I can think of few other blues compilations as rewarding as this. It has the most renowned contemporary English "white blues" artists and also some of the US gigants that inspired them. Lots of rare tracks and all in mono shape. The Otis Spann numbers - from the original recordings to his UK Decca debute - were not included in the -64 "The Blues Of Otis Spann" issue, or Deram -69 release "Cracked Spanner Head", but showed up first much later on the CD issue. The Mayall/Clapton cuts "Lonely Years" and "Bernard Jenkins" were A- and B-sides of an obscure single on Purdah label, and Peter Greens "Evil Woman Blues" a leftover from Mayalls "A Hard Road" sessions. This was also for a very long time the only place where you could find Champion Jack Duprees "Calcutta Blues" recording with Mayall and Clapton. As far as I know it's still the only place analog mono on vinyl. Also issued in US with same tracking, but different cover (London PS 543). UK releases up to 1970 in both mono and stereo, late ones with a die-cut sleeve and smaller label. Early releases with ridged label as shown here. (SÄM*)(MÄH*)(FXÄC*)
A folddown from the stereo master, unfortunately. Some of the tracks were only mixed or recorded to mono and appear in ever so slightly faked stereo on the stereo pressing. Not a bad listen though.
The Mayall/Clapton Purdah 45 was reissued by Sundazed in 2011 (for Record Store Day), mastered from the original mono mastertapes, and is very much worth getting.
I take You're absolutely certain. I always enjoyed this as true mono, but guess since the stereo's only slightly fake the fold-downs aren't much different from the original mixes and still preferable. I had the Spann Decca mono earlier and the true mono tracks there appeared mixed about the same as the ones on here.
A folddown from the stereo master, unfortunately. Some of the tracks were only mixed or recorded to mono and appear in ever so slightly faked stereo on the stereo pressing. Not a bad listen though.
SvaraRaderaThe Mayall/Clapton Purdah 45 was reissued by Sundazed in 2011 (for Record Store Day), mastered from the original mono mastertapes, and is very much worth getting.
I take You're absolutely certain. I always enjoyed this as true mono, but guess since the stereo's only slightly fake the fold-downs aren't much different from the original mixes and still preferable. I had the Spann Decca mono earlier and the true mono tracks there appeared mixed about the same as the ones on here.
SvaraRaderaYes, positively. I did keep my mono copy though. It has the die-cut sleeve, indicating that this was still being pressed in mono as late as 1969.
SvaraRaderaYup it was into 1970 and if You have one with the smaller label it's probably a -70 press.
SvaraRadera