
It might be impossible to overestimate the importance of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band on American music in the latter half of the '60's. Unlike British blues revivalists The Rolling Stones, the Butterfield band was schooled in the tough Chicago bars that housed Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf. They didn't imitate the blues, theywerethe blues. They were also virtuoso instrumentalists to the man; and the extended raga-like "East-West," powered by Butterfield's defiant harmonica and the guitars of Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield, virtually created the concept of psychedelic jamming. This 2 CD set profiles the best of their massively influential early work, and samples later R&B-inflected;, horn-driven material as well. Essential for blues fans.--Michael Ruby