Various Artists - Something Inside Of Me: Unreleased Masters & Demos From The British Blues Years 1963 - 1976

Cat. no: WNRCD5114
Format: 4 CD Set
Barcode: 5018755511417
Release Date: 10 Sep 2021
Genre: Blues

Featuring Danny Kirwan’s The Boilerhouse, Duster Bennett, Dave Kelly, Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts, Dynaflow Blues, Simon & Steve, Jeff Curtis & The Flames, The D.J. Blues Band, Bob Hall, Graham Hine, Al Jones, The Nighthawks, Shakey Vick’s Big City Blues Band, Dave Peabody with Tight Like That and The Vintage Jug Band

‘Something Inside Of Me’ brings to the surface ninety-six unreleased recordings from fifteen artists who were all at the forefront of the burgeoning British blues scene of the early 1960s to mid 1970s. There is a varied range of performers with diverse styles that represented the spirit and soul of this music. Soloists, duos, trios, jug band acts and fully-fledged blues and rhythm and blues bands. 

A 150-page book accompanies the set. It is fully illustrated with most of the images having never before been published, and contains chapters especially written by the artists themselves who are included in this release. Full sessionography details and posters from the period are included, many reproduced here for the first time. ‘Something Inside Of Me’ is a unique collection of music, words and pictures from this underground world of music that spearheaded the giant UK blues scene that was to follow.

The title of this anthology, taken from one of Danny Kirwan’s The Boilerhouse tracks, perhaps quite appropriately sums up a feeling that British blues performers had about the blues. At the time these players eagerly adopted, even for their own compositions, self-styled versions of Black American imagery and lyrics. So, Mojos working, Hellhounds, Hoochie Coochie Men, Gypsy Women and Mannish Boys were creatively reinterpreted. 

When the US blues legends toured these shores to perform, sometimes accompanied by British players, it added to a wider understanding and appreciation of the hard lives of their mentors. As older players, some were of similar age to their parents, although considerably more hip! As Texas blues player Curtis Jones called out to the Dynaflow Blues Band just before they accompanied him at Bath University, “Let’s jive!”

CD 1: Jeff Curtis & The Flames - Route 66 / Jeff Curtis & The Flames - It Don’t Take But A Few Minutes / Jeff Curtis & The Flames - Bye Bye Johnny / Simon & Steve - Treated Wrong / Simon & Steve - I Been Dealing With The Devil (Take 1. Early Version) / Simon & Steve - Blood Red River / Simon & Steve - Million Years Blues (Take 1) / The D.J. Blues Band - I Still Got The Blues / The D.J. Blues Band - Summertime / The D.J. Blues Band - Sack O’ Woe / The D.J. Blues Band - Hooch Coochie Man / Shakey Vick’s Big City Blues Band - Death Valley Blues / Shakey Vick’s Big City Blues Band - Ain’t That The Truth / Shakey Vick’s Big City Blues Band - Low Down / Shakey Vick’s Big City Blues Band - City Life / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - Bottle It Up And Go / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - Let’s Get Together Baby / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - Kimberly / Dynaflow Blues - Stones In My Passway / Dynaflow Blues - Big Road Blues / Dynaflow Blues - I’ve Been Down So Long
/ Dynaflow Blues - Too Much

CD 2: Dave Kelly - That’s Alright / Dave Kelly - Hey Hey Baby / Dave Kelly - Bullfrog Blues / Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Fragments) / Married Woman Blues / The Nighthawks - Combination Boogie / The Nighthawks - Anna Lee / The Nighthawks - Hold Me Close To Your Heart / The Nighthawks - It’s A Shame / Al Jones - 32-20 Blues / Al Jones - Dissatisfied / Al Jones - Hard Times Killing Floor Blues / Al Jones - Searching The Desert For The Blues (First Version) / The Vintage Jug Band - Sailing On The Ocean / The Vintage Jug Band - Catch Me If You Can / The Vintage Jug Band - Rising Sun Blues / The Vintage Jug Band - On The Road Again / Simon & Steve - Walking My Trouble Away / Simon & Steve - Get Right Church / Simon & Steve - She’s So Sweet / Simon & Steve - Million Years Blues (take 2) / The Nighthawks - Baby Let’s Play House / The Nighthawks - Now She’s Gone / The Nighthawks - Busy Mind / The Nighthawks - Going Crazy Over TV

CD 3: The Boilerhouse - Wet Weather Blues / The Boilerhouse - Tell Me Mama / Simon & Steve - I Been Dealing With The Devil (take 1. Later Version) / Simon & Steve - I Been Dealing With The Devil (false Starts & Discussions) / Simon & Steve - I Been Dealing With The Devil (take 2. Later Version) / Tight Like That - Then You Came Along / Tight Like That - Spider John / Tight Like That - If You See Kay / The Boilerhouse - Something Inside Of Me / The Boilerhouse - All Your Love (Instrumental) / The Boilerhouse - Silly Old Mean World / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - Georgia Skin Game / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - Riding The Rods (Instrumental) / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - I Had A Little Girl / Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett - Train Harmonica Blues (Instrumental) / The Nighthawks - Combination Boogie / The Nighthawks - Heavy Load / The Nighthawks - Mystery Train / The Nighthawks - Sweet Mary / Al Jones - I’d Rather Be The Devil (Devil Got My Woman) / Al Jones - Dustbin Lid / Searching The Desert For The Blues (second Version) / Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts - Walking Blues / Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts - Grinning In Your Face

CD 4: The Nighthawks - I Want To Be Loved / The Nighthawks - Every Night About This Time / The Nighthawks - Later On / Simon & Steve - Elevator Woman / Simon & Steve - I’m A Stranger Here / Simon & Steve - Streamline Train / Simon & Steve - Cornbread Peas And Black Molasses / Graham Hine - Grinning In Your Face / Graham Hine - Bumble Bee Stop Time / Jo Ann’s Room / Graham Hine - Garfield Akers / Graham Hine - Violent Night / Al Jones - You Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond / Al Jones - To London With You / Al Jones - Liza / Al Jones - The Wild Rover / Simon & Steve - Sonny Boy’s Jump / Simon & Steve - The Rock Island Line / Simon & Steve - Out With The Wrong Woman / Duster Bennett - Worried Mind / Duster Bennett - Leadjelly / Bob Hall - The Spider / The Nighthawks - My Babe / The Nighthawks - She Had To Go / The Nighthawks - Mama Talk To Your Daughter