The Climax Chicago Blues Band - Loving Machine (1976)

The Climax Chicago Blues Band were formed in Stafford, England in 1968, by lead guitarist/vocalist Peter Haycock, saxophonist/vocalist Colin Cooper, guitarist Derek Holt, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer George Newsome. The band were one of the leading lights of the late 1960's UK blues boom, and released blues albums in the late 60's and early 70's to rival Fleetwood Mac and The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation. Prior to the release of 1969's 'Plays On', Jones left the group and Holt moved to bass, and in 1970, the group shortened its name to the Climax Blues Band, reportedly due to pressure from the American band Chicago Transit Authority. They also moved to the Harvest label, shifting their sound towards a more rock oriented approach on 1970's 'A Lot of Bottle'. Around the release of 1971's 'Tightly Knit', Newsome was replaced by John Cuffley, and when Wood left in the wake of 1972's 'Rich Man', they continued on as a quartet. In 1974 they issued 'FM Live', a document of a New York radio concert, and following the success of that album in America, 1975's 'Stamp Album' was their commercial breakthrough. The following year's 'Gold Plated' fared even better, with their biggest success on both sides of the Atlantic being the hit single 'Couldn't Get It Right', but by this time the blues had long gone, and the 'Gold Plated' album was the last one of theirs that I bought. The rise of punk rock effectively stopped the group in its tracks, and by 1981 they'd left their blues roots far behind and attempted to become a mainstream pop-rock band, admittedly with some success. Over the years out-takes have appeared on re-issues of their albums, and as most of them are from the classic blues years of 1968 to 1971, I've collected them all together for this album of b-sides and rarities, which will just emphasise what a great blues outfit they were in their early days, and if you don't know the band then hopefully it will prompt you to try their first few albums. 

Track listing

01 Checking On My Baby (previously unreleased 1968)
02 Arthur's Boogie (previously unreleased 1968)
03 Stormy Monday (previously unreleased 1968)
04 Don't Start Me Talkin' (previously unreleased 1968)
05 Anybody's Boogie (previously unreleased 1968)
06 Like Uncle Charlie (single 1969)
07 Loving Machine (b-side of 'Like Uncle Charlie')
08 Dance Of The Mountain (previously unreleased)
09 Flight (Live at the Blow Up Club 1971)
10 Fat Maybellene (b-side of 'Couldn't Get It Right' 1976)
11 Shadow Man (previously unreleased 1976)
12 Spoonful (b-side of 'Reap What I've Sowed' 1970)