Various Artists - All Day Thumbsucker Revisited (1995)

The History of Blue Thumb Records

So I'll be upfront and tell you that I bought this 2 CD set because the cover art, credited to John Van Hamersveld, caught my eye. But I was lucky because this retrospective is a fantastic compilation. Blue Thumb was an independent record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow and former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. According to the comprehensive liner notes included in the 5½" x 10" packaging, the name Blue Thumb was originally conceived by Captain Beefheart as a name for his backing band, but Krasnow repurposed it for the record label, which quickly evolved into a sanctuary for artists whose music might not quite fit into established genres of the times. These CDs were compiled by Gary Katz, and while I normally prefer chronological sequencing, Katz's sequencing is so good, I don't mind non-chronological at all.

Billboard, September 9, 1968, p. 6

In any case, the music here is a wonderful variety of releases from a diverse artist roster. While I was familiar with most of the artists, there were many tracks that were new to me when I picked up this set. Check it out:

Tracks:

CD1	Artist	Title	Year
1	Dave Mason	Only You Know And I Know	1970
2	Mark-Almond	The City	1970
3	The Crusaders	Put It Where You Want It	1972
4	Leon Russell	A Song For You	1970
5	Hugh Masekela	Stimela (Coaltrain)	1974
6	Tyrannosaurus Rex	By The Light Of A Magical Moon	1970
7	The Pointer Sisters	Yes We Can Can	1973
8	Philip Upchurch	Darkness Darkness	1972
9	Capt. Beefheart & His Magic Band	Son Of Mirror Man - Mere Man	1968
10	The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation	Sugar On The Line	1970
11	Gerry Rafferty	New Street Blues	1973
12	Luis Gasca	Little Mama	1972
13	Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks	Canned Music	1972
14	Ike & Tina Turner	I've Been Loving You Too Long	1969
15	Ben Sidran	Fat Jam	1974
16	Sylvester & The Hot Band	Southern Man	1973

CD2	Artist	Title	Year
1	Leon Russell	Delta Lady	1970
2	Albert Collins	Shiver 'n Shake	1969
3	Dave Mason	Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave	1970
4	Bossa Rio	Blackbird	1969
5	Tyrannosaurus Rex	Ride A White Swan	1970
6	Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks	I Scare Myself	1972
7	Love	The Everlasting First	1970
8	Joao Donato	The Frog	1970
9	Capt. Beefheart & His Magic Band	Safe As Milk	1968
10	Gabor Szabo	Breezin'	1971
11	John Mayall	Sitting On The Outside	1975
12	Sun Ra	Images	1973
13	Gerry Rafferty	Can I Have My Money Back?	1973
14	The Last Poets	Bird's Word	1972
15	Ken Nordine	Roger	1957
16	The Crusaders	So Far Away	1972

I'm hardly in a target demographic anymore, but if there was an oldies radio station that played T Rex, The Pointer Sisters, Sun Ra, and the occasional spoken word piece, they'd have a listener in me. 🎧

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None