Friday, July 9, 2021

Miller Anderson - Anthology (A Butterboy Compilation) CD1+CD2+CD3

MILLER ANDERSON 

Miller Anderson - Anthology (A Butterboy Compilation) CD1+CD2+CD3

Miller Anderson (born 12 April 1945, Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland) is a UK-based blues guitarist and singer. A look at his discography makes one wonder why Miller Anderson is a musicians’ musician and his is not the name that everybody knows. Maybe that’s because of the road he’s chosen early on which leads to the pastures of Miller’s own liking and not everybody else’s. Still, the British blues aficionados recognise and adore Anderson’s work with The Keef Harley Band where he was the main singer and T.Rex fans are familiar with the sound of his guitar on “Dandy in the Underworld”. Yet these are only two of many great collectives the veteran’s been in.

Miller Anderson has been on the cutting-edge of rock for more than three decades. The Scotland-born guitarist and vocalist has been involved with many influential musicians. Cutting his musical teeth in bands with Ian Hunter (pre-Mott the Hoople) and Bill Bruford (pre-King Crimson and Yes), Anderson has been a member of such bands as the Keef Hartley Band, Savoy Brown, T. Rex, Mountain, the Spencer Davis Group, and in groups led by Deep Purple's Jon Lord and folk-rock balladeer Donovan. Anderson launched his career with the Royal Crests in 1964, continuing to play with the group as they evolved into Karl Stuart & the Profiles. Although he recorded one single with the Voice, "Train to Disaster" b/w "Truth," he left the band soon afterwards and was replaced by Mick Ronson. After meeting Ian Hunter during recording sessions at Regent Sound Studios, Anderson and Hunter formed a band, the Scenery, with drummer John Verson Smith. The group, which enlarged into a quartet with the addition of keyboardist Dante Smith, released an EP in Japan. In 1967, the group became the backup band for pianist/vocalist Freddie "Fingers" Lee as the Freddie "Fingers" Lee Band. While Anderson temporarily left the group to join the Paper Blitz Tissue, where he met Bill Bruford who replaced drummer Dave Dufort, he re-joined Hunter and Lee in March 1968 to form the oddly named group At Last the 1958 Rock 'n' Roll Show. After recording one single, "I Can't Drive" b/w "Workin' on the Railroad," the band changed their name to Charlie Woolfe. Upon leaving this group, Anderson and Hunter temporarily resurrected the Scenery. 

In late 1968, Anderson joined the Keef Hartley Band. Although they had begun to work on their debut album, the group had changed their lead singer twice before Anderson was recruited. In addition to playing with them at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969, Anderson recorded five albums with the band. Leaving the group to start his solo career, Anderson formed the Miller Anderson Band. Assembled to play concerts, the group never toured, instead playing several sessions for BBC Radio. Anderson continued to change bands at a lightning pace. After his band Hemlock toured as the opening act for Savoy Brown in 1973, Anderson was invited to join Kim Simmonds and Stan Webb (from Chicken Shack) to create a three-guitar line-up for Savoy Brown in January 1974. Although he wrote several songs for Savoy Brown's album Boogie Brothers, he only remained in the band until December. While he joined Blood, Sweat & Tears, he left within a few weeks following the departure of lead singer David Clayton-Thomas. Anderson's next projects included the band Dog Soldier with Keef Hartley, and a group assembled by ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor featuring former members of Stone the Crows. Although he joined T. Rex in August 1976, he left after helping to record the album Dandy in the Underworld to tour with Donovan. Anderson's plans to re-join T. Rex ended with the tragic car accident death of Marc Bolan on September 16, 1977. Instead, he continued to tour with Donovan until 1978 when he and keyboardist Ronnie Leahy joined with guitarist/vocalist Jimmy McCulloch to form the Dukes. While the group recorded a minor hit, "Hearts in Trouble," they fell apart following McCulloch's death. Joining Stan Webb's Speedway in 1982, Anderson left to play bass with a resurrected Chicken Shack from September through December 1984.Anderson next became involved with Mountain. Although he was slated to play guitar in the group, which also featured original drummer Corky Laing and Ian Hunter, he switched to bass when original guitarist Leslie West re-joined the group. Anderson first collaborated with Spencer Davis in a reorganized version of the Spencer Davis Group that featured vocalist Chris Farlowe, bassist/vocalist Colin Hodgkinson, keyboardist Zoot Money, and drummer Pete York and recorded one album, Extremely Live at Birmingham Town Hall. Anderson continued to work with York in Pete York and Superblues. They re-joined the Spencer Davis Group in 1995 and 1997. 

In September 1993, Anderson performed solo at Blackhearth Concert Hall in South London in a show that also featured Bert Jansch, Davey Graham, and John Renbourn. Anderson played several shows with Jansch before resuming his solo career in January 1994. In June 1994, Anderson formed a trio with Miller and Colin Hodgkinson. Anderson was recruited in July 1995 for two gigs with Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord's group the Gemini Band. He subsequently recorded an album, Pictured Within, with Lord. (Amazon)

Miller Anderson has recorded 5 solo albums and 3 live albums. Anderson's first solo album, Bright City, released in 1971, was recorded with accompaniment from the late Gary Thain (pre-Uriah Heep), Mick Weaver, and Peter Dines. His second album, Celtic Moon, released in 1997, was a mostly acoustic outing recorded with the Spencer Davis Group. Six years later Anderson released Bluesheart in 2003. Bluesheart contains six of Anderson’s originals, along with his take on classics such as “Smokestack Lightnin’,” “Wang Dang Doodle,” and “House of the Rising Sun.”, followed by Chameleon in  2008 with nine of the ten tracks are Anderson originals reworked, and Through the Mill in 2016.

Miller Anderson belongs to a small group of very talented rock journeymen who contributed too many bands and albums and shaped them with their voices without ever getting too much spotlight attention. Its amazing that there is no anthology based around the works of Miller Anderson. Every track here in this compilation is written or co-written by Miller Anderson. There are a few songs that I didn’t have that I wanted to add to this compilation, in particular, the four track he recorded with Mick Taylor. I also did not include work he did with some artists as that work did not showcase his fine guitar playing or vocal.  I hope you will enjoy this Anthology of Miller Anderson’s work. This is a perfect demonstration of sublime Blues guitar from a polished performer with a great variation of styles and innovation. Tracks are presented chronologically.

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Track lists

CD1

01 Karl Stuart & the Profiles Love of My Eyes 2:07

02 Voice The Train to Disaster 2:49

03 Voice The Truth 2:50

04 Scenery Thread of Time 2:35

05 Paper Blitz Tissue Boy Meets Girl 2:56

06 At Last the 1958 Rock & Roll Show I Can't Drive 2:42

07 Keef Hartley Band Born to Die 9:58

08 Keef Hartley Band Just to Cry 6:20

09 Keef Hartley Band Too Much Thinking 5:31

10 Keef Hartley Band Hickory 2:44

11 Stan Webb's Chicken Shack I'd Rather Go Blind 5:50

12 Keef Hartley Band Me and My Woman 4:24

13 Keef Hartley Band The Dansette Kid, Hartley Jam for Bread 4:00

14 Keef Hartley Band Another Time, Another Place 2:37

15 Keef Hartley Band Change 4:01

16 Keef Hartley Band The Time is Near 10:09

17 Keef Hartley Band You Can't Take it With You 7:21

18 Miller Anderson Xx Nothing in This World 4:17

19 Miller Anderson Alice Mercy (To Whom it May Concern) 6:47

20 Miller Anderson Bright City 3:07

21 Miller Anderson Grey Broken Morning 4:28

22 Miller Anderson Shadows 'cross My Wall 6:02

23 Miller Anderson High Tide, High Water 7:55


CD2

24 Keef Hartley Band Plain Talkin' 3:22

25 Keef Hartley Band Overdog 4:19

26 Keef Hartley Band We Are All the Same 4:40

27 Keef Hartley Band You Can Choose 5:28

28 Dave Cousins Two Weeks Last Summer 3:07

29 Savoy Brown Always the Same 1:59

30 Savoy Brown Boogie Brothers 5:20

31 Savoy Brown Me and the Preacher 3:38

32 Savoy Brown Rock'n'roll Star 7:06

33 Broken Glass Broken Glass 2:29

34 Broken Glass Standing on the Border 3:39

35 Broken Glass Take the Water 5:27

36 Dog Soldier Pillar to Post 4:59

37 Dog Soldier Looks Like Rain 11:26

38 Dog Soldier Strangers in My Own Time 4:34

39 T.Rex Jason B. Sad 3:20

40 Dukes Crazy Fool 5:04

41 Dukes I'll Try to Help 4:07

42 Mountain Makin' it in Your Car 3:10

43 Miller Anderson With Chris Farlowe, Spencer Davis, Peter York, Colin Hodgkinson, Zoot Money Tamp 'em Up Solid 4:05

44 Miller Anderson, R&B Band Featuring Ian Paice Smoke on the Water 4:43

45 Strawbs Let it Rain 4:04

46 Strawbs We Can Make it Together 4:17


CD3

47 Miller Anderson Across the Borderline 4:42

48 Miller Anderson Boatman 4:21

49 Miller Anderson Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood 4:54

50 Miller Anderson Two Ships 5:59

51 Miller Anderson Fallin Back Into the Blue 4:37

52 Miller Anderson Help Me 8:06

53 Miller Anderson Houston (Scotland) 2:42

54 Miller Anderson House of the Rising Sun 5:01

55 British Blues Quintet Feat. Maggie Bell It Never Rains But it Pours 5:07

56 Miller Anderson City Blues 5:32

57 Miller Anderson By the Light 4:20

58 Miller Anderson Fog on the Highway 4:34

59 Miller Anderson Rich Man, Poor Man 4:46

60 Miller Anderson The Dreamer 2:54

61 Miller Anderson Borderline 4:37

62 Miller Anderson Just to Cry 7:56

63 Miller Anderson Leavin' Trunk 7:28

64 Miller Anderson Memories of Woodstock 3:07

65 HBB & Miller Anderson When a Blind Man Cries 5:18

66 Miller Anderson With Orion Orchestra Pictured Within 9:09

67 Miller Anderson Broken Glass 3:33

68 Miller Anderson John Sugrue 4:23

69 Miller Anderson Nobody Knows 4:12

70 Miller Anderson Old Friends 4:07

71 Miller Anderson Where is Your Heart 4:59

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13 comments:

  1. Your Miller Anderson compilation is priceless! A million thanks for this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks DK,
      Miller Anderson deserves even more respect respect.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  2. I have loved Miller Anderson ever since I heard him with Keef Hartley in 1968. Your posts never fail to surprise and please me. Thank you so much for this, and for the myriad of great music you have introduced me (and others) to

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi danbis1008,
      Thank you for your kind words.
      I think Miller Anderson deserves more attention.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  3. Thanks a lot. Very good compilation-anthology. Cheers, MZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi mztoinen.
      Thank you.
      I hope it brings much enjoyment to your listening experience.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  4. eye-opening....and ear-tantalizing, as always. thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Unknown,
      Enjoy Millers legacy.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  5. I have loved his work with Keef Hartley for a long time. I am just now getting into his solo albums and then I found this anthology on your website. You have stuff that is pre - Keef Hartley. I am impressed. I look forward to listening to this. He is definitely underrated and should be more well known. I am a Blues aficionado and he is one of the better Blues guitarists I have heard. Peter Green is my favorite and Miller plays in a similar style, not flashy, understated until the need calls for more. Thank you again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Buzzcut9.
      What is great about this blog, for me, is when a visitor finds music they love and enjoy. I like it when visitors share their perspective.
      Your comments are appreciated.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  6. Would you have time to re upload your Miller Anderson comps. ?.Would really appreciate it...Great guitar player and can be somewhat difficult to track down his work... thank you John B.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Oldledbtm.
      New links established, tested and working.
      Enjoy!
      Cheers.

      Delete
  7. thanks so much for taking care of my request!! Cant believe how quick that was.....now i,ve got some great listening ahead John B

    ReplyDelete