Crawling Up A Hill: Journey Through British Blues Crawling Up A Hill: Journey Through British Blues CD

Three CDs. By 1965, the British R&B boom was over. Cyril Davies was dead, Alexis Korner was employed as MD on a children's TV show, and the legion of young acolytes the two men had inspired had drifted away from the blues and into mainstream pop stardom. The more "purist" individuals were out in the cold: Brian Jones was marginalized in the Stones by the emergence of the Jagger/Richards songwriting team, while Eric Clapton had stormed out of the most blues wailing Yardbirds in protest at their recording of winsome pop ditty 'For Your Love'. But things were about to change. In April 1966, club band John Mayall's Blues Breakers - prominently featuring a still-simmering Clapton - recorded their debut studio album with the aid of producer Mike Vernon. Released in July, the LP was a huge, entirely unexpected success, reaching the UK Top Ten and remaining in the charts for an impressive 17 weeks. Suddenly, an astonishing number of virtuoso young British (and Irish) blues guitarists, all of whom rejected the trappings of pop success as fervently as the young Eric, were inspired to form their own bands. In the wake of Clapton, his Yardbirds replacement Jeff Beck and Peter Green (Eric's replacement in Mayall's band after he'd split to form Cream) came the likes of Kim Simmonds, Jeremy Spencer, Stan Webb, Paul Kossoff, Alvin Lee, Clem Clempson, Rory Gallagher, Gary Moore and Mick Ronson. Within a year or two of Mayall's unexpected breakthrough, the second wave of the British blues boom was in full, glorious bloom. Featuring all of the above names, Crawling Up A Hill chronicles the development of the British blues scene during that relatively brief but halcyon period, covering both the electric blues bands (Mayall's Blues Breakers, Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, Savoy Brown, Ten Years After etc) and the acoustic country blues acts (Jo-Ann Kelly, Mike Cooper, Ian A. Anderson and others). In addition, we feature a number of more obscure bands from the era, including Levee Camp Moan (responsible for two of the most feverishly-collected albums of the era), pre-Faces outfit Quiet Melon and The Zany Woodruff Operation, now receiving their first-ever public exposure. Housed in a clamshell box with a 40-page booklet featuring potted histories and priceless period photos of all the featured acts, Crawling Up A Hill is a fascinating document of a genre that, though relatively short-lived, would have a seismic influence on the subsequent development of rock music.

1. All Your Love û John MayallÆs 2. Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton 3. Crawling Up A Hill û The Zany Woodruff Operation 4. Louise û Anderson Jones Jackson 5. I Love You û The Graham Bond Organization 6. IÆm A Man (Live) û The Yardbirds 7. DonÆt Want You No More û The Spencer Davis Group 8. I CanÆt Keep From Crying, Sometimes û Ten Years After 9. Jumping At Shadows (Demo Version) û Duster Bennett 10. Charlie û The Deviants 11. You Shook Me û Jeff Beck 12. AinÆt NothinÆ In RamblinÆ û Jo-Ann Kelly 13. Love That Burns û Fleetwood Mac 14. Wang Dang Doodle û Love Sculpture 15. Operator û Alexis Korner Featuring Robert Plant 16. Can Blue Men Sing The Whites? û The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band 17. Walking - Dr. KÆs Blues Band 18. Little Woman YouÆre So Sweet û Shakey Vick 19. A Stranger In Your Town ûThe Climax Chicago Blues Band 20. Lord Of The Rings û Downliners Sect 21. Sweet Tooth - Free 22. Death Letter û Mike Cooper 23. Blister On The Moon û The Taste 24. I Just CanÆt Keep From Crying û Levee Camp Moan 25. Sometime Girl û Sam Apple Pie 26. Skin Game (Live) û John Dummer Blues Band 27. Diamond Joe û Quiet Melon 28. Nobody By My Side û Killing Floor 29. Dear Jill û Blodwyn Pig 30. ThereÆs An Easy And A Hard Way Of Living - Icarus 31. Tears In The Wind û Chicken Shack 32. Bring It On Home - Bakerloo 33. The Same For You - Jaklin 34. Train Comes, Train Goes û Frozen Tear 35. Telephone Blues (Aka Talk To Me Baby) û The Rats 36. Madison Blues û Angel Pavement 37. ItÆs You I Miss û Christine Perfect Band 38. This Love Of Old û Medicine Head 39. Baby Please DonÆt Go - Jasper 40. IÆve Got Those Fleetwood Mac Chicken Shack John Mayall CanÆt Fail Blues û Liverpool Scene 41. Ride With Your Daddy Tonight û Brunning Sunflower Blues Band 42. Time To Move û Red Dirt 43. A Hard Way To Go (Live) û Savoy Brown 44. Mean Blues û Jeremy Spencer 45. Chauffeur û Black Cat Bones 46. Gardener Man - Siren 47. Dupree Blues û Blue Blood 48. Passing Through û Steamhammer 49. Raining In Your Heart û Stone The Crows 50. Old Gopher û Edgar Broughton Band 51. Roadrunner û Stack Waddy 52. Take Me Down To The Water û Heavy Jelly 53. The Man Who Never Was û Skid Row 54. Take Your Money û Brett Marvin ; The Thunderbolts 55. The Sun Is Shining û Mungo Jerry 56. Backlash Blues û Linda Hoyle 57. Railroad û Status Quo