Features

• Import

Reviews (2)

Good low-budget RJ collection
This is an excellent low-budget collection to introduce the listener to blues legend Robert Johnson.
Ever get the phonograph blues?
What can anyone say about Robert Johnson that hasn't already been stated?The music he left us just has that feel of someone who has traveled the humid shadows of the early twentieth century, checked into every dive hotel and motel across the Bible belt, stomped his feet in more than a few juke joints, courted the devil and let everyone know about it, smoked a few cigarettes, drank his share liquor, tasted love and was bitten more than once.The more you listen, the more your imagination is sparked.
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Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Traditional    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Blues    8. Prewar Country Blues    9. Slide Guitar Blues   

Editorial Review

Othar Turner is the living master of the cane fife, a short piece of hollowed-out sugar cane with holes. The simplistic, tranced-out party music known as fife and drum--the most clearly African-sounding of all traditional blues--remained all but hidden to most listeners until 1959, when Alan Lomax first encountered and recorded it in Mississippi. There are but a handful of records of real fife and drum music, and this clear-sounding document, with multiple versions of the classic "Shimmy She Wobble," might be the best record yet made of this intoxicating sound. Read more

Reviews (4)

one great hypnotic groove
Othar Turner, if you were lucky to ever seem him perform, was an amazing performer and a gentleman to boot. The full energy of one of his famous annual summer goat fryups at his home in Senatobia, Missisipi is captured here. The nearest muscial form to "drum and fife" comes from the west coast of Africa, that's how old this musical form is, although there is some blues guitar mixed in on some of the tracks. The fife gives a very primordial, birdcalling edge to the drums. "Drum and fife" is an acquired taste, but like eating spices, once you've acquired that taste, you cannot get enough. Although Othar died last year, apparantly his granddaughter will keep the tradition alive.

Otha Rules!
This isn't for everyone, but if you're into deep blues roots, it is a must have.Blues, soul, funk, mother Africa, barbequed goat, cold beer and hot sweaty bodies:you can feel it all on this one!

Wellsprings of music is right here
If you are looking for the wellsprings of music, this CD might be a goodplace to start. This is as close to Africa as American music gets. TheMississippi fife-and-drum tradition has been explored on record by AlanLomax and others, and it is always surprising to people unfamiliar withthis music that such things exist. This CD is a powerful addition to therecorded heritage of Mississippi and the United States. Since 1923 or so,90-year-old Othar Turner has been playing cane fifes of his own making, andfamily and friends accompany him down on his farm with drums--bass andsnare. He holds 2-day picnics filled with fife-and-drum music, traditionalblues jams, barbecued pig and goat, moonshine whiskey, beer and pop. Fifeplaying is an art in the oral tradition, passed on from generation togeneration. Turner learned it from R.E. Williams, and taught it to hischildren and grandchildren. You might want to start with track five, one ofthree versions of "Shimmy She Wobble" on the CD. Turn up thevolume and lose yourself in the sounds of hypnotic drumming, shouts, chantsand screams, and fife. Then listen to the cricket-saturated "Roll andTumble," one of several slide-guitar blues on the CD. Then roam freelyand take it all in. If you really want to know the roots of music--allmusic--this is a place to start. Turner and friends make music fromsomeplace deeper than we experience most of the time; but you can find itin yourself if you allow yourself to get lost in this stuff. Especiallyrecommended for those who want to know blues and rock's beginnings. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Delta Blues    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Prewar Country Blues    6. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (2)

The Best Early Skip James Compilation
This is it! In my opinion, this is the definitive collection of Skip James' early recordings. Yazoo has always had the best sound, mostly because of the label's judicious use of noise reduction (in the old days, that meant NO noise reduction!). Now they've apparently used the latest tools to remove most of the intermittent noise, while leaving the music and some high-end background noiseintact. Whatever process was used, sound engineer Richard Nevins has created the best sounding versions of these songs that I've ever heard. On the old Yazoo compilation, songs like "Special Rider Blues" and "Illinois Blues" were almost completely buried in noise. Somehow, Nevins has resurrected them. In particular, the guitar parts are much clearer. There is still quite a bit of noise and distortion - these records are notoriously rare and in poor condition - but this is probably the best they'll ever sound. This CD has all of the Skip James 1930 Paramount recordings that are known to exist. It also includes four cuts by Son House from the same year. These recordings are also extremely rare in and in very poor condition. Once again, Nevins has made them sound better than ever.As for the music, it is some of the most haunting ever recorded in the blues genre.

Skip James - Blues Master
Skip James was one of the finest - and most refined - masters of the Delta blues tradition. The performances on this CD are nothing less than superb. He plays the guitar with grace and nuance, and his rather rustic, eccentric piano style makes up with charm for whatever it may lack in technical virtuosity. Skip James is an important figure in any sophisticated blues collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Piano Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Country Blues    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Evidence of the strange genius of Mississippi bluesman Tommy Johnson is limited to 17 recordings from two late-1920s sessions. It is the first of these, for the Victor Company, that produced the recordings upon which Johnson's lofty reputation rests. Sung in a husky falsetto, somewhere between an African field holler and an Alpine yodel, "Cool Drink of Water Blues" stands atop a pinnacle in the richly inventive Delta blues tradition with younger cousin Robert Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail" and Skip James's "Devil Got My Woman." "Canned Heat Blues" is a bittersweet paean to the older Johnson's penchant for imbibing tins of jellied kerosene, and was a modest hit in that era's "race record" market. Also notable from his 1928 session were the influential "Maggie Campbell Blues," "Big Road Blues," and "Big Fat Mama Blues," while the recently discovered Paramount session was remarkable for "Slidin' Delta" and "I Wonder to Myself." Read more

Reviews (8)

As good as it gets.
I have been a blues fan for forty years, and have listened to just about everybody, from Ma Rainey to Susan Tedeschi, with Muddy Waters and Lightning Hopkins on the way.Nobody is better than Tommy Johnson.Nobody at all.Johnson's great reputation is based on a pitifully small collection of recordings, over half of which were put out on the dreaded Paramount label (Paramount is the despair of blues fans -- on the plus side, without the label we might never have had recordings from Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, early Skip James and early Son House, to name only a few: on the other hand, we are constantly tantalized and frustrated by what we might have had if the company's recording standards had been of even average quality for the time {i.e., late 1920s-mid 1930s} instead of awful beyond description).In any case, the eight Victor sides Tommy Johnson made in 1928, and in particular Big Road Blues, Maggie Campbell Blues, Cool Drink of Water Blues and Canned Heat Blues are at the absolute acme of blues recordings.In terms of emotional power, intensity and sheer brilliance, I have never heard anybody in the blues genre I have thought to be Johnson's equal.I believe that you have to go to some of the great American jazz masters such as Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker to find adequate comparisons.
Essential!
Before Robert Johnson came along, and long before Son House started spreading the rumour that he (Johnson) had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his abilities on the guitar, a man fifteen years Robert Johnson's senior ever so often implied that his immense talent came as the result of a midnight deal with Old Scracth. One of the Most Unique of the Early Blues Players
Tommy Johnson and Charlie Patton are perhaps two of the most unique and innovative rural blues players to have ever lived.As where Patton's style is coarse and rough, Johnson's style (at least when he is at his best) is incredibly smooth. Also Johnson's unique falsetto (which is yodel like at times) is amazing.These recordings bare witness to his talent even after nearly a century.It is a shame that these recordings are all that there is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Blues    8. Prewar Country Blues   

Reviews (8)

6 Stars
Hard to believe this record came out over 10 years ago and now both the producer and the artist are dead. RIP, RL! You were the root, the blues walking and talking like a man. Anyone who doesn't own this record should purchase it immediately and play at maximum volume while making love to someone else's woman.

This is Deep Blues, Bubba...
In his documentary "Deep Blues," eccentric producer Robert Palmer introduced us to a brand of blues that comes not from the Delta, but from the hill country region of northwest Mississippi.While it bears a vague resemblance to its lowlands cousin, Hill Country Blues is a whole 'nother critter altogether.It is, as Palmer describes in the liner notes of this CD, a "slashing, droning trance-blues," a "churning, jamming one-chord exercise in stamina and mass-hypnosis." Good, but there's better...
This is a good CD but it weights in at only 41 minutes which is inexcusably short for a "live" CD; I mean, this guy probably jammed all night!And, though it was recorded live at Junior Kimbrough's Juke Joint, it was subsequently cleaned up at Fat Possum Studios which is why it doesn't have much of a "live" feel--there's hardly any audience or background noise which can add to the excitment of the recording.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Delta Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Delta Blues    5. Juke Joint Blues    6. Modern Delta Blues    7. Modern Electric Blues    8. Pop   

Reviews (7)

Disappointing followup to The Healer
John Lee Hooker provided some very basic but important music in his time. The Healer was a landmark album bringing John back to the fore with some good cuts which made up for his musical deficiencies. This album attempts to go down the same road but in general fails to achieve the same heights. The best tracks are 'Stripped me naked' with Carlos Santana and 'This is hip' with Ry Cooder. I prefer the original JLH cuts of the track on the album.

If you must have everything
Hooker's second album on the Pointblank label is a guest-heavy homage that doesn't have a great deal to do with John Lee Hooker as an artist and only occasionally plays to his strengths. Some cuts, such as the opening "I Want to Hug You" are just plain odd in their selection. This album is for the completist; sporadically enjoyable but unnecessary. The title cut is much better in its original version on "Urban Blues" (a somewhat chaotic but quite good album from the late '60s), while "Backstabbers" (actually "Backbiters and Syndicators", another remake from the same album) meanders too. The later cuts are better and, as usual, the fewer musicians playing with Hooker the less his sound gets mucked up. "Highway 13", "Father Was a Jockey" and yet another remake of "Crawlin' Kingsnake" are all quite nice. One wishes Hooker's late '80s and '90s producers more often had had the sense to leave him by himself or with minimal accompaniment. So, like all of Hooker's work on Pointblank, this is less about making a good album than honoring a lifetime of work. Still and all, worth having. His June 21st passing is greatly mourned.

All Star Cast
When one of the most revered blues guitarists asks for help on his album, there is no shortage of great talent to show up. The likes of Santana, Ry Cooder, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, John Hammond, and Robert Cray (to name just a few) come out in support of "Mr. Lucky", the follow up guest album to "The Healing". But, John Lee Hooker doesn't need all of this talent to put out a great blues album. Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Blues Traditional    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Detroit Blues    9. Electric Blues    10. Electric Delta Blues    11. Leader    12. Pop    13. Songwriter   

Reviews (5)

Essential
These 1941-1942 recordings are the only ones ever made of Eddie "Son" House playing with a band, and this 19-track disc collects all 15 songs originally issued on Biograph's "Delta Blues" album and adds four more tracks, none of which are sung by House ("Fo' Clock Blues", "Camp Hollers", an incomplete "Special Rider Blues", and the instrumental "Key Of Minor").
Son House is the real deal. Listen and learn
Son House taught Robert Johnson the slide blues. Son House taught Muddy Waters. When Son House started performing at Blues festivals again in the mid 1960s, some of Muddy's younger band members would start to go off for a smoke or whatever when the old man came on stage. Muddy wouldn't let them. Muddy Waters would tell all his band members to be quiet and pay attention when the man played because even compared with Muddy, this was the real deal. Son House, King of the Delta
Son House is the most important and influential Delta Bluesman to ever live he was a major influence to Muddy Waters & Robert Johnson and every one else including me. Buy this C.D. it is very essential stuff this is hardcore Delta Blues there are some trks with Son House in a band setting with Willie Brown and others (perfect example of what a DeltaBlues jam session probally sounded like). These are field recordings and I mean they were actually recorded outside on trk.4 "Shetland Pony Blues" you actually hear a steam locomotive (train) go buy in the background. If your a aspiring blues guitar player get this if your a fan of the Blues your C.D. collection is seriously lacking if this is not part of it. also get "Masters of the Delta Blues, The Friends of Charlie Patton" all of Son Houses earliest recorings are on there (1930) with some other Delta Blues Legends ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Traditional    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Pop    8. Slide Guitar Blues   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (7)

Haunting blues...
Skip James recorded the songs on this CD in 1964, the same year he was "rediscovered" and performed at the Newport Folk Festival. This is simply one of the most direct blues recordings I've heard. This is just Skip James, nothing is added to the performances. Skip James frequently sings in a melancholy falsetto and accompanies himself on acoustic guitar tuned to minor keys. Even when he sings in a lower register he sounds like he is mumbling or talking to himself, which makes the music seem turned inward, as opposed to shouting out the blues to the world. This is dark, deep, brooding blues, and is such a great listen. The sound quality is great too and it sounds like he is right in the room with you. Skip James sings of his battle with cancer on "Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues" and of course sings about woman trouble on songs like "Devil Got My Woman", my favorite song on this CD. This is one of my favorite acoustic blues CD's, there are times when only Skip James can hit the spot. The way he delivered his vocals was unique and combined with his guitar playing made for some incredible music. If you are a fan of acoustic blues Skip James has to be in your collection, and this disc is a great place to start.

A Masterpiece in the Annuls of Blues
Where would the Delta be without Skip James?Deeper and more soulfull than Robert Johnson's Crossroads, less preachy and more down-to-earth than the Death Letter Blues of Son House, Skip James strikes a beauiful minor chord in the soul.His soft hand on the guitar blends with the sweet eeriness of his voice in such perfect musical and emotional harmony as to command the casual listener to catch every note with the ear and savor each chord with his heart.A must-have in any respectable blues collection.

Wonderful slice of Blues history, w/ excellent sound quality!
I often find myself frustrated when I track down the recordings of various Blues legends, only to find the sound quality terrible.I grew up on Blues inspired Rock, and spent countless hours analyzing chords and solos, and find myself less than satisfied with scratchy hissing recordings of the Blues greats.
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Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Guitar (Acoustic)    7. Pop    8. Prewar Country Blues    9. Vocals   

Editorial Review

For the completist, this three-CD, 72-song box remains the definitive collection of one of the leading lights of Chicago blues. The collection spans 25 years, beginning with rare early recordings with pianist Sunnyland Slim and moving through Waters's peak '50s period, which offered the legendary support of Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, and Otis Spann. Luminaries including Pat Hare, James Cotton, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, and Pinetop Perkins all make valuable contributions to his '60s work. Along with his original hits and his noteworthy Willie Dixon interpretations, Chess wisely includes his lesser-known covers of Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin' Wolf, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (17)

I want my blues to be blue
I like my blues to be blue.I want hard times, heartache. I'm surprised how often Muddy sings happy songs - one's titled "So Glad I'm Living", another one "I Feel So Good." And then there are all the sexual braggadocio songs, like "My Love Strikes Like Lightning." But my favorite songs are the dark ones - songs like "Still a Fool," or "You Shook Me,"a letter to a fantastic lover who's ruining his marriage and lover - and "Black Night, which, fitting its title, is just all around dark.
Best ever
This is simply the best collection of blues recordings ever!If you like the real blues, you must add this set no matter the cost. It makes you long for music that can be felt and not just heard like most anything recorded in the last quarter century.

The most complete overview of Muddy Waters' Chess sides
More casual fans will probably be better served by MCA/Chess's much cheaper (but very good) two-disc compilation "The Anthology: 1947-1972". But if you're looking for the best and currently most thorough available overview of Muddy's recordings for Aristocrat and Chess, this is it.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Box Sets (Audio Only)    6. Chicago Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Electric Blues    9. Electric Chicago Blues    10. Pop    11. Slide Guitar Blues    12. United States of America   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (2)

metaphors don't get much thinner than "i want a piece of your custard pie"
the only thing that keeps me from giving this five stars is the lack of howling wolf songs on here... "no place to go" (sometimes called "you gonna wreck my life") comes to mind first.but it's a great transition cd:i let friends borrow it who are kinda hesitant to get into blues but already love zeppelin.

It's Not What You Think!
First of all do not get the impression that this is a remake of Zeppelin tunes.This is the raw source from where Jimmy and the boys had cut their teeth on.If you are a stanch blues fan like I am, you will appreciate this disk for what it represents.If not, then you will find no use for it.I personally like knowing what inspired certain artists and enjoyed this copulation.If you weren't a blues fan before, it will introduce you to a new (old) area of music field that is very entertaining and satisfying, compared to the norm.Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Blues    4. Blues Collections    5. Blues Music    6. Blues Revival    7. Country Blues    8. Delta Blues    9. Pop    10. Prewar Blues    11. Prewar Country Blues    12. Prewar Gospel Blues    13. Slide Guitar Blues   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (7)

Blues 101!!!
All right, students, now pay attention! Put down that racing form and pay attention right now! This here Chess Blues box set contains exactly 101 tracks. How appropriate! That makes this collection a sort of unofficial college course entitled Blues 101, and Professors Wolf, Waters, James, and Jacobs (Little Walter), etc., etc., will be your blues instructors. You will learn the Fundamentals of Blues Harp, with Little Walter ("Juke") and Sonny Boy Williamson II ("Don't Start Me to Talkin'") as your master teachers. Over here, we have a course entitled Mellow Blues, with Willie Dixon ("Walkin' the Blues") and Jimmy Witherspoon ("Ain't Nobody's Business") showing you how it's done. Then, we have instruction in Blues and the Female Voice, with Koko Taylor ("What Kind of Man Is That," "Wang Dang Doodle") and Etta James ("Somethings Got A Hold Of Me," "I'd Rather Go Blind") as your teachers. Finally, what great university would be complete without Master Classes and the best professors in the business Muddy Waters ("Got My Mojo Workin'," "I Can't Be Satisfied," "My Eyes (Keep Me in Trouble"), Howlin Wolf ("Killin' Floor," "Evil," "Going Down Slow"), and John Lee Hooker ("Walkin' the Boogie," "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer") holding court for your edification. No, there is no blues university, but if there was one, the above masters would surely be the instructors and Chess Blues would certainly be the required text. As I said, it's packed with an amazing 101 songs, many of the best blues tracks ever recorded. There are a few clunkers, but very few. You will spend many enjoyable hours listening to this collection. (Trust me, it takes a few hours to listen to 101 songs once!) Get it today, and enroll in the best blues education money can buy!

A terriffic addition to your blues collection
This handsome boxset, complete with a large booklet, is a superb addition to your blues collection, even if you already have the best of the major Chess artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson II. This is it!
The Delta gave birth to the Delta Blues and Chicago gave birth to the Chicago Blues but it would not have happened without Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and, of course, the Chess Brothers.This is their legacy - no true blues fan would be without this set as part of their collection -enough said! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 40's    2. 50's    3. 60's    4. Acoustic Blues    5. Acoustic Chicago Blues    6. Blues    7. Blues Collections    8. Blues Revival    9. Box Sets (Audio Only)    10. Chicago Blues    11. Delta Blues    12. Electric Blues    13. Electric Chicago Blues    14. Electric Harmonica Blues    15. Electric Memphis Blues    16. Harmonica Blues    17. Jazz Blues    18. Jive    19. Juke Joint Blues    20. Jump Blues   

Editorial Review

After the floodgates opened due to 2003’s Martin Scorsese-produced PBS series of blues films, most labels scoured their vaults to nab a piece of the action. Dozens of reissues and repackagings hit the shelves, but Rounder, who has released classic blues for decades, eclipsed the field with this wonderful double-disc set.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Blues Music    4. Field Recordings    5. Pop   

Reviews (2)

Rough Hewn Melodies From The Heart
This is a man's CD. Rough lyrics, guitar and banjo playing. Rough, tough, and hardy. Listening to this CD is the closest thing I've heard to being back in the 1880s sitting around a campfire in the wilderness of the Dakotas or Wyoming or Montana. This isn't what you'd call "pretty" music, but it goes right to the heart. Both Lomax and McCurdy have distinctive styles. The first songs are sung by Lomax, who has kind of a wily, whiny, cheap whisky-drinking voice. His songs, "I'm Bound To Follow The Long Horn Cows", "Rambling Gambler", "Sam Bass" and "Billy Barlow" are great renditions. McCurdy has a bigger voice, almost boisterous, his inflections and sarcasms are masterful artistry. He shines on his opening number "When The Works All Done This Fall", "Longside of The Santa Fe Trail" and "Punchin' The Dough". They sound like real cowboys and cattlerivers. Great accompanying instruments: Guitar, Banjo and Harmonica.

I recommend it!
My parents had an LP with songs 1 - 12 on it, and I loved it then, and love it now. It's great to have those extra songs on it. This is real American folk music, with guts, heart, soul, and humor. My kids like me to sing them to sleep with songs from this CD, and I'm not even a good singer! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Country & Western    2. Folk    3. Folk & Traditional    4. Folksongs    5. Pop    6. Traditional Folk   

Editorial Review

By the time acoustic blues master Mississippi Fred McDowell finally plugged in for the first time, something this recording captures, his songs were already a major part of the emerging blues-rock scene of the late 1960s. The slide-guitar genius was a Delta blues purist of the first degree who ignored all else, even while serving as a significant influence on a new generation of blues players. His influence endures, and his music, in its original form, remains riveting. The best example is the timeless classic "You Got to Move," covered by the Rolling Stones in a surprisingly faithful rendition on 1971's Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (9)

the Greatness of Mr. MAC DOWELL
I've been a fan of Fred McDowell, who always pronounced his name MACK DowWELL, for more than 40 years. His music has inspired not only my guitar playing, but also my blues playing on the banjo which has gotten some reknown among old time music buffs and my fiddling. His personality shines through in his music and speech on his recordings. He was sharp, gritty, and real, very real.
Great, but not the author of "Kokomo"
Before I nitpick about Amazon's official review, I'd like to say this is one of the finest blues albums ever. As real as it gets
I found this cd in the 'used' section of a local music store, and bought it 'cause I liked the cover. It has become one of my top 10 all-time favorite albums. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Delta Blues    5. Electric Delta Blues    6. Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (2)

Very good blues compilation
A nice mixture of old and new, familiar and not-so -- sort of a Blues Greatest Hits.I was a little put off by the packaging, which is so plain as to look like a cheesy reissue set, but the liner notes are good, the sound quality is good, and above all, the music is good.

50 Years of the Blues
This thirty-eight track, two-hour-plus anthology does an excellent job of presenting fifty years of blues from the post-World War II era through the present day.Disc one includes such Chicago blues giants as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy who all recorded for Chess. While many of these artists did not enjoy huge crossover success, they influenced everyone from Elvis ("Hound Dog") to the Yarbirds ("I'm a Man"), The Rolling Stones ("I'm a King Bee"), Cream ("Spoonful") and George Thorogood ("One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"). Every song on disc-one is a classic, from T-Bone Walker's million-selling "Call It Stormy Monday" to Bobby "Blue" Bland's No. 2 R&B hit "Turn on Your Love Light" (which peaked at No. 28 on the pop charts). Disc-one is required listening for anyone with even a remote interest in the blues.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Chicago Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Electric Texas Blues    8. Modern Electric Blues    9. Pop    10. R&B    11. Soul-Blues    12. Texas Blues    13. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (9)

One of my favorites...
This disc was my introduction to the music of John Lee Hooker and it proved to be worth every penny. This CD is full of classics and is also a good way to hear some of the best tracks off of the currently out of print albums "Urban Blues" and 'Never Get Out of These Blues Alive". The liner notes are in depth and explain how John Lee's music went through some changes during this period of his career in order to have more of a commercial edge with the fickle blues buying public of the time. I don't think John Lee sold out by any means, this is unmistakeably his sound on this CD. This disc captures all aspects of John Lee Hooker's music: the uptempo ("One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", "Mr. Lucky"), slow blues ("Decoration Day", "The Waterfront"), celebrity duets ("Never Get Out of These Blues Alive" with Van Morrison), and live jams (I'm Bad Like Jessie James" where he is backed by Muddy Waters' band). This disc also contains my favorite verson of John Lee's "Bluebird", which includes some studio chatter from the man himself where he jokes to his band that the Albany Street he refers to in the song is where all the pimps hang out (!). If you are a fan of John Lee Hooker or the blues, this is a great collection to have.

He's Baaaaad. Like Jesse James
I can't remember when I first heard Johnny Lee but I was a teen-age guitar-player-wanna-be. Must have been around 1969 or 1970.He's been my favorite blues man since then.This collection is my favorite and presents Johnny Lee ina wide range of moods - tender (Waterfront), intimidating (Bad Like Jesse James), joyful (Doin' the Shout), down and out (Back Rent),happy (Mr Lucky), hot-nasty (Shake it Baby) and so on.
***1/2
MCA's "The Best Of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974" opens with the best-ever rendition of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", a swinging, piano-driven boogie version, followed by superb songs like "Think Twice Before You Go","House Rent Boogie", the slow shuffle "I'm In The Mood", and "Back Biters And Syndicators", which features Louis Myers on harmonica.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Detroit Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Delta Blues    7. Juke Joint Blues    8. Pop   

Editorial Review

The blues-Mali connection has been much pondered, and Read more

Reviews (10)

awesome
This cd is smooth and mellow.I've been addicted to it since I first got my hands onto it.A real pleasure.

I really love this CD
I love the music of Mali--the home of Timbuktu and some really amazing musicians. Their music and its five-tone scale is supposed to be the roots of the Blues. Though the slave trade was mostly a coastal event (Mali is land-locked), wars in the area resulted in prisoners who ended up on slave ships heading for America. The rich Mali music tradtion may have created our American blues. African Culture Across the Atlantic
When many westerners think of African music, they expect something exotic, something primitive, something mysterious. Yet for all their expectations, few Americans seem to realize that they are sitting on a goldmine of African traditions. The African musical traditions served to feed what would develop into the traditions of Blues, Jazz, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Gospel, Salsa and the like. And the purpose of this particular CD is to explore the African roots of the Blues.Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Blues Collections    3. Blues Music    4. Contemporary Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Int'l & World Music    7. Mali    8. Modern Acoustic Blues    9. Pop    10. World Fusion   

Reviews (2)

Cut 8. 'O' Berta' not the one I thought it was
I heard a great arraingement of "Berta" during the movie "The Piano" which stared Charles Dutton.I thought that arraingement or at least some approximation was on this CD but it turns out that track 8 'O' Berta' is a disapointing version of that great tune.Otherwise if you like to hear these types of songs you might like this cd.

Great
This collection has real feeling and that's what music is supposed to beabout. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues Collections    2. Blues Music    3. Field Recordings    4. Folk & Traditional    5. Italian Folk    6. Pop    7. Traditional Folk    8. Work Songs    9. World Music