While Blue Horizon gained its reputation as the home of great British blues (early Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, and others), its spiritual home was in America, and it released far more American artists than most people realize, beginning with its first disc, 99 copies (for tax reasons) of a Hubert Sumlin single. And that largely set the tone for the first five years of the label admirably covered in this three-CD set.
Label head Mike Vernon was a blues lover and he released the music he loved, often licensing a track and sometimes signing and developing artists, as he did with his British stable, most especially Fleetwood Mac, born after Green left employer John Mayall (who also released two cuts on Blue Horizon, both with another former blues-breaker, Eric Clapton, and both, thankfully, here). Mac hit the big time with "Albatross," which definitely wasn't a blues, but their Chicago-influenced grit is apparent elsewhere, especially on "Temperature Is Rising (98.8F)," recorded with the legendary Otis Spann in the Windy City. But the label could easily move from the raw Delta sound of Bukka White to the electrifying slide of Hound Dog Taylor without it seeming unreasonable, while bringing on British artists like Duster Bennett, Jo Ann Kelly, and T.S. McPhee (who'd go on to head the Groundhogs) along the way.
Disc 1
01. Hubert Sumlin- Across The Board (1964) 4.13
02. Hubert Sumlin- Sumlin Boogie (1964) 3.36
03. Woodrow Adams - Baby You Just Don't Know (1955) 2.56
04. Woodrow Adams - Wine Head Woman (1955) 2.42
05. Jimmy McCracklin - Christmas Time (1959) 3.362.17
06. J.B. Lenoir - Mojo Boogie (1960) 2.42
07. J.B. Lenoir - Amsterdam (1960) 3.19
08. Doctor Isaiah Ross - Mean Old World (1965) 2.30
09. T.S. McPhee - Someone To Love Me (1965) 2.18
10. Jo Ann Kelly - I Feel So Good (1965) 2.48
11. Drifting Slim - Good Morning Baby (1952) 2.49
12. Drifting Slim - My Sweet Woman (1952) 2.52
13. John Mayall & Eric Clapton - Lonely Tears (1966) 3.17
14. John Mayall & Eric Clapton - Bernard Jenkins (1966) 3.17
15. Houston Boines - Superintendet Blues (1952) 2.32
16. Houston Boines - Monkey Motion (1952) 2.22
17. Savoy Brown's Blues Band - Can't Quit You Baby (1966) 3.35
18. Champion Jack Dupree with T.S. McPhee- Get Your Head Happy (1965) 2.17
19. Champion Jack Dupree with T.S. McPhee- Talk All In My Sleep (1965) 3.24
20. Stone's Masonry - Hot Rock (1966) 3.27
21. Hound Dog Taylor - Christine (1962) 2.11
22. Little Mac Simmons & His Boys - Come Back (1959) 2.34
23. Little Mac Simmons & His Boys - My Walking Blues (1959) 3.11
24. Eddie Boyd - It's So Miserable To Be Alone (1967) 3.39
25. Eddie Boyd - Empty Arms (1967) 2.48
Disc 2
01. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac- I Believe My Time Ain't Long (1967) 2.54
02. Anysley Dunbar Retaliation - Warning (1967) 3.22
03. The Chicken Shack feat. Stan Webb- When My Left Eye Jumps (1967) 6.26
04. Arthur K. Adams- She Drives Me Out Of My Mind (1967) 3.03
05. Eddie Boyd - The Big Boat (1968 ) 2.36
06. Fleetwood Mac - Black Magic Woman (1968 ) 2.46
07. Roosevelt Holts - Prison Bound Blues (1966) 2.37
08. Fleetwood Mac - Need Your Love So Bad (1968 ) 3.53
09. Champion Jack Dupree with Stan Webb- How Am I Doing It (1968 ) 2.45
10. Otis Spann - Can't Do Me No Good (1968 ) 2.18
11. B.B. King - The Woman I Love (1958 ) 3.01
12. Curtis Jones - You Don't Have To Go (1968 ) 3.38
13. Fleetwood Mac - Albatross (1968 ) 3.10
14. Guitar Crusher & Jimmy Spruill- Since My Baby Hit The Numbers (1968 ) 2.16
15. Garfield Love & Jimmy Spruill- Next Time You See Me (1968 ) 2.32
16. Johnny Shines - Solid Gold (1968 ) 3.10
17. Sunnland Slim - Layin' In My Cell, Sleepin' (1968 ) 3.10
18. Bobby Parker - It's Hard But It's Fair (1968 ) 2.16
19. Bobby Parker - I Couldn't Quit My Baby (1968 ) 4.52
20. Champion Jack Dupree - Stumbling Block (1969) 2.24
21. Chicken Shack - I'd Rather Go Blind (1969) 3.14
22. Otis Spann with Fleetwood Mac- Temperature Is Rising (1969) 5.11
23. Otis Rush & His Band - All Your Love (1958 ) 2.34
Disc 3
01. Magic Sam - Everything Gonna Be Alright (1957) 2.50
02. Chicken Shack - Hideaway (1969) 3.03
03. David 'Honeyboy' Edwards - My Baby's Gone (1969) 4.02
04. Coyne Clague Band - Mandy Lee (1969) 2.41
05. Gordon Smith - Too Long (1969) 2.42
06. Mississippi Joe Callicott- You Don't Know My Mind (1968 ) 5.12
07. Furry Lewis - Judge Harsh Blues (1968 ) 4.36
08. Bukka White - Drifting Blues (1968 ) 3.51
09. Larry Johnson - Southern Train (1966) 2.45
10. Chicken Shack - Tears In The Wind (1969) 2.40
11. Duster Bennett- I'm Gonna Wind Up Ending Up With You (1969) 2.54
12. Harmonica Slim - She Wants To Rock 'n' Roll (1969) 3.45
13. Johnny Young - Moaning And Groaning (1969) 3.08
14. George 'Harmonica' Smith- Someday You're Gonna Learn (1969) 4.13
15. Top Topham - Ridin' The Blinds (1969) 2.29
16. Bacon Fat - Boom Boom (Out Goes The Light) (1969) 3.47
17. Jellybread- Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu (1969) 2.44
18. Christine Perfect - Crazy 'Bout You Baby (1969) 3.01
19. Key Largo - Voodoo Rhythm (1970) 2.59
20. Duster Bennett - I Want You To Love Me (1969) 3.32
21. Martha Velez - I'm Gonna Leave You (1969) 4.06
22. Bacon Fat - Blues Feeling (1970) 3.59
