This compilation, drawn from the vaults of Immediate Records, showcases some early recordings by that triumvirate of British guitarists,
Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck and
Jimmy Page. Page, then a staff producer at Immediate, made the informal recordings of himself and Clapton included here (which include members of
the Rolling Stones backing them up), while Beck is featured with the All Stars, formerly
Cyril Davies' backing band (and Page plays with them as well). Also appearing here are Davies himself, pianist
Nicky Hopkins,
John Mayall (whose two tracks here also feature Clapton) and
Jeremy Spencer from the early
Fleetwood Mac. Plus there are three instrumentals recorded by
Santa Barbara Machine Head, which included
Jon Lord on organ,
Ron Wood on guitar,
Kim Gardener of
the Creation on bass, and Twink on drums. This stuff is none of these folks' best work, but there's a lot of enjoyable jamming, and the album is a great snapshot of the days when the British blues boom was growing in popularity and power. (This album has also been released in a truncated 12-song form -- get the original if you can.)
–
Stephen Raiteri, Rovi