This five CD set, packaged in a deluxe digipak with an outer slip case, features 135 tracks all remastered and including alternate takes of well-known recordings. All unissued and alternate take records are from Peter Moody's private collection, many of which are otherwise unavailable
Includes a 94 page book, featuring an essay by renowned blues historian Mike Rowe on the post war Chicago scene; over fifty rare period photographs illustrate the essay throughout; full track details, as well as full sessionography. A feature page section on some of the artists and a five page gallery of original 78 and 45 record labels
Continuing the mix of well-known artists to the lesser-known, all the recordings are prime Chicago masterworks. With big hitters like Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson, all their tracks are alternate takes or originally unissued masters by the record companies, most of which are currently not available on release. Mixing with these three there are many more stars of this down home genre including Albert King, Jimmy Reed and Memphis Minnie, again with alternate recordings of their best well-known music. In this golden age of blues, there were so many superb recordings being made it was impossible to issue many of them into the singles record buying market place. Eventually when the new long playing albums began to surface they began to cater for this wealth of music when recording in later years.
1. James Clark - Who But You
2. Memphis Jimmy (James Clark) - Drifting
3. Johnny Shines - Delta Pine Blues
4. Johnny Shines - Ride, Ride Mama
5. Johnny Shines - Evil-Hearted Woman Blues
6. Homer Harris - I'm Gonna Cut Your Head
7. Homer Harris - Tomorrow Will Be Too Late
8. Willie 'Long Time' Smith - Due Respects To You
9. Willie 'Long Time' Smith - No Special Rider Here
10. "Blues Boy" Bill - Little Boy Blue
11. Muddy Waters - Burying Ground Blues
12. James (Beal Street) Clark - Come To Me Baby
13. James (Beal Street) Clark - You Can't Make The Grade
14. Herman Ray - Xmas Blues
15. Forest City Joe - Special Delivery Man
16. Forest City Joe - Shady Lane Woman
17. Homer Harris - Atomic Bomb Blues
18. Willie 'Long Time' Smith - Devilment On My Mind
19. Willie 'Long Time' Smith - Homeless Blues
20. Forest City Joe - Mean Mistreatin' Woman
21. Forest City Joe - Lonesome Day Blues
22. Dirty Red - Mother Fuyer
23. Dirty Red - You Done Me Wrong
24. Pete Franklin - Mr Charley
25. Big Bill Broonzy - Water Coast Blues
1. Muddy Waters - Hard Days
2. Muddy Waters - Burying Ground
3. Floyd Jones - School Days
4. Tampa Red - Come On, If You're Coming
5. Tampa Red - I'll Find My Way
6. Johnny Temple - Between Midnight And Day
7. Johnny Temple - Sit Right On It
8. Jimmy Rogers - Hard Working Man
9. Jimmy Rogers - My Little Machine
10. Jimmy Rogers - Crying Shame
11. Robert Lockwood Jr. - Glory For Man
12. Robert Lockwood Jr. - My Daily Wish
13. Howling Wolf - How Many More Years
14. Howling Wolf - Just My Kind
15. Memphis Minnie - Broken Heart
16. Memphis Minnie - Lake Michigan
17. Memphis Minnie - Me And My Chauffeur
18. Muddy Waters - Lonesome Day
19. Muddy Waters - Stuff You Gotta Watch
21. Blue Smitty - Elgin Movement
22. Memphis Minnie - In Love Again
23. Memphis Minnie - What A Night
24. Rocky Fuller - Funeral Hearse At My Door
25. Little Walter - Driftin'
26. Little Walter - Off The Wall
1. Honey Boy Edwards - Sweet Home Chicago
2. Honey Boy Edwards - Drop Down Mama
3. Henry Gray - I Declare That Ain't Right
4. Big Boy Spires - My Baby Left Me
5. Little Walter - That's It
6. Little Walter - Blues With A Feeling
7. Elmore James - I See My Baby
8. Elmore James - Country Boogie
9. Lazy Bill - I Had A Dream
10. Lazy Bill - She Got Me Walkin'
11. Albert King - Hand Me Down
13. Morris Pejoe - Untitled Instrumental
14. Morris Pejoe - Hurt My Feelings
15. Homesick James - Lonesome Blues
16. Homesick James - 12th St Station
17. Homesick James - Long Lonesome Days
18. Gus Jenkins - Eight Ball
19. Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
20. Otis Spann - It Must Have Been The Devil
21. Otis Spann - Five Spot
22. Little Walter - I Love You So (Oh Baby)
23. Little Walter - Last Night
24. Henry Gray - Goodbye Baby
25. Henry Gray - You Messed Up
1. Chuck Berry - Wee Wee Hours
2. Chuck Berry - No Money Down
3. Chuck Berry - I've Changed
4. Billy Boy Arnold - I Was Fooled
5. Billy Boy Arnold - Don't Stay Out All Night
6. Bo Diddley - Little Girl
7. Bo Diddley - I'm A Man
8. Bo Diddley - You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)
9. Henry Gray - Watch Yourself
10. Henry Gray - That Ain't Right
11. Muddy Waters - This Pain
12. Muddy Waters - I Want To Be Loved
13. Little Walter - Temperature
14. Dusty Brown - Hurry Home
15. Sonny Boy Williamson - Good Evening Everybody
16. Sonny Boy Williamson - Have You Ever Been In Love
17. Herby Joe - Smokestack Lightning
18. Herby Joe - Dreamed (Last Night)
19. Harmonica 'Blues King' Harris - I Need You Pretty Baby For My Own
20. Harmonica 'Blues King' Harris - Blues King Mango
21. Po Joe Williams - Goin' Back
22. Po Joe Williams - My Baby Left
23. Billy Boy Arnold - You Got Me Wrong
24. Billy Boy Arnold - My Heart Is Crying
25. Sonny Boy Williamson - I Don't Know
26. Sonny Boy Williamson - Like Wolf
27. Sonny Boy Williamson - This Is My Apartment
1. Jimmy Reed - I'm Gonna Ruin You
2. Jimmy Reed - Honey, Where You Going'
3. Jimmy Reed - Little Rain
4. Sonny Boy Williamson - Hurts Me So Much
5. Sonny Boy Williamson - Fattening Frogs For Snakes
6. Elmore James - Knocking At Your Door
7. G. "Davy" Crockett - Look Out Mable
8. Jimmy Reed - Signals Of Love
9. Dusty Brown - Well You Know (I Love You)
10. Freddie Hall - I Love This Carrying On
11. Freddie Hall - She's A Upsetter
12. Little Mac Simmons - My Walking Blues
13. Little Mack Simmons - Come Back
14. Eddie Boyd - Nothing But Trouble
15. Eddie Boyd - Her Picture In The Frame
16. Eddie Boyd - Five Long Years
17. Elmore James - I Can't Hold Out
18. Elmore James - The Sun Is Shining
19. Howling Wolf - Mr Airplane Man
20. Howling Wolf - Little Baby
21. Hound Dog Taylor - Baby's Coming Home
22. Hound Dog Taylor - Five, Take Five
23. Homesick James - Can't Afford To Do It
24. Homesick James - Set A Date
25. Slim Willis - Running Around
26. Slim Willis - No Feeling For You
