Long before Blues Traveller, there was this band called The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, led by the vocal & harmonica talents of Paul Butterfield. Many aspiring blues and rock musicians passed through Butterfield's band throughout the 1960's & 1970's and went on to greater fame, Mike Bloomfield being one of the most famous. Here on this 1978 concert DVD, recorded for the Rockpalast German TV show in Essen at the Grugahalle, Butterfield and his 'non' blues band rip it up on an all too short 45 minute set that incorporates blues and funk into a hard rockin' set of covers and originals.
Many great guitar players have made their way through the ranks of Butterfield's bands over the years, and this show is no exception. Hot shot player Buzz Feiten and 19 year old phenom Peter Atanasoff are the guitar duo for this show, and they lay down plenty of mean licks and wild solos. Feiten should be a stranger to no one, as he's appeared as a session man for virtually everyone in rock, pop, jazz, and R&B over the last 40 years, as well as leading his own ensembles and creating a new tuning system for guitar players. His commanding riffs and fiery solos are all over the place here, injecting plenty of rock and fusion firepower into tunes like "Fair Enough", 'Goin' Down", "Born Under Bad Sign", and the scorching extended wah-wah break on "Fool In Love", perhaps one of the best wah-wah solos you'll ever hear. Though most of this is pretty rocking stuff, the band do share a tender moment with the audience on the classic "Just When I Needed You Most", with Butterfield adding a great vocal. For fans of wild jams, wait till you see Butterfield, Feiten, and Atanasoff dueling it out on some fiery guitar & harmonica exchanges on the raucous "Be Good to Yourself".
Much like what John Mayall did throughout the 60's, introducing talented young players to the world through his music, Butterfield basically did the same with his band. It's a shame Paul passed away a decade after this show was recorded, as we all probably missed out on more hot young blues and rock players that he surely would have found to help flash out his vision. If you've never experienced the skills of Buzz Feiten, give this a watch and prepare to be amazed.
The audio & video of the DVD is quite good, and thankfully SPV has also released a CD of the show, which you'll want to have for blasting in the car or on your stereo system. This is blues rock of the highest order folks, with some of the most scorching guitar licks you are ever going to hear. Check it out.
Track Listing
- Rockpalast Intro
- Fair Enough
- One More Heartache
- Fool in Love
- New Walking Blues
- It's Alright
- Goin' Down
- Born Under a Bad Sign
- Just When I Needed You Most
- Be Good to Yourself
- Interview -Bonus Feature
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