Our Favorite Blues Influenced/Blues Rock Albums From The Late 60s To The Very Early 70s – Looking For A Certain Bloomfield-ish Sound

*Album cover from a compilation from blues/blues rock guitar legend Michael Bloomfield 

Saturday night the Rock Chick and I went out to dinner with some dear friends of ours, the Jean Genie and her husband, who I’ll call Matt (name changed to protect the innocent). At some point during the conversation, as is my wont, I asked Matt what he was currently listening to. I was surprised to learn that he was of late listening to a playlist he’d put together of music from 1968 to 1971 or ’72, I don’t quite recall the exact years, I was on a rather large dose of cold medicine. I considered mentioning a certain blog who has been publishing “50-year lookback” playlists from every  year in the 70s, from ’71 up to 1975 this year, but the first rule about blogging is you don’t talk about blogging. I never want to be “that guy.”

Perhaps my list of Eric Clapton’s Essential Solo LPs was still lingering on my mind, but the conversation sparked a memory for me. Years ago, in an attempt to recreate that late 60s, early 70s blues rock vibe, I collected a bunch of that great era’s albums into one playlist. My goal at the time was to try and recreate an fledgling FM radio station, perhaps broadcasting from the basement of an occupied University’s Student Union during a protest. I wanted to take myself  to back in the day when radio was still important. When a DJ could go on air and play in a free-form fashion where there were no rules. The DJ was given a lot more leash to play whatever he was into. Much like the playlists we build/publish here – our latest was Playlist: Songs About…Rivers – the DJ could range widely stylistically, without strict regard to genre. You could go from Sly and the Family Stone to the Mamas And The Papas and not bat an eye. There was no rigorously controlled list of songs curated for “drive time.” Alas, I was too young and missed out on those glory days. 

The reason I dialed into that whole “late 60s/early 70s” thing, much like Matt, is easy to explain. There was so much great classic rock recorded in those years – stuff that influenced music for years to come. Music was exploding into so many directions – folk rock, soul, country rock, Motown and as we posted earlier this year, even psychedelic rock – and it was all spectacular. I’ve already posted a list of our favorite psychedelic rock albums but what I wanted to focus on for this piece, was that great blues and blues rock that was recorded back then. Blues was still the guiding light for so many bands back then from the Animals to the Yardbirds. 

I have posited, many times, in these very pages that all the great rock n roll was based on or sprang from the blues. I’ve probably been overstating that as over the years I’ve come to realize that folk rock, country rock, soul and even standard pop were also heavy influences on late 60s/early 70s rock. I mean, the Beatles weren’t bluesy at all, so clearly I’m a little myopic about blues rock. But all the music I personally dug had a direct line back to the blues. It wasn’t really until Van Halen sort of broke with that classic blues rock template that the blues’ influence over rock n roll was severed. I guess we could blame Kiss too, but I never liked Kiss. From VH and Kiss came Hair Metal, and those guys sort of became a caricature of what a rock band should look/sound like. Synths and drum machines took over and suddenly the music we knew as classic rock began to wither. Grunge with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were rock n roll’s last stand but that musical movement, unlike Punk before them, wasn’t without it’s casualties. 

I went back and pulled my list of my favorite albums by artists who were not only directly influenced by such greats as Son House, Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Howlin Wolf – they actually played those blues greats’ tunes, albeit in an often much more “heavy” fashion. After WW2, the great music of the Mississippi Delta somehow found it’s way to England and it influenced a generation of rock n roll bands. They brought that music back home to us and it flourished in bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the Allman Brothers. I’m looking for a very particular – some might say narrow – sound. I’ve often just picked out a debut album from a band as those were albums that were raw blues, chock full of blues covers. I also went with some Greatest Hits albums as they captured the vibe I was looking for so if you have a specific album from one of those bands that’s a better fit, I’m all ears. I sort of asked myself, was this music that the legendary Mike Bloomfield might have played or influenced? He was my guiding light. Perhaps I should have just asked, “What would Mike Bloomfield play?” I know this list isn’t exhaustive, so please recommend any album you think I’m missing in the comments section. My goal is to create the ultimate late 60s and early 70s (and by early I mean, 70 or 71) blues rock list.

• The Allman Brothers Band, The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South – Those early Allman’s albums with Duane are a perfect fit. 
• The Animals, The Best Of The Animals (1987) – Eric Burdon and the Animals hailed from England and played a menacing brand of blues. 
• Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cheap Thrills – Janis Joplin at her bluesiest. 
• Blind Faith, Blind Faith – Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, this had to be on here. 
• Bob Dylan, Bringing It Back Home (the electric side), Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde On Blonde – Dylan going electric is the thing of legend but no one talks about how bluesy he was. Dylan’s inclusion might be a surprise, but the first two of these records featured none other than Michael Bloomfield. And Blonde had to be included because of “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat.” 
• Cream, Fresh Cream, Disreali Gears, and Wheels Of Fire – Cream was very psychedelic as well but that first album was all blues covers. Gears features “Outside Woman Blues,” and that’s a tune I had to include. And of course on Wheels, “Crossroads.” 
• Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chronicles Vol 1 – I went with the compilation because they had so much great bluesy rock songs across their career, it encapsulated it. 
• Derek & The Dominos, Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs – Clapton + Duane Allman, enough said. 
• Faces, First Step – Great, early blues rock from Rod Stewart/Ronnie Wood right after joining the Faces. 
• Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and Then Play On– The version of the band that sprang from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Peter Green was an amazing guitarist. 
• Free, Tons Of Sobs – Their debut was the only really bluesy rock album they did but they did it well. They sort of ramble a bit stylistically after this record. 
• The Jeff Beck Group, Truth and Beckola – Heavy, heavy blues. Sadly, we recently lost Jeff Beck. Rod Stewart again on vocals…
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced? – Sure he was psychedelic but he was bluesy as well. I stuck with just the debut as his musical style exploded in so many directions… 
• John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, With Eric Clapton, Hard Road, and Crusade – This band was the wellspring of so many bands… I refer to this era of Mayall as the “Guitar God Trio,” with Clapton, Green and a young Mick Taylor who’d soon join the Stones. 
• Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin – As captured in the film, Becoming Led Zeppelin.  
• The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and East West – Featuring Mr. Bloomfield. The title track of the second record expanded what the blues could be. 
• The Rolling Stones, England’s Newest Hit Makers and 12×5 – A little outside my window but I had to include the Stones. I probably could have gone with Exile or Aftermath, but all these early records are more blues loaded. As McCartney once said, “The Stones are just a blues cover band.” Well Paul, that’s how they may have started but… 
• Spencer Davis Group, The Best Of The Spencer Davis Group (1998) – Steve Winwood’s original outfit. I wasn’t sure if Traffic was a fit as they were trippier. 
• Them, The Complete Them 1964 – 1967 – Slightly early again but Van Morrison’s first outfit had to be on here. 
• Johnny Winter, Johnny Winter, Second Winter and Johnny Winter And – Texas bluesman extraordinaire. His brother Edgar put out a tribute LP for Johnny a few years back…
• The Yardbirds, Greatest Hits 1964 – 1966 (1988) – Classic blues rock, this is the sound I’m looking for. Clapton (again), Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck.

These are the albums that I could think of, that capture that prime blues rock era of the late 60s and early 70s. I want to capture those early days when blues was still the umbrella under which these rockers huddled together. If there are some good albums/bands that you think would fit, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them. I know there are more superb band I could add, Canned Heat springs to mind, so I know I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg here. I probably won’t publish the accompanying playlist, but oh man, the fun I’ll have driving the Rock Chick crazy will be immeasurable. Many an air guitar will be played! 

Cheers! And really, what would Michael Bloomfield play? Please always remember, “Everything… everything gonna be alright this mornin’…”