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From: Rob Paparozzi
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 16:02:24 -0700
Subject: Boy do I miss this Guy! :-( Long!]

Fellow Music Lovers,

Today I got a copy of a Japanese import on Victor Entertainment
(CD-VICP-60651) Paul Butterfield's Better Days "Live at Winterland
Ballroom". Firstly, the Packaging and Pictures are superb w/ Liners by
bandmember: Geoff Muldaur about 64 mins (20 bit) of some profound music!
The sound quality is VERY clean for 1973! Mixed and Licensed by
Bearsville. IMO, this record should be hunted down by every Butterfield,
Blues Fan, Harp Player and Lover of Deep Music....it doesn't get much
better this this!! I can't help you with info on where to get it, other
than, go to your local import shop, perhaps Tom Ellis can help us out.

This is a Live Wally Heider-remote recording done at a concert in
San Francis~The Winterland Ballroom on February 23rd, 1973.(In Memory
of: Paul, Ronnie Barron, Bill Graham and Albert Grossman)
The players are the original Better Days line up featuring:

Paul Butterfield: Vocals, Harmonica, Keys
Ronnie Barron: Vocals, Organ, Piano
Amos Garrett: Vocals, Guitar
Geoffrey Muldaur: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
Christopher Parker: Drums
Billy Rich: Bass

* I'm pretty sure cuts 1 & 8 were never released live nor studio by
this band. The Tunes:

1) Countryside *
2) Buried Alive in the Blues
3) Small Town Talk
4) New Walkin' Blues
5) Broke my Baby's Heart
6) Highway 28
7) Please Send Me someone to Love
8) He's Got all the Whiskey *
9) Nobody's Fault but Mine

This is NOT a review, I'd be way too biased to review Paul's records,
it just a summary of what I hear as a Musician.

1) Countryside - is a funky Gm Groove tune with ala "Everything's gonna
be alright" (Live) type intro..setting up 8 + minutes of a total groove.
If your a harp player, you MUST buy this CD just for the opening
Solo--whew. Whoever lined up these cuts sure picked the perfect opener.

2) Buried Alive- is much faster than the studio version of this
Gravenites tune, but Parker makes it work..adding tight little "big"
band kicks w/ Paul & Amos. One of my favorite tunes.

3) Small Town Talk -features some nice Geoff vocals and delicate & tasty
Amos Tone. Butter Plays a pretty solo around the melody, something I
rarely hear him do in a solo.

4)New Walkin' Blues -ENERG~$%^&*() Roll over Robert Johnson n' Tell
Muddy Waters the News! They all burn up their respective solos! Sounds
like Butter on Electric Piano till his Harp solo.

5)Broke My Baby's Heart- This is a TUFF tune to pull off Live because of
all the contrapuntal Howard Johnson figures in the original studio
version. But they pull it off...you can hear Paul trying to play Six
Horns on one Harp..If I could sing like Ronnie Barron, I'd give away all
my Harps! Fat organ too, by the Barron.

6)Highway 28- This is the tune that Butter does 1st, 3rd and 2nd
Position (Harp-Lingo) respectively on a very exciting and unique high
energy rocker.

7)Please Send me Someone to Love- of ALL the artists to cover this
tune, I'd bet Percy Mayfield woulda' dug this as one of his favorites.

8) He's Got all the Whiskey- Bad-ass E-Piano intro, has to be Professor
Barron.-) A nice Bobby Charles Tune that I've never heard. A song about
a Lucky Guy! There's a cool breakdown by drummer Chris Parker and Paul
on Harp..then Chris lets Paul blow solo (a long super rhythmic Harp
solo..just gorgeous!!#$%) Then, Paul gives it back to Chris for kickin'
drum solo.
I've had the pleasure of working with some good drummers, Bernard
Purdie, Richard Crooks, Max Roach, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Michael
Carvin, Anton Fig and Chris Parker is right up there with them all! Now
if I can only do a gig w/ Billy Davenport or Sam Lay...then I'd be ready
to die!

9) Nobody's Fault But Mine (Nina Simone Tune) -with extra live verses
sung by Ronnie! The perfect closer by a band that never really got their
due. Nobody's fault but the record companies...Kudos to Bearsville and
Victor records in Japan for releasing this Gem*********"If I Die and my
Soul is Lost.....Nobody's fault but Mine"..........Paul..with the body
of work you've left us, your SOUL will live on for a LONG time.

Hunt,Buy and enjoy this record!
- --
All the Best,
Rob Paparozzi
Email: Chromb~arthlink.net
My Web page: http://home.earthlink.net/~chromboy/