Click Here for Video Sample! Limited Special Edition 4LP Deluxe Box Set!
Red & Blue Vinyl In A Silver Metallic Telescoping Box!
Limited To 1000 Copies!
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The ANN ARBOR BLUES FESTIVAL 1969 collection is a powerful document of a historic gathering featuring, among others, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, James Cotton, Son House, Magic Sam, T-Bone Walker, Junior Wells, Big Mama Thornton, Clifton Chenier, Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Lightnin' Hopkins, Pinetop Perkins, J. B. Hutto & His Hawks, Roosevelt Sykes, Luther Allison, Otis Rush, Big Joe Williams, and Charlie Musselwhite.
The first ever release of music recorded live at the landmark event, produced by Parker Fishel and Jim Fishel, the ANN ARBOR BLUES FESTIVAL 1969 was coordinated by Third Man co-founders Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The Deluxe Edition set features two single-color (one blue, one red) printed jackets with complementary colored vinyl, a 58-page perfect bound book with transparent vellum inserts and a short recollection from festival organizer John Fishel, die-cut reproductions of his original festival booking notes, a full-size reproduction of Jim Fishel's festival program on newsprint paper that includes nearly every artists' signature, a reproduction of the original festival tickets on various colored papers and a reprint of the original festival poster on silver metallic paper. The package will also include 13 reproductions of original news articles and ads on newsprint paper housed in a hand-stamped envelope. All of this will be packaged in a telescoping box printed on the same silver metallic paper as the poster reproduction with poster art on the cover.
August 1969 might have seen another musical gathering grabbing the worlds attention, but the Ann Arbor Blues Festival has since proven a cultural milestone in its own unique right the first American festival devoted solely to blues music. Held August 1-3, 1969 at Fuller Flatlands, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, for three days it was not unusual to find scenes like B.B. King playing his forthcoming single for Mississippi Fred McDowell, Big Mama Thornton and Junior Wells or Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Big Joe Williams catching up about grandchildren, life on the road and the recent moon landing. The family reunion backstage led to an all-star game onstage as an audience of eager young blues converts was treated to a living history of the blues from some of its inventors, innovators and greatest talents. The historic gathering was presented by a small group of blues-obsessed University of Michigan students determined to give their blues heroes a public spotlight where they might shine before it was too late. Among those enterprising student-promoters was John Fishel, whose teenage brother Jim Fishel, gathered some friends to help record the festival as a personal memento. Taking advantage of their all-access pass and juggling a small Norelco tape recorder from set to set, the friends let the 1/4" tape roll. Though field recordings in the literal sense of the term, they capture the brilliance of the musicians, the excitement of the crowd and the loose, convivial nature of the entire festival. Those tapes, long thought to be lost, have now been lovingly restored to capture the electric energy of the landmark concert.
"How these tapes came to the attention of the folks at Third Man and how they were restored to sounding far beyond my expectations considering how they were recorded, is a story for another time but the packaging is quite good including 32 black and white photos ('snapshots' would be more accurate) in each gatefold plus full sized booklets and though the opening essay repeats, it's followed by bios and photos of each performer plus well-curated suggestions for further listening. Even though Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell's performances are missing, the bios, photo and suggested listening are included. Yes the sound is mono and in some cases rough (including places where audience members are more on mic than are the performerssomething familiar to all bootleg connoisseurs), the overall sonics are pretty good and once you lock into the music you won't care. This is the real shit. It's been in serious 'Heavy Rotation' since the LPs arrived here (I purchased, no promos). The sound rating reflects how it sounds, but were I rating it based upon the quality of the restoration given what the tapes probably originally sounded like, the number would have been considerably higher. The restoration was all-analog until the final digitization. You won't regret buying this set. When the sound is good, it's immediate and transparent." - Michael Fremer, Analog Planet, Music 10/11, Sound 6/11
"I been looking forward to this for a long time. And I thought this would happen in the future and it did, so now I hope it lasts long. Fact of business, I believe it will." - Lightnin Hopkins
"The Ann Arbor Blues Festival was really like our blues Woodstock. It brought together such an astonishing array of legendary artists, and for me, will always remain one of the greatest and most historic festivals ever." - Bonnie Raitt (musician and festival attendee)
"Ann Arbor set both the stage and the standard for all the blues festivals that followed Survivors of the 1960s still ask one another, 'Were you at Woodstock?' Those of us who became blues converts ask, 'Were you at Ann Arbor?'" - Jim O'Neal, cofounder of Living Blues
"The sound quality is often rough, but that shouldn't diminish the vitality of these collections. This festival represented a crucial pivot point in blues as the old guard stood alongside young bucks with electric instruments and a bevy of white musicians building off their foundational work. Pointing out highlights feels near to impossible, but I would direct you to spend some time with Son House's growling performance of 'Death Letter Blues,' the sultry 'Key to the Highway' by drummer/vocalist Sam Lay and his band and the prickly guitar solo on the track from Jimmy 'Fast Fingers' Dawkins' set. From there, drink in the whole thing slow and easy. You won't be disappointed." - Paste Magazine
Features:
• Limited Deluxe Edition - 1000 Copies
• 4LP Box Set
• 180g Vinyl
• Red Vinyl 2LP & Blue Vinyl 2LP
• Celebrating the 50th anniversary of America's first festival dedicated to the blues
• Previously unheard performances from B.B. King, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Howlin' Wolf and more!
• 2 single color (one red, one blue) printed gatefold jackets
• 58-page perfect bound book with transparent vellum inserts & short recollection from festival organizer John Fishel
• Die-cut reproductions of Jim Fishel's original festival booking notes
• Full-size reproduction of Jim Fishel's festival program on newsprint paper with nearly every artist's signature
• Reproduction of the original festival tickets on various colored papers
• A reprint of the original festival poster on silver metallic paper
• 13 reproductions of original news articles and ads on newsprint paper housed in a hand-stamped envelope
• Packaged in a telescoping box printed on the same silver metallic paper as the poster reproduction with poster art on the cover
Selections:
Volume 1
LP 1
Side A:
1. Dirty Mother For You Roosevelt Sykes
2. So Glad You're Mine Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
3. Too Much Alcohol J.B. Hutto & His Hawks
4. I Wonder Why Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Dawkins
Side B:
1. Help Me (A Tribute To Sonny Boy Williamson) Junior Wells
2. I've Got A Mind To Give Up Living B.B. King With Sonny Freeman And The Unusuals
3. John Henry Mississippi Fred McDowell
4. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie Pinetop Perkins
LP 2
Side A:
1. Introduction Big Bill Hill
2. Everybody Must Suffer/Stone Crazy Luther Allison And The Blue Nebulae
3. Tu M'as Promis L'amour (You Promised Me Love) Clifton Chenier
Side B:
1. Hard Luck The Original Howlin' Wolf And His Orchestra
2. So Many Roads, So Many Trains Otis Rush
Volume 2
LP 1
Side A:
1. Long Distance Call Muddy Waters
2. Movin' And Groovin' Charlie Musselwhite
3. I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie) Magic Sam
Side B:
1. Jelly Jelly Blues Shirley Griffith
2. Mojo Boogie Big Mojo Elem
3. Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad) T-Bone Walker
4. Announcements Big Bill Hill
LP 2
Side A:
1. Ball And Chain Big Mama Thornton And The Hound Doggers
2. Juanita Big Joe Williams
3. Key To The Highway Sam Lay
4. Mojo Hand Lightnin' Hopkins
Side B:
1. Off The Wall James Cotton Blues Band
2. Death Letter Blues Son House
