any new Beatle fans because of the remasters?

It is amazing how the R&B of that period sounds so much more alive than so much of its British counterparts.

Take blues artists such as Slim Harpo, Howlin Wolf, Otis Rush and Sonnyboy Williamson for example. Stack them against their British blues counterparts and I think there will be some black vinyl 12 inch frisbees flyin' out the window in a hurry!!! I listened to some John Mayall recently and had to turn it off and immediately cleanse my palate with a whole lot of chess material to get that whiney sound out of my head. As much as I give grief about the beatles, I can give triple that on the subject of Eric Clapton (most over rated guitar player in history). Remember "Clapton is god"?

"It is amazing how the R&B of that period sounds so much more alive"

Yes, I would agree that the R&R and R&B and "race" music has a certain air about it that is refreshingly raw and alive in a way that makes it stand uniquely on its own, especially with the quality repackagings and remasters available for these also these days played on a good system.

The Beatles in particular though did breathe a new, different and unique sense of life into their covers of many of the these tunes that they performed live in their early years though IMHO. I could take or leave most of the other early BRitish Invasion acts that covered these same grounds early in their careers in comparison however, including the Stones. I do still have a soft spot for most of the early Moody Blues recordings from their days with Denny Laine, I must admit, but that may be more because I have always been a Moodies mark to start with.

Savoy Brown is still a favorite of mine. Kim Simmonds still tours both with a group as Savoy Brown and solo. They are one of my last remaining must see classic rock acts out there that I have never had the opportunity to see live.

The british blues guys, especially those that were in their prime in the later 60's and early to mid 70's, were a definitely a different breed. And yes, The Beatles (and Stones too I suppose) were major artistic influences as well at that point as well as were the earlier American bluesmen.

When I was about 9 I used to run home from the schoolbus every day to play my copy of Savoy Brown's "Street Corner Talkin'". I played it so many times on my cheapo Laffayette compact stereo that I wore it out almost completely. I still love that album for sentimental reasons, and am looking for a good vinyl copy of it!