''The Paul Butterfield Blues Band'' is the self-titled debut album by the

Paul Butterfield Blues Band Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

, released in 1965 on Elektra Records. It peaked at number 123 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart. In 2012, the album was ranked number 468 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine's list of "

the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

". It is also ranked at number 11 on ''Down Beat'' magazine's list of the top 50 blues albums.

Recording and releases

In late 1964,

Joe Boyd Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked on recordings of Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Ba ...

, an aspiring producer and friend of Elektra house producer

Paul Rothchild Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, told Rothchild that the "best band in the world was on stage at a blues bar in Chicago". Rothchild took a plane to Chicago to see the Butterfield quartet, and later the same night went to a different club – again, at the suggestion of Joe Boyd – and saw guitarist

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his ...

with a different band. According to Rothchild, it was at his impetus that

Paul Butterfield Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

hired Bloomfield as his second guitar alongside Elvin Bishop; Joe Boyd says that it was his idea. The Butterfield rhythm section of

Jerome Arnold Jerome Arnold (born Romeo Maurice Arnold; November 12, 1936, Chicago) is an American bassist, known for his work with Howlin' Wolf, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the 1960s. As an original member of the Butterfield band, he was subsequent ...

and

Sam Lay Samuel Julian Lay (March 20, 1935January 29, 2022) was an American drummer and vocalist who performed from the late 1950s as a blues and R&B musician alongside Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Paul Butterfield, and many others. He was inducted into ...

had been hired away from

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

. Sessions were arranged for December 1964, but these were abandoned for live recordings from the

Cafe Au Go Go The Cafe Au Go Go was a Greenwich Village night club located in the basement of the New Andy Warhol Garrick Theatre building in the late 1960s, and located at 152 Bleecker Street in Manhattan, New York City. The club featured many musical groups, f ...

in New York City after the band's appearance at the

Newport Folk Festival Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foca ...

. The earlier studio recordings were eventually released on ''The Original Lost Elektra Sessions'' in 1995. Upon hearing the live tapes, Rothchild remained dissatisfied, and the band went into the studio in September 1965 in an attempt to record the album for the third time. The guitar solos were all played by Bloomfield, Bishop relegated to rhythm guitar. Keyboardist

Mark Naftalin Mark Naftalin (born August 2, 1944) is an American blues keyboardist, recording artist, composer, and record producer. He appears on the first five albums by Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s as a band member, and as such was induc ...

was drafted in at the September sessions and asked to join the band by Butterfield, expanding it to a sextet.Bloomfield biography retrieved 28 August 2010
/ref> The album presents band originals and songs in the style of electric

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

. On October 29, 2001, a reissue of this album

remastered Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

by Bob Irwin at Sundazed Studios and coupled with '' East-West'' appeared on Rhino WEA UK for the European market.

Track listing

Personnel

;The Paul Butterfield Blues Band *

lead vocals (all but 4, 5, 7), harmonica *

lead guitar * Elvin Bishoprhythm guitar *

bass guitar *

drums, lead vocals (5) *

organ (3, 4, 7–10) ;Technical * William S. Harvey – cover design * Leonard Heicklen, William S. Harvey – cover photography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The 1965 debut albums Paul Butterfield Blues Band albums Elektra Records albums Albums produced by Mark Abramson Albums produced by Paul A. Rothchild