I have on my hands a superb collection of four CDs that, with the title of “Something Inside Of Me” gathers a variety of dark non-releases recordings that come from tapes, demos and acetates by some of the British Blues pioneers, recorded between 1963 and 1976, that were lying in the archives of the artists who recorded them or in hidden shelves of those producers who bet for that music.

During the fifties a small group of music lovers met at Dave Carey’s record store in Streatham, in southern London to listen to some jazz, swing and blues recordings that Bob Glass provided to them. Little by little a jazz scene appeared in small clubs that gradually evolved into blues. In 1963 Chris Roberts wrote an article in the historic music newspaper Melody Maker wondering what would be the future for those emerging artists like Alexis Korner or Mick Jagger. What at first sight seemed to be an underground music nobody will give a penny for it, became a real mass phenomenon among early sixties young people, thanks to bands like the Rolling Stones, The Animals, Yardbirds, Pretty Things, Them, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers or Zoot Money with Alexis Korner among many others. All of them found inspiration in the imported records by American bluesmen like Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters. The Marquee and Flamingo clubs in London began to schedule blues nights and record stores like Dobells & Collets imported blues records directly from the United States. At the end of the sixties a new batch of blues groups burst and even gave more bright to it like Cliff Charles Blues, Sugar Momma Blues Band, Jethro Tull, Spirit Of John Morgan, Jeff Beck, Jo Ann Kelly, Long John Baldry, Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack and so reputed musicians like Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker founded the legendary Cream. The producer Mike Vernon founded Blue Horizon record label and Decca published albums by American bluesmen like Eddie Boyd, Champion Jack Dupree or Curtis Jones backed by British musicians. In 1968 appeared the National Blues Federation in collaboration with Blues Unlimited Magazine and they started to organize tours in UK of American bluesmen like Johnny Shines, J.B. Hutto, Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, Curtis Jones, Lightnin’ Slim, Homesick James, Howlin’ Wolf… etc.

These four CDs just released by Wienerworld Records show all the excitement and commotion of that period, with a compendium of artists, most of them quite unknown to the general audience, but who contributed to make grow that movement known as British Blues that would deeply influence the musical tastes of most young people all over Europe. Here come fifteen artists and ninety-six previously unreleased songs that give listeners a broad vision of what that movement was. Jeff Curtis & The Flames, Simon & Steve, D.J. Blues Band, Shakey Vick’s Big City Blues Band, Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett, Dynaflow Blues, Dave Kelly, The Nighthawks, Al Jones, The Vintage Jug Band, Danny Kirwan & Boilerhouse, Tight Like That, Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts, Graham Hine and Bob Hall give us almost five hours of intense, productive and varied British blues, showing all the different aspects as well as the most genuine side of that pioneering movement in Europe that served to consolidate blues music in the Old Continent. The folk-blues and electric blues included in this magnificent collection combine in a pleasant way along the almost five hours of this musical history, to be completely enjoyed and savored.

The four CDs come in a magnificent chest with a 150-page book that includes photographs both in color and black and white, displaying on a detailed way part of the history of what British Blues was, something that undoubtedly changed the evolution of popular music in Europe.