Blues Rock, the second CD compilation in a new series by Classic Rock Presents (the first being devoted to progressive rock) on the Gut Active record label. At first I was apprehensive on why another compilation was done since TimeLife covered a lot of ground. After several listens, I knew why, a majority of the songs here are much truer to the blues rock style where as past compilations center more on the popular hits.
This 2 CD set consists of 37 tracks, mostly from the 1970’s of some of the finest, and in my opinion lesser known blues rock recordings by artists such as early Fleetwood Mac, The Steve Miller Band, Ten Years After, Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore, Cream, Santana, Humble Pie, The Allman Brothers, George Thorogood, ZZ Top and many more.
The personal highlights for me are the lesser know songs (to me at least) such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Man Of The World”, Free “I’m A Mover”, Jack Bruce’s version of “Sunshine Of Your Love” (which seems a more upbeat than the original) and J.J. Cale’s version of “Cocaine”. There are a few more but these seem be the ones I gravitate towards. There’s also the standards such as Cream’s “Strange Brew”, Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”, The Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man”, Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” and the list goes on. See the track listing below for all the songs featured.
As I mentioned some of the recordings aren’t as well known, especially in the hit making driven music world. Only the true fan would be more inclined to embrace these songs. For listeners such as myself, it was a learning experience. I would recommend that those unaware of what blues rock is truly about.
According to the press release, Classic Rock Presents will cover more of rock’s sub-genres. I’m sure that if the Blues Rock compilation is any indication of what to expect then the music world is in for a treat.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on November 20th, 2006
