The Blues Band

The Blues Band are/were the quintessential British Blues outfit and, going back to their original ‘Bootleg’ album, they have always been at their best live.

This captures them at London’s Town & Country Club back in 1991 – if memory serves it was just after Walter Trout played there – and captures them in a powerful and very happy mood.

The band are helped out here by many of their contemporaries such as Bob Hall on piano, The Kokomo singers and the Rumour brass section borrowed from Graham Parker for the night.

The band always covered the gamut of Blues styles – their history would allow for nothing else with members of Manfred Mann, John Dummer’s Band, Family and Howlin’ Wolf’s band and fronted by Paul Jones (who DJs the Blues Show on Radio 2) – but they do it with real panache and skill, enjoying the music and bringing the audience along with them.

Many of the tracks here are covers but there is a fair number of their own songs to.
I must say that their version of ‘Hallelujah I Lover Her So’ with the Kokomo singers backing them is electrifying, Jones’ vocals one of the best performances I have heard from him and some stunning harmonica to go with it.

Similarly, ‘Back Door Man’ featuring the Rumour horn section really swings with a gritty edge to it, making it far nastier and earthy than the Doors ever did.
Jimmy Witherspoon’s ‘Big Fine Girl’ comes over with a huge swagger and swing but even when they do a slow and dark Blues on ‘It Might As Well Be Me’ the music still has all the gusto you could wish for.

I don’t understand why this album wasn’t released at the time but it has surfaced as a real delight and for British Blues lovers it is pretty well essential.