Search - Nick Gravenities, Mike Bloomfield :: My Labors

Why did this take so long?

Paul Ferris | Boulder, CO. United States | 12/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Many, many years ago I found a cutout LP copy of "Live at the Fillmore West" just before it disappeared from sight. For the last 15 years or so I was always on the look out for "My Labors" in used record stores figuring that Columbia would never issue it on CD. And it's not they who have. Nonetheless, when I saw the release of this material and promptly ordered a copy the days until the disc arrived were filled with great anticipation of hearing new guitar solos by Mike Bloomfield in his prime. Over the years, "Blues on the Westside" came to epitomize for me near perfection in the art of electric blues guitar. I'm glad to see it included here. I'd almost worn out my LP copy and finally made a CD of my own. If you are a serious fan of blues guitar and are hearing this for the first time, hold on. As a serious amateur player myself, I think this is really important stuff. I've studied his solos to death. Most of the rest of the material on "My Labors" was new to me and I was excited to hear it. All his (live) solos were obviously well received by the audiences at the Fillmore as can be heard by the applause after each solo. Bottom line is, if you are a Bloomfield fan or just a fan of good guitar playing I highly recommend this release. I could say you owe it to yourself to hear it. For all his personal problems and musical irregularities, when Mike Bloomfield was on top of his game, as he was on the nights of this recording, there was only a very small handful of guitar players who were in his same league.
FYI - Another recommedation, if you are interested in Mike Bloomfield the biography by Wolkin and Keenom offers a lot of good insight by people who knew him like Nick Gravenites, Charlie Musselwhite and Al Kooper."

Some of Bloomfield's Best

N. Wakabayashi | Jawsey | 07/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's about time this album will finally be available on disc. One down, "Live at Fillmore West" to go....This album is highly sought after due to the fact, it includes some of Mike Bloomfield's best playing that has been recorded. To my ears, this album has better cuts than the Butterfield albums & Super Session combined. Now, these albums have Bloomfield in fine form, but on My Labors, he's letting it all out as he proceeds to tear the roof off the sucka at the Fillmore.Bloomfield simply rips into every cut with fury (after most solos, one can hear the audience in absolute awe) .... just listen to the tone he gets on this album compared with his other albums. While he really shines on every track, it's the slow blues numbers that are the absolute highlights. It's unfortunate that Taj's number doesn't appear to be on it...Mike Bloomfield's work is quite frustrating due to his inconsistencies, his lack of focus, & Sony among others(there have to be more tapes of his gigs. Instead, we get Live at the Waldorf, which doesn't find him at his best). As good as the Butterfield albums & Super Session were, this was the album that really caught my attention to Mike Bloomfield. What was all the fuss about?? Take a listen to this album, & be prepared to be blown away by this ... kid with a fro'. On a side note, if one can find the "Droppin' In With" shows with the Butterfield Blues band, get it. It's funny in how many people revere the guitarists from the UK, when the US alreay had the biggest heavyweight in Bloomfield. While Clapton was playing the "blues" with Mayall.... Bloomfield was getting up on stage with Muddy, the Wolf, Otis Rush, & etc. He really had a large hand in how rock & roll has been shaped through the years (Dylan, the Super Sessions, East West, etc.) A truly forgotten talent that is missed."

You Could Do That Back Then

Jon Kleinman | Rockville Centre, New York United States | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The back cover of "My Labors and More" shows a black and white photo of Bill Graham's old Filmore West auditorium, located on the corner of Market and Van Ness streets in San Francisco. That same building is now a Honda dealership, and the legendary concert promoter Bill Graham left us a long time ago. The photo is a wistful reminder of a bygone era, and in many ways the same can be said for the music on this disc. Nowadays, blues acts tend to fit into neat, easy-to-recognize categories. You've got your Chicago revivalists, with their slide guitars, harps and Elmore James covers. And of course there are the guitar slingers, whose endless solos never seem to stray too far from Hendrix/Stevie Ray territory. While there are blues artists out there today that genuinely push the envelope, they often seem to be overshadowed by the acts that deliver more predictable crowd-pleasing music.Nick Gravenites and his running buddy Mike Bloomfield (the guitarist on this disc) are two sorely overlooked figures in the history of blues and rock and roll. Mike Bloomfield was one of the original sixties "guitar gods", best remembered for his work with the Butterfield Blues Band and the "Super Session" album he recorded with Al Kooper. He also played lead guitar for Bob Dylan when he first "went electric"; he was onstage at the notorious Newport Folk Festival when Dylan was booed by folk-purists. Bloomfield died in the early eighties, but remains an idol for blues and rock guitarists to this day. Nick Gravenites remains an even more obscure figure than Bloomfield. In the early 60's Chicago, Nick was part of the small clique of "white blues kids" who pushed racial barriers by hanging out in Chicago's south side blues joints and jamming with the musicians. He was a close friend of Paul Butterfield, writing the song "Born in Chicago" for the Butterfield Blues band. In the late sixties, Nick and Bloomfield formed the short-lived rock and soul band Electric Flag. After The Flag broke up, Nick and Mike still performed together regularly; Nick's gruff voice and wry lyrics can be heard on Mike's "Live at the Old Waldorf."My Labors and More" captures Nick and Mike live at the Filmore West, cranking out a unique blend of rock, blues and soul that you just don't seem to hear live onstage anymore. Nick's lyrics are introspective and contain a healthy dose of wry humor; as a songwriter, he's always known that the blues can be about more than just black cat bones and mojo hands. The man is also one fine vocalist; blues fans who believe that white vocalists can never measure up to their black counterparts may change their minds after listening to this disc. In addition to the fine lyrics and vocals, this disc has more than enough hot soloing to satisfy Bloomfield fans and other electric guitar hounds. The band backing Nick and Mike included a piano, organ and a four piece horn section. A band this size doesn't need to rely so heavily on the guitar as a rhythm instrument; as a result Bloomfield plays in a flowing, lyrical style that is noticeably free of the power chords and boogie riffs that are so often heard today. While clearly influenced by blues greats like BB and Albert King, Bloomfield's lyrical style often feels reminiscent of the best jazz horn players. All in all, a recording guaranteed to make you (to borrow a line from Tom Petty) "bust a move and remember how it was back then."Note: For some inexplicable reason, this disc includes three previously unreleased studio tracks in addition to the live material. The less said about these tracks, the better. If you'd like to learn more about Nick Gravenites, Mike Bloomfield and the other "white blues kids" of Chicago, check out "If You Love These Blues: an Oral History of Michael Bloomfield." By Jan Mark Wolkin and Bill Keenon. Nick Gravenites used to write an autobiographical column for Living Blues magazine, these columns can be found archived at www.bluespower.com."