The British blues scene represented on
Cherry Red's three-disc, 73-track
Shake That Thing: The Blues in Britain 1963-1973 is the first comprehensive look at the building blocks of a scene directly responsible for inspiring classic rock. Carefully curated by author and music historian
Russell Beecher, its scope is vast, deep, and revelatory. In 1957,
Cyril Davies and
Alexis Korner opened the Blues and Barrelhouse Club and released their
Blues from the Roundhouse EP. In 1958, an electric
Muddy Waters' band made their rowdy, sold-out London debut.
John Mayall and
Dick Heckstall-Smith led '50s blues and jump bands alongside
Korner and
Davies'
Blues Incorporated. The club became the way station for emerging musicians.
The set kicks off with "County Line Special," a 1963 instrumental from
Cyril Davies & His Rhythm & Blues All-Stars that walks the line between skiffle and R&B, offering proof that
Davies was England's first blues harmonicist.
Long John Baldry, vocalist with
Blues Incorporated, delivers the gospelized blues of "Up Above My Head" before a young
Rod Stewart delivers a swinging acoustic read of "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl." This first disc features work by guitarists
Davy Graham,
John Renbourn, and
Wizz Jones, as well as
Mayall's Bluesbreakers (with
Eric Clapton),
the Animals,
Ten Years After,
Savoy Brown,
Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and
Chicken Shack. An obscure highlight is folk singer
Beverley Martin's 1966 barrelhouse B-side "Me & My Gin" backed by
Jimmy Page,
John Paul Jones, and pianist
Nicky Hopkins.
Disc two offers
Jethro Tull's
This Was performance of
Sleepy John Estes' "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You." It's followed by
John Martyn's
Bukka White-inspired "Goin' Down to Memphis." There are selections from
Pentangle (
Furry Lewis' "Turn Your Money Green"),
Bert Jansch ("Blues" from his 1969 solo debut), and
Jo-Ann Kelly (her 12-string rendition of
Charley Patton's "Moon Goin' Down" cements her reputation as the finest female country-blues singer in the U.K.). Speaking of country-blues,
Mike Cooper's "See Me Runnin'" is another disc highlight. The final disc hosts recordings by artists obscure and well known. A cover of
Tommy McLennan's "Bertha Lee" is delivered with barroom informality by
Kevin Coyne's
Siren (he also appears solo on "Evil Island Home"). Oddities are included, too, such as "Robot Blues" by acid folk mavens
Incredible String Band, jug band
Strange Fruit's "Shake That Thing," and
Mungo Jerry's kazoo-and-piano ragtime read of
Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues." Listeners also get entries by early
Climax Blues Band, Irish guitarist
Rory Gallagher both solo ("Banker's Blues") and with
Taste ("Gamblin Blues"), as well as cuts by the
Peter Frampton-era
Humble Pie (
Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone"), among others.
Despite the age of some recordings, fidelity is uniformly excellent.
Beecher's liner essay and individual track annotations are knowledgeable and illustrated with dozens of photographs. For those interested in how the blues spread across the U.K., ultimately birthing blues-rock,
Shake That Thing: The Blues in Britain 1963-1973 is simply indispensable. ~ Thom Jurek
![Confessin the Blues [Bonus Track] [Remastered]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/4988005792440_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Confessin the Blues [Bonus Track] [Remastered]")
![Hate to See You Go [Bonus Track] [Remastered]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/4988005792433_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Hate to See You Go [Bonus Track] [Remastered]")
