Customer Reviews

Climax Chicago Blues Band

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In the grand tradition of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Keef Hartley Band, T.S. McPhee's Groundhogs, early Rod Stewart, early Led Zeppelin and a dozen others, the British blues scene of 1967-1969 was hot.

And the best of the best was the Climax Chicago Blues Band (they dropped 'Chicago' after this first album). Though rooted in the American blues tradition, they gave it their own distinctive British twist, producing some of the finest modern blues music around in their first 4 or 5 albums. After that they began to slide into a pop MOR format (as many of their contemporaries also did), making them less interesting, but oh, those first albums!!

When this lp came out in 1969 I stumbled across it and fell for their killer versions of Mean Old World and Insurance. I was completely impressed by the fact that Peter Haycock (guitarist non-pareil) was rumored to be only 13 years old (he was actually 17) when they recorded this album and he had to sneak out of the house to play. A must-have for any blues collection. I grew up and lived in Seattle for many years....funny how [several] reviews of this album came from Washington State, home of people with very discerning taste! I'm not as much of a purist as the reviewer from Denmark, so I'll keep on enjoying this album for what it is -- a lot of fun!

After all these years, this album still sends those little spine tingling chills right up the middle of my back, and into my soul... Period.

Well....if you like Climax Blues, check out Captain Beyond, King Crimson, Wishbone Ash!! Those 70's bands are magical, well...What can we say, the few that know of these bands well, have gone through the magical doors. And will never be the same.