The Butterfield Blues Band
East-West
 

Following their successful debut, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band convened in July 1966 to record their second album, East-West.  Recorded at the famed Chess Studios in Chicago, this session marked many changes for the band.  Original drummer Sam Lay was forced to leave the band due to illness and was replaced by Billy Davenport.  Lead guitar duties, handled exclusively by Mike Bloomfield on the first LP, were now shared with fellow guitarist Elvin Bishop.  The biggest change, however, was the evolution of their musical direction.  While the album included traditional blues covers like its predecessor, the title track, written by Bloomfield & Nick Gravenites, displayed a distinct Indian influence, echoing the raga experiments of John Coltrane and incorporating modal jazz elements introduced by Miles Davis on his legendary Kind of Blue album.  About the track, renowned music critic Dave Marsh wrote that "It can be heard as part of what sparked the West Coast's rock revolution, in which such song structures with extended improvisatory passages became commonplace.  With 'East-West', above any other extended piece of the mid-Sixties, a rock band finally achieved a version of the musical freedom that free jazz had found a few years earlier."

Beyond the title track, the album includes songs by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Allen Toussaint and interestingly, a Mike Nesmith composition, "Mary Mary," that would be recorded by The Monkees the following year for their second album, More of The Monkees.  East-West's distinct cover portrait, featuring the group standing between two towering statues, was photographed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.  This Sundazed Music edition features that meticulously reproduced original artwork, incasing a deep groove, high-definition LP mastered from the authentic analog master tapes.  Regardless of your geographic location, East-West is the best destination!

TRACKS: 1. Walkin’ Blues / 2. Get Out of My Life, Woman / 3. I Got a Mind to Give Up Living All These Blues / 4. Work Song / 5. Mary, Mary / 6. Two Trains Running / 7. Never Say No / 8. East-West
ITEM IS BRAND NEW, NEVER PLAYED & STILL SEALED.

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