Artist  Michael Bloomfield 
Album Title  Best of Michael Bloomfield [Fantasy] 
Date of Release  1997  
Genre  Blues 
Styles  Electric Chicago Blues, Blues-Rock, Acoustic Chicago Blues,
        Modern Electric Chicago Blues 
Type  compilation 
  
By the time the majority of these 12 tracks from various solo projects were 
recorded, Bloomfield was already well established as America's first official 
guitar slinger of the baby boomer generation. The selections on this CD come 
from the later stages of his career, and as such are a marvelous showcase for 
his wide-ranging versatility. They run the gamut from Mississippi John 
Hurt-style fingerpicking ("Frankie and Johnny"), Scrapper Blackwell acoustic 
style flat-picking, and Lonnie Johnson slide playing (with "Mr. Johnson and 
Mr. Dunn," "Effinona Rag," "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" featuring him on 
acoustic slide, piano, accordion, and tipple, and two duets with Little 
Brother Montgomery, "Pleading Blues" and "Michigan Water Blues") to the 
red-hot electric solo work he's best noted for. Other highlights include 
"Between the Hard Place and the Ground" and a stray track with the Woody 
Herman big band, "Hitch-Hike On the Possum Trot Line."
 - Cub Koda 
 
    1.   Michigan Water Blues (Williams) - 3:37 
    2.   Frankie and Johnny (Traditional) - 4:13 
    3.   Mr. Johnson and Mr. Dunn (Bloomfield) - 2:56 
    4.   Your Friends (Malone) - 6:54 
    5.   Hitch-Hike on the Possum Trot Line (Broadbent) - 7:08 
    6.   Between the Hard Place and the Ground (David/King) - 3:43 
    7.   Pleading Blues (Montgomery/Montgomery) - 4:21 
    8.   Papa-Mama-Rompah-Stompah (David) - 3:30 
    9.   Effinonna Rag (Bloomfield) - 4:36 
    10.   Orphan's Blues (Brown) - 5:13 
    11.   The Gospel Truth (Dayron) - 4:42 
    12.   See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (Carter/Carter/Carter) - 4:52 
 
Michael Bloomfield  -  Organ, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Accordion, Arranger, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals, Moog Synthesizer, Slide Guitar, Tiple 
Little Brother Montgomery  -  Piano, Vocals 
Alan Broadbent  -  Arranger, Keyboards 
Woody Herman  -  Sax (Soprano), Producer 
Sal Nistico  -  Reeds 
Roger Troy  -  Bass, Vocals 
Denny Bruce  -  Reissue Producer, Compilation Producer, Reissue Compiler 
Forrest Buchtel  -  Trumpet 
Bob Burgess  -  Trombone 
Bill Byrne  -  Trumpet 
Norman Dayron  -  Producer, Engineer, Photography 
Tom Harrell  -  Trumpet 
Wally Heider  -  Engineer 
Tony Klatka  -  Trumpet 
Steve Lederer  -  Reeds 
Hart McNee  -  Sax (Baritone) 
Mark Naftalin  -  Piano 
Ira Nepus  -  Trombone 
King Perkoff  -  Sax (Tenor) 
Alan Rice  -  Engineer 
Tom Rizzo  -  Drums 
Bob Rose  -  Engineer 
Ray Shanklin  -  Producer 
David Shorey  -  Bass 
Gene Smookler  -  Reeds 
Ed Soph  -  Drums 
Don Switzer  -  Trombone 
Frank Tiberi  -  Reeds 
Derrick Walker  -  Sax (Tenor) 
Mark Wallner  -  Engineer 
Pete Welding  -  Liner Notes 
Buddy Powers  -  Trumpet 
Richard Beggs  -  Engineer 
Joe Tarantino  -  Remastering 
Jamie Putnam  -  Art Direction 
Deb Sibony  -  Design 
Alan Read  -  Fender Jazz Bass