Some Words from the Bird

 My father was a fan of the Butterfield Blues Band, so I was familiar with the name. I have stated before that I am far from a student of the blues, but I know what I like when I hear it. This musical sojourn has introduced me to a few artists I have not heard of before, and I have been enlightened as to the influence the blues acts had on the bands that came afterwards. This includes the Beatles, Stones, Yardbirds, and the Who albums we have listened to previous to this post. But the blues is American music, and though the English bands did a good job, some white boys from Chicago did them one better. This album is unbelievably good electric blues.   Apparently Butterfield was interested in playing the blues harp, so he did what anyone would do, he went and sought out Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, and the rest of the Chicago blues scene, and learned his craft. The harp on the album is outstanding. I didn't once find it annoying, and if you recall our chats about Mr. ...

 The Yardbirds. The band that spawned three of the most prolific guitarists in rock history. The genesis of Led Zeppelin. When I saw this album as the next on my listening list, I thought "Now we are getting somewhere!".  I was not disappointed. This album bridges the era where the band went from essentially another English band doing blues covers, to delving into a more psychedelic sound. The departure from the blues is apparently largely the reason that Eric Clapton left the band. Side 2 features Clapton playing on live blues tunes from our old friends Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, and the Isley Brothers. Side 1 features Jeff Beck and the more experimental Yardbirds sound.  The album opens with "Mister You're a Better Man Than I" which is a piece of social commentary that was written by the Hugg brothers. The song is like a cross between Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. The fuzzy sound of the guitar shows the availability of new sounds as technology advances. ...