The best show I ever saw live in my 67 years of life was at the whiskey in feb 66 Paul Butterfield with Mike Bloomfield on guitar. They were great together I was in the Marines and this was my last weekend in country on my way to Vietnam with BLT3/5
That sucks, to get turned on to this and have to leave the country. a similar thing happened to me. I came from Fla. all our music was 10 years behind everything else. In 66 I went to the army and that is when I discovered cats like this.
gee I wonder where the Doors got their ideas ....I saw Paul In Vancouver,B.C. (circa 1976 I think ) with a pick up band made up of some former Guess Who members - same year I saw James band with a super all-star Chicago Blues Band - guess which show had more soul
Hey Mr. Larsen, do you remember if Butterfield play through the p.a. or an amp? Just curious because so many harp players use amps, but I think he was more of a play through the vocal mic performer. Thanks for sharing! I'm a huge fan of this band -- too young to have seen them live so I always enjoy hearing from those lucky enough to have done so.
This song changed the direction of my life. I moved alone at 17 to San Francisco in 1966 and had a little money from selling my hi-fi and CB radio repair shop I ran all through high school. I rented a two bedroom apartment on a cliff above Ocean Beach. I was an electronics nerd and figured I would get a job to save to go to university for a degree in EE. I ran into a musician who said he had an amplifier that did not work and he needed to play a gig. There was only one real guitar amp shop in San Francisco at that time so I took a look at it and repaired it on my kitchen table. He passed my name around the tight music community and the second person to knock on my door was a tall skinny Mexican kid about the same age. His name was Carlos Santana. A few days later a new acquaintance, a hippy girl invited me to see a band, actually a lot of bands, at Filmore West concert hall. I was not into music much, but she was cute so we went and one of the bands was PBBB and they had a pretty good set but one song blue me away, it was not rock, more jazz in theme and it was long. That song was East West and it was tight, complex and ranges in almost visual sonic imagery. Maybe she spiked my drink but the effect of that song was almost hallucinatory. That experience lead me to get involved in the music scene, on a technical level repairing, designing and building things for people so got to know everyone in the scene. The performance that night of my music awakening was a lot closer to the album version but a lot longer also, it took up almost their entire set. Later a few of the band's members, Mark Naftlin and Mike Bloomfield moved to Marin County just north over the Golden Gate Bridge as many of the 60s musicians, actors and writers did when San Francisco was becoming over run by kids from all over the country seeking free sex and drugs.I moved there about the same time the Grateful Dead did. I knew Mark well but spent little time with Mike, he has withdrawn from music pretty much and only got back into it weeks before he mysteriously died of cocaine and meth, two thing he never was never known to have taken. I ended up recording and buying a recording studio that was designed and built for Jimi Hendrix engineer but after Jimi died is sputtered a long losing money every month until I bought it and changed everything on the business side and went on to record close to 200 gold and platinum album awards. I built a 3rd studio in the space that Sly Stone lived in for a long time. It was smaller than the other 2 studios so was intended as small project and lower priced facility. The first act to book it the day it was finished was John Fogerty which turned out to his comeback album Center Field after not performing for years while battling Fantasy Records in court for stealing all the CCR money. When he finally won, he was free to restart his career and he did in with us. At the same time Journey and Heart were doing albums in the other two studios. Great times due to that one song. In 2000 I moved out of the US to St Petersburg Russia and have a great time here and seldom go back to the US because it is not opposite it was back in the day, now it is angry, divided and stressed out. It is much more open and focused on the arts and high degrees of personal freedom like we had in the late 60s. My favorite band was the Dead and saw them often both for shows and personally but never recorded them. I am still surrounded by musicians and also ballet dancers, actors and artists but I have no artistic ability myself. A side business is photography so do a lot of work in theater for ballet and drama, fashion and portraiture. I also have incoming tour operator companies and a repair shop for pro audio.
Wait! Wow. I moved alone from L.A. in 1966 at age 17 to head somewhere else I could find what to do. Did we pass each other on the way while Butterfield was playing all that time?
This was released in August, 1966. The Beatle's "Revolver" was released the same month. I was just 20 years old, living on the South Side of Chicago. It all made perfect sense to me.
THE ORIGINal Jam Band track and maybe the best of all time. It was the basis for every band jam held in garages basements living rooms from that point on. 1 chord, 1 groove. Its how countless numbers of guitar hacks and others got their chops started. A milestone in music for me. Happy trails.
I was a senior in high school in 1966. Lived in the San Francisco bay area. Had the Butterfield Blues Band's first LP. It was like nothing I ever heard before. Born in Chicago, Shake Your Money Maker, Got My Mojo Working, Work Song, it was full of great songs of Bloomfield and Butterfield trading licks. Nothing remotely like it on any of the top 40 AM radio, or soul stations, which was basically all there was. Got word they were coming to the Bay Area to play live. Was not about to miss that! Opted to see them at an auditorium on the University of California campus in Berkeley. When I walked into the place the opening band was already playing. They were a local San Francisco band I never heard of called The Jefferson Airplane. This was before Grace Slick had joined the band and Signe Anderson was singing with them. The first thing that struck me as I entered the venue were all these colorful pulsating lights, flowing all over the walls and ceiling! There was no seating, just a stage and a large dance floor. Off to my left was this brusier of a Hells Angel, all by himself under a strobe light, swinging a big chain around. I remember thinking, what have I gotten myself into?! But everything was cool. The Airplane was not who I came to see, but they were pretty good. I remember them playing their song, It's No Secret. When they were finished there was a short break and then Butterfield and the band filed on stage. Their second LP East West had not come out yet. I was expecting Sam Lay on drums, but he had been replaced by Billy Davenport. Also Mark Naftalin was with them on keyboard. I am pretty sure they did not play East West that night. Just the stuff off the first LP and maybe some other songs. I remember being blown away by the band that night. They were everything I was expecting; Bloomfield and Butterfield ripping it up! I would go see Bloomfield play different places after he left the Butterfield band. He formed the Electric Flag and I saw them play at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Then I caught him jaming in this small coffee shop / bar type place in North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, playing blues and jazz type stuff, seated with a couple of other guys.That was the last time I saw Mike Bloomfield.
Takes me back to '66 when the teen rock band I was in got snuck into the Whiskey and our prodigy guitarist John "Frenchy" Bonello jammed with Bloomfield backstage. Mike turned to the rest of us and said "Someday this guy's going to be a household name, he's got way more talent than I can ever hope for." "Frenchy" was only 17 at the time. That was quite an endorsement for John. At age 21 he committed suicide while on a bad acid trip, so the world never got to know John's genius.
Why are these guys not in the RnR hall of fame? Talk about your innovators! If you look up Billboards top hits for 1966 and think about what BBB were doing, it just staggers the imagination. I bought their first album because the cover looked cool. I had never seen an intergrated band before. This just totally blew my mind and changed my life forever. God Bless you Mike and Paul.
A Fantastic record, and special the «song» «East - West» are so mighty, soulful og spiritual, ach, words can’t fully describe this masterpiece! Long live The Paul Butterfield Blues Band! Long live the great Mike Bloomfield!!
I have to agree as a bass player myself, I would put him in the top ten. I always tell students to listen to Jerome Arnolds work with both Butterfield and Howlin' Wolf. As a side issue Michael played with two of my other idols Harvey Brooks and John Kahn.
Paul butterfield blues band first and second album are among the best in the Rock History. But I must say that Canned heat first and second album with Hooker n Heat also are among the best in the Rock and Blues History. These were magical musicians , no doubt.
Saw them at the Fillmore west in 69. Electric Flag, Paul Butterfield, James Cotten. Does to go any further!. Blasted out of our minds on LSD And hash with my for life friend Jeffrey, just before we were leaving for Vietnam . Jeffrey died from agent orange at 39 years old. I’m 74 now, never stopped missing you brother!
I was a freshman at Woodside Priory, a college-prep school in Portola Valley, run by Benedictine monks, who had escaped from Hungary in 1956. I boarded on-campus towards the end of that school year, when my parents divorced. My junior form roommates turned me on to this album, and I shared that my mom's company was advertising on the 'hip' new underground station KMPX in San Francisco...also heard Peter Green for the first time - "The Supernatural" - forever sustain!
I have a CD with 3 live versions of it. Frankly, none are as good or as tight or as well recorded as the original version on the East West album. I stopped by to hear this version just to see how it compares. They are all good, but the eponymous album version is best IMO. I never saw PBBB live, but I heard them at an outdoor blues concert. I was in college, and didn't have money to get inside the fence. They were great.
in 74 I had Michael across the street from me & ended up in his basement "music hall" with bunches of old timers Jammin' like nobody's business for hours, over & over again. ... I had No Idea how lucky I really was until his leaving. 3 3 LOVE YOU MIKE 3 3
very first album I every bought, the first Butterfield Blues Band album...my god, that and East-West, the next album, what a wake-up, paving the way for Hendrix, the psychedelic era, jazz, and...more blues! Mike Bloomfield, an unappreciated hero in his own land.
Listened to a KPFA tribute to Bill Graham & the Fillmore West that lasted all weekend back in 1971. Bill was asked what the greatest song he had heard live. He said it was easily "East/West".
Totally underrated guitarist Bloomfield and forgotten. Drugs got the best of him as they did Butterfield after being injured and taking pain meds that led to heroin. Before that he had never done drugs and did not drink much
mikey's at the top of his game here, it musta hurt to go from this to porno soundtracks...wot a heartbreak...loved the dude, actually everyone in the band .. saw MBEF live at the LA Opera House in '68 [he opened for Jimi]...the Cheetah in LA in '69 [Morrison and the Doors OPENED for the him and the Flag the night I was there], and at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach...the memories, the memories...thank you
Not long after the album East-West came out my best friend, a guitarist, sat me down and made me listen to this track. I was so blown away I couldn't say anything when it was over. Awesome! And then he put on their version of "Work Song" on the other side of the album. If you've never heard BBB doing "Work Song" hunt it down. You can thank me later. :-)
LG: I just quoted your whole comment in a Facebook post accompanying my drawing of "Kay El's All-Star Rock Band 1969." Thanks for your recollection. - KL are you on FB?
This is such a great version. I saw them do this live a couple of times in NYC, the last one in Central Park. It’s too long ago for me to say whether any of those versions was like this one, and with the studio take so ingrained in my head I really have no idea. I just know this is remarkable and brilliant.
Paul Butterfield reminds me of the "Flintstones" episode in which Fred gets all hip , renames himself "Hi- Fi" , and the kids just love him , until Wilma starts a rumour that "Hi- Fi" , is square . Then he is an outcast and returns home .
@@wizzard5442 I was simply agreeing with you, friend. A lot happened. Some bad some great and music, the greatest music was made mid fifties until in my opinion, to most of the eighties. It surely was a great time to be alive...
@@robertwoodward9231 You're perfectly right, best music mid 50's to mid-80's. I stopped "following" music after mid-80's, like listening to Top40 radio stations when rap music hit the scene and other music just sounded nothing special.
Bloodymarvellous, so talented, such a waste. I saw the PBBB at the RamJam Club in Brixton south London in the 60s, I'm sure they were great, but sadly ze old grey cells are not what they were. I do however, remember the chaps standing on the stairs leading to the club trying to rob us. .
Zinedine05, thanks a bunch for this. One thing that strikes me is how different this is from the studio version, which prompts me to wonder how the really good/great musicians do this? I've got a number of Allman Bros. live recordings, and for example, Elizabeth Reed is different on each of them, just to cite one example. Hendrix Band of Gypsy, Machine Gun very different, etc. Same w/ Miles and other jazz greats. I know it's what sets the greats apart, but I still marvel at it.
+TeeKay19 It's called improvisation..... As a 50 year+ musician I have noticed that few younger players can improvise...... The concept is part of the definition of jazz. An agreed upon framework and everything else is free.... We (rock and blues players borrowed it from jazz)
I get what you mean but I've only ever known the studio version. I'm amazed how similar this is! The bass structure is mostly the same and all the riffs are there, yes, plus more! I'm gonna hunt down other versions.
@@texasdoublestandard Same here, bass player for over 50 years, we lived through some great times. There are times at my local MA jams though when there are some good rock/blues improvs.
Bloomfield was stunning but Butterfield was a true innovator. At that time no one had played harp remotely like that - and precious few afterwards, to be honest, until Jason Ricci that is..
And amazingly creative period. The Lizard King ruled the Whiskey. The Dead were in LA getting their record deal (and selling their little pills while it was not yet illegal). This band had a huge influence THE prototype jam song.
+Lynne Fisk Not. Read "Electric Kool Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe. Describes the "Merry Prankster" era around '65-late '66 while acid was not yet illegal.
I vaguely remember hearing that the band complained that he was inconsistent live. But his bass lines for this album - and this song in particular - are among my all-time favorite. Not sure if he wrote those, as bass lines are often written by a guitarist as part of the song structure, but he certainly plays the hell out of them in my book. Pretty incredible work with Howlin' Wolf, too.
BTW, the Billboard #1 song that year (1966) was Sgt. Barry Sadler's "Ballad Of The Green Berets." Can you believe that? These cats were changing the whole music scene back then. So far Donna Summers has more votes than PBBB. Rock the voye by going to rockhall.com & VOTE!
+Ghislain DORMONT There is a version of it on this album. www.amazon.com/East-West-The-Butterfield-Blues-Band/dp/B000002GZ3/ref=pd_sim_15_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51SWNid50nL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=15GE5ZWPEKQBS1T06870
All you can eat here! www.amazon.com/East-West-Live-Paul-Butterfield/dp/B0000034D7/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1481979918&sr=1-1&keywords=paul+butterfield+east+west+live
Look for a hard to find cd of the Butterfield Blues Band called "East-West Live" which is taken from Mark Naftalin's archive collection and released on the cd label Winner Records!! It's not easy to find but Absolutely worth tracking down!!! =)
Oh come on, I'm actually glad they aren't there! It's just some fancy-shamsy gallery put up by some faceless people who certainly ain't musicians. Great music is readily identifiable and you don't need a museum to tell you that.
The best show I ever saw live in my 67 years of life was at the whiskey in feb 66 Paul Butterfield with Mike Bloomfield on guitar. They were great together I was in the Marines and this was my last weekend in country on my way to Vietnam with BLT3/5
That sucks, to get turned on to this and have to leave the country. a similar thing happened to me. I came from Fla. all our music was 10 years behind everything else. In 66 I went to the army and that is when I discovered cats like this.
Wow, that's a story right there....
gee I wonder where the Doors got their ideas ....I saw Paul In Vancouver,B.C. (circa 1976 I think ) with a pick up band made up of some former Guess Who members - same year I saw James band with a super all-star Chicago Blues Band - guess which show had more soul
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE SIR!
Hey Mr. Larsen, do you remember if Butterfield play through the p.a. or an amp? Just curious because so many harp players use amps, but I think he was more of a play through the vocal mic performer. Thanks for sharing! I'm a huge fan of this band -- too young to have seen them live so I always enjoy hearing from those lucky enough to have done so.
This song changed the direction of my life. I moved alone at 17 to San Francisco in 1966 and had a little money from selling my hi-fi and CB radio repair shop I ran all through high school. I rented a two bedroom apartment on a cliff above Ocean Beach. I was an electronics nerd and figured I would get a job to save to go to university for a degree in EE. I ran into a musician who said he had an amplifier that did not work and he needed to play a gig. There was only one real guitar amp shop in San Francisco at that time so I took a look at it and repaired it on my kitchen table. He passed my name around the tight music community and the second person to knock on my door was a tall skinny Mexican kid about the same age. His name was Carlos Santana. A few days later a new acquaintance, a hippy girl invited me to see a band, actually a lot of bands, at Filmore West concert hall. I was not into music much, but she was cute so we went and one of the bands was PBBB and they had a pretty good set but one song blue me away, it was not rock, more jazz in theme and it was long. That song was East West and it was tight, complex and ranges in almost visual sonic imagery. Maybe she spiked my drink but the effect of that song was almost hallucinatory.
That experience lead me to get involved in the music scene, on a technical level repairing, designing and building things for people so got to know everyone in the scene. The performance that night of my music awakening was a lot closer to the album version but a lot longer also, it took up almost their entire set. Later a few of the band's members, Mark Naftlin and Mike Bloomfield moved to Marin County just north over the Golden Gate Bridge as many of the 60s musicians, actors and writers did when San Francisco was becoming over run by kids from all over the country seeking free sex and drugs.I moved there about the same time the Grateful Dead did. I knew Mark well but spent little time with Mike, he has withdrawn from music pretty much and only got back into it weeks before he mysteriously died of cocaine and meth, two thing he never was never known to have taken. I ended up recording and buying a recording studio that was designed and built for Jimi Hendrix engineer but after Jimi died is sputtered a long losing money every month until I bought it and changed everything on the business side and went on to record close to 200 gold and platinum album awards.
I built a 3rd studio in the space that Sly Stone lived in for a long time. It was smaller than the other 2 studios so was intended as small project and lower priced facility. The first act to book it the day it was finished was John Fogerty which turned out to his comeback album Center Field after not performing for years while battling Fantasy Records in court for stealing all the CCR money. When he finally won, he was free to restart his career and he did in with us. At the same time Journey and Heart were doing albums in the other two studios.
Great times due to that one song. In 2000 I moved out of the US to St Petersburg Russia and have a great time here and seldom go back to the US because it is not opposite it was back in the day, now it is angry, divided and stressed out. It is much more open and focused on the arts and high degrees of personal freedom like we had in the late 60s.
My favorite band was the Dead and saw them often both for shows and personally but never recorded them. I am still surrounded by musicians and also ballet dancers, actors and artists but I have no artistic ability myself. A side business is photography so do a lot of work in theater for ballet and drama, fashion and portraiture. I also have incoming tour operator companies and a repair shop for pro audio.
Awesome story!
What a cool story, and so many of those bands you worked for produced Gold/Platinum LPs.
Sooo cool
Really ??? I was there,and you sound "fishy". You got a name ?
I didn't think so.
Wait! Wow. I moved alone from L.A. in 1966 at age 17 to head somewhere else I could find what to do. Did we pass each other on the way while Butterfield was playing all that time?
East West was a mind opener in '66 and it's still one of my favorites today.
Butterfield Blues Bands Band highly underrated. Listened to this album nightly in the late 60's. Drove my Dad and Mom crazy.
Lets not forget Elvin Bishop who to this day is amazing.
me too! glad Elvin is still with us too...
Me too!!
This was released in August, 1966. The Beatle's "Revolver" was released the same month. I was just 20 years old, living on the South Side of Chicago. It all made perfect sense to me.
THE ORIGINal Jam Band track and maybe the best of all time. It was the basis for every band jam held in garages basements living rooms from that point on. 1 chord, 1 groove. Its how countless numbers of guitar hacks and others got their chops started.
A milestone in music for me. Happy trails.
one of the greatest songs ever written
Jim Alciere true
I am surprised that nobody seems to cover this, including jazz musicians.
@@389383 John Fogerty mentioned it in a _Rolling Stone_ interview.
@@389383 And I am Disappointed, As Well😮
I was a senior in high school in 1966. Lived in the San Francisco bay area. Had the Butterfield Blues Band's first LP. It was like nothing I ever heard before. Born in Chicago, Shake Your Money Maker, Got My Mojo Working, Work Song, it was full of great songs of Bloomfield and Butterfield trading licks. Nothing remotely like it on any of the top 40 AM radio, or soul stations, which was basically all there was. Got word they were coming to the Bay Area to play live. Was not about to miss that! Opted to see them at an auditorium on the University of California campus in Berkeley. When I walked into the place the opening band was already playing. They were a local San Francisco band I never heard of called The Jefferson Airplane. This was before Grace Slick had joined the band and Signe Anderson was singing with them.
The first thing that struck me as I entered the venue were all these colorful pulsating lights, flowing all over the walls and ceiling! There was no seating, just a stage and a large dance floor. Off to my left was this brusier of a Hells Angel, all by himself under a strobe light, swinging a big chain around. I remember thinking, what have I gotten myself into?! But everything was cool. The Airplane was not who I came to see, but they were pretty good. I remember them playing their song, It's No Secret.
When they were finished there was a short break and then Butterfield and the band filed on stage. Their second LP East West had not come out yet. I was expecting Sam Lay on drums, but he had been replaced by Billy Davenport. Also Mark Naftalin was with them on keyboard. I am pretty sure they did not play East West that night. Just the stuff off the first LP and maybe some other songs. I remember being blown away by the band that night. They were everything I was expecting; Bloomfield and Butterfield ripping it up!
I would go see Bloomfield play different places after he left the Butterfield band. He formed the Electric Flag and I saw them play at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Then I caught him jaming in this small coffee shop / bar type place in North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, playing blues and jazz type stuff, seated with a couple of other guys.That was the last time I saw Mike Bloomfield.
Good story..
Takes me back to '66 when the teen rock band I was in got snuck into the Whiskey and our prodigy guitarist John "Frenchy" Bonello jammed with Bloomfield backstage. Mike turned to the rest of us and said "Someday this guy's going to be a household name, he's got way more talent than I can ever hope for." "Frenchy" was only 17 at the time. That was quite an endorsement for John. At age 21 he committed suicide while on a bad acid trip, so the world never got to know John's genius.
Is there any more info on or are there any more recordings of John "Frenchy" Bonello?
Why are these guys not in the RnR hall of fame? Talk about your innovators!
If you look up Billboards top hits for 1966 and think about what BBB were doing, it just staggers the imagination.
I bought their first album because the cover looked cool. I had never seen an intergrated band before. This just totally blew my mind and changed my life forever. God Bless you Mike and Paul.
I think I just read that they are in the hall of fame.
Because RnR hall of fame is a joke
A Fantastic record, and special the «song» «East - West» are so mighty, soulful og spiritual, ach, words can’t fully describe this masterpiece! Long live The Paul Butterfield Blues Band! Long live the great Mike Bloomfield!!
I have to agree as a bass player myself, I would put him in the top ten. I always tell students to listen to Jerome Arnolds work with both Butterfield and Howlin' Wolf.
As a side issue Michael played with two of my other idols Harvey Brooks and John Kahn.
Paul butterfield blues band first and second album are among the best in the Rock History. But I must say that Canned heat first and second album with Hooker n Heat also are among the best in the Rock and Blues History. These were magical musicians , no doubt.
Electra years!!!
Yessur,,on it there and the Heat with John Lee. Never saw this but it's great. Bloomfield,, man oh man. Thanks.
.
East West is a classic!
Saw them at the Fillmore west in 69. Electric Flag, Paul Butterfield, James Cotten. Does to go any further!. Blasted out of our minds on LSD And hash with my for life friend Jeffrey, just before we were leaving for Vietnam . Jeffrey died from agent orange at 39 years old. I’m 74 now, never stopped missing you brother!
I was a freshman at Woodside Priory, a college-prep school in Portola Valley, run by Benedictine monks, who had escaped from Hungary in 1956. I boarded on-campus towards the end of that school year, when my parents divorced. My junior form roommates turned me on to this album, and I shared that my mom's company was advertising on the 'hip' new underground station KMPX in San Francisco...also heard Peter Green for the first time - "The Supernatural" - forever sustain!
If only I could go back...oh God, I would.
Had the 8-track n the deck all the way from SF to Denver...& back! Good times w/ my bud. Gone, but not forgotten.
Crave as many live versions of EAST-WEST as there are available. This is a VERY nice treat for a Monday night at my desk........Chris
I have a CD with 3 live versions of it. Frankly, none are as good or as tight or as well recorded as the original version on the East West album. I stopped by to hear this version just to see how it compares. They are all good, but the eponymous album version is best IMO. I never saw PBBB live, but I heard them at an outdoor blues concert. I was in college, and didn't have money to get inside the fence. They were great.
The East West album is PBBB at their peak. An album that everybody should own.
Bloomfield ruled the world. Oh my !
Of the three renditions of this song on RUclips, this one is both the shortest and perhaps the best.
Α timeless masterpiece P.B.B. .B & Nick Gravenites
in 74 I had Michael across the street from me & ended up in his basement "music hall" with bunches of old timers Jammin' like nobody's business for hours, over & over again.
... I had No Idea how lucky I really was until his leaving. 3 3 LOVE YOU MIKE 3 3
The true beginnings of how psychedelia would be played going forward
+MrMrwilson11 I agree, especially when you take into consideration this was 1966!
What a rare find! This is like discovering ... hell, this is so great to hear. I love raga rock.
very first album I every bought, the first Butterfield Blues Band album...my god, that and East-West, the next album, what a wake-up, paving the way for Hendrix, the psychedelic era, jazz, and...more blues! Mike Bloomfield, an unappreciated hero in his own land.
Listened to a KPFA tribute to Bill Graham & the Fillmore West that lasted all weekend back in 1971. Bill was asked what the greatest song he had heard live. He said it was easily "East/West".
Checkin’ in from a beach in Playa Del Carmen on an 83 degree day in FEB. Good to hear ya Zinedine. Holy @&$, it’s been awhile.
Phenomenal for 1966 !
The dean of American blues guitarists, Mike Bloomfield goes beyond genius, on this track and every other one graced with his playing!
The deepest of all the blues/cats of the era. He could go farther than eric etc. moments of transcendence
Totally underrated guitarist Bloomfield and forgotten. Drugs got the best of him as they did Butterfield after being injured and taking pain meds that led to heroin. Before that he had never done drugs and did not drink much
i wish they'd lived long enough for me to get to see them...:(
mikey's at the top of his game here, it musta hurt to go from this to porno soundtracks...wot a heartbreak...loved the dude, actually everyone in the band .. saw MBEF live at the LA Opera House in '68 [he opened for Jimi]...the Cheetah in LA in '69 [Morrison and the Doors OPENED for the him and the Flag the night I was there], and at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach...the memories, the memories...thank you
I remember Mike and Paul,,went to all their LA gigs,,,pure genius,,,,,Elvin too,,,,,
Bloomfield didn't want to be a star.
Bloom did porno soundtracks??
Not long after the album East-West came out my best friend, a guitarist, sat me down and made me listen to this track. I was so blown away I couldn't say anything when it was over. Awesome! And then he put on their version of "Work Song" on the other side of the album. If you've never heard BBB doing "Work Song" hunt it down. You can thank me later. :-)
LG: I just quoted your whole comment in a Facebook post accompanying my drawing of "Kay El's All-Star Rock Band 1969." Thanks for your recollection. - KL are you on FB?
Uniquely great. Thank you.
この曲は、驚異的な、曲だ、東洋的、西洋的な、旋律が、あわさって、すごすぎる、
my parents bought me "Little Deuce Coupe". The next week i traded it for East West. My fate was sealed.
Saw the three kings there about 73. Also 67. Freddie opened. Albert. Then BB. was one to remember
Thanks for your service, Sir!...Lucky to see these guys at their best!
artists shine here...audio is good enough to get the message...
No one can kill it like Mike!
This is such a great version. I saw them do this live a couple of times in NYC, the last one in Central Park. It’s too long ago for me to say whether any of those versions was like this one, and with the studio take so ingrained in my head I really have no idea. I just know this is remarkable and brilliant.
Paul Butterfield reminds me of the "Flintstones" episode in which Fred gets all hip , renames himself "Hi- Fi" , and the kids just love him , until Wilma starts a rumour that "Hi- Fi" , is square . Then he is an outcast and returns home .
Was so born in the wrong era, this is mind-blowing.
Yeah, being born a Boomer did have some postives
@@wizzard5442 It was definitely the exact time this was supposed to happen.
@@robertwoodward9231 I dont know how you took my comment but I'm a boomer myself and what I meant was, it was a good time to be alive.
@@wizzard5442 I was simply agreeing with you, friend. A lot happened. Some bad some great and music, the greatest music was made mid fifties until in my opinion, to most of the eighties. It surely was a great time to be alive...
@@robertwoodward9231 You're perfectly right, best music mid 50's to mid-80's.
I stopped "following" music after mid-80's, like listening to Top40 radio stations when rap music hit the scene and other music just sounded nothing special.
This is better than the album version.
It's weird ... I can hear Creedence's "Suzie Q" from this along with ZZ Top's "Thug"
Bloodymarvellous, so talented, such a waste. I saw the PBBB at the RamJam Club in Brixton south London in the 60s, I'm sure they were great, but sadly ze old grey cells are not what they were. I do however, remember the chaps standing on the stairs leading to the club trying to rob us. .
Bloomfield played from Mars or farther out there!!!!!!
like the man says, thanx so much and please keep em coming. It took me a bit of aging to see how far ahead of everybody else these guys were.
Gotta Love It ! Thanks for a fantastic upload
Sheer intercontinental travel without moving.
Zinedine05, thanks a bunch for this. One thing that strikes me is how different this is from the studio version, which prompts me to wonder how the really good/great musicians do this? I've got a number of Allman Bros. live recordings, and for example, Elizabeth Reed is different on each of them, just to cite one example. Hendrix Band of Gypsy, Machine Gun very different, etc. Same w/ Miles and other jazz greats. I know it's what sets the greats apart, but I still marvel at it.
+TeeKay19 It's called improvisation..... As a 50 year+ musician I have noticed that few younger players can improvise...... The concept is part of the definition of jazz. An agreed upon framework and everything else is free.... We (rock and blues players borrowed it from jazz)
I get what you mean but I've only ever known the studio version. I'm amazed how similar this is! The bass structure is mostly the same and all the riffs are there, yes, plus more! I'm gonna hunt down other versions.
@@texasdoublestandard Same here, bass player for over 50 years, we lived through some great times. There are times at my local MA jams though when there are some good rock/blues improvs.
Butterfield comes in @10:35, before this an extended Bloomfield guitar solo.
Can't thank you enough for posting this!!! Wonderful!
butterfield has taste, intelligence and generosity.
Bloomfield was stunning but Butterfield was a true innovator. At that time no one had played harp remotely like that - and precious few afterwards, to be honest, until Jason Ricci that is..
And amazingly creative period. The Lizard King ruled the Whiskey. The Dead were in LA getting their record deal (and selling their little pills while it was not yet illegal). This band had a huge influence THE prototype jam song.
+clarkewi sorry dude the Dead ate acid,
but DID NOT SELL IT how foolish of you to say that
+Lynne Fisk Not. Read "Electric Kool Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe. Describes the "Merry Prankster" era around '65-late '66 while acid was not yet illegal.
They gave it away. Their sound man sold it and made the best in the land. Maybe Jerry never took money for a tab but ....
What was the name of the sound man,,? Answer: Stanley Owsley
Hi Terence, thank you so much for these videos. Agree with Allen Bloomfield, you're paying a great tribute to his late brother. Thanks a lot! :-)
all in all a good song.
All in All, That is an Understatement😊🎉❤️👍🏼⚠️🦁
reading mikes book had to catch up with some of these songs and i am out of weed
Heard the Dead do a great job with this in 1969 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles
Nice find, again, T...ur still the man!!!! :)
I vaguely remember hearing that the band complained that he was inconsistent live. But his bass lines for this album - and this song in particular - are among my all-time favorite. Not sure if he wrote those, as bass lines are often written by a guitarist as part of the song structure, but he certainly plays the hell out of them in my book. Pretty incredible work with Howlin' Wolf, too.
Apparently, Jerome Arnold had played in clubs to accompany shake dancers and these were the bass lines he devleloped in that context.
One day I’ll have a band that plays extended modal jams like this... mark my words man
They're nominees this year. Let's hope they make it in!
Anyone know know what happened to Jerome? The brother was an fantastic bass player, deserves more credit (imo).
-my 2 cents-
Maybe at his prime here, insane vibrato!
read Bill Graham's book for a great explanation of this song.
Had to get my Bloomfield fix, thanks!
BTW, the Billboard #1 song that year (1966) was Sgt. Barry Sadler's "Ballad Of The Green Berets."
Can you believe that? These cats were changing the whole music scene back then.
So far Donna Summers has more votes than PBBB.
Rock the voye by going to rockhall.com & VOTE!
I wonder if the Jefferson Airplane were in the audience for this.
Do I hear Bloomfields influence on tunes like 'Fat Angel" & 'Bear Melt'....!?
The Airplane opened for the Butterfield Band at the Fillmore in 1966....
@@bobcuozzi6331 Ah Ha! Cross pollination in
action. Thx for the info.
Is this fabulous tune legally available? Where, how to purchase it? incredibly ahead pf its time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+Ghislain DORMONT There is a version of it on this album. www.amazon.com/East-West-The-Butterfield-Blues-Band/dp/B000002GZ3/ref=pd_sim_15_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51SWNid50nL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=15GE5ZWPEKQBS1T06870
Just enjoy it, be a rebel once in a while and hear it illegally cheers mate.
All you can eat here!
www.amazon.com/East-West-Live-Paul-Butterfield/dp/B0000034D7/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1481979918&sr=1-1&keywords=paul+butterfield+east+west+live
Look for a hard to find cd of the Butterfield Blues Band called "East-West Live" which is taken from Mark Naftalin's archive collection and released on the cd label Winner Records!! It's not easy to find but Absolutely worth tracking down!!! =)
@@knowmoore5536
Believe or not...it's on Spotify
You can help get Paul Butterfied get into The Rock'n'Roll HOF.
You get 5 votes.
Go to rockhall.com and VOTE!
Because the hall of Fame is a JOKE!
For 66 this is forward .They all copied or got inspired country Joe and the fish and Jefferson airplane
Oh come on, I'm actually glad they aren't there!
It's just some fancy-shamsy gallery put up by some faceless people who certainly ain't musicians. Great music is readily identifiable and you don't need a museum to tell you that.
"Two Jews' blues"
Mean While, Let's Not Overlook the Blues Project out of NYC!
Check👂🏼Out "Flute Thing"😊An Outstanding Song👍🏼✨🌠🆒😎✌🏼🤠
This is what every hippy guitarist aspired to. So when you hear unbearablely long and crappy guitar solos from late '60's bands, blame Bloomfield.
Bad recording
No, you're just an idiot.