Fathers and Sons [Expanded]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 October, 2001)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (16)

A blues session to beat all sessions!
Whoever had the idea to pair up the incredible Otis Spann, Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Sam Lay and Buddy Miles with blues legend Muddy Waters has to be considered a genius! This session produced some of the most incredible electric blues-rock of Muddy Waters career. I've worn out two vinyl versions of this album and am now working on wearing out the CD version. A must for any Muddy Waters fan, or any blues fan...period.

Excellent expanded re-issue
This is probably the best of the "senior musician meets and plays with eager young fan"-projects of the sixties and seventies blues revival.

Blues legend Muddy Waters and his piano player Otis Spann, with veteran Sam Lay behind the drum kit, teamed up with three young white musicians to record this 1969 album: Guitarist Michael Bloomfield, bassist Donald 'Duck' Dunn (of Booker T & the Memphis Group), and harpist Paul Butterfield.
And the results are magnificent. 26-year old Paul Butterfield shows off some truly excellent harmonic playing, Dunn is rock-solid and funky, and the combined forces of Bloomfield and Muddy Waters himself produces some terrific guitar playing.

The sound is great, too, and Otis Spann (who is supposedly one of the "Fathers" of the album's title, even though he was only in his late 30s at the time) plays some of the best blues piano you'll ever hear.

Highlights include the tough, swinging "Blow Wind Blow" and "I'm Ready", the supremely groovy slow blues "Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had", the catchy "Forty Days And Forty Nights", Eddie Boyd's "Twenty-Four Hours", and the up-tempo rendition of "Sugar Sweet", which really shows off Otis Spann's masterful boogie piano playing.

Then comes four previously unreleased cuts, which aren't rejects by any means, although they didn't make the original double-LP, and six live tracks recorded on April 24th 1969 with the same band which had cut the studio tracks during the previous three days.
Muddy Waters' vocals on the slow slide-guitar workout "Long Distance Call" are sublime, and Butterfield's playing on the classic "Baby Please Don't Go" is pure Little Walter.
Out comes the bottleneck again for a grand rendition of "Honey Bee", followed by Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing" and an eight-minute take on "Got My Mojo Working", much to the delight of the crowd.

Not all attempts to "update" a blues artists sound were succesful, but this one is not only a succes, it is an excellent album which genuine adds to the legacy of Muddy Waters.

this album rates at least 6 stars
this is a real kick-ass, get-down, blues album. Stop reading the reviews.......go hear the album ... Read more

Asin: B00005R8GU
Sales Rank: 5391

Hard Again/I'm Ready/King Bee
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 August, 1997)
list price: $24.98 -- our price: $24.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Box set

Reviews (5)

Right On the Money...
Man, I wish everyone could hear these CDs...If you're even thinking about it, do it! These CDs contain high-fidelity, modern recordings of time-tested songs and other wonderful compositions. Deep, deep blues played by authentic blues musicians who are remarkable for their feel, rawness, and flashes of technical sheen.

****1/2
This "box set" isn't really a box set, in that it doesn't include any rarities, bonus tracks, or anything else which wasn't on the original albums.
But if you don't have any of Muddy Waters' three Johnny Winter-produced late-seventies/early eighties studio albums, this is a really good way to acquire all of them, and they really do belong in any Muddy-lovers collection.

"Hard Again" is the best, followed by "I'm Ready", but all three CDs are more than worth a listen. Superbly produced and arranged, featuring great musicianship, these three albums are an important part of Muddy Waters' legacy.

A great collaboration
Muddy Waters, tried and true, playing a variety of venues -- winding down a long career, with lots of miles under his belt . Johnny Winters- a blues aficionado who knows his way around the rock scene and a recording studio. What happens? These two experienced musicians pull together and put out 3 exceptional releases. Cataloging the early bread and butter numbers Muddy has established over his long and esteemed career. Plus a few more, lots of live shots in the studio, minimal overdub (if any) and BAM! Great renditions of timeless masterpieces superb Bluesmanship all captured with solid studio engineering. If you like the blues, you owe it to yourself to have this box set in your collection! ... Read more

Asin: B000002AKY
Sales Rank: 55598

Blue Streak
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 September, 1995)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Soul Fixin' Man was the first Luther Allison album recorded on American soil in 18 years, and it reminded the stateside blues community why this Paris-based expatriate was once considered one of the very best of Chicago's second blues generation. He builds upon that reputation with Blue Streak, a follow-up which is even bluesier and more guitar-oriented than its predecessor. If the previous disc emphasized Allison's Wilson Pickett-like singing, this new one focuses on his Albert Collins-like picking. --Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Soulful vocals and Icy crisp guitar Blues!
When this cd came out in 1995 it was one of the top albums on Guitar World's magazine year end list and for good reason! Excellent production, deep stirring vocals, Icy guitar playing and an excellent band added to a great cd! A favorite on The Crazy Coyote Blues Power Show 1490 KOTY AM (1490koty.com) Yakima Nation Radio in south central Washington state.

This will be one of your favorite CD's
Luther Allison's Blue Streak is simply one of the best blues albums around. There is not a disappointing track on the entire CD. From the infectious wood-block beat of "What have I Done Wrong" to the heart-wrenching "Cherry Red Wine", Allison poured his heart and soul into every cut. The combination of Allison's powerful vocals and virtuoso guitar playing blend perfectly; neither takes the back seat to the other. If you have never heard Luther Allison, give this CD a listen. Then, like me, you'll be a fan and want to have all of his CD's. Rest in peace, Luther.

In your face and about time!
Buy this album! Luther Allison is the real deal. As an avid blues lover, I can put this album in the "essentials" category of modern blues. Kind of like one of those "If I were stranded on a desert island" kind of records. You will not be disappointed. Luther sings with grit, determination, and a been-there attitude. Plus, his guitar will kill you! Not much more to say except: BUY IT!!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000000A10

The Chess Box
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 November, 1991)
list price: $49.98 -- our price: $44.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This is probably the best Wolf compilation there is in terms of comprehensiveness and digestibility. The problem with collecting the works of prolific artists is that there's so much material; fortunately, Chess made some good selections. Chronicling Howlin' Wolf's career from Memphis, through Chicago, and on into his later years. There are snippets of interviews, as well as the classic tracks you'd expect: "All Night Boogie", "Howlin' For My Darling", "Evil", "Forty Four", "Spoonful", and "I'd Better Go Now." This box set is a bit much to swallow if you're not already a fan of the Wolf, but if you are, this is a great way to get his best work in one place. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (7)

He's the Wolf!!!
If life were a college course in Blues Appreciation, at least three aural textbooks would be required listening: the Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson and the Chess Boxes of Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf. Just purchasing a CD or two of any of the other blues masters will suffice (for awhile anyway), but these three giants produced so much listenable and danceable music that nothing less than complete box sets will do. Even at 71 tracks, this set still feels incomplete; where is Wolf's fabulous live recording of "Highway 49" from the Newport Folk Festival? Or "Do the Do" from London Howlin Wolf Sessions, featuring Eric Clapton and Hubert Sumlin's fantastic guitar figures? But these are minor quibbles. How can you argue with an album that starts with a lonesome Wolf moan ("Moanin at Midnight") and ends (well, one track from the end, anyway) with a frail Wolf teaching a roomful of top blues acolytes (Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts) how to play acoustic guitar on "Little Red Rooster" the way Charlie Patton himself taught Wolf some 40-50 years ago? What an experience! His powerful, gargling-battery-acid voice (only Blind Willie Johnson and Captain Beefheart had more abused throats) now a shadow of it's former self, his commanding presence still moves the assembled royalty of British blues-rock to "get on it" and produce a memorable take. In between are too many highlights to mention, including "Killing Floor" (probably the only song set in an animal slaughterhouse), "Back Door Man" (later covered memorably by the Doors), "I Ain't Superstitious" (also covered well by Jeff Beck Group and Savoy Brown), and most memorably, his signature song "Smokestack Lightning." As a bonus, there are several snippets from an interview recording just a few years before his death in which he reveals how he got his name, how he got started playing the blues, and the "hidden" meanings behind both "Smokestack Lightning" and "I Asked Her For Water". These glimpses into the real, behind-the scenes Wolf persona, each about 30 seconds to one minute long, are priceless. Throughout the set, Wolf is supported by first-rate musicians, particularly the aforementioned Sumlin, who was such a good guitarist that he was "borrowed" regularly by the likes of Muddy Waters and Little Walter, but always made his way back to Wolf's pack. This set and all it's great music should keep most listener's happy for hours. Now, when will some great writer take up the challenge of giving Howlin' Wolf the biography he deserves? (Waters and Walter already have fine bios.) Until then, the Wolf fan will just have to make do with the (excellent) liner notes from this set and play it once again to hear the magic of the Wolf moanin' at midnight, or at any time of day he so desires.

Footnote about voice of Howlin' Wolf
In his excellent review, "anders_pj" stated that nobody has ever copied the sandpaper voice of Howlin' Wolf. Well, there is one significant exception. This is the voice of Captain Beefheart (born Don Vliet). IT IS AN IDENTICAL COPY of Howlin' Wolf's. Captain Beefheart is a genius and one the most creative musicians to come out of the U.S.A.

The ultimate Wolf collection
This is a sublime, exquisitely packaged collection of Howlin' Wolf's awe-inspiring brand of blues.
Just under 3½ hours of music, opening with Wolf's eerie, wordless "throat singing" on 1951's "Moaning At Midnight", and ending with the opening track, "Moving", off his final studio album.

A lot of people have covered Wolf's songs, but none have come close to matching his ferocious sandpaper voice, and Howlin' Wolf in his prime was without a doubt the most electrifying performer the Chicago blues clubs had even experienced. Standing 6'4" and weighing 275 lbs in his prime, Wolf towered over everybody, literally as well as figuratively.

Starting off as a strict Charley Patton-imitator, Chester Arthur Burnett showed up in the juke joints of Mississippi in the late 30s with one of the first electric guitars anyone had ever seen, and when he finally started recording (for Sam Phillips' Sun Records in 1951), he was 41 years old and had been performing for two decades down in the cotton belt.
He suddenly had two hits on the R&B list at the same time ("Moanin' At Midnight" and the clanging, piano-driven "How Many More Years"), and in the winter of 1953, Wolf headed out of the South (in his own brand new $4,000 car), settling in Chicago, Illinois, where he would record for Chess Records right up until his death from kidney failure in January, 1976.
"-I'm the onliest one", he said, "-drove out of the South like a gentleman!"

"The Chess Box" collects every hit the Wolf ever had, as well as B-sides, album tracks, rare acoustic solo performances, and a few short interview snippets. The only thing that could have made this collection any better would have been a fourth CD of live tracks.
The first CD collects Wolf's singles from 1951-1955, including the up-tempo, R&B-styled "Mr Highway Man" (excellent piano playing by Albert Williams), the Charley Patton-classic "Saddle My Pony", a remake of John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson's "Bluebird" (oddly credited to John Lee Hooker), the classics "Evil" and "Forty-Four", and the harp-driven "Just My Kind".

The first fifteen songs feature Wolf's original lead guitarist Willie Johnson, after which Lee Cooper takes over.
Johnson's aggressive, fiery guitar playing suited Wolf's songs perfectly, and he was surrounded by a slew of excellent blues pianists, from Ike Turner to L.C. Hubert, but around 1955 a more fixed band constellation started to take form, featuring bassist, arranger and composer Willie Dixon, and a fabulous young guitar player, Hubert Sumlin, who would stay with the Wolf right up until his death, and who became an idol for guitar players like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.

Disc 2 is even better, mixing Wolf's originals with Willie Dixon's more contemporary compositions. Highlights include the all-time blues classic "Smokestack Lightnin'", composed by the Wolf himself, and featuring some of his best harp playing, as well as axe-men Hubert Sumlin and Willie Johnson playing side by side (one of only two side where they appear together).
And then there's Wolf's sublime take on Tommy Johnson's awesome "I Asked Her For Water (she brought me gasoline)", Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious", "Shake For Me", "The Red Rooster", "Howlin' For My Darling" and "Down In The Bottom", and the classic "Sitting On Top Of The World". The supremely catchy "(Meet Me) Down In The Bottom" features Johnny Johnson on piano and Jimmy Rogers on guitar, but it's Wolf himself playing the fills and the main slide guitar riff heard during the intro and the instrumental break, and he plays as well on "The Red Rooster", "You'll Be Mine" and several other tracks.

Disc 3 opens with one of Willie Dixon's best compositions for Wolf, the up-tempo, almost blues-rock-like "Hidden Charms". Backed by two sax players, Donald Hankins and Elmore James' saxist J.T. Brown, Hubert Sumlin plays some of his greatest lead guitar, and many consider his 18-bar solo the best guitar solo ever recorded.

Dixon's other contributions, the silly "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy" and "Built For Comfort", are almost novelty songs, but the superb arrangement makes them work.

And the rest of the disc features mainly Wolf's own songs, plus a powerful rendition of "Dust My Broom", and a 1970 recording of "The Red Rooster" featuring Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and Stevie Winwood.
The sax-augumented "Love Me Darlin'" rolls along like a steam train, creating a magnificent groove, and Wolf's gravelly vocals on "I Walked From Dallas" and the awesome "New Crawling King Snake" must be heard to be believed.

CD 3 also includes two interesting acoustic solo performances, as well as the funky "My Mind Is Ramblin'" and "My Country Sugar Mama" (fine harp playing by the Wolf), and the menacing "Commit A Crime".

But the best song on the disc (and probably the best song of Wolf's career) is without a doubt the magnificent "Killing Floor", Howlin' Wolf's own composition and one of the defining classics of electric Chicago blues.
It opens with a supremely catchy guitar riff from Hubert Sumlin (Buddy Guy is playing the acoustic slap-back rhythm guitar), and the two-sax horn section of Arnold Rogers and Donald Hankins plays soul-revue stabs. And when the mighty Wolf finally opens his mouth it becomes clear that though Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix may have nicked the riff, the song itself belongs forever to the Howlin' Wolf, and those who dare try to cover it do so at their peril.

An essential addition to any serious collection of electric blues. ... Read more

Asin: B000002OBL

The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson [MCA/Chess]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 June, 1993)
list price: $25.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Rice Miller, "Sonny Boy II", began his association with Chess Records in 1955, when he was already at least 45 years old. His exuberant yet dynamic and intricate playing brought the harmonica from the Delta to Chicago, influencing every harp blower since. He developed his rough and wild, hard-swinging, juke-joint style during extensive travels throughout the South. These 45 potent Chess recordings are more refined and urbanized than his earlier Trumpet work, but still capture the excitement of those early sides. Included are remakes of Trumpet classics such as "Eyesight to the Blind" (re-titled "Born Blind") as well as classic gems including "One Way Out" and "Bring It On Home." --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (6)

One of the best collections by one of the best blues singers
This is a superb collection.

Singer/harpist Aleck "Rice" Miller may have started calling himself "Sonny Boy Williamson" to take advantage of the fame of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson from Tennessee. But he wasn't a cheap imitator - Miller was one of the major blues artists at Chess Records in the 50s, alongside Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, and probably the best harmonica player the blues has even seen.

Rice Miller was a superb songwriter, penning witty, sometimes romantic, sometimes venomous lyrics, and tunes to rival those of Chess stalwart Willie Dixon. And he was a terrific singer, highly expressive, and usually backed in the studio by superstar musicians like Dixon, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann and Robert "Jr." Lockwood.

45 tracks are not too many. Sometimes a double-disc compilation is stretching it, especially for the casual fan, but absolutely everything on "The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson" is worth a listen.

There are really too many highlights to mention, but among the very best songs are "Don't Start Me To Talkin'", "All My Love In Vain", "Your Funeral And My Trial", "Let Me Explain" and "Fattening Frogs For Snakes" from Miller's first Chess LP, as well as "Help Me", "Checkin' Up On My Baby", "Bring It On Home" and many, many more - and more than half of these tracks are not on the single-disc MCA/Chess-release "His Best", which should be sufficent reason to pick up this fine collection instead.

And while you're at it, get Miller's early Trumpet recordings as well on Arhoolie's "King Biscuit Time".

Raw Blues At Its Finest
Though I had heard many of his songs performed by others, I did not know the name Sonny Boy Williamson until I heard a John Mayall song about him thirtysome years ago. Recently, my dormant interest in the Delta blues was rekindled, so I decided to try and find out just what this Sonny Boy was about.
Where better to start than a box set? I really had no idea what to expect when I bought it, but what I got was more than expected. I took the set on a recent road trip and listened to both discs more than five times each and found something new to like each time.
The verdict? I love this stuff. Not only can Sonny Boy play his blues harp like no other, he can really sing. His songs are well-written and are often humorous when they are not meant to be. The sound is great too, one can hear every instrument at work, particularly the drums which drive the easy swing of Sonny's blues.
My favorites? I like every song. If I had to pick, Unseen Eye and Somebody Help Me would be near the top.
The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson dishes out a heaping plateful of raw blues at its primitive finest. Don't miss out on this one, its money well-spent.

The greatest storyteller blues singer
Sonny always had a great story song- There was always some predicament going on or some trouble he was in or just simply him being nosey and signafying on other folks problems. And all of this made him the best story teller. I absolutely love his storytelling in song. He was without a doubt the most compelling storyteller in all of Blues history. Buy this cd it's great and listen to the great stories. Sonny in one song says quote- "My baby asked me for 100 dollars and I didn't have but 99"- or the greatest (aint gone be no more sugar daddy) song ever recorded called "Fattening frogs for snakes" and of course his biggest hit is included on this package-1955's "Don't start me talking" because Sonny says when he starts talkin "he'll tell everything he knows". All of these are great classic blues songs from a true blues genius. ... Read more

Asin: B000002OC0

King of the Blues [Box]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 October, 1992)
list price: $59.98 -- our price: $53.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This four-CD box set remains the absolutely definitive B.B. King collection, with 77 recordings and a biographical book that contains the great singer-guitarist's own remembrances of his decades-long career. It samples every stage of his development, from his days struggling to craft his music in the shadow of influences like T-Bone Walker and Lonnie Johnson to his latter-day pairings with rockers like Bonnie Raitt and Gary Moore. The one constant is his open-hearted singing and the soulful, contemplative solos he squeezes from his beloved guitar Lucille. These discs, of course, embrace all his essential hits, from his first--1951's "Three O'Clock Blues"--to his 1970 smash "The Thrill Is Gone," which took King to the pop charts and made him a household name. If this package is too lavish for the budget, try the excellent Best of B.B. King, Volume 1, which collects many of King's great early works. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (13)

B. B. King is the King of the Blues
B. B. King has over 200 albums on the market today, ten of which are labeled "Best of" or "Greatest Hits". With that much music to pick from it sure his hard to find the right ones to purchase. This box set of CDs is one of the best places to start your King collection. It includes four disks with over 75 tracks. The really nice thing about this box set is that each CD has King's hits from different points in time. CD 1 from 1949 to 1966, CD 2 from 1966 to 1969, CD 3 from 1969 to 1975, and CD 4 from 1975 to 1991. The set also includes a very nice 73-page book all about the life and times of this great Blues artist.

You Need This Set
I was on the line of whether I just liked B.B. or really liked B.B. After I bought this box set I upgraded to loving B.B. This is one of the greatest collections of tunes I have ever heard. Muddy is still the king of blues in my book but B.B. definitely deserves to wear a crown too.

"He paid the Cost , To be the Boss"!
I just bought this box set last week and have been enjoying it like no tomorrow. I have many records of the top Blues singers going back to Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith, but I do believe that this is the best "complete" set on one artist! Man can them songs take you back. If I knew that this collection was this good I would of bought it years ago when it first came out (1992). No matter what your Budget is ,if you are really into the Blues you should buy this set - even if it means eating half lunches for a week or two, you won't be sorry. After hearing these tunes "The Thrill is Back"! ... Read more

Asin: B000002OMC

From the Cradle
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (13 September, 1994)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The full-tilt blues album that Clapton had been promising for years, From the Cradle proves the guitarist's enduring devotion to a form he had long relegated to merely a flavor in his music rather than the main ingredient. Clapton's singing on the album is somewhat mannered; he tries to compete with original versions of these songs by Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, and others, and there's no way he's going to win that battle. Still, you can feel the emotional connection Clapton has with these songs, and guitar aficionados will swoon over his fretwork on songs such as "Third Degree," "Someday After a While," and the incendiary "Groanin' the Blues." --Daniel Durchholz ... Read more

Reviews (109)

Lacks SOUL! Are you nuts? This album IS Soul!
I almost laughed reading what a previous reviewer said about this album "lacking soul". Man, this is what Eric Clapton is all about. He loves the blues, he lived the blues, he is a blues man. When you hear him growl in "Groaning the Blues", that's Eric practically ripping out his larynx singing the blues to its low-down-and-dirtiest. Eric keeps the blues's integrity alive by recording the songs straight-forward without any overdubs (sans Motherless Child), and yet the sound of the songs are uniquely his own even though they are covers.

And his guitarwork in this album is unparalleled. FIVE LONG YEARS will blow you away. I listened to that song over and over and over and I couldn't get enough of it. If this won't get you to play air guitar, nothing will.

This, in my opinion, is Eric Clapton's best work, period. Eric should have never gone astray to record hoary pop standards; his home is the blues. Don't listen to what the purists say; they don't know anything. Listen to this CD instead.

Finally, the Blues by Clapton, but, a bit too forced
This long anticipated CD, for me, was disappointing. It should have been the next best thing to a live concert recording (live studio recording with no mixing) but, in fact, Eric is really not himself here. He plays superbly, of course. Even Eric can't ruin Eric's amazing skills; however, there are no thrills here and no surprises in the arrangements. It all seems slightly tepid and forced. His voice sounds VERY forced and almost embarrassing - he does not come across as the soulful black bluesmen he seems to be trying to emulate. I don't hate this CD, and, I don't love it either. EC did better blues before this album and definitely after this album - but - this IS an ALL BLUES offering by CLAPTON. It's great to have Chris Stainton back on keyboards and Jerry Portnoy's harmonica is stunning. If you're an EC fan (and you probably are if you're reading these reviews) then you should have this CD. It's a great comparison to before and after (he's recorded all these songs before) and your Clapton Collection would not be complete without it. DI

ONE OF THE BEST
I have to recommend this cd to ANYONE that is interested in listening to the blues and some RAW emotion displayed through music. This cd was one of the first that I ever listened to by Mr. Clapton along with TIME PIECES and UNPLUGGED. I thrived off of them. I wanted to learn more and branched off to other genres of blues and jazz performed by artists such as BB KING and JELLY ROLL MORTON. This artist not only kept my interest alive but inspired me to LEARN about the culture of this type of music as well as enjoy it. I saw Mr. Clapton in concert tonight for the first time, and if you think this man does not know how to include SOUL, RYTHM, or BLUES into his music, you have never seen him live. From the time they unrolled his oriental rug on the stage, to the second standing ovation he received, it had to have undoubtedly be one of the best concerts I have ever seen. If you are a fan of the blues, you are a fan of Eric Clapton! ... Read more

Asin: B000002MTU

Natural Boogie
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 December, 1989)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (5)

Buster's Boogie
What?
I couldn't think of a title which made sense.

Anyway, "Natural Boogie" (which should probably have been spelled "natch'l") is Hound Dog Taylor's second album, and it rocks with at least as much fire as its predecessor.
Taylor and his Houserockers, drummer Ted Harvey and excellent second guitarist Brewer Phillips, lay down a superbly groovy rhythm on "See Me In The Evening", one of his very best songs, and they do a fine take on Elmore James' "Shake Your Moneymaker" (retitled "Roll Your Moneymaker" and credited to Taylor himself!).

Other highlights include the unusually low-key "Sadie", and a great cover of another Elmore James-tune, James' Chess-single "Talk To My Baby (I can't hold out)".
Not all of the handful of instrumentals on this album manage to keep one interested for very long, and there isn't excactly a lot of musical variation here, but when it all gels, "Natural Boogie" really rocks, and the three-man band dig some deep grooves.
Recommended.

Don't get any better than this
This was Hound Dog Taylor's second cd and it goes from 0 to 100 mph in a few seconds! This is the most electrifying ,boogie blues album made; Just doesn't get any better than this!

One Of The Cornerstones Of Any Blues Collection
Warning: The music of Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers may be hazardous to the health of young children and small animals. Gutsy, raw, abrasive, no-frills, and gutbucket are all adjectives which have been used in a vain attempt to describe their take on the blues, but none of those words seem to do it justice. This album is as good a starting point as any to come up with your own description, showcasing Taylor battering his thriftshop guitar into submission in a fireworks display of slide virtuosity, The Houserockers struggling to keep up. A blockbuster... ... Read more

Asin: B0000009XA
Sales Rank: 66245

Complete Recordings
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 October, 1996)
list price: $24.98 -- our price: $24.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (84)

The Greatest Music Ever!
In ''Robert Johnson : The Complete Recordings'', you will hear the most powerful blues there is. Robert Johnson's music is more than great, it's magic, it's indefinable. I've never heard anything like that and I know I never will find anything similar. He creates a blues world of his own where everything is possible. He brings you in his visions, his fears, his joys, his hopes, his loves, his travels... Also, his guitar skills are fantastic, his emotion is truely unique and his lyrics really define the everyday life of a traveling black blues musician in the 30's and also visions (or not) he had (Me And The Devil Blues, Hell Hound On My Trail, Cross Road Blues), inspiring incredibly dark and superb lyrics of an artist who died way too young.

Most people know Robert Johnson's story, so I'm not going to write it A G A I N, but I would just like to say to people who think Robert Johnson's music sucks because 'his singing is bad, he plays acoustic, he sings stupidities and the sound quality is awful' that they prove their lack of musical culture. Robert Johnson is without a doubt an icon in blues music, and music in general. He's - to me - the greatest musician ever (whatever the time period or the style). This Complete Recordings is definitely an item you should own, but we aware that the sound quality isn't as good as modern CDs (that box set was issued in 1990, and the tracks come from 78's of the 30's), but the music inside is extremelly powerful. Also be aware that this box set, who's said to contain each Robert Johnson's takes, actually doesn't contain 'Traveling Riverside Blues (take 2), which does appear on a more recent compilation called 'I'm A Steady Rollin' Man' (who also has the 41 other tracks available here). But that's a very small complaint, since they haden't yet realized - back in 1990 - that the second take of that song was on the 1961 LP : King Of The Delta Blues Singers.

However, this item is great and is one you should have in your collection. Whatever the kind of music you listen to, you will find yourself in admiration before the legacy a certain Robert Johnson left more than sixty-five years ago...

Robert Johnson: A True Blues Prophet
In 1990, Robert Johnson's complete recordings were released on CD. We don't have many photographs of him that survive (or that were taken). His complete recorded career consists of forty-one songs (some of them alternate takes) and he died in 1937, poisoned at the age of twenty-seven. What Robert Johnson didn't have the chance to do on this planet we can only imagine, but his legacy and recordings we can treasure forever. These songs are true blues. They are the raw, amazing products of a real blues prophet. If you want to know the history of rock & roll and the blues, buy these recordings. You will be in complete awe of the beautiful, soulful music that this man played. The Rolling Stones covered his two songs "Love In Vain" and "Stop Breakin' Down". Clapton played "Crossroads" with Cream. My band is playing a cover of his "Sweet Home Chicago". I am fifteen years old and I obviously wasn't around to hear what Robert was like in a live club environment in the 30s, but what we do have left of his legacy everyone should listen to and appreciate.

Best blues I have ever heard!
This is one of the first blues C.D.s I ever bought, and it is the best. I have since perchaced C.D.s by Muddy Waters, Charley Patton, Son House, Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson and several others, and while they are all very good none of them are as good as Robert Johnson. I definitely recomend this to anyone even slightly interested in the bles.

I would like to point out that the reviewer calling himself Tony Thomas is RACIST. I have read several of his reviews and he uses the term "bleus lovers" derisively put into quotes to refer to whites. When he says real blues people he obviously is talking about blacks. These slightly hidden racist slurs and his general tone is elitist and offensive. I would have thought that amazon would be ethical enough not to post this sort of RACIST PROPAGANDA! ... Read more

Asin: B000002ADN
Sales Rank: 33742

Taj Mahal
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (13 February, 1996)
list price: $17.49
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Import

Reviews (2)

An evolutionary link - from blues to rock
This album is a major link between the worlds of historic blues and mainstream rock'n'roll. It's blues with a rock tinge, rather like early Rolling Stones could be considered rock with a blues influence. Taj Mahal mines the historic blues-song archives and the arrangements are tight, driving, and above all, danceable as hell (keep in mind that the blues aren't just some depressed guy sitting around crying into his guitar -- they are party music, and that function is as important as personal expression). Taj has some incredibly skilled musicians in his bands, and they support him with lively, almost fiery playing that complements the effort that Taj puts forth very well.

This album introduced me to the blues in 1968 and I have researched, played, sung, and loved the blues ever since. I still have the vinyl disk, worn and crackly. To have the music as clear and fresh as it is here is a godsend.

It's a lot of fun to get into the background of such music, hear its roots, and later hear (and understand) its offspring. But the best thing about this album -- it's just plain fun to hear.

Taj Mahal's best work.
If you're here, you've done your research or have found how difficult it is to locate this title. This and Na'chal Blues are his two best original works, until he started winning grammies. His rendition of 'Easy Rider' is the best these ears have heard, with Johnny Winter a strong second. His 'Walkin Blues' is outstanding, a must if you have not heard his version before. If you need more than 1 man's opinion, see what the AMG says--they agree! ... Read more

Asin: B0000074B6
Sales Rank: 69528

Hoodoo Man Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 June, 1993)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This 1965 album is where vocalist and harmonica player Junior Wells comes into his own. An early collaboration with Buddy Guy, the two of them sum up the 1960s funk-rock-blues that lay ahead. Hoodoo Man Blues inspired Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, and a host of other musician-fans. Wells and Guy don't shy from creating James Brown-funkified blues, or from putting a rock edge to their blues; but neither do they shy from traditional blues. Their version of "Good Morning Little School Girl" is a proper update--still menacing, with less of a country blues feel. Also not to be missed is the instrumental workout "Chitlin Con Carne."--Robert Gordon ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Junior Wells' Showcase
I have been hearing about this album for 20 years, but only got it recently. So naturally I compare it with what I have listened to in the past 20 years.
Earlier Wells albums featured a larger group - with horns, piano etc... The sound was heavy and I loved it. This CD has Wells, Buddy Guy on guitar, plus bass and drums. The sound is lighter, and the band goes for jumping, funky kind of blues. Wells' harmonica gets much more room here than it did before.
As a Chicago harpist, I rate Wells second only to Little Walter, but Wells is a better singer ! Wells is a great singer and performer, and deserves the showcase this CD affords him. He was young and fresh, and felt like jumping much more than laying back. As a result, the best tracks are the fast ones - Chilli Con Carne, Snatch It Back etc...
I love Buddy Guy's playing on the CD - he lets Wells have the main stage, and behaves like a true friend and musician - thinking only about the overall result.
To conclude - this is a great blues CD, worth having to any blues fan.

First real blues album
The appeal of Hoodoo Man Blues is that it was conceived as an album instead of a hodgepodge of singles and other tracks. When Junior Wells took his backing band with him into Bob Koester's Delmark studio, he had an LP in mind. Hoodoo Man Blues sounds as if it had been recorded in at some dingy nightclub in downtown Chicago at midnight. No particular track on the album stands out above the rest. What there is here is wall-to-wall classic blues. Wells makes no apologies to the purist crowd and throws a little James Brown-esque funk into the mix. He was a harp-toting gangster. He may not have been technically as good on the harp as Little Walter, but Wells had the attitude. Wells employs ace musicians to back him up like Buddy Guy on guitar, Billy Warren on drums, and Jack Myers on electric bass.

As good as an album can be.
Listening to this album with the lights out puts me "there" more than just about any album I've heard. In a smoky room where musicians and audience are connected. This album is real. ... Read more

Asin: B000004BI9

Essential Collection: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956-1958
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 September, 2000)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (9)

Blues at it's best
Excellent compilation and a great collection of songs recorded under the limited enviroment that Eli Toscano's Cobra Studio had, but all these songs stand by themselves. Every time I hear Otis or Freddie King I can hear Eric Clapton, it's clear he got influenced by this great musician. I can't quit you baby, a song written by Willie Dixon (who plays almost all the bass parts) later covered by Led Zeppelin and All your love later covered by the same Eric Clapton with John Mayall and also Aerosmith payed tribute this song later on.

*****
A criminally underrated performer, southpaw guitarist Otis Rush broke into the R&B top 10 on his first attempt with the great slow blues "I Can't Quit You Baby".

That song was penned by Willie Dixon, as are several of these late-50s singles which Rush recorded for Eli Toscano's Cobra label, but Rush was a more than able composer himself, and he is the man behind some of the best songs on this CD, including "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)", "Three Times A Fool" and "Keep On Loving Me Baby"; superb, sophisticated blues tunes which often eclipse Dixon's.

Otis Rush' brand of blues is less rough and boisterous than the music of Howlin' Wolf and less polished than that of B.B. King, and he was a major source of inspiration to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who named his band after Rush's song "Double Trouble", and did a great rendition of "All Your Love".
His intense vocals and stinging lead guitar playing is reminicent of Buddy Guy and Magic Sam, and if talent was everything and luck and timing never mattered, Otis Rush would currently be hailed as the reigning king of Chicago blues.

Alternating between smouldering slow blues and swinging up-tempo numbers, this is one of the truly essential albums in any blues collection. If Rush had never recorded another note, his reputation would be intact based solely on these eight singles.

Rush for Otis!!
What do Duane Allman, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, and Jeremy Spencer have in common (besides the obvious electric fireworks)? They all knew about Otis Rush, and to hear these unbelievable, dynamic tracks, he was so good that it must have taken an act of Congress to have kept him under wraps from audiences. His guitar licks could raise welts on your skin, and when he cried over the blues, it seemed someone was tearing the flesh from his heart. You need this if you're a serious blues collector! ... Read more

Asin: B00004YLOA
Sales Rank: 34984

Blues at Sunrise
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 April, 2000)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

A decade after his tragic, untimely demise, electric-blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan has left behind a void that remains largely unfilled, despite a number of ballyhooed young pretenders. The guitarist's career was long troubled by personal demons, and this album chronicles those deceptively languorous, slow blues jams where Vaughan did battle with them. The howling, fervent tone he coaxed from his instrument was a product of lessons learned only in the School of Hard Knocks, accompanied by a voice--perhaps the most underrated of Vaughan's talents--that perfectly underscored his tortured gospel. But those who stereotyped Vaughan as a paint-by-numbers bluesman misunderstood the breadth of his lexicon; listen to "Chitlins con Carne" (from the guitarist's posthumous The Sky Is Crying album) here and you'll hear tinges of Wes Montgomery and other jazz inflections. Especially notable are three previously unreleased cuts: a live version of "Texas Flood," a 1985 Montreux Jazz Festival duet-jam of "Tin Pan Alley" with the late Johnny Copeland, and an '84 outtake of Elmore James's "The Sky Is Crying"--plus a 15-minute TV-taping workout with Albert King on the elder legend's "Blues at Sunrise." Raw, passionate, and uncompromising, this is SRV at his gut-wrenching best. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (45)

SRV, we miss you!
Blues the way it is meant to be played, from the soul. Stevie Ray digs deep on these cuts, they are incredible! From the beginning of Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up on Love, to the final note of his jam with Albert King on Blues at Sunrise, this album kills! A lot of these songs have been heard before, but it's always good to hear them again. Particularly interesting here is his live cut with Johnny Copeland (no slouch himself as a blues man) on Tin Pan Alley. So, just put this CD in your stereo, sit back, and turn it up! Let the music soak into your soul, close your eyes, and imagine Stevie's smiling, grimacing face as he bends those notes, with all his heart and soul behind it! Incredible.

An excellent compilation from a blues legend
Blues, rock, and jazz have seen their share of guitar legends but none could ever come close to Stevie Ray Vaughan. This CD is a compilation of slow blues numbers that were recorded during his accomplished yet all to brief career. Most of the tracks are previously released but there are some unreleased tracks as well. A live performance of "Tin Pan Alley" with Johnny Copeland is very good as is an unreleased take of "The Sky is Crying" which was recorded during the "Couldn't Stand the Weather" sessions. The finest moments on this disc are those that make up the live version of "Texas Flood" which is from the El Macombo concert (which is available on video and DVD). During this performance he plays what is easily his best and most unbelievable solo. The title track with Albert King is near perfection despite some unnecessary chatter from King. The excellent guitar work from both musicians makes up for it. Words cannot express how great the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan is. This CD serves as a welcome addition to the collection of his fans and also a wonderful introduction to those who have yet to experience this blues legend.

Nothing new, but it's great anyway
Well, I felt a little bit bad about not actually reviewing the album...you can find my original "review" below, where I make myself interesting by pointing out that this is not new material but rather a collection of previously released songs (with the exception of "The Sky Is Crying", an outtake from the "Couldn't Stand The Weather" sessions, but that one also appereared on the similarly titled album of outtakes issued after Vaughan's tragic death, although that was a different take).

So if you're a tried and true SRV fan, you won't find anything new here...a live rendition of "Tin Pan Alley" doesn't really count. But if you only have, say, "Greatest Hits", this album would serve as a nice addition.
It brings together ten slow blues tunes, many of which are among Stevie Ray Vaughan's finest recordings, like the soulful opener "Ain't Gonna Give Up On Love", a swaggering rendition of Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used To Do", and the smouldering slow burner "Dirty Pool".
The live "Tin Pan Alley" is top-notch as well. Lots of magnificent guitar playing, and an excellent, expressive vocal by Stevie Ray. His playing on "The Sky Is Crying" is equally superb, but if you've ever heard Elmore James' blistering original you'll probably find that Stevie Ray lacks a little bit of vocal power. If you haven't, you won't care one way or the other :o)

Again, longtime fans will find nothing here which they don't already own, but more casual listeners should enjoy "Blues At Sunrise". The quality of the material assembled here is sky-high all the way through, and it is a great testament to Stevie Ray Vaughan's abilities on the guitar. Only reason I'm deducting a star is the fact that this is really just a re-packaging of already issued material. And the liner notes are kinda brief as well.
But the music? Oh yeah, A+ from beginning to end. ... Read more

Asin: B00004SCH1

Big, Bad & Blue : The Big Joe Turner Anthology
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 February, 1994)
list price: $39.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Joe Turner had one of the great 50-year careers. Beginning as a blues shouter in the '30s with his partner, pianist Pete Johnson, in Kansas City bars, he recorded often in a variety of contexts: as a duo with Johnson, with honking jump-blues bands, in front of small combos in the rock & roll era, with jazz and blues groups until close to his death in 1985. Capable of handling a huge range of material from 12-bar hollers to pop ballads, Turner easily fills this three-CD set with his vast depth and humor. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (4)

The Boss of the Blues
This impressive, three-disc anthology, which includes a superb fifty-page booklet with pictures, an essay, and extensive recording information, is by far the best and most comprehensive Joe Turner-compilation going.

Joseph Vernon Turner was the premier blues shouter of the 30s and 40s, and he was equally adept at singing blues, R&B, jazz, swing, and even proto-rock n' roll.
He enjoyed a lengthy coorporation with highly esteemed piano player Kermit "Pete" Johnson, who appears on Turner's late-30s recordings, and the reappears on some of his late-40s waxings, and again in the mid-50s.

Big Joe Turner's music very often features the piano as the main instrument, and his upbeat jump blues is quite different from the gritty electric Chicago variety of men like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James (although James actually plays slide guitar on one of Turner's singles, the excellent "TV Mama").
This is urban, often jazz-flavoured blues, and "Big, Bad & Blue" gathers (almost) every Joe Turner-song of note, including the lusty "Tell Me Pretty Baby (Howdy 'Ya Want Your Rollin' Done)", "My Gal's A Jockey", "Hide And Seek", and "Chicken And The Hawk", as well as slower, moodier pieces like "Chains Of Love", "Still In The Dark", "In The Evening (When The Sun Goes Down)", "Sweet Sixteen", and a superb, soulful take on "Honeydripper".

Big Joe Turner was the first to record "Shake, Rattle & Roll", which was written by Atlantic records staff producer Jesse Stone (under the name Charles Calhoun) for a Turner session. It's a shame that this song is mostly remembered for Bill Haley's corny, whitewashed version...listen to the powerful, swinging original, and you'll forget about Haley's bland pop rendition, as well as Elvis Presley's early rockabilly recording.

These three discs are filled with tough boogie romps like "Honey Hush", swinging, classic blues tunes like "Midnight Cannonball", and slow, jazz-styled shuffles like the dirty "Don't You Make Me High", showing how Joe Turner, without really ever changing his style, moved from strict Kansas City swing to pioneering rock & roll and back to basic jazzy blues.
Highly recommended.

the man can sing
With impeccable phasing and a swinging band behind him, Big Joe belts out chorus upon chorus of down home and down town blues. Occasionally a lyric is reused under a different song title. No matter. This CD collection is a fascinating journey through pre-rock'n'roll swing, morphing in and out of rhythm and blues. West Coast Swing dancers will find this to be a great party set. The man and his music are well documented in the included booklet. However, I would have preferred three separate jewel cases to the Rube Goldberg packaging provided.

Jump Blues gem
This is an absolutely fabulous Jump Blues collection, and, as a 3 disc set with extensive liner notes, probably gives a good overview of Big Joe Turner's long career. A few tracks stand out: "She's Drivin' Me Crazy" on disc three really Swings. Shake, Rattle and Roll is a classic and was later covered by Bill Haley and the Comets. ... Read more

Asin: B000003361

Live in Chicago
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (24 August, 1999)
list price: $25.98 -- our price: $25.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The blues world lost a treasure when Luther Allison died in 1997, just as he was finally garnering the recognition he so richly deserved. If there's any question of that, this live album, recorded at the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival and at Buddy Guy's Legends, will dispel any such notion. A performer and songwriter of the first order, Allison had the sort of mastery of his instrument that comes from long experience; whether rolling off licks on the "Gambler's Blues/Sweet Little Angel" medley, or playing extended solos on "All the King's Horses," Allison's on the ball and in control at all times. This album contains mostly newer material previously recorded for Alligator Records, like "Soul Fixin' Man," "Bad Love," "All the King's Horses," and "What Have I Done Wrong?" Overall, this is an excellent memorial to a musician who should be remembered. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (27)

Luther Live @ Chicago Blues Fest
Bluesman Luther Allison grew up on Chicago's west side, learning his chops from such legends as Freddy King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Magic Sam. After several successful records with Delmark and Motown, Allison moved his base of operations to Paris in the early 1980's, and from there he toured and recorded extensively, becoming a blues favorite to European audiences.

Absent from the American blues scene for many years, Allison crossed the Atlantic in 1994 to retake stateside audiences by storm and promote his then-new Alligator Records release, "Soul Fixin' Man." I was one of the lucky ones in the audience when Luther rocked the house @ Buddy Guy's Legends. I was a freelance writer at that time, and my notes of that gig read something like this:

"Around 9:45pm on Friday June 10th, seismic monitoring stations as far south as Joplin, Missouri reported tremors registering as high as 5.1 on the Richter Scale. Small boats on Lake Michigan were swamped by huge waves....politicians, fearing that The End had come, repented and gave spontaneous confessions of perfidy to tabloid reporters....Christians fell to their knees and praised God, shouting "The Rapture is here!"....others cowered like dogs and wept bitterly, knowing themselves damned....and fearing a massive rupture along the New Madrid fault line, the National Guards of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri were nearly mobilized before anyone realized -- it was just Luther Allison tuning up."

It was wall to wall and floor to rafter with stone-drunk blues fans (most of which still hadn't sobered up from the Bluesfest) when Allison and his wrecking crew took the stage, playing with total abandon and whipping the house into a frenzy with two sets that were marked by long winding solos and incendiary guitar work. The fact that Legends still stands after Allison's earth-shaking performance is some kind of tribute to Chicago building codes.

Sitting at the bar taking it all in were Buddy Guy and the father-son double whammy of Lonnie & Ronnie Brooks. There was much speculation in the crowd that one or more might join Allison onstage, but such hopes never materialized -- and Luther didn't seem to need any help anyway, except maybe someone to hose him down every half hour or so.

All too soon, the lights went up, the band stepped down and all that was left to do was to go outside and watch an unidentified taxi driver hose down several panhandlers with a super-soaker watergun....I walked to the bus stop, feeling the last rumbling echoes fade, knowing that, for sure, I had been in the presence of greatness.

This is Luther Allison live, in his element, at the very height of his considerable talent. This recording belongs in any serious blues collection.

God I miss this man!
I can't believe this man is gone. We are fortunate he left us with Live In Chicago. As said in another review, Luther Allison is Blues....he's Rock and Roll...he's Funk...he's Soul. But beyond all else he wraps these all in an unequaled energy and passion. The two performances are quite different due to the venues. He was a master at adapting to the space. The disc from the Chicago Blues Festival is more wide open, the second at Buddy Guy's is more soulful, pointed at reaching deep into his audience. I must second a comment made in a prior review...you will be haunted by the power of Luther Allison. Over the years I never missed a chance to see him live. We'll never be able to see him again...but Live In Chicago is a marvelous set of memories of this masterful artist. I salute the Alligator Records people for bringing it to us.

I Blew My Speakers Listening to Luther !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm gonna make this short, I own thousands of cd's and have seen hundreds of live performances over the last 30+ years so I feel qualified to make this statement, Disc One of this 2 cd set is the greatest live performance I have ever heard! I have no doubt about it. Everytime I listen I am reminded of his greatness. Listen to how intense he does "Cherry Red Wine", I just wish I could have been there. Does anyone have a video of this? ... Read more

Asin: B00000JWP7

Never Been Rocked Enough
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 May, 1992)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (13)

Delbert McClinton Scores Another Winner
Delbert McClinton is a Texas singer-songwriter and harmonica player who has been making great music since the late 1950's. He made his first big public splash playing harmonica on Bruce Chanel's "Hey baby" and legend has it that he taught John Lennon some of the rudiments of Blues harmonica playing. His songs have been covered by dozens of other recording srtists and has had a career that has spanned decades and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.

"Never Been Rocked Enough" is an absolutely solid album by an absolutely solid performer. Delbert's back-up musicians are as tight as you can expect. The songwriting is a s strong as always and Delbert's singing is absolutely a joy to listen to. As always, his harmonica playing shows the years he's spent perfecting his craft.

This is a very nice effort by a great artist. I definitely recommend it.

Rockin' Bluesman
Delbert McClinton's NEVER BEEN ROCKED ENOUGH was a 1992 release, but the album is one that keeps on giving. If the listener wants a quick pick-me-up jumping beat, the CD delivers that. And if the listener wants a soul-stirring wonder-of-life-and-love moment, Delbert delivers that as well. NEVER BEEN ROCKED ENOUGH is a great introduction to Delbert's music for a first time listener. Delbert is a bluesman with a foot in the past and an eye on the future. As a result, his brand of music is timeless.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Delbert never has tried to stray far from his blues and Western swing roots. He cut his teeth working roadhouses in Texas along the Jacksboro Highway, quietly lining up work as a sideman on other artists' albums. His first CD, VICTIM OF LIFE'S CIRCUMSTANCES, set the tone for much of his music. Several CDs have followed, including ONE OF THE FORTUNATE FEW, LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL, HONKY TONK 'N BLUES, THE JEALOUS KIND, and 2001's Grammy Award-winning NOTHING PERSONAL.

In NEVER BEEN ROCKED ENOUGH, Delbert kicks off the CD with "Everytime I Roll The Dice", a slow grooving toe-tapper that became a Top Ten hit. "I Used To Worry" is a blues testimonial to the inevitability of the world delivered with a sarcastic wink. In "Miss You Fever", Delbert reaches into his vocals bag to hand out a tune in a hoarse and hurting voice echoing with the haunting feeling of sitting on a barstool far too long hurting the way everyone who has loved and lost hurts. Delbert wrote "Why Me?" and the background vocals are by Tom Petty, and the song kicks up the CD's overall tempo, hooking the listener solidly and reeling him or her in. "Have A Little Faith In Me" brings the listener back to earth, chaining him or her to the softer emotions, and Delbert's harmonica work underscores the hope the words offer. Then Delbert kicks the doors open and delivers "Never Been Rocked Enough", a tune that he wrote and that drives directly to the fun-loving rocker that co-exists with this bluesman extraordinaire. "Blues As Blues Can Get" is a soft and easy blues talker that speaks of pain and loneliness. Moving back into an up-tempo beat, Delbert delivers "Can I Change My Mind" but stays with the insecurity and pain of relationships. Sounding a bit like a gospel song, written by Delbert, "Cease and Desist" is a sexy and fun romp. "Stir It Up" is a cover of a Bob Marley song, and Delbert dishes a soulful sound that warms the heart and inspires hope. Singing with blues sensation Bonnie Raitt, Delbert blasts out "Good Man, Good Woman", which earned both singers a Grammy Award, and ends the CD with a solid blues feel and Delbert's haunting harmonica work.

NEVER BEEN ROCKED ENOUGH is a great addition to any Delbert McClinton sound library lacking this CD. For the blues enthusiast, the CD is also a definite keeper. Fans of Bonnie Raitt's work will definitely want to check out Delbert McClinton because they've both got the same long past deeply enmeshed in the blues scene and constant flirtation with the crossover pop crowd.

Not Enough Straight-Up Blues
This CD is a good CD, but, depending on the cut, a little (or a lot) too R&B, reggae, cross-over pop, or rock sounding for my taste. I was looking for a good, solid blues album by McClinton. After a couple of listens, I don't consider this to be it, despite other customer reviews by blues afficionados who apparently do (and whose reviews influenced my decision to give it a whirl). Of the 11 tracks, I count 3, or maybe 4, tops, that have a true blues sound, and, even then, 2 of them are really "blues light." Of the 3 or 4, "Blues as Blues Can Get" is really enjoyable -- with Paul Shaffer playing Wurlitzer. Again, it's a good CD, and McClinton's lyrics are often clever and playful, but if you're looking for what I was looking for, I'd skip this one. ... Read more

Asin: B000000D2K
Sales Rank: 18408

Otis Spann Is the Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 January, 2000)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

There is great historical significance to this 1960 record: not only was it the first solo album ever recorded by the great pianist Otis Spann, it was also the first album ever recorded for Nat Hentoff's short-lived but fruitful Candid label. However, the music within is anything but a mere footnote. Hentoff's philosophy was to let the artist's true musical nature come through in the studio, and his laissez-faire production style bore great results. For his debut, Spann employed only Robert Lockwood Jr. as his musical support, and the result is a pared-down, passionate, triumphant set that sheds light on Spann as a full-bodied vocalist as well as a pianist. The Mississippi-born Spann grew under the tutelage of Big Maceo and mastered the pounding barrelhouse piano style that Maceo brought with him to Chicago. Spann adapted this fierce, urgent style to the burgeoning electric small-band approach that was taking Chicago by storm, and he eventually became an integral element of Muddy Waters's peak ensemble. Here, with only Lockwood's guitar behind him, Spann is free to indulge in his florid runs and pulsing two-handed rhythmic attack, exploring the turf that connects the barrelhouse of his youth with the modern Chicago style. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Otis Spann Really Is The Blues
Otis Spann was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. He began playing piano at 8 years old and was mostly self-taught, playing for years in his father's church. By age 14, he was playing in bands in and around Jackson, but for a time, the piano had to compete with semipro football and professional boxing for Spann's attentions.

It was Spann's idol and mentor, Big Maceo Merriweather, who ultimately brought Spann to a life in music. Maceo embraced Spann as a friend and a student when they first met back in Mississippi. After Spann got out of the Army in 1951, Big Maceo was playing piano for Muddy Waters and showed Spann around the Chicago blues scene. In 1952, Spann actually replaced Maceo as the pianist in Muddy Waters's band, at about the same time that rhythm guitar ace Jimmy Rogers also came onboard. Together, and with a little help from later addition Willie Dixon, Otis and Jimmy Rogers transformed the Muddy Waters band into the quintessential rockin' modern electric blues band, never to be matched for their power, skill, and musicality. Spann stayed with Waters, off and on, until 1969, when Pinetop Perkins replaced him.

During his years with Muddy at Chess Records, Otis cut sides with Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter, and became sort of the "house pianist" for the label. He even sang on one single in 1954 with B.B. King called "It Must Have Been the Devil," which revealed his undeniable talent as a singer. But no one at Chess seemed to notice, which caused Spann to look around for other opportunities. In 1960, he made "Otis Spann Is The Blues," backed only by Robert Lockwood, Jr., another great electric guitar player (and the stepson of the immortal Robert Johnson).

Like many listeners, I came to Otis Spann's music by way of Muddy Waters. It was Otis pounding the keys on Waters's incomparable live version of "Got My Mojo Working" from the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival that first hooked me. Many listeners, then and now, consider Otis Spann to be the pre-eminent postwar Chicago blues pianist based primarily on his work with Muddy; but his solo efforts, beginning with "Otis Spann is the Blues," only reinforce that conclusion.

It's hard to say which song on this album is my favorite, but I'd start, as Otis does, with "The Hard Way." Throughout, Otis blends fluid, articulate mid-tempo blues chord structures with boogie-woogie bass lines to create sophisticated music with real emotional depth. As an accompanist (or band member), Spann can punch out muscular but subtle rhythm parts, and he can break out with clear, powerful solos. His voice is real, and it taps into the same blues well of tone and phrasing that Muddy made a staple of the urban blues. Otis also knows guitar players, and Robert Lockwood, Jr. is every bit his match on this album, alternating slippery, greasy single note lines with chord changes that roll along smoothly like a 1960 Cadillac 6 window sedan with rear fins and whitewalls.

Spann made several other good albums in the 1960s, but none that outstrip this one. Before his solo career really got going, and at the height of his talents, Otis Spann died of cancer, on April 24, 1970 in Chicago's Cook County Hospital. He was only 40 years old.

The Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame made Otis Spann a member in 1980. You can start listening to him either here, on "Otis Spann Is The Blues," or on any number of the 1950s Chess recordings. Just make sure you start somewhere, and soon.

A Gem
Even though I am a drummer, the music made by this piano and guitar duo is magic. If you think you're a blues fan and don't like this album, listen to again. Maybe you're missing something! The sound quality is great even though Spann's piano is alittle out of tune. He still makes it sound great. Get this one!

Very Listenable
This Otis Spann CD offers a fine album of piano blues. The only other musician is Robert Lockwood who provides additional highlights. Otis Spann shows his abilities with his barrel house piano style. My favourive Otis Spann album is 'The biggest thing since Colossus' also featuring Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac. ... Read more

Asin: B000034CZE

Little Milton - Greatest Hits
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 September, 1995)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $18.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (1)

Great
Little Milton hits the Bull on the Behind here.His Music Sounds Great&his Voice is very strong.He Puts alot into his Music you feel the force&it is strong all the way thru.A Must Have by this Great Talent. ... Read more

Asin: B000001L22
Sales Rank: 16306

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play the Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 May, 1992)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (3)

I'd give it five if...
...there were more tracks like the first one: Buddy's 'Man of Many Words'. Sure, it's a re-write of Otis Redding's 'Hard to Handle', but it's a good re-write, and it has most of Derek and the Dominos,(Doctor John filling in on keyboards),-smoking- in support. Why not more Dominos?: Supposely there were many problems on these sessions, (mentioned, but not really explained in the notes), and they didn't even have enough material to release as an LP, until the two 'J. Geils Band' tracks were done quite a bit later.

Excellent
"Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play The Blues" is one of the duo's very best albums. Two tracks are Junior Wells-less, recorded by Buddy Guy with the J. Geils Band; the remaining eight songs feature a star-studded backing band which includes pianist Dr. John on several tracks, and some guy named Eric someting. Capton, something like that.

The song list is excellent, and so is the band, which sounds tight and supple, never threatening to overwhelm the two stars.
There are none of the erratic vocal performances or rambling solos that sometimes plagued the duo's live shows (this album is a studio recording). Junior Wells sizzles, laying down some great vocal performances. Buddy Guy's solos are controlled and disciplined, yet strikingly effective in up-tempo and ballad situations, and saxist A.C. Reed provides some soulful fills and gritty solos.

Among the highlights are a sizzling remake of T-Bone Walker's "T-Bone Shuffle", and a swinging "My Baby She Left Me".
Guy does a fine "Bad Bad Whiskey" with an otherwise very discreet Eric Clapton playing slide guitar, and he is entirely credible in a grinding Otis Redding mode on the southern soul stomper "A Man Of Many Words", and the up-tempo "This Old Fool". Junior Wells does a great rendition of "Come On In This House" and his Vanguard classic "Messin' With The Kid"

This CD certainly deserves its place among the other tremendous items in the Rhino/Atlantic R&B Masters series. Definitely recommended.

leave out two tracks
Five stars for sure if not for tracks 7&10. So it gets four stars instead. ... Read more

Asin: B0000032E9
Sales Rank: 61505

I Am the Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (24 August, 1993)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (13)

Willie Dixon - I AM the blues
Ignore the "official" review and then find this album on VINYL.

I purchased this LP back in 1974 on vinyl and still listen to it every so often. The sound quality on a good system is just superb.

That the official review complains about the sound quality simply tells me that the CD was poorly mastered which is such a shame because this album is a joy to listen to.

Go hunting online and find the vinyl version - it's well worth the hunt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Willie's best.
Willie Dixon wrote some of the greatest songs in the blues catalogue. Where he is a more accomplished arranger, composer and bassist his performing abilities aren't bad at all. He's not quite up to the level of Muddy, Wolf or Sonny Boy, musicians who made his tunes famous, but he wasn't far behind either. The band is solid, the production a bit off, but overall a great album. Definately Willie at his best. Highly recommended...Simon

What else can be said
Who knows how different the history of music as we know it would be like without this genius. Every blues musician since and many classic rock bands owe him a huge debt. This is a must for any music collection. ... Read more

Asin: B00000293E
Sales Rank: 18052