Editorial Review

T-Model Ford didn't learn to play guitar until he was 58, and even then the Mississippi lumber-truck driver didn't play the way most people do. In his thick, throbbing amplifier buzz, he lengthens and shortens measures at will and allows the beat to fall wherever he feels it at the moment. Over these extremely elastic rhythms, he growls and mumbles bits of other songs and his own violent warnings against unfaithful women and musical rivals. This unusual approach is no doubt the reason Ford didn't release this debut album, Read more

Reviews (5)

I don't know what to say.
I don't know what to say, but as far as Juke-Joint blues goes, this album is perfect, I mean flawless.I first saw T-Model Ford perform live when he came to my college campus.His unorthodox playing style, haunting voice, and lyrics which represent his twisted personality, are all things that make up a great bluesman, a real bluesman.All of these things are expressed to the 10th degree in this album. one big family
For those that 'know' the blues, you don't need a review. To others the blues is more then just a type of music, it's a living entity of sorts, something tangible we feel inside us. It doesn't matter to us if its Chicago, Memphis, electric, delta, jump ect. large band or solo, smooth musicians able to play the same each time or the juke joint and street corner player playing more by "feel", it's the blues and it is alive. Like a family tree it has many branches, with many varied tastes and different interests but they are your family and you love them all, so it is with the blues. If you like blues music of a particular style note that T-Model is of the juke joint/street style playing from feeling inside him and not "polished" and smooth for example like Eddie Floyd. If that's not the type your looking for buy it anyway, listen and let it in, then try other styles. When you start to feel it you'll understand. Primal raw Blues with attitude!
T-Model Ford invokes images of a rough life through his music that takes you there. The guitar playing and singing have deep grit and a surreal feel which adds to this music. A favorite at The Crazy Coyote Blues Power Show 1490 KOTY AM (1490koty.com) Yakima Nation Reservation Radio in south central Washington state. ... Read more

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

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Chicago Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Chicago Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Electric Blues    8. Electric Chicago Blues    9. Pop    10. Slide Guitar Blues   

Editorial Review

Released in 1979, this live album is a gem, from the enthusiastic audience (who cheer every line of opener "Mannish Boy") to Muddy Waters's killer guitar to vocals that tease and deliver by turns. The slide work is what to listen for here, especially on "Howling Wolf," where Waters gives any guitar virtuoso a run for his money. There are other special moments as well, including the absolutely killer timing on "She's Nineteen Years Old," the rock-bottom-deep vocals on "Baby Please Don't Go," and the slow sensuality of "Deep Down in Florida." The only shortcoming of this CD is that it's so short: there are only seven songs here, which will leave any listener wanting more. --Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (21)

Muddy rocks it live
Muddy's vocals: dead on, excellent as always. The band: great. Sounds like a pretty good blues album huh? Well, it's more than pretty good, it's amazing. On some of his later albums, great as they were, Muddy played less of his trademark slide guitar; well on this recording, it is the slide playing that steals the show. Muddy positively wails, putting most slide players to shame, dropping the jaws of the audience, and turning great recordings into postively essential and timeless ones. I cannot emphasize enough the greatness of the slide playing on this record; Muddy just takes you to another place with his scary slide.

5 stars for the music and performance but DO NOT BUY
Here's why not to buy it: there is an expanded version containing the whole set of this concert with about twice as much tracks

Can't get enough?
For all those who dig this album--or are thinking of picking it up--look for the 2 disc special edition.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Chicago Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Electric Blues    7. Electric Chicago Blues    8. Pop    9. Slide Guitar Blues   

Reviews (4)

Skip James mellowed like wine
Skip James was a Baptist preacher, not a professional musician, so aside from an incredible recording he made for Paramount Records in 1931, he wasn't widely sought out as a performer until the blues revival of the late '50s and early '60s.By that time, his voice and style had mellowed and aged (like most good musicians and all good wine) and while for some unkwown reason several Amazon.com reviewers think this is a fault, James made a very impressive appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, which is recorded on this disc.The CD features newer arrangements of several songs from James' 1931 Paramount recording, like the well-known title track "Devil Got My Woman".There are also some jazzier songs for piano here like the "22-20 Blues" and "Careless Love". A unique artist brilliantly captured near the end of life.
Other Amazon reviews of this disc and "Skip James Today" suggest some kind of strongly held private agenda in favor of his early recordings reissued on Yazoo. While the rediscovered Skip was more contemplative, lessfierce and more limited to falsetto singing than the young Skip, theserecordings are still astonishing, among the few real glories of the bluesrediscovery era, and indispensable. The Vanguard recordings are much moresatisfying than most of the other rediscovery sessions, and some of themachieve real greatness. It's an eerie, otherworldly music, and definitelyan acquired taste, but don't be swayed by those who would tell you to avoidthese "rediscovery" recordings. Many of them will reward you foryears to come. I've been listening to this disc and "Today" sincethey were issued as lps in the '60s.

Ignore and get the real thing from the 1930s instead.
Sadly, Skip James was "rediscovered" in the 1960s by white bluesscholars and coaxed out of a dark Mississippi life. His energy sapped over30+ years, the man is a mere shadow of the brilliance featured on hisincredible early 78s. Get that Yazoo compilation for a taste of the mosthaunting, unique and brilliant blues recordings of all time. ... Read more

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

Reviews (3)

Some of the best field recordings I have ever heard!
These were field recordings made by Alan Lomax in 1941 and 1942 for the Library of Congress of Son House.The setting was extemporaneous and you can tell this is true in two of the songs(Walking Blues, Shetland Pony Blues) when you hear a locomotive in the background, as they were recorded in a local general store (Klack's) in Cormorant, MS.Son House was one of the earliest blues players, and some might argue (as I would), that he was also the most influential, playing with Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson before Robert Johnson went off on his own to make his own famous recordings.These recordings, outside of the Paramount sides recorded in 1930, are the only true "original" recordings we have of Son House in his prime......his 60's recordings are basically these 20 years later.And as a sidenote, it should be noted that Son House stopped playing after some of his contemporaries started dying (Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson), and he thought he would be next!So he put his guitar down after these 1942 recordings and did not play again until he was rediscovered in the 60's living in New York state.
Listen and Learn.Son House is for Real!
Even if he hadn't influenced anyone, even if historically he was a 19 year old kid from Shirley, Long Island, even if this recording at just been waxed last night, this is good, essential blues listening, you won't want to stop listening, you wont stop seeing the scenes of the blues that the songs make, you won't stop swaying at the power and swing of his guitar playing and singing. On here, my song is Preachin the Blues. I know you will have yours. Powerful Field Recordings from the Forties
Eddie James "Son" House was born in 1902, and began his recording career in 1930 with the help of Charlie Patton.He would not record again until 1941 and 1942, when Alan Lomax made these field recordings for the Library of Congress. On the first five tracks (recorded in August 1941), House is assisted by his old partner guitarist Willie Brown, along with Fiddlin' Joe Martin and Leroy Williams. These tracks were recorded in a country store right next to the railroad tracks--and if you listen closely, your hear the steam locomotive on "Walking Blues" and "Shetland Pony Blues."The remaining tracks are from the following summer. On these, House performs solo. House is a powerful singer and his guitar playing was an influence on Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.Any serious blues collection should have some Son House in it, and while his Sixties work during the folk revival may have been better recorded, these tracks contain a raw power that can't be denied.RECOMMENDED ... 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

• Import

Reviews (1)

Bootleg
This is a burnover from the "Columbia" (Sony) set. "Definitive", a shell outfit last heard of in Iberia, uses consumer audio technology to burn over CD's assembled by other companies after the recordings have passed out of international copyright protection. The CD's are then serially-produced in a boiler room operation. Documentation (in the case of this Robert Johnson set quite good) is discarded; there are different copyright laws and time limitations for printed matter, so customers who have mistakenly purchased "Definitive" products will receive only short middle-school style essays, frequently full of errors, inserted in the packaging.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Traditional    3. Delta Blues    4. Jazz    5. Pop    6. Prewar Blues    7. Prewar Country Blues    8. Slide Guitar Blues    9. United States of America   

Reviews (2)

Music from the heart
I've played this CD over and over and still love every minute of it.The music is so varied, so beautiful.I now want to get other albums recorded by Alan Lomax, a genius for recognizing and recording great music.Highlyrecommended for anyone who loves uncommercial melodies and pure voices.

Recognize the jazz, hiphop, rockabilly, and blues roots
Truth be told this disc is not for everyone and I hope that this description will help those interested in hearing the ancestors of many major music forms find a good listen.Alan Lomax made an attempt to recordthe provincial musical styles in their home and on the participants ownterms.What you get are real individuals singing and playing instrumentsfor reasons that no longer exist today; to pass the day at work, to passalong local stories and traditions, to pass the time in jail, to provideexpression for small communities, and to praise their gods where the livedand breathed.There was not a dollar to be made for any performance onthis disc, and though we pay to hear it now, it had an effect on themusicians and singers.This music is not polished but it is a fantastic cdbased on its content and not its production value.You won't hear musiclike this often in your life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Appalachian Folk    4. Ballads    5. Black Gospel    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Field Recordings    9. Folk & Traditional    10. Folk Collections    11. Folksongs    12. Old-Timey    13. Pop    14. Prewar Country Blues    15. Traditional Gospel   

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

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." Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (7)

THE " REAL BLUES"....!!
THIS IS THE BEST OF THE BLUES SINGERS..STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO BB KING AND RAY CHARLES..IT DONT GET ANY BETTER..AND NOW I FINALLY SEE WHERE THE YOUNG BRITISH GROUPS LIKE THE ROLLING STONES AND ETC. FROM THE 60'S COPIED THEIR STYLE...AND WITH THE HARMONIC SOUND TOO...GO TO THE ROOTS FOR THE TRUE SOUND CAUSE NOTHING ELSE CAN COMPARE!!!

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

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Box Sets (Audio Only)    5. Chicago Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Electric Delta Blues    8. Electric Harmonica Blues    9. Harmonica Blues    10. Pop   

Editorial Review

Kimbrough was easily the most arresting figure in "Deep Blues," the documentary movie and soundtrack album about the contemporary Delta blues scene. Music critic Robert Palmer, the movie's "guide," produced Read more

Reviews (6)

Not for beginners
If you're new to the blues genre, reading these high-toned reviews would lead you to believe that this is one of the greatest blues albums of all time.That would be taking it a bit too far.This is the kind of album that would be more enjoyed by people who have already heard all the Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Sonny Boy Williamson, and other greats to adnauseam.And now, are desperately searching for a fresh new sound. This album electrifies me!!!
Blues is really a genre of music that's in constantly actualization.The versatility of blues musicians to creates, inovates,is something that gives me all of the pleasure and this album is just like what i'm saying. Junior's Juke
Hypnotic? Yes.Read more

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

Editorial Review

Read more

Reviews (11)

FINALLY GOT IT!
When you first get turned on to Rory Gallegher-you are hooked.Too late-you are hooked!I was first introduced to him on a late night concert show in the early 1970s(In Concert or Don Kirshners Rock Concert-I forget).When I heard the licks coming from this worn Gibson by this long hair in a flannel shirt I-was hooked.Life long fan and avid collector of his music ever since.When the later years rushed upon us, I felt that I would get a chance to see him live in some small venue.Then he died--so sad(he was a drinker and his liver was shot).He was also a player,writer,vocalist, and known worldwide for his style and rock background(or groundbreaking).His brother Donal was his manager and confidant,a web site developed for fans like me,and talk of an unplugged album was stirring.I was excited in anticipating this release.This was early 2001-released in 03,and purchased 04.Acoustic Irish music is very similar to Appalachain folk.You get some of that and it is great.The solo of "As the Crow Flies" on the national steel is classic(Irish Tour 74 anyone?)The live jam at the Montreaux festival with Bela Fleck doing "Amazing Grace-Walking Blues-Blue Moon of Kentucky" medely is a rare treat.The best tune is from the bandback in 1975 called "Lonesome Highway".Where this tune has hidden is a mystery to me(Would have been a MONSTER HIT with some airplay).A nice revision at the end of the CD for good measure puts an exclamation point to one of the finest collections of songs I have ever heard from an artist I really want to hear more music from. Donal-Wheels Within Wheels Vol 2?

Miss the Minstrel!
This man would have made a magnificent travelling minstrel during the Middle Ages! The song selection by his brother Donal (bless your heart)shows the wide range of talent our Rory could display and the ease with which he could sit in with a vast array of seemingly divergent talent and still shine through with his own proficiency. I mean, my God, he had not even met some of these people. Donal, please dig deep for any scraps you might have left. The hunger for this man's work is still out there and needs to be fed. Buy this CD. It is not just a bunch of retreads and half-finished songs but a real treat. He was truly the best!!!

Miss the Minstrel!
This man would have made a magnificent travelling minstrel during the Middle Ages! The song selection by his brother Donal (bless your heart)shows the wide range of talent our Rory could display and the ease with which he could sit in with a vast array of seemingly divergent talent and still shine through with his own proficiency. I mean, my God, he had not even met some of these people. Donal, please dig deep for any scraps you might have left. The hunger for this man's work is still out there and needs to be fed. Buy this CD. It is not just a bunch of retreads and half-finished songs but a real treat. He was truly the best!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. British Blues    3. British Folk    4. Delta Blues    5. Irish Folk    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (3)

Excellent Blues
Fat Possum Records, a new discovery for me. These are raw edge blues songs. If you are looking for BB King, it's not here. They are played the way you'd hear them in a club.
Amazing Blues Rock Compilation!
This album opened my eyes to so many artists that I wasn't aware of, who are apparantly making some of the best music out there.
As far as compilations go this really good
Fat possum is in the ONLY record lable that I am willing to support, so when it came out (which was on the same day as my birthday) I went out and got it.Some of the Highlights are the Little Freddie King track "Crack Head Joe" which has a guitar riff that sounds very similar to Junior kimbrough.Thee shams "You want it", and Grampaboy's "vampires and Failiures".Near the end, the album takes on more of an Acoustic feel. Which adds a nice break to all the rawer more electric Blues/Rock sounds.Overall this is a very enjoyable sampler.I wasn't crazy about N.T.S.O.B.C. 1, but this is much better. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Delta Blues    4. Electric Country Blues    5. Electric Delta Blues    6. Garage Rock Revival    7. Juke Joint Blues    8. Modern Delta Blues    9. Modern Electric Blues    10. Pop    11. V/a Compilations   

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Boogie woogie and blues piano    5. Delta Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Jazz    8. Piano Blues    9. Pop   

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (5)

I don't own this
But I wish I had known about it before I bought the many CDs I now own that contain these songs!I've bought many JSP collections of other artists and been very pleased with them.On this set, I just see a great collection for anyone just getting into the really old delta blues, without buying at least six different high priced CDs by these artists separately.If you're wanting to get into the delta blues and wondering where to start....JUMP ON THIS!! .....Then buy the complete works of Robert Johnson.

Great Music, Bad Remastering
There's no denying that the music on these discs is fabulous (although Ishman Bracey is hardly of the same caliber as Skip James or Son House).No, the problem with these discs (and JSP discs generally) is that the sound quality is terrible.Obviously any CDs made from old 78s are going to have loud hiss and pops.That's to be expected.What's terrible here is that JSP's solution has, from the sound of it, been to lop off the higher end of the sound, with the result that everything sounds muffled and distant.It's as though they'd put a heavy blanket over your speakers.I prefer Yazoo's method, which has more hiss and other noise, but infinitely more clarity and presence.The difference between JSP's version of Booker T. ("Bukka") White and Yazoo's is like night and day: you'd never know what a subtle vocalist and guitarist he actually was if all you heard were the versions on these discs.It's even worse with the great Skip James, since in his case the originals are in really bad shape: if you're not careful (and JSP is not), you end up with mud instead of genius.In short, the remastering has real consequences for what you can hear of the music.All the nuance is absent on these discs.Get the Yazoo or the Biograph or the Roots-n-Blues ones instead: you'll have more background noise, but you'll also know why people rave over these musicians in the first place.

For the true blues lover
For me I first began to be interested in blues after listening to Led Zeppelin and wondering what artists inspired them. However concerning this album, I have a warning you better like the blues or else this will not be your cup of tea. First, you need to understand the sound does not suck, it actually sounds great! Keep in mind. just like it states on the box these are PRE-WAR RECORDINGS, which means there won't be that noise-free perfectly crystal clear audio that so many people (especially young people like myself) are use to. So, if you can get past the sub-par audio quality (by modern day standards), you will treasure this collection of some of the best musicians that have ever graced the earth. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Collections    4. Blues Music    5. Blues Revival    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Field Recordings    9. Pop    10. Prewar Blues    11. Prewar Country Blues    12. Prewar Gospel Blues    13. Slide Guitar Blues    14. V/A Compilations    15. Work Songs   

Reviews (8)

king of the delta.
Up until the day he died, Charlie Feathers told anyone that would listen (and even those who wouldn't) that he was Elvis Presley's main influence. Far be that from the truth, it is fact that Junior Kimbrough WAS Charlie's main influence. With that in mind, it's a shame that we were thrown into Junior's world at such a late time in his life.
5 isn't enough stars for this one...
Pure delta blues...electric and jammed out by one of the last remaining people who could sincerely play it.(R.I.P. Junior) Honestly, this is one of the best delta blues albums ever made.A lot of people have probably found Junior via RL Burnside....lemme tell you:RL is fun....Junior was great.
best look into Juniors word that we'll probably ever get
Thia album was recorded in the last few months of his life.By this time Junior had been exposed to rock music, and his rythems had become harder edged as a result.This album is'nt as produced as some of his other CDs (not that any of them were over-produced), with three trackes taken live from his Juke joint.This CD is the probably the best window to Juniors world that we can get (that is Minus all the echo and Bad recording quality). ... Read more

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

Reviews (3)

"The original and best"
Most of the numerous entries in Rhino's "Blues Masters" series are very good, and this one is no exception.
Nice Variety Blues Beats, Some Familiar Songs
(How they sounded in the original)

Hear the Classics!
Hear the songs before they were covered by the stadium rockers.LedZeppelin covered "Bring it on home", "You Need Love"and " I Can't Quit You Baby"Countless bands have done of acover of Elmore James' "Madison Blues."And of course, theRolling Stones did a cover of "Love in Vain"So, if you wanthear what influenced famous rock rollers, this is the album for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 40's    2. 50's    3. Blues    4. Blues Music    5. Blues Traditional Collections    6. Blues-Rock    7. Boogie-Woogie    8. Chicago Blues    9. Delta Blues    10. Electric Blues    11. Electric Chicago Blues    12. Electric Delta Blues    13. Electric Harmonica Blues    14. Electric Memphis Blues    15. Electric Texas Blues    16. Harmonica Blues    17. Juke Joint Blues    18. Modern Electric Blues    19. Piano Blues    20. Pop   

Reviews (2)

Historical blues moments.The beginning!!!!
If you don't know the signification of the word "roots"in the music,specially the blues music,this is exactly what it means.And to understand what "roots"means,you must hear this fantastic work of that genius,the Lomax brothers,John and Alan. This is a part a small part,of the history of blues music and the rooted recordings of some men that participated and contributed like no others to promotes and turns the blues musics in a great sucessfull all over the world,until our days!!! The discovery and participation of Mc Kinley Morganfield(Muddy Waters) Son House and others,many of them unrecognized bluesmen,but nonetheless important,is really a historical moment to the blues music.This is not only an American heritage alone.This is a heritage to the mankind.HISTORICAL!!!!!!

deep country blues
This is the real stuff, and yet more reason to thank whatever higher powers there be that John and Alan Lomax were out there with their bulky recording machines documenting the rich strains of Southern folk musicwhile it could still be found. Here it's the Mississippi blues in itspurest form. Not the least of the wonders here is Alan Lomax's discovery ofgiants McKinley Morganfield (aka Muddy Waters) and Son House, who both turnin stunning performances. There's also David "Honeyboy" Edwards,who has outlived them all, with an eerie and powerful "Wind Howlin'Blues." Lomax also found William Brown and recorded him twice beforeBrown vanished into obscurity. His "Ragged and Dirty" (covered byDylan on his World Gone Wrong) makes you grateful that it got preserved butsad that we know so little about Brown's other songs and performances,destined to be lost forever.Every cut is a miracle of culturalpreservation but, just as important and maybe more so, of magnificent,enduring American music. ... Read more

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

Reviews (9)

A fine collection of James' best latter-day sides
These tracks may not be quite as intense as Skip James' prewar singles, but from an audio standpoint they're certainly easier to take. Don't pass this one up
I normally don't bother to write reviews, but I think this selection has gotten a bad rap by previous reviewers. I started out listening to the early recordings of Skip James, and worked my way to this CD, and I'm not disappointed. Sure, it lacks the raw emotion and feeling of his early work, but if you are a true fan, it is a must have.

Gorgeous, Simply Amazing
Skip James is absolutely amazing!Anyone who says the latter-day Skip James can't play the guitar like he used to hasn't been listening.Just listen to the song Catfish Blues to see what I mean.It sounds like a wild animal escaping from his heart and bursting from his guitar.Read more

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

Features

• Extra tracks
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

****1/2. Muddy's final album. But you wouldn't know it
The last of Muddy Waters' four Blue Sky albums is often considered the least as well, but you wouldn't know it listening to this superbly remastered and expanded reissue.
A Lion In Winter
This CD lacks the feel-good, party-time atmosphere of the rest of Muddy's Blue Sky period. According to Bob Margolin's liner notes, the somber atmosphere of these recordings were due to a discontent between Muddy and the band over money. Some of the tracks are actually outtakes from 1977 sessions to complete the album. The band quit, and Muddy carried on performing live until his death in 1983. ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL AND REQUIRED, PART 3
This final document from the end of his storied career is a blend of studio tracks that were not quite finished for what would have been his third CD with Johnny Winter at the helm, plus a few additional tracks from the previous two years' sessions. While this did not garner the acclaim on its initial release that the other 2 CDs did, it may actually, in its remastered form, be the best of the bunch. Haunting in a way that Johnny Cash's last CD is, this is the sound of a man who knows he has come to the end of the crossroads, as it were.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Traditional    3. Chicago Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Electric Delta Blues    8. Pop    9. Slide Guitar Blues   

Reviews (9)

Peak performance by a legendery entertainer
A true standout, especially when you compare the performances on this album to some of Mr. Hooker's other work. The studio musicians all seem to blossom here, with J.L.'s incredible vocals, in creating this classic. It ranks with my personal top 10 alltime albums, way up there. Universal and current messages abound, and is a lot of fun too (check out "House Rent Boogie"..."Hit Kix U").

Endless Blues
I bought this album soon after its initial release in 1971 and was blown away. It holds up even after 30 years and will continue to do so. Some critics have dismissed this album as another example of aimless jamming by some white guitarists in awe of a blues icon. I completely disagree. Sure, many of the tracks are over 5 minutes: and yes these are jams. But they anything but chaotic and unstructured as some listeners have suggested. There are fine contributions from the likes of Steve Miller, Mel Brown and the late Jesse Ed Davis (listen to Davis' snake like notes and brittle playing on the jam Pots on, gas up high). For the blues mood in extremis check out Kick Hit 4 hit Kix U and Sheep out on the foam. The rhythm section of Gino Skaggs (you want to learn blues bass playing, listen to this cat's clean playing) and Ken Swank (fine drumming) on most tracks (late Carl Radle and Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos appear on the remainder) is rock steady. I emigrated to Canada as a 15 year old in 1971 and this was the album that got me into blues. I have worn out two double albums and have presented copies to numerous friends to illustrate how joyful blues music can be. Its wonderful that the CD is available once more to delight blues fans every where. The 5 stars are for the content and for the seminal role this CD has played in shaping my musical education.

Driftin' and driftin'...
Do you like your blues sleazy? I mean with sleaze just dripping off it and oozing out of every nook and cranny? Do you like your blues without chord changes, droning and building emotional intensity as it burrows into your soul like a thousand nights in a shotgun shack on the delta? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, Endless Boogie is your type of album. It's John Lee "jamming" with a group of, mostly, young white blues dudes in an essentially live session recorded in studio. All the tracks are extended by today's standards, and all have some decent guitar, piano, and electric piano solos. What really makes this disc special is the alchemy, that special "something" that you hear sometimes at the Monday night blues jam, when the players catch fire and everything transcends. Hooker's voodoo guitar doesn't get much of a showing, but his singing is definitely in top form: brooding, evocative, and, quite frankly, somewhat disturbing in its urgent melancholy. Listen to this, you will come away changed. ... 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