Howlin Wolf: The Chess Box Review

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Howlin Wolf: The Chess Box ReviewIf 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.Howlin Wolf: The Chess Box Overview71 of the rawest Chicago blues ever recorded! Wolf's greatest sides from 1951-1973, including two previously unreleased acoustic tracks and never-before-heard interviews, and unreleased stereo versions of such classics as Spoonful and I Ain't Superstitious . Two sets of liner notes, too!

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The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969, Vol. 3 (1969) Review

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The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969, Vol. 3 (1969) ReviewI have been collecting the audio discs of "The American Folk Blues Festival" for many years with great anticipation that the mythic video documents would someday be released. Happily those and some new performances are included on this DVD output along with the others in the series. The performances are absolute gems. This disc is a mix of studio and live performances that are so great they bring a tear of joy to my eye. Most of the performers were so rarely filmed that it is a real delight to see them perform. The set list is identified above, but it is worthy of note that the musicians backing up the "A" list track artists are a who's who of blues legends.
I can't pick a favorite cut as they are all wonderful, but to see Otis Rush backing Big Joe Turner, or the ultra rare filmed appearance of Little Walter blowing harp for Hound Dog Taylor (four years before Hound Dog's stellar Alligator debut incidentally), or Buddy Guy's super cool reading of "Out Of Site", or the main man, T-Bone Walker, backing Helen Humes, etc. is a treat beyond explanation. The amazing Earl Hooker and Muddy Waters are bonus track features with Paul Oscher making a very cool appearance on "Got My Mojo Working." Run time is about an hour on this disc.
If you are a fan of music, especially blues, then you need this three volume DVD set, now.
The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969, Vol. 3 (1969) OverviewTracklistings 1. BIG MAMA THORNTON- Hound Dog 2. ROOSEVELT SYKES- Gulfport Boogie 3. BUDDY GUY- Out Of Sight 4. DR. ISAIAH ROSS- Feel So Good 5. JOE TURNER- Flip, Flop & Fly 6. SKIP JAMES- All Night Long 7. SKIP JAMES- Crow Jane 8. BUKKA WHITE Got Sick & Tired 9. SON HOUSE Death Letter Blues 10. HOUND DOG TAYLOR Wild About You 11. KOKO TAYLOR Wang Dang Doodle 12. SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE-Stranger Blues 12. SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE- Burnt Child (Afraid of Fire) 14. SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE McGHEE-Gonna Move Across The River 15. HELEN HUMES- THe Blues Ain't Nothing' But A Women BONUS TRACKS: 16. EARL HOOKER- Earl's Boogie 17. MUDDY WATERS- Long Distance Call & 16. MUDDY WATERS-I Got My Mojo Working

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Born Under a Bad Sign Review

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Born Under a Bad Sign Review... and under a half moon on the decline: This is one amazing blues album, doubtlessly one of the greatest ever recorded, and one of the most influential records in all of music history. Because in 1966-67, when Albert King got together on a total of no more than five days with the legendary Booker T. Jones and the MGs, Isaac Hayes, and a recording team of the likewise legendary Stax records to produce this album, the blues was quietly on its way out; in danger of being sidelined by psychedelia and the rock music revolution started by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. That this did not happen is due, not least, to Albert King and "Born Under a Bad Sign."
Already seasoned musician when the album was recorded, Mississippi-born and Arkansas-raised Albert (Nelson) King was a man who perfectly understood to employ minimal construction to maximum effect; to fully exploit even the most basic elements of a blues tune and use his exquisite sense of timing, and subtleness on the one hand and emphasis on the other, rather than dazzling the listener by a frenzied race all over the fretboard. ("He can take four notes and write a volume," renowned guitarist Mike Bloomfield once said about him.) This album is a perfect example of that style, and it promptly proved so influential that King's style would be taken up, in short order, by a whole new generation of guitar players, most notably Peter Green, Eric Clapton (listen to Cream's "Disraeli Gears," in particular its title track "Strange Brew," which unabashedly emulates, note-for-note, the guitar solo of "Personal Manager") and Jimi Hendrix, who like Albert King was a "leftie" and in the habit of turning his guitar upside down, with the bass strings at the bottom - and whose respect for King caused him to forever be reluctant to share a stage with his idol, although a lucky audience at San Francisco's Filmore West did see them appear together on the club's opening night.
But this album did not only prove to be one of the most influential ones in electric blues in general; it also constitutes the cornerstone of Albert King's own musical legacy, with its Booker T. Jones/Al Bell-written title track, which has since been recorded by everyone from Paul Butterfield to its inclusion of the CD based on TV's "Simpsons;" and such songs as "Crosscut Saw," "Oh Pretty Woman," "The Hunter," "Personal Manager," and of course King's first Stax single, "Laundromat Blues." Partly R&B record, not least due to the participation of the Memphis Horns (Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love and Joe Arnold), who provide a frame and additional layers of sound to King's guitar, to the studio band (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr.), the album is a product of its time only in the length of the songs, which are generally tied to the 3 1/2-minute limit set by the then-prevailing mandates of radio airplay. Yet, at heart, this is purely blues, from the title track's first powerful riff to the quiet mood of the closing "The Very Thought of You;" and from the feeling of being down and out (summed up, deadpan, in the title track's chorus: "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all") and the tale of a no-good woman who "kept on foolin' around till I got stuck on [her]" ("Oh Pretty Woman") to the grating guitar and verbal punches of the "Laundromat Blues" ("You better hear my warning ...I don't want you to get so clean, baby, you just might wash your life away"). Albert King's early gospel training shines through in every soulful note of songs such as "I Almost Lost My Mind" and "As the Years Go Passing By," and last but not least the album also includes King's own "Down Don't Bother Me" and the Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller classic "Kansas City."
Obviously feeling the need to convince an uncertain audience to give the record a try, Deanie Parker's 1967 liner notes summed up the prevalent blues cliches by recommending the album to anybody who had ever been hurt by a lover, deceived by their best friend or broke and "ready to call it quits" and promising: "Albert King has the solution if you have the time to listen ... he'll get through to you." Well, "solution" may be a bit over-optimistic - but there sure is plenty of feeling on this album, and some of the finest guitar solos ever recorded. And that in and of itself, as well as the name Albert King, should be more than enough of a recommendation to give the album a try.
Also recommended:
In Session
Live Wire/Blues Power
Blues at Sunrise: Live at MontreuxBorn Under a Bad Sign OverviewNo Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: KING,ALBERTTitle: BORN UNDER A BAD SIGNStreet Release Date: 06/18/2002

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Sweet Tea Review

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Sweet Tea Review"Sweet Tea" is fast being heralded as Buddy's best CD ever. For example, the liner notes proclaim that Buddy "may have made the album of his life".
There is no doubt that Buddy pours his heart and soul into this recording. However, no musician, with the possible exception of Linda Ronstadt, wants to have a cover CD credited as "the album of his life".
Unlike Buddy's earlier CD's, "Damn Right, I've Got The Blues", "Feels Like Rain" and "Slippin' In", which all contain several Guy originals, "Sweet Tea" is a tribute CD to several of the North Mississippi Hills musicians such as, the late Junior Kimbrough, Lowell Fulsom & T-Model Ford who record(ed) for Fat Possum records. In fact, all but two of the songs are covers of these men.
The dark, brooding, often hauting and hypnotic beat of the original tunes is left intact on this CD. However, what Buddy brings to the mix is his exceptional guitar solos that are otherwise absent on the originals. Make no mistake about it, Guy's playing on the CD is exceptional and is the best he has played in a long time. If you want to hear something a little different from Buddy Guy, this is your CD.
On the other hand, I think the impoverished and often over looked Mississippi Hills musicians should be given their due as well. So, if you like this CD I would urge you to strongly consider RL Burnside's "Wish I Were In Heaven", Junior Kimbrough's "All Night Long", T-Model Ford's "She Ain't None of Your'n, Jessie Mae Hemphill's "Feelin Good" or Robert Belfour's "What's Wrong With You" all are excellent, recent CD's worth a listen.Sweet Tea OverviewNo Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: GUY,BUDDYTitle: SWEET TEAStreet Release Date: 05/15/2001

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Ultimate Collection Review

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Ultimate Collection ReviewThis is the best single disc Freddie King Collection on the market, considering that Hideaway: The best of Freddie King is out of print. Two or three selections are doubtful (Dust my broom and Sugar sweet), but mostly it is really good, combining his trademark instrumentals (Hideaway, The Stumble, etc) with wocal tracks. Freddie's sharp, melodic and intense guitar playing influenced a lot white blues guitarists - most obviously - at least to my ears - Eric Clapton on the John Mayall's Bluesbrakers with Eric Clapton album. If you like blues, or just great guitar playing (and there's some fine singing from Freddie as well), get this record.Ultimate Collection Overview

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Live at the Regal Review

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Live at the Regal ReviewAs has been noted, this is one of the essential albums, one of the records that everyone is supposed to have like John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, like Robert Johnson, like the music Billie Holiday made with Lester Young for Columbia, like Louis's Hot 5s and Hot 7s, like Elvis's Sun Sessions.
Beyond that, this is something that has become increasingly rare, a live blues recording where the music is played for blues people, African American working class and middle class blues people in an urban center. This all about singing and swinging and jiving and talking to the audience and the audience talking back.
When I was in Mississippi in the mid 1960s doing civil rights work, I met Blues People who loved BB King who didn't know that he played the guitar. The expression always was and still is 'BLUES SINGER," not blues guitarist. He sang the blues the way they needed to listen to and in a Blues People venue the folks will talk back to him too.
My favorite, classic moment of the blues dialog here is in "It's my own fault baby" where Riley sings "I gave you seven children, and now you want to give 'em back." All the sistas in the audience scream. Gruffer sounds came from the men.
What is essential to blues performance for BLUES PEOPLE is the constant dialog between the singer and the audience that is the heart of the native blues experience. The dialog isn't about the impeccable guitar playing on this record, or the totally righteous playing of the band, or even the fine voice of Riley B. King here, but it is about what the words the lyrics speak to the lives of the audience, and what the audience responds to the singer. That's the center of blues, not heavy guitar licks that the post-folk-post rock blues fan thinks is the essence of heavy blues.
It's a shame the audience for the blues has almost disappeared, that blues stars no longer play in big "Chitlin' Circuit" theaters like the Regal, the Apollo, the Howard, the old non hippie Fillmore, or that you can't see Riley or Bobby Blue Bland in smoky little night clubs in the ghetto.
Perhaps, I am showing my age here, because time has to roll on. I am sure that night at the Regal there was someone who could remember when the sistas and their men would be shouting back at things Bessie Smith, or Big Maceo and Tampa Read, Lonnie Johnson, or Memphis Minnie had sung to them from that same stage without the electric instruments.
The real Black blues when it was based among us, was about singing, about commentary. For even the greatest guitarists like Riley, Lonnie Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Johnny Lee Hooker, Guitar Slim, the guitar playing and the band were just ways to emphasize how the to talk to audience. This brings to mind that great Betty Carter Album, "The Audience and Betty Carter." This is the Blues People and Riley King talking to each other. That's priceless, get it, and listen to it.Live at the Regal OverviewThe recording of B.B.'s 1964 performance at the Regal was hailed as an instant classic upon its release, and it's still often named as the best live blues album ever . It's been remastered from the original tapes and includes both the original and updated liner notes. Songs include Please Love Me; You Upset Me Baby; Woke Up This Mornin'; Every Day I Have the Blues; It's My Own Fault , and more from the King of the Blues.

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Play the Blues Review

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Play the Blues ReviewThis is a spirited rendition of the work of Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, two of Chicago's leading lights in the blues world. Junior Wells' harmonica playing and Buddy Guy's guitar work set a sound foundation for this CD. This was a re cording spearheaded by Eric Clapton as his Derek and the Dominoes album was being finally mixed. And we are fortunate to be able to listen to the results.
Backing instrumentals are played by the likes of Clapton, Dr. John (on piano), and J. Geils (guitar), among others.
Some cuts illustrate their work. "A Man of Many Words" is a clean sounding, contemporary blues song. This does not look back toward the delta or the early Chicago sound. Clapton's guitar playing is interesting and spirited (although maybe a bit overdone). The vocals are smooth. Some nice wording:
"I know I rap long and know I rap strong,
Come on mama let me turn you on."
"T-Bone Shuffle" is one of T-Bone Walker's songs. Here, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells do a nice job with their cover. The sound is simpler than with "A Man of Many Words." The ensemble playing is very good. Vocals, again, are nice, as they play with lines like:
"Tell me what the reason
You keep on teasin' me."
"This Old Fool" is another fun cut. J. Geils joins with guitar here. Buddy Guy sings against a really insistent beat, with the rhythm section playing splendidly. Magic Dick's harmonica adds to the whole sound. There is a great blues sensibility to this song. The end of the song features some fiery guitar work.
So, this is a nice view of the work of Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. The session that was recorded here is lively and has a spontaneous feel to it. Well worth listening to.
Play the Blues Overview

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Trouble Is Review

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Trouble Is ReviewI think KWS has a wonderful gift of playing the blues with passion and intensity. No he is not Stevie Ray and how in the hell are you going to say he sucks because he isn't? And Stevie Ray is no John Petrucci or Al Dimeaola so I guess he sucks as well. Come on people, stop being such music snobs. I highly recommend it.Trouble Is OverviewNo Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: SHEPHERD,KENNY WAYNETitle: TROUBLE IS...Street Release Date: 10/07/1997

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The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions Review

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The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions Review...producer Norman Dayron asked Eric Clapton if he would like to do an album with Chicago blues icon Howlin' Wolf.
Clapton jumped at the idea, Wolf was flown over from Chicago with his lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin, young harmonica ace Jeffrey Carp was called in, and bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones made up the rhythm section.
And after the first day, Eric Clapton almost walked out, seriously intimidated by a sceptical Howlin' Wolf who had little faith in the abilities of the young Englishmen.
But then Clapton made a gesture which seemingly made Wolf thaw a little: Feeling (or maybe just pretending) that he and the band couldn't get the right sound on "The Red Rooster", he convinced Wolf to play the main riff for them. The tape was running, and you can hear the resulting "practice session" on disc one...Howlin' Wolf reluctantly agrees to play the guitar, and, refusing the one which is offered to him, he picks up his own instrument, puts on a glass bottleneck, and plays the instantly recognizable, muscular slide guitar riff which he first recorded in 1961.
That song is one of the highlights of this album, and one of the few of these sixteen re-recordings which matches the original.
Well, it gets really close, anyway.
Wolf was a sick man in 1970, suffering from heart problems and kidney disorder, and the often presented claim that these recordings lack the gritty power of his original Chess sides certainly has some truth to it. But that doesn't mean that "The London Sessions" is a waste of time...Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts form a very convincing bluesy rhythm section, 19-year-old Jeffrey Carp was a tremendous harmonica player, and Eric Clapton refrains from any kind of psychedelic blues-rock excesses like the ones which irreparably destroyed Muddy Waters' completely superflous "Electric Mud" album (and Wolf's own "This Is Howlin' Wolf's New Album", which he himself detested with a vengeance).
Disc I consists of the original London Sessions album plus three cuts from the same session which were left off the 1971 LP, and later released on 1974's weird throwoff "London Revisited".
Among those three are a pretty good "Going Down Slow" (Wolf does all the vocals, unlike the Chess version which had Willie Dixon speaking the first verse), and a rendition of "Killing Floor" which doesn't quite match the awesome original from 1964. It's still pretty good, though.
Disc I's "Who's Been Talking" is marred by a hideous organ solo, but the arrangements are generally very good, sticking close to the originals, and Steve Winwood stays away from the organ on the rest of the album, playing some good piano parts instead. He shares piano duties with Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart, and Chicago great Lafayette Leake shows up as well, rolling the ivories on "The Red Rooster", "Worried About My Baby", and "Sittin' On Top Of The World".
Also on disc I, Ringo Starr (billed as "Richie") plays drums on a good "I Ain't Superstitious" with a beefy horn arrangement, and the band lay down a really tough, powerful version of "Highway 49", and a slow, grittier-than-usual "Wang Dang Doodle".
Disc II opens with a lean, bare-bones rehearsal take of "Worried About My Baby", followed by a great, swaggering "The Red Rooster" which is at least as good as the one originally chosen.
"What A Woman" (better known as "Commit A Crime") is here in a really good, tough alternate version, and a completely superflous one with an artificial-sounding organ part overdubbed. "I Ain't Superstitious" is included in a horn-less rendition (as well as an alternate mix), and there is a great alternate take of "Highway 49" as well, a muscular alternate take of "Worried About You" (apart from the rehearsal), and a very good, significantly different version of "Poor Boy".
But the highlight on disc II has to be the tough, syncopated "Who's Been Talking" in an organ-free rendition which opens with two minutes of dialogue...Wolf is directing drummer Charlie Watts, and once Watts and bassist Wyman get on the beat, the result is magnificent. Too bad that it ends rather abruptly.
Howlin' Wolf's hoarse voice doesn't quite have the power it did just a few years earlier, but he still sings with conviction and lots of authority, and while this deluxe edition is probably too much for the casual fan, it does have lot of stuff which should interest serious Wolf fans. And the band actually do play the blues...a lot of rock drummers just can't do that, but Charlie Watts in totally convincing, as is the young harpist Carp and of course Wolf's own right hand man, the great Hubert Sumlin.
This is not the place to start your Wolf collection (always start with the classic Chess stuff!), but certainly not one to shy away from, either. Not everybody need to own this two-disc edition, but the London Sessions are definitely worth a listen. This 2003 reissue comes with an interesting essay by Bill Dahl, and the fidelity is excellent, notably better than on the original CD reissue.
"The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions" lack the incredible raw power of Wolf's early sides, but it's an interesting document for Wolf fans anyway.The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions OverviewMany have wondered how Wolf interacted with young Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman when they recorded The London Sessions in 1970. This fascinating deluxe edition contains the original LP, three cuts from London Revisited , 12 unissued tracks from the sessions and lengthy studio dialogue.

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Pure Blues Review

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Pure Blues ReviewFrom the legends to the modern masters ~ the acoustic to the electric ~ featuring 20 essential recordings covering the last half-century of the blues by the greatest and the latest.
Spanning five decades ~ original as original can be ~ "Pure Blues", is just what the doctor ordered ~ the best medicine from the likes of ~ Luther Allison, The Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Albert King, B.B. King, Freddy King, Jonny Lang, Jimmy Reed, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Koko Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Big Mama Thornton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf ~ each artist with detailed liner-notes and a little history of their background and accomplishments.
Want to thank ~ Andy McKaie (compilation producer) ~ Jeff Moskow (associate producer) ~ Doug Schwartz/Audio Mechanics (digitally mastered) ~ Mike Fink (design) ~ Geary Chansley & Ryan Null (photo research) ~ and Universal Music for this one-of-a-kind album for us, the fans of the best music around...BLUES!
This CD is proof, once and for all ~ that the "BLUES" was then, is now and IS FOREVER ~ we've hit pay-dirt...and that folks, is the truth, plain and simple!
Total Time: 76:28 on 20 Tracks...UTV Records 314 556 176 2...(2001)Pure Blues Overview

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King of the Blues Review

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King of the Blues ReviewB. 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.King of the Blues OverviewThis ain' no one-night stand this time B.B. and Lucille are here for an extended stay! 77 tracks, 30 never on CD and seven never anywhere else, covering the career of the most influential blues guitarist of all time in chronological order. Everyday I Have the Blues; The Thrill Is Gone , and Goin' Down Slow all the classics are here, along with B.B.'s work with Bobby Bland, Duke Ellington, etc., documented by a 72-page color booklet with notes from the man himself!

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Moanin in the Moonlight & Howlin Wolf Review

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Moanin in the Moonlight & Howlin Wolf ReviewThis is the most essential single Howlin' Wolf CD there could possibly be and would make an excellent first purchase for a Howlin' Wolf novice. It comprises The Wolf's first two long-player releases, both what we would now regard as compilations, and was put out by Chess/MCA in 1986.
Moanin' In The Moonlight came out in America in 1959 and was made up of 12 selected A-sides and B-sides from the many 78's he released between 1951 and 1958, all monaural, including such classics as Smokestack Lightnin' and I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline). The LP kicks off with Moanin' At Midnight and How Many More Years, comprising both sides of his first Chess single, recorded in Memphis by Sam Phillips at what would become the Sun studios, long before Howlin' Wolf moved to Chicago. The songs on this LP are among the most elemental, eerie and powerful pieces of music ever committed to tape.
Equally compelling is the second collection, usually known as the Rocking Chair album, released in the US in January 1962, when the genre was presented as the root of "Music Americana". It contained 3 previously unreleased songs recorded between May and December 1961, and 9 that were on 45's released in 1960 and 1961 (though two were recorded in 1957), but all in stereo.
Famous songs include The Red Rooster, Wang Dang Doodle, Back Door Man and the Wolf's famous variation of Spoonful (he would have learned the original, fairly dissimilar Spoonful Blues from Charlie Patton) - though all staple fare for a million blues and rock bands ever since, none could match the intensity and darkness of these originals (although the Rolling Stones' Little Red Rooster came close). Most were written by Willie Dixon, who plays bass throughout, though there are a couple credited to Howlin' Wolf and a cover of St Louis Jimmy Oden's Goin' Down Slow, on which, unusually, the recitation is spoken by Willie Dixon.
The division of stereo and mono recordings is not declared anywhere on the CD and seems somewhat arbitrary, especially since Who's Been Talkin' (stereo), Tell Me (stereo) and Somebody In My Home (mono) were all recorded on 24 June 1957.
A note in the sleeve reads, "In our effort to bring you the originals for the cost of a single CD, we have omitted one selection due to the length of the combined original albums." Given the playing time of 66 minutes this is a very irritating message, but in my quest to discover the identity of the missing selection, after consulting several online discographies as far as I can tell it seems that all tracks are present and correctMoanin in the Moonlight & Howlin Wolf OverviewNo Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: HOWLIN' WOLFTitle: HOWLIN' WOLF/MOANIN' IN THE MOStreet Release Date: 01/01/1987

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Keep on Walkin' Review

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Keep on Walkin' ReviewThis cd is one of my favorites with these two musicians. Playing great blues, and with real feelings. Having heard many small blues bands, these are the guys I will follow anytime I can get to where they are playing. We need more from them on cd's.Keep on Walkin' Overview

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Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy Review

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Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy ReviewTo the fan from Vienna, VA: Buddy is not in his 70's. Actually, as of the date I'm writing this, he is 63. Regardless, no one I've ever seen packs as much energy into a live performance as Mr. Guy. And I recommend to anyone who hasn't seen him live, do it before it's too late. He truly is the master!!
Anyway, about this CD. It is a compilation of some of best tracks off his Silvertone recordings of the 90's, plus 5 previously unreleased tracks. Definitely for the more casual fan, who doesn't own "Damn Right I've Got the Blues", "Feels Like Rain", "Slippin' In"(the best of the individual studio Silvertone recordings), and "Heavy Love". Also with the Silvertone label, Buddy released a live album w/the Saturday Live Band called "The Real Deal". The only track on "Buddy's Baddest" from "The Real Deal" is "Let Me Love You". "The Real Deal" is definitely worth buying separate because live is how Mr. Guy is meant to be heard.
Overall, I would say "Buddy's Baddest" is a good introduction to Buddy Guy. If you love it, then follow up with "The Real Deal", the individual Silvertone recordings, "Stone Crazy", and "DJ Play My Blues". Also, you can't go wrong with "Live at Montreaux" or "Drinking TNT and Smoking Dynamite"(better), both live recordings with harmonica legend Jr. Wells.....Enjoy!Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy OverviewNo Description Available.Genre: Blues MusicMedia Format: Compact DiskRating: Release Date: 15-JUN-1999

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Definitive Collection Review

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Definitive Collection ReviewEver notice that you're seeing more and more of these "best of" collectons out there now? Now there is UMVD's "The Definitive Collection" of numerous artists from that same unforgettable era featuring 20 or more top tunes of the featured artist crammed onto one disc. Sometimes these single-disc collections fail to make the grade because of so much essential material that ends up being left off for reasons of space alone and the rest of it is the same predictable fare. An exception in this case would be this: Muddy Waters' Definitive Collection. This collection runs through Muddy's premiere years featuring his swampy, slide guitar sound and musical style then continues through the '50s and early '60s when he began to make his significant impact on blues music and eventually would be regarded as one of the most highly respected names in blues music. So many of his best tunes like "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I'm Ready", "Forty Days and Forty Nights" and "Got My Mojo Working" were covered by so many bands so many times that these tunes are really timeless and have becomes standards in blues. You really do get and stay interested for the entire length of the album. It is a little slow to start, but it picks up quickly and the bulk of the action happens with tracks 8-18. "Crosseyed Cat", recorded in 1976, is something you really got to hear. It is swampy, raw and tough. A 6 minute jam session, basically. This "Definitive Collection' lives up to its name overall, and is absolutely essential for the blues fan if the 2-disc anthology is a bit much.Definitive Collection Overview

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Lie to Me Review

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Lie to Me ReviewWow. That was my reaction after my first listen to this CD that I recently got. I was hoping for something good, and in return I got something great. It's a downright shame that this guy isn't a bigger star, but Britney and O-Town are. What is wrong with the world?. Jonny was only 16 when he did this CD. 16!. He can play and sing with the best of them. Write too. Upon first listen, you think that there must be studio tampering. The guy comes off like a 45 year old. The CD starts off with the title track, a funky and up beat tune called "Lie To Me". Also included are Ike Turner's song "Matchbox". Things get awfully bluesy with the magnificent "Darker Side", and the well done and written, "A Quitter Never Wins". The more up beat, rocking tunes here are all winners. "Back For A Taste Of Your Love" is insanely catchy. My favorite track on here. "Rack 'Em Up" is a catchy toe tapper. "There's Gotta Be A Change" is as catchy as you can get. A few slower ballads like "When I Come To You" and "Missing Your Love" are very pretty and wonderfully sung. It is another moment where you can't believe his age. Lang has a throaty, smokey voice at times, but can quickly turn around and be soft and soulful. A masterful singer. His guitar playing can hold it's own up against King, Clapton, Hooker, Raitt, you name it. No doubt about it. This is music that is a total relief for people who are sick and tired of trashy rock and hard metal, and empty, vacuous TRL like music that has no depth. No soul. This, folks, IS music. Take the time to get to know Jonny. You won't be sorry.Lie to Me Overview

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Definitive Collection Review

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Definitive Collection ReviewThis is really just MCA/Chess' Howlin' Wolf-compilation "His Best" in new guise, but that's not a bad thing. "His Best" was by far the greatest single-disc Wolf-compilation on the market, and now this one is simply taking its place.
But do you know what you are getting into here? Even people who like Muddy Waters are sometimes turned off by the "sound of heavy machinery operating on a gravel road" that was Howlin' Wolf's voice.
Chester Arthur Burnett, the Howlin' Wolf, stood about 6'4" and weighed close to three hundred pounds in his prime, and his raw, throat-shredding vocals sound positively frightening on early cuts like "Moanin' At Midnight" and the clanging, piano-driven boogie of "How Many More Years", his first R&B hit, and the one which allowed him to proudly state that "I'm the onliest one drove out of the South like a gentleman!"
This is electric blues of the highest order, rough and tough and extraordinarily powerful. The songwriting credits are shared about equally by the omnipresent Willie Dixon, who plays bass on most of these cuts, and the Wolf himself, and while few of these songs are as well-known as Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man" or Elmore James' "Dust My Broom", they are quite as magnificent.
Wolf's tough "Who's Been Talkin'" is an incredibly gritty tour de force set to a thumping rhumba beat, and Dixon's horn-driven rave-up "Hidden Charms" features perhaps the greatest guitar solo ever comitted to tape, courtesy of Jimmy Page's and Eric Clapton's hero (as stated by themselves), the extraordinary Hubert Sumlin.
Other highlights include "Forty-Four", the eerie "Smokestack Lightnin'", the slide guitar-driven "Little Red Rooster" and the phenomenal "Killing Floor", written by Howlin' Wolf, shamelessly stolen by Led Zeppelin and covered by several others, but never surpassed, and featured here in the ultimate version, propelled by an incredibly catchy guitar riff by Hubert Sumlin, and with Buddy Guy on acoustic rhythm guitar.
Almost every song is a highlight, actually. This CD is a corner stone in any serious blues collection...hard-rocking, bone-crunching electric blues, burning with the sheer ferocity of Chester Burnett's incredible voice.
There was never anyone quite like the Wolf, and it doesn't seem likely that there will be.Definitive Collection Overview

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Ultimate Collection Review

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Ultimate Collection ReviewB.B. King is certainly the greatest living ambassador of the blues that we have and this latest anthology--released ahead of his eightieth birthday next September--is a well chosen collection of some of his best and best known songs. However, condensing a 50-plus-year recording career onto a single disc and calling it THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION borders on chutzpah.
However, give the compilers at Geffen Records their due. Through cross licensing they have been able to include some of his early RPM and Kent singles as well as his MCA material. [MCA has been B. B. King's home since the late sixties.] The set begins with his first No. 1 R&B single "Three O'Clock Blues" in 1951 and continues through with the most recent song "Ten Long Years" from 2000's collaboration with Eric Clapton, RIDING WITH THE KING.
Even at twenty-one tracks, there is much that had to be eliminated from this collection. Only the last four tracks represent King's post-seventies output. And over the past half dozen years alone, King has released some powerful albums, including 1999's tribute to the music of Louis Jordan LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL and 2003's collection of standards REFLECTIONS, neither of which is represented here.
What you do get though is classic B.B. King, including his 1964 crossover hit "Rock Me Baby," a couple tracks from 1965's LIVE AT THE REGAL "Every Day I Have the Blues and "Sweet Little Angel," his signature song "The Thrill Is Gone" (which at No. 15 was his highest charting pop hit in 1970), and the 7" edit and mix of "When Love Comes to Town" with U2.
Overall, this is a satisfying collection and makes for a nice introduction to the music of B.B. King. If you want a broader overview, consider 2000's 2-disc anthology or 1992's box set KING OF THE BLUESUltimate Collection OverviewThe King Of The Blues celebrates his 80th Birthday later this year, and Universal kicks off a year long celebration with the most complete single disc B.B. King collection ever. The Ultimate Collection collects B.B.'s legendary hits and signature songs between 1951 and 2000, from his first hit, 'Three O'Clock Blues' to his recordings with Eric Clapton and U2. MCA. 2005.

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Blues Blues Blues Review

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Blues Blues Blues ReviewJimmy Rogers was second guitarist in Muddy Waters' classic lineup, which also included harpist Little Walter and bassists Big Crawford or Willie Dixon. As a solo artist, Rogers used these musicians (minus Waters) to record his classic sides for Chess in the Fifties. If you don't already own the two-disc The Complete Chess Recordings, that would be the logical place to start.
But as a tribute to one of Chicago's greatest bluesmen (Rogers died in 1997 before this album's release), Blues Blues Blues is a great collection of songs. The idea of coupling an aging blues musician with superstar guests is nothing new. Chess Did it with its London Sessions series in the early Seventies, and John Lee Hooker has made a career out of it since releasing The Healer back in 1989. While this type of recording tends to be something of a mixed bag, Blues Blues Blues is an overall success.
Rogers is still in fine voice even into his seventies. And guest artists are top-notch. Guest vocalists (who share lead vocals with Rogers on all tracks) include Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Taj Mahal. Lead guitar is provided by Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Jeff Healey. Either Kim Wilson or Carey Bell plays harmonica on most tracks.
Whether the band is performing Rogers' originals like "That's All Right" and "Luedella," or classic blues songs like Waters' "Trouble No More" or Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights Big City," they play with authority and conviction.
While the album was recorded as a celebration of Rogers' contribution to the blues, it serves as a fitting tribute. HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDBlues Blues Blues OverviewCD > POPULAR MUSIC > BLUES

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Pay It Forward Review

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Pay It Forward ReviewThomas Ruf has done a great service to all Luther Allison fans in releasing this collection of rare studio and live performances. They are not all classics, but they do illustrate that Luther's time in Europe was one of great fertility and prowess, and before an adoring fan base he took them to places of joy with the blues that they likely never imagined attainable.
There are studio takes with Joanna Connor that are great R & B workouts, there is a bit of sentimentality with his son, Bernard, and the live tracks are all killer. Luther live was a force to be reckoned with and his European bands were as formidable as any collection that ever called South Chicago home. The liner notes are warm reminiscences by those who knew him or production notes from Ruf himself. This is clearly the work of a man who misses his very close friend.
You will not be disappointed with anything on the CD. It tends to underscore how tragic it was that just as Luther was gaining the recognition for creativity, innovation and passion in the States that were already legendary in Europe and Africa, that his life would be cut short. But this is no commercial rip-off. In fact, its very quality, like everything about Luther Allison, shows you just how short changed you are by other artists' outtakes (Elvis Costello, Bowie, U2, etc).
This isn't where you start if you have an interest in Luther Allison, but it is a nice way to remeber a great friend to the blues.Pay It Forward Overview

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