Climax Blues Band

Released for short time in 1993 on the indie HTD label and hard to find. Recorded at The Attic Bar in Stafford in September 1992, before an ecstatic home-town crowd. Only their second live album after 1974's iconic FM Live and of comparable quality. Features definitive Nineties line up of Colin Cooper, Lester Hunt, George Glover, Neil Simpson and Roy Adams. Contains long-time set opener Fool For The Bright Lights , their biggest hit single Couldn't Get It Right and classics Chasing Change and The Movie Queen . Band play on today with frontman Johnny Mars replacing the late Colin Cooper, and most of this repertoire survives in their set. Booklet with authoritative and extensive liner notes written by respected Record Collector journalist Michael Heatley. Expertly remastered superb sound - top quality reproduction. The best in the business!

This 22-track compilation makes for a commendable jaunt through some of the Climax Blues Band's best material. It may not be the most comprehensive set available, but it does manage to excerpt songs from some of the group's better albums. Led by the Number Nine hit "Couldn't Get It Right" (Number Ten in the U.K.), this compilation package takes the essential cuts from their most significant releases, including their self-titled debut album from 1968, when they were known as the Climax Chicago Blues Band, as well as 1971's Tightly Knit; 1972's Rich Man; and 1976's Gold Plated, which heralded both "Berlin Blues" and "Everyday."

Following on from the hard-hitting blues of their debut album, Plays On caught the Climax Chicago Blues Band in somewhat transitional waters, testing any number of different musical styles, but never really setting on any. Certainly the funk thump that characterized their better later work was still an idea waiting to be explored, as the group instead fluttered between the scurrying jazz of the opening "Flight," the psychedelic tinge of "Hey Baby, Everything's Gonna Be Alright Yeh Yeh Yeh," the semi-Santana fusion of "Cubano Chant," and the heavy blues of "So Many Roads," all interrupted by "Mum's the Word," a dynamic Moog sequence that builds out of the theme from 2001, and then freefalls into total space rock. Even amid all the other moods that litter the album, it's an unexpected find and a glorious treasure.

Hands of time’ is the band’s 21st album consisting of 13 original tracks, plus a bonus unreleased track with the late Colin Cooper. Hands of Time is the 21st album by Climax Blues Band, consisting of 13 new original songs, plus a bonus unreleased track ‘Getting There’ with the late Colin Cooper. It was recorded at Silk Mill Studios in Staffordshire, UK and is a mixture of bluesy funk, soul and jazz rock, all of the ingredients that have kept the band working for over 50 years. The album has a fresher more modern feel to it than on previous releases and is being well received by the industry. You can hear a selection of the new songs played live by the band when they embark on their major UK & European tour staring in 2019 to promote the album’s release.

Climax Blues Band had undergone a few changes by the time they cut Sample And Hold in 1983. While Peter Haycock (guitar and vocals) and Colin Cooper (sax and vocals) were still holding the fort, they had sampled a new rhythm section. The latest recruits were George Glover on keyboards, Dave Markee on bass and Henry Spinetti on drums. Together they kept the Climax flag flying. This song-packed ten original LP track CD kicks off with an upbeat and optimistic sounding Friends In High Places , with the vocal harmonies set in place by the old firm of Haycock and Cooper. Peter's guitar solo on this song is especially effective. Although the overall band sound veers towards modern Eighties pop, the guitar and drums, while still rock and strings are brought into play on The End Of The Seven Seas . A fine album with informative CD liner notes that put a much loved British band's career and this album into perspective.

Flying the flag for British rock throughout the Seventies and well into the next decade, Climax Blues Band were at the forefront of high quality, entertaining music, performed with equal success ‘live’ and on record. This ten track selection was first released in 1980, a time of change and conflicting influences. But whatever the moods affecting the musicians, they always played with maximum passion and expertise, as is revealed on ‘Flying The Flag’. The opening number ‘Gotta Have More Love’ is closer to disco pop than the blues that first inspired the group, but whatever style they espoused, Climax always delivered songs with cool expertise. And the core feeling for the rockin’ blues can always be found in performances like Peter Haycock’s outstanding ‘So Good After Midnight’ and the aggressive ‘Blackjack And Me’, that are among the highlights of a vibrant high flying album.

2017 two CD set containing a rare set of historic performances by the Climax Blues Band. Heard for the first time on CD, these expertly remastered tracks from 1970 to 1978, capture the unique Climax sound with it's blend of vocal harmonies, sax and guitar, created by the late Peter Haycock (guitar) and Colin Cooper (vocals and saxophone). Disc 1 has 15 tracks with 'Spoonful', 'Goin' To New York' and 'Milwaukee Truckin Blues' among the highlights. Disc 2 has a further 14 items including international hit single 'Couldn't Get It Right'. Extensive liner notes by Chris Welch, aided by founder member bass guitarist Derek Holt, tell the fascinating story of the group and background to these long-lost recordings. Recordings in stereo and mono.

By the time of 1971's Tightly Knit, the group had settled into a very comfortable groove and suddenly didn't seem to be trying so hard, instead letting the music speak for itself. This newfound confidence was also mirrored in the fact that eight of the ten tunes aboard were group-penned originals. While they showed some versatility on tunes like "Little Link" and "Shoot Her If She Runs" (both exhibiting a strong country rock flavor), they still managed to sound like no one else but the Climax Blues Band on such familiar warhorses as "Spoonful" and Robert Johnson's "Come on in My Kitchen." Peter Haycock's lead guitar reached scorching levels on the almost-ten-minute-long "St. Michael's Blues"; "Who Killed McSwiggin" explored the Bo Diddley beat for all its worth, and the closing "That's All" took the pan-flute New Orleans groove into folk-singalong territory, making a top-notch finish for the group's most varied outing.