The Blues Project - Anthology (1997)

The Blues Project - Anthology (1997)

Product Description
For superior musicianship and soulful playing during the '60s, New York's own Blues Project were awfully tough to beat. And this 36-track collection-drawn from both their Verve/Forecast and Capitol recordings-shows just how good they were, including prime Project workouts like I Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes; Steve's Song; Flute Thing; Wake Me, Shake Me , and Cheryl's Going Home , as well as four unreleased live tracks, eight other cuts never before on CD and a 24-page, photo-packed booklet.

The very things that made the Blues Project one of the most phenomenal bands of the '60s are the same things that made the band a short-lived one. Drawing on a crazy quilt of influences--including folk, pop, jazz, psychedelia, and, yes, blues--the band was known to perform scorching versions of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf classics one minute, then turn around and do mellow contemporary tunes by the likes of Donovan and Patrick Sky the next. A band whose onstage energy was boundless, their studio work didn't always come across quite as well, and sharply divided attitudes about approach and repertoire (plus assorted personal problems) eventually sundered the band. Anthology is the best available sampling of the group's oeuvre, collecting material from their albums on Verve and Capitol and tossing in some rare singles, solo material, and previously unreleased tracks for good measure. You don't often hear the Blues Project mentioned in reverent tones, as are other, similar acts of the era, and that's too bad. This set makes a case for their veneration. --Daniel Durchholz

Disc 1

1. I'm Troubled
2. Back Door Man
3. Violets Of Dawn
4. Goin' Down Louisiana
5. Hoochie Coochie Man
6. Parchman Farm
7. You Go And I'll Go With You
8. Catch The Wind
9. I Want To Be Your Driver
10. Alberta
11. Have You Ever Had The Blues?
12. The Way My Baby Walks
13. Bright Lights, Big City
14. Jelly, Jelly Blues
15. Spoonful
16. Who Do You Love?
17. Love Will Endure
18. I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes
19. Friday Night City
20. Where There's Smoke There's Fire

Disc 2

1. I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes
2. Steve's Song
3. You Can't Catch Me
4. Two Trains Running
5. Wake Me, Shake Me
6. Cheryl's Going Home
7. Flute Thing
8. Caress Me Baby
9. Fly Away
10. No Time Like The Right Time
11. Mean Old Southern
12. Gentle Dreams
13. Lost In the Shuffle
14. Black Night
15. Visions Of Flowers 16. Little Rain