The Blues Project ‎– Live At The Cafe Au Go Go (1966)

One of the first album-oriented, "underground" groups in the United States, the Blues Project offered an electric brew of rock, blues, folk, pop, and even some jazz, classical, and psychedelia during their brief heyday in the mid-'60s. It's not quite accurate to categorize them as a blues-rock group, although they did plenty of that kind of material; they were more like a Jewish-American equivalent to British bands like the Yardbirds, who used a blues and R&B base to explore any music that interested them. Erratic songwriting talent and a lack of a truly outstanding vocalist prevented them from rising to the front line of '60s bands, but they recorded plenty of interesting material over the course of their first three albums, before the departure of their most creative members took its toll.

"Live at The Cafe Au Go Go" is the debut album by the American band The Blues Project, recorded live during the Blues Bag four-day concert on the evenings of November 24-27, 1965 at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York City. The recording finished up in January, 1966 at the same venue, by which time Tommy Flanders had left the band.

Although Tommy Flanders (who'd already left the band by the time this debut hit the streets) is credited as sole vocalist, four of the then-sextet's members sang; in fact, Danny Kalb handles as many leads as Flanders (four each), Steve Katz takes center stage on Donovan's "Catch the Wind," and Al Kooper is featured on "I Want to Be Your Driver." The band could be lowdown when appropriate (Kalb's reading of "Jelly, Jelly"), high energy (Muddy Waters' "Goin' Down Louisiana" sounds closer to Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley), and unabashedly eclectic (tossing in Donovan or Eric Andersen with no apologies). Kalb's moody take on "Alberta" is transcendent, and the uptempo arrangement of "Spoonful" is surprisingly effective.


Tracklist:

Goin' Down Louisiana 4:04
You Go And I'll Go With You 3:49
Catch The Wind 3:05
I Want To Be Your Driver 2:23
Alberta 4:10
The Way My Baby Walks 3:09
Violets Of Dawn 2:56
Back Door Man 3:16
Jelly Jelly Blues 4:45
Spoonful 4:58
Who Do You Love? 5:30


The Blues Project ‎– Live At The Cafe Au Go Go (1966)
(320 kbps, cover art included)