Search - Duster Bennett :: Complete Blue Horizon Sessions

All of the best - some of the lesser stuff

Garry Feeney | Sydney. Australia | 07/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I often wonder if people who have never heard of an artist buy an album based purely on an Amazon review. Seems unlikely to me, but hey, never heard of this guy? Love good blues? So how come you never heard this guy?



Duster was that strangest and rarest of creatures - a creation of his own imagination. He was white and he was English but he sang the Blues.



Wrote his own material too - and some great songs. Sample "Got a Tongue in Your Head", "Smilin' Like I'm Happy" or "Country Jam".



This album contains the stuff he recorded with Peter Green's FLEETWOOD MAC back in FMac's BLues days. (Oh yes children Fleetwood Mac had another life before pop silliness). It is reason enough to buy it for those classic recordings and then just ignore the less impressive stuff that pads it out.



Duster was the real thing."

A Stunning & Fitting Memorial To A Lost British Blues Talent

Mark Barry at Reckless Records, Lon | UK | 10/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Issued 26 September 2006, this huge haul makes available extremely rare LPs and singles by one of Britain's great-unsung guitar/harmonica players - Anthony "Duster" Bennett. The blues-mad 22 year-old from Wales was pointed in the direction of the UK's Blue Horizon label in early 1968 by none other than Fleetwood Mac's PETER GREEN. Greeney was on the money of course - and here's the rocking proof. 2CDs, 44 Tracks, 3 full albums, 9 non-album singles tracks and 1 previously unreleased cut - ouch! There's a lot on here - so let's break it down...



Disc 1 (76:13 minutes):

Track 1 is "Hard To Resist", an aborted 1st UK 7" single recorded 15 May 1968, previously unreleased until now

Tracks 2 and 3 are "It's A Man Down There" and "Things Are Changing", non-album A & B of the 1968 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3141

Tracks 4 to 15 are the album "Smiling Like I'm Happy" issued late August 1968 on Blue Horizon S 7-63208 in the UK

Tracks 16 and 17 are "Raining In My Heart" and "Jumpin' For Joy", non-album A & B of the 17 January 1969 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3148

Tracks 18 to 22 are Side 1 of the LIVE album "Bright Lights..." issued 1969 on Blue Horizon S 7-63221 in the UK

(Tracks 18 to 22 on Disc 1 and 1 to 6 on Disc 2 credited to DUSTER BENNETT and HIS HOUSE BAND - which is most of FLEETWOOD MAC)



Disc 2 (78:58 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 6 are Side 2 of the LIVE album "Bright Lights..." issued 1969 on Blue Horizon S 7-63221 in the UK

Tracks 7 and 8 are "I'm Gonna Wind Up Ending Up Or I'm Gonna End Up Winding Up With You" and "Rock Of Ages Cleft For Me", non-album A & B of the 11 July 1969 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3164

Tracks 9 to 21 are the album "12 DB's" issued late 1970 on Blue Horizon S 7-63868 in the UK and BH 4812 in the USA

Track 22 is "I Want You To Love Me", non-album B-side to "Act Nice & Gentle" (on "12 DB's"), 1970 UK 7" single on Blue Horizon 57-3179



DUNCAN COWELL has digitally remastered the original master tapes to stunning effect, the 16-page booklet has an informative and affectionate essay on the proceedings by label boss and original producer MIKE VERNON, which in turn is followed by a touching memorial from TOP TOPHAM - another one of the labels guitarists and founder member of THE YARDBIRDS. Bennett's three albums are pictured, there are hugely detailed session notes - card wrap - all of it up to the usual top BH standard.



Great guest appearances abound - the superb stand-alone cover of Slim Harpo's "Raining In My Heart" features ALAN SILVESTRI and DAVE BIDWELL of CHICKEN SHACK, while B.B. King's rhythm section GERRY JERMOTT (Bass) and HERBIE LOUVELLE (Drums) feature on the fabulously funky "I Chose To Sing The Blues". Both TOP TOPHAM and PETER GREEN grace the raucous live version of Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights Big City", while JOHNNY ALMOND adds a cool organ intro to the wonderfully slinky "Vitamin Pills". STELLA SUTTON adds lovely harmony vocals to the shuffling "Times Like These" (with Peter Green on Guitar) while the mysterious HAM RICHMOND on Keyboards turns out to be none other than Bennett himself under a pseudonym! In fact many of the tracks feature ALL instrumentation by him alone - mean Harmonica blowing, Electric Piano, Snare and Bass Drums - damn he was talented!



Signed to Zeppelin's Swan Song label by Jimmy Page in 1975, his career was poised for serious renewal, when in March 1976 at the age of only 30, he fell asleep at the wheel of his car on the way home from a gig - and sadly lost his life.



At least this superb 2CD set is a fitting memorial to him and his musical legacy - and its yet another great job done by all the dedicated people at Blue Horizon."

Excellent British Blues

6 String Guy | 12/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bennett is largely forgotten today by most blues fans but this compilation shows the quality of music he produced in the late sixties. At the time, he was one of the top blues musicians in England and this shows why. The breadth of styles he covered was wide and he often played all of the instruments himself. On some cuts he is backed by the Fleetwood Mac crew and is joined by his wife on 2nd vocal on several other cuts. There are some fine live recordings included in this set.



Other reviewers have provided details already so I won't bother but this is a fine collection showcasing a talented artist who died young (car crash 1976). There is a lot of variety from slow blues to shuffles to folksy ballads and even soft rock type material but I enjoyed nearly every track on this collection and you probably will too if you enjoy the British blues of that era."