Michael Bloomfield - If You Love These Blues: An Oral History (Book) [Hardcover]

Jan Mark Wolkin (Author), Bill Keenom (Author), Michael Bloomfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Guitarist Michael Bloomfield shot to stardom in the '60s with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Dylan, The Electric Flag and on Al Kooper's "Super Session." His story is told in the words of his brother, musicians such as B.B. King, producer Paul Rothchild and dozens of others - including Bloomfield himself. Features a foreword by Carlos Santana, and a CD of unreleased early studio tracks. Hardcover. "(This book) is a look inside the psyche of a musical innovator who deserves a posthumous Nobel Prize and a statue on Rush Street in Chicago. If you love his blues, you'll love this book." - Al Kooper

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...there is a lyrical beauty to the oral interviews...a fine tribute to Bloomfield's genius." -- Rock & Blues News, December 2000-January 2001

"Any fan of Bloomfield, Butterfield, or the early white blues scene will find this book irresistible." -- Dirty Linen

"Does an excellent job of conjuring up an era in Chicago when young white folkniks began to discover electric blues." -- Chicago Tribune, December 24, 2000

"If you love blues music and Bloomfield in particular, you won't want to be without Wolkin and Keenom's superb biography." -- The Bookwatch, December 2000

"Recounts vividly Bloomfield's love for his music. Collectors will want to pick this up for the CD of rare recordings." -- Discoveries, December 2000

About the Author

Jan Mark Wolkin edited and published the Bloomfield notes newsletter from 1994 to 1996. His work as a music journalist has appeared in the All Music Guide to the Blues, and Blues Access and Vintage Guitar magazines. Wolkin has assisted in the release of several posthumous Bloomfield CDs.

Bill Keenom, a Portland, Oregon native, lived in Hawaii from 1978 to 1988. A long-time Bloomfield fan, Bill has written a number of biographic articles on West Coast sports figures, and won an award for Excellence in Scholastic Journalism from The University of Oregon. He currently plays bass guitar in The Donna Jose Band and markets promotional items and art reproductions online at OceanZero.com and MotherArt.com respectively.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books; 1ST edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879306173
• ISBN-13: 978-0879306175
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Love These Blues, You Will Buy This Book!, August 9, 2005

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Michael Bloomfield - If You Love These Blues: An Oral History (Book) (Hardcover)

I gotta confess, I never really appreciated the depth of Mike Bloomfield's talent when he was in his heyday. Oh yeah, I was a fan of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and of the Electric Flag, but I never did buy wholly into the "Bloomfield as guitar god" mantra that many of my slightly older friends and schoolmates did. Perhaps if I had been just a little older when he was at his zenith, I would have understood just how musically important he was!
If You Love These Blues was brought to my attention by one of the book's authors who had e-mailed me about one of my reviews on amazon. His description of it sounded interesting, so I took a chance and ordered it here. Am I ever glad I did! Not only did I get a book chock full of interesting stories and anecdotes about Bloomfield and those who surrounded him, I also got a magnificent CD of previously unissued 1964 Bloomfield recordings, from the vaults so to speak.

The book:
If You Love These Blues is not a traditional biography, rather it is a compilation and arrangement of interviews of Bloomfield himself (before his death, of course), his colleagues, his intimates, and some of his important acquaintances given over the years as Bloomfield's life is explored from his youth until his untimely death. Some of the interviews of those important in his life were given years after Bloomfield's death and help the reader to form a retrospective impression of the sort of guy Bloomfield was.
At first I was skeptical about how this style of biography would work out, now I see that it was probably the best way to approach Bloomfield's story. The interviews and stories are not haphazardly arranged, but are in such an order as to give the reader a coherent overview of each important period of Bloomfield's life. The stories, reminiscences, and anecdotes are sometimes humorous, sometime tragic, but nearly always compelling. My favorite bunch of reminiscences are those revolving around Bloomfield and his experiences with some of the old giants of blues, particularly those of his wild trip to St Louis with Big Joe Williams and a couple friends.
Those most interested in the musical aspect of his life and the musicians that surrounded, influenced, or were influenced by Bloomfield will enjoy reading the comments of luminaries like Elvin Bishop, Jack Casady, Nick Gravenites, Al Kooper, Buddy Miles, Charlie Musselwhite,Mark Naftalin, and Carlos Santana among many others.
At the end of the book, there is a list of interviewees for quick reference, a comprehensive discography, and a selected critical discography.

The CD:
First, I've gotta say that even without the CD, the book was well worth the price paid. With the CD, the book is an incredible bargain. Take yourself back to 1964 and try to remember the kind and quality of the music that was popular then. Try to think of anyone at that time who was considered a legitimate guitar hero, then listen to this! Now how advanced is this for its day? You get nearly 45 minutes of primitive, searing blues that let you see just how far ahead of his contemporaries he was. Bloomfield often liked to play all the parts, and his experiments here with overdubbing showcase his massive talent. I like it all, but particularly enjoy Country Boy (with a young Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica), Intermission Blues (on which his piano play foreshadows Bob Hall's style on early Savoy Brown recordings), and the jamfest Gotta Call Susie that closes out the CD.

If you are a blues fan and if you love the blues style popularized by Michael Bloomfield and his colleagues, then you will buy this book! I cannot give it any higher recommendation.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you love Mike Bloomfield..., October 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Michael Bloomfield - If You Love These Blues: An Oral History (Book) (Hardcover)

If you loved Mike Bloomfield in the 60's, you'll probably feel as I did, that you need this book. It's much more comprehensive than Ed Ward's "Rise and Fall of an American Guitar hero" as regards Michael's childhood and teenage years in the suburbs of Chicago, and his forays into the blues world of Chicago's South Side. The story is narrated by Michael's family, friends and bandmates. It gives you a sense of Michael the person, but seems a bit disjointed at times , as the narration jumps back and forth between voices. The tone is a bit reverential, with none of the humor that Bloomfield would have insisted on, had he been here. The more lurid aspects of the story are somewhat played down, though various people address "the issue" from their points of view. Though there is more of the story of Michael the person, "If You Love These Blues" is less visually interesting than the Ward book (currently out of print). The small photos are scattered through the book, and there are no glossy photos, other than the riveting cover shot. In fairness, the pictures are rare (some are family photos). But there are too many photos of Bloomfield's friends, relative to the number of pictures of the books subject. The gist of the book? It's the age-old tale of the tortured artist. The image, especially that of the tortured blues guitarist is a powerful 20th century archetype, and if you relate to that, or if you are a fan of Michael Bloomfield the musician, you'll enjoy this. There is also a cd included, though I would rather listen to the recent "Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man" for musical references to the earlier periods of Bloomfield's recording career covered in the book. Bottom line? Enjoyable, a good introduction to one of the giants of American pop music in the 60's.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for any Bloomfield fan, March 26, 2006

By 

BluesFan (High desert Arizona) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Michael Bloomfield - If You Love These Blues: An Oral History (Book) (Hardcover)

This is, and will probably remain, THE book on Mike Bloomfield. The only other book worth having is Ed Ward's "Rise And Fall Of An American Guitar Hero", which is out of print and very expensive in the secondary market; Ward's book also has some inaccuracies.

For many people, Mike Bloomfield is someone they know from the famed "Super Session" album from the late 1960s. Others may know him from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Few, however, realize the true breadth and depth of his recording career or his intelligence and humanity. This book goes a long way to painting a picture of who and what Mike really was.

This book is basically a long collection of quotes and remembrances of Mike by the people who were part of his life. In a loose sense of the word, it is a biography. It captures, more importantly, Mike as a person and the truly extraordinary person he was.

The CD is worth the price of the book alone, containing three solo acoustic tracks from Norman Dayron's apartment in January 1964 and four live performances from October 1964 (three electric and one piano).

The discography is about as good and up to date as is available. I am working on a proper discography, which I hope to have published within a year.

If you like Mike Bloomfield or his music or are just plain curious about this extraordinary human being, this book is absolutely essential.