Rhythm & Blues All Stars - Various (1966, UK press) (1LP Vinyl) - Very Good Plus (VG+)

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Condition Notes:

Rhythm & Blues All Stars by Various.

There are compilations, and then there are compilations that arrive with the weight of history pressing on every groove. "Rhythm & Blues All Stars" gathers ten sides that trace the electrified heart of American blues, brought together for British ears by PYE Records Ltd. in 1966 and pressed proudly with "Made in England" on the label. Distributed from A.T.V. House, Great Cumberland Place in London W.1, it stands as a document of how the sound crossed the Atlantic and lodged itself in a new generation of listeners.

Side A opens with "My Babe" and moves straight into the smoldering menace of "Smokestack Lightnin'," a pairing that sets the tone for everything to follow. From there come "Fattening Frogs For Snakes," "First Time I Met The Blues," and "It Ain't No Secret What My Babe Can Do," a run that balances swagger, heartbreak, and the kind of storytelling that defined the genre in its prime.

Flip to Side B and the mood deepens further. "Got My Mojo Working" leads off with all its incantatory charge, followed by the piano roll of "Walkin' The Boogie," the aching "Mother Earth," the pleading "Reconsider Baby," and finally the relentless drive of "Road Runner" to close the set. Taken together, the two sides make for a satisfying arc across the many faces of postwar blues.

What gives this collection its particular character is the span of its sources. The bulk of it, tracks A1, A2, A4, B1, B2, and B4, reaches back to original releases from 1960, while "Road Runner" comes from 1962 and the remaining sides date from 1964. Each carries the imprint of an Aristocrat USA Recording, connecting these grooves directly to the storied Chicago lineage that shaped the modern blues sound.

The physical object itself rewards close attention. The lacquer was cut by Tony Bridge, and the record is housed in a laminated cover finished with three overlapped glue-tabs onto an unlaminated back. That reverse carries a black and white half-tone image and the credit "Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd," alongside the familiar PYE address. It is a package that speaks to the craft of mid-sixties British record manufacture.

For the collector chasing British pressings of American blues, or simply for the listener who wants a single record that captures the genre's essential voices, this is a compilation with genuine pedigree. Ten tracks, two sides, and a direct line back to the Aristocrat catalog make it a worthy addition to any shelf at

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. My Babe
A2. Smokestack Lightnin'
A3. Fattening Frogs For Snakes
A4. First Time I Met The Blues
A5. It Ain't No Secret What My Babe Can Do
B1. Got My Mojo Working
B2. Walkin' The Boogie
B3. Mother Earth
B4. Reconsider Baby
B5. Road Runner

Credits:
Tony Bridge - Lacquer Cut By

Notes:
An Aristocrat USA Recording.
PYE Records Ltd., 1966: Distributed by PYE Records (Sales) Ltd. A.T.V House, Great Cumberland Place, London W.1.
Tracks A1, A2, A4, B1, B2, B4; originally released 1960.
Track B5; originally released 1962.
Remaining tracks; originally released 1964.

"Made in England" on label.
Laminated cover, with 3 overlapped glue-tabs onto unlaminated back cover. Black & white half-tone back cover, "Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd", with PYE address as above.

Artist: Various

Format: 1LP

Genre: Blues

Label: Marble Arch

Catalog Number: MAL 610

Release Year: 1966

Country: United Kingdom