ALBUMS THAT DESERVE ANOTHER LISTEN
The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw (Elektra EKL-4015)
The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw is a 1967 album by the Butterfield Blues Band, their third release. Its name refers to Elvin Bishop, whose role shifted to lead guitarist after Mike Bloomfield departed to form the Electric Flag. The album marked a slight shift in the band's sound towards R&B and was the first Butterfield record to feature a horn section, which included a young David Sanborn on alto saxophone. The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw generally received mixed to favorable reviews from critics, and reached number 52 in the American Billboard 200 charts in 1968.
Harmonica/Vocals: Paul Butterfield
Guitar: Elvin Bishop
Alto Saxophone: Dave Sanborn
Tenor Saxophone: Gene Dinwiddie
Trumpet: Keith Johnson
Keyboards: Mark Naftalin
Bass: Bugsy Maugh
Drums: Phil Wilson
I wasn't a huge fan of the Butterfield Blues Band's earlier LPs. Primarily because at the time of their release I was already deeply into blues/R&B and owned albums by Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, and many others. So I had little interest in hearing the Butterfield Band's versions when I was listening to the originals by the blues masters. However, when their third LP, "The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw" was released in 1967 I sat up and took notice. Several things had happened since those two earlier LPs. Lead guitarist Mike Bloomfield had departed, handing the guitar role over to former second guitarist Elvin Bishop, who did an admirable job as a more restrained band guitarist, playing chords/riffs and short tasty solos. Also Butterfield himself had matured as a harp player/singer, and with the inclusion of the Sanborn-led 3-piece horn section, the choice of material had progressed to tight solid covers of R&B classics by Charles Brown, Otis Rush, Roosevelt Sykes, Junior Parker and Lowell Fulson. The result was an outstanding album, and a very mature album for a predominantly white blues band in the late 1960s. Unlike the guitar-virtuoso blues bands that were in vogue at the time, no one player dominated; here we have high-calibre musicians showing restraint and cooperation to produce a well-crafted masterful album. Unfortunately it didn't last long. Within a year the members of this impressive line up had all moved on to other things. Butterfield himself pushed ahead with various projects, until his untimely passing in 1987 at age 44, never again quite reaching the high standard that the Butterfield Blues Band set with The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw.
This is a new feature I'll be adding to the blog from time to time. Posting albums that members may have never heard of, or haven't listened to for ages, and in my opinion they deserve another listen.
ReplyDeletelooks interesting Bob, looking forward to taking a listen, thanks for sharing Reb
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy listening to this classic album Reb.
DeleteThanks, Bob Great album, Growing up in the Chicago suburbs as a teenager I was knocked out by this band and their first 2 albums. At that time , a lot of the old Chicago blues guys, as great as they were, were starting to sound a little stale and tired. Butterfield brought a new freshness and energy. And they weren't white kids from the suburbs like me, they were tough, hard core city guys who paid their dues playing in the South side blues joints.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, glad you agree this is a great album. I remember seeing a photo of Paul Butterfield and a couple other white blues players sitting in a South Side club watching Otis Rush Band.
DeleteThis is a great selection. I bought the vinyl when I was in High School in 1968. It made a life-long impression on me.
ReplyDeleteHi tsi&hrjs, yes I think I hit the nail on the head when I said "a very mature album for a predominantly white blues band in the late 1960s."
DeleteThanks for this one Bob, I am familiar with this band but I am not sure if I have heard this album before but I will definitely give it a listen (before my time, just kidding). If it's anywhere near as good as the last one I downloaded from here (Linda Martell) then I am sure it is great. I burned the Linda Martell album to a CD and it has been getting lots of play around here. Thanks again for all the good stuff!
ReplyDeleteHi Done4it. Good to hear you're digging all the good music here. Plenty more coming. Along with my compilations I'll post an album that I highly recommend every week or so. 😁
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