Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. It's Okay with Me Baby
2. When My Left Eye Jumps
3. Letter
4. Lonesome Whistle Blues
5. When the Train Comes Back
6. San-Ho-Zay
7. King of the World
8. See See Baby
9. First Time I Met the Blues
10. Webbed Feet
11. You Ain't No Good
12. What You Did Last Night
13. Hey Baby
14. Baby's Got Me Crying
15. Right Way Is My Way
16. Get Like You Used to Be
17. Pony and Trap
18. Tell Me
19. Woman Is the Blues
20. When the Train Comes Back [Single Version]

Disc 2:

1. Worried About My Woman
2. Six Nights in Seven
3. I Wanna See My Baby
4. Remington Ride
5. Fishing in Your River
6. Mean Old World
7. Sweet Sixteen
8. I'd Rather Go Blind
9. Night Life
10. Road of Love
11. Look Ma, I'm Cryin'
12. Evelyn
13. Reconsider Baby
14. Weekend Love
15. Midnight Hour
16. Tears in the Wind
17. Horse & Cart
18. Way It Is
19. Still Worried About My Woman
20. Anji

Disc 3:

1. Smartest Girl in Town [#]
2. Hideaway [#]
3. Things You Put Me Through
4. Diary of Your Life
5. Pocket
6. Never Ever
7. Sad Clown
8. Maudie
9. Telling Your Fortune
10. Tired Eyes
11. Some Other Time
12. Going Round
13. Andalucian Blues
14. You Knew You Did You Did
15. She Didn't Use Her Loaf
16. Maudie [Single Version]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #223499 in Music
• Released on: 2007-02-06
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Original recording remastered, Import

Customer Reviews

The nearly men (and woman)
Ah Chicken Shack. I bought the first album, watched them tear the place up at the Redcar Jazz club, triumph at festivals, but then what? "I'd Rather Go Blind". A triumph or an "Albatross" around their collective necks? Was it just Christine McVie's departure that halted their progress to superstardom or, as the estimable Mike Vernon argues in the notes accompanying this excellent compilation, did they lack Fleetwood Mac's "street credibility". Just unlucky I guess. Three CDs is probably more Chicken Shack than most of us need but make no mistake there's some really fine material here. Christine Perfect (as was) would have been a superstar whatever, but her melancholy understated singing and righteous blues piano playing is a revelation and could make a compilation of its own. There's still time for her to make the R&B album I know she has in her. The rhythm section is on the button throughout which just leaves Stan the man. And therein lies the problem. Is he a Freddy King impersonator, a heavy rock guitar hero, a sensitive singer songwriter or just a bloody good blues player and singer? He was and is all four. But I guess fame and fortune wanted something a bit more marketable. If you like early Chicken Shack and good British blues, buy this.....I doubt you'll be disappointed, and you might wonder, as I do, what could have been?

Chicken Shack Complete - 4 Full Albums - Rare Non-Album Singles - Previously Unreleased Tracks - Superlative Stuff!
Across it's 56 tracks and 3 CDs, this fantastic release offers you 4 full albums from 1968 to 1970, 6 non-album 7" singles and their rare B-sides and even 2 previously unreleased songs. The 1st generation original master tapes were digitally transferred and remastered by Duncan Cowell at Sound Mastering and overseen by label supremo Mike Vernon - and as usual with all the Blue Horizon reissues - the sonic results are just stunning - clear, warm and fresh sounding. And with each of their original vinyl issues pushing £60 a throw (if you can actually find them in playable condition), this is a welcome release.

Here's the layout:

Disc 1 (74:16 minutes):
Tracks 1 & 2 are the band's 1st UK 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3157) and both songs are non-album
Tracks 3 to 12 are their debut UK album "40 Blue Fingers Freshly Packed & Ready To Serve" (7-63203) from 1968
Tracks 13 and 20 are their 3rd UK 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3146) and both songs are non-album (there's a version of "When The Train Comes Back" on "Forty Fresh Fingers..." but it's different to the single release - the single release pushes the brass section more into the mix)
Tracks 14 to 19 are Side 1 of their 2nd UK album "O.K. Ken?" on Blue Horizon (7-63209) also from 1968

Disc 2 (71:52 minutes)
Tracks 1 and 2 are their 2nd UK 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3143) and are both non-album
Tracks 3 to 7 are Side 2 of their 2nd UK album "O.K. Ken?" on Blue Horizon (7-63209) also from 1968
Tracks 8 and 9 are their 4th UK 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3153) and are both non-album (8 is an Etta James cover, 9 a Willie Nelson cover)
Tracks 10 to 15 are Side 1 of their 3rd UK album "100 Ton Chicken" on Blue Horizon (7-63218) from 1969
Track 16 is the non-album A-side to their 5th UK 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3160) (the non-album B-side in on Disc 3)
Tracks 17 to 20 are Side 2 on their 3rd UK album "100 Ton Chicken" on Blue Horizon (7-63218) from 1969
(Note: Track 1 is the 7" single version, which features what you would call a `guitar' version of the track, with Webb's guitar work to the fore. However, Track 19 is the `album' version of "Worried About My Woman" - wittily tagged with the word "Still" in front of it, because although it's the same song, the version is very different. It features Paul Raymond's Organ work far more to the fore of the mix - almost Georgie Fame and The Blues Flames in its feel - and a far louder Webb guitar - he rocks like a mother on this one - fantastic!)

Disc 3 (51:08 minutes):
Tracks 1 and 2 are previously unreleased, recorded in May 1969 with the Stan Webb (Guitar), Paul Raymond (Organ), Andy Silvester (Bass) and David Bidwell (Drums) line-up featured on both
Track 3 is the non-album B-side to "Tears In The Wind" (track 16 on Disc 2)
Tracks 4 to 15 are their 4th and last album "Accept" for Blue Horizon (7-63861) from 1970
Track 16 is the non-album A-side to their 6th UK 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3168)

(Note: Track 13 "Andalucian Blues" is the B-side to "Maudie" their 6th UK 7" single
Track 7 "Sad Clown" and Track 10 "Tired Eyes" make up the A & B side of their 7th and last Blue Horizon 7" single (57-3176) from 1970
This 3CD set allows you to sequence all 14 tracks on their seven UK Blue Horizon singles as a compilation.)

Chicken Shack was always about the blues and the bar-brawling boogie that came out of that tradition (they took their name from a 50's R&B tune by Amos Milburn). Mixing raucous cover versions with equally impressive originals, the first 3 albums featured shared vocals/song-writing credits between blues-nutter Stan Webb and a young Female Singer of the Year, Christine Perfect. (Christine married John McVie in 1969 and later joined Fleetwood Mac - retaining the McVie surname to this day). The Shacks albums also featured guest Sax work from Johnny Almond and Paul Raymond and his Organ/Piano work came on board from "100 Ton Chicken" onwards. The music is infectious blues based rock with the occasional funky moment (the instrumental "Evelyn" is a good example). Stan Webb kept Chicken Shack going after BH to do two more 'rock' albums for the Deram label - "Imagination Lady" in 1972 and "Unlucky Boy" in 1973.

If I was to say there was a downside - it's the lack of unreleased material - I'd hoped for more. Also, it's a damn shame that these four albums didn't receive the Fleetwood Mac box set treatment - I would love to have seen all of them in Repro Card Sleeves (Gatefolds in some cases) - each topped up with bonus tracks. But alas! It probably wasn't viable financially anyway. Still, as it stands "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" is another jewel in the Blue Horizon crown. Never less than brilliant on any of the discs, this set finally makes available rare and sought after albums to everyone - and for peanuts money too.

This superb release is a steal - and I recommend it wholeheartedly to fans and the uninitiated alike. Dig it you hip cats!!

PS: Christine Perfect's lone solo album for Blue Horizon is also now available as of February 2008, see separate review for "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions"

Truly great British blues!
I get nervous buying music I haven't heard for over 30 years! Do I remember right? Has my taste changed? And this is 3 long CD's! Chicken Shack do not disappoint at all! Stan Webb's guitar playing throughout is magnificent and really sensitive, boy can he play the blues. I thought that the later tracks without Christine Perfect might seem a bit lame, but not at all! The Shack up the anti adding fabulous Hammond B3 played by Paul Raymond. I was lucky enough to see Chicken Shack many times in the early 70's! and my memory does serve me well. Chicken Shack were the best British blues band by far. Eat your heart out Mr Clapton! Stan the man wore the crown! If you like blues at all you'll love this!