A Great Australian Blues Band
Russell Stone | Australia | 09/23/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"CHAIN were/are a classic Australian blues band, but sadly most of you will never have heard of them, unless you're a slightly older Australian groover (like me). A fantastic harmonica playing vocalist in Matt Taylor & a brilliant guitarist in Phil Manning, backed by a very solid bass & drum section. They just don't get stuck on the blues, but vary their material from blues to rock to almost jazz & points in between.
This is a great (good value) double CD of their older material circa 1974, but really it's not the place to start. If your funds are limited & you could only afford one CD by the band then the MUST HAVE for your collection MUST be their 1971 album "TOWARDS THE BLUES". This has just been re-released in Australia (September-2001) as "TOWARDS THE BLUES - 30th ANNIVERSARY" & is now even better as it now also contains both "Judgement" & "Blow In D" (both classics & both of which should have been on "TOWARDS THE BLUES" in the first place, but weren't due to lack of space on the old vinyl format) from The History of Chain CD, as well as the original vinyl single version of the classic "Black & Blue". Seek out "TOWARDS THE BLUES" it's a true 5 Star classic, every songs is a real winner, especially the 10.45 minute boogie masterpiece "BOOGIE". Then if you're really into the band (& you will be), this double CD set "The History Of Chain" is the logical next step. Note: the tracks "Black & Blue, Dust My Blues & 32/20 on History are LIVE tracks. Enjoy!"
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1