About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

When Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites were recorded by Columbia at the Fillmore West in early 1969, most of the tracks the label released appeared on Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West 1969. However, not a little additional material from the same source appeared on one side of Gravenites' My Labors LP. Raven's CD reissue of Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West 1969 sensibly takes advantage of the extra space afforded by the CD format to add four of those live Fillmore West tracks from My Labors as bonuses, though space restrictions meant that the fifth and final such cut from My Labors, the jam "Wintry Country Side," couldn't fit. This set doesn't contain the most notable of Bloomfield's recordings; it's not the best band he played with, nor is it the best material with which he had to work. It's best appreciated as one of numerous releases on which to hear his reliably accomplished blues-rock guitar work, although it's not as flashy or inventive as his best performances, the arrangements sometimes recalling Electric Flag due to the presence of a horn section. No less than four vocalists (Gravenites, Bloomfield, Bob Jones, and Taj Mahal, who guests on "One More Mile to Go") were featured on the original Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West 1969 LP; this expanded version does give more weight to Gravenites' singing, as he takes lead on all four of the tracks added from My Labors. As a final bonus, the CD also includes a Bloomfield-sung cover of Ray Charles' "Mary Ann" from another Bloomfield live album of the era (The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper), as well as historical liner notes. Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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