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BARGAIN
BASEMENT
COMPACT
DISCS - Blues & Gospel
Joe Louis Walker
-> Johnny Young
| JOE LOUIS WALKER |
Hightone HCD 8006 |
Cold Is The Night |
● CD $11.98 $8.98 |
This is the first album by this talented blues
performer. Joe, a Bay Area based performer is a striking and powerful
singer and an imaginative guitarist who can play both fast or with
restrained feeling. He is backed by a basic but effective rhythm section
(bass, keyboards and drums) which is occasionally augmented by sax or
added keyboards. As is usually the case producers Bruce Bromberg and
Dennis Walker get a thick sound out of only a handful of instruments.
The songs include 7 fine originals by Joe Louis and 3 from the brilliant
pen of Dennis Walker including the moving and soulful title song and the
fine Ten More Shows To Play written in collaboration with Lowell
Fulson. Highly recommended. (FS)
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| PHILLIP WALKER |
Delta Groove 115 |
Going Back Home |
● CD $15.98 $9.98 |
13 tracks, 43 mins, highly recommended
After more than
50 years performing, Phillip Walker continues to deliver quality music
with expressive soulful vocals and superb, but never flashy guitar and
this new album is no exception. He is accompanied by solid group of West
Coast musicians including guitarist Rusty Zinn, drummer Richard Innes,
pianist Fred Kaplan, sax player David Woodford and others. The material
is heavily dominated by covers but are carefully chosen to avoid over
familiarity along with a few excellent new songs from producer Randy Chertoff. There are several nods to the down home blues of his youth
with his cover of Lightnin' Hopkins Don't Think Cause You're Pretty,
a couple of songs from his mentor Lonesome Sundown and the acoustic
flavored Sweet Home New Orleans written by the harmonica player
on this track Al Blake. Phillip's low key approach means that he
probably doesn't get the attention of some of the more histrionic
performers out there but he is assuredly one of the best. (FS)
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| WASHBOARD SAM |
Acrobat ADDCD 3049 |
She Belongs To The Devil - An Anthology,
1936-1947 |
● CD $18.98 $14.98 |
Two CDs, 40 tracks, highly recommended
A particularly
nice introduction to the recordings of big voiced Robert Brown aka
Washboard Sam accompanying himself on washboard and joined by some of
Chicago's finest. Sam was not only a fine and expressive singer but also
an excellent songwriter who not only wrote for himself but contributed
to the repertoire of Big Bill Broonzy, Jazz Gillum and other Chicago
bluesmen - quite a few of which have become blues standards. The tracks
here are drawn from 13 different sessions and give a good cross section
of his repertoire. He is accompanied on all tracks by guitarist Big Bill
Broonzy who plays electric guitar on some of the later sessions. Other
great sidemen show up including pianist Black Bob, clarinetist Arnett
Nelson, alto saxist Buster Bennett, pianist Roosevelt Sykes, bassist
Ransom Knowling and others. This set includes some of his popular songs
including You Done Tore Your Playhouse Down/ (Mama) Don't 'Low/ Razor
Cuttin' Man/ Easy Ridin' Mama/ I'm Gonna Keep My Hair Parted/ Flying
Crow Blues/ She Belongs To The Devil/ River Hip Mama and others.
Sound quality is excellent and the 12 page booklet has informative notes
and full discographical data. (FS)
WASHBOARD SAM: (Mama) Don't 'Low/ Ain't That A Shame/
Beer Garden Blues/ Big Woman/ Booker T Blues/ Bucket's Got A Hole In It/
Do That Shake Dance/ Down South Woman Blues/ Easy Ridin' Mama/ Evil
Blues/ Flying Crow Blues/ Get Down Brother/ Good Old Cabbage Greens/ How
Can You Love Me/ I Get The Blues At Bedtime/ I Just Can't Help It/ I
Love All My Women/ I Love My Baby/ I'm Feeling Low Down/ I'm Gonna Keep
My Hair Parted In The Middle/ I'm On My Way Blues/ I've Been Treated
Wrong/ Ladies' Man/ Levee Camp Blues/ Lover's Lane Blues/ Mountain
Blues/ My Feet Jumped Salty/ Phantom Black Snake/ Razor Cuttin' Man/
River Dam Blues/ River Hip Mama/ Rockin' My Blues Away/ She Belongs To
The Devil/ Soap And Water Blues/ Walkin' In My Sleep/ Washboard Swing/
Wasn't He Bad/ You Can't Have None Of That/ You Can't Make The Grade/
You Done Tore Your Playhouse Down
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| JUNIOR WELLS |
Fuel 2000 61547 |
An Introduction To Junior Wells |
● CD $12.98 $7.98 |
14 tracks, 55 mins, recommended
This compilation opens
with 10 tracks recorded for Chief and Profile between 1957 and 1961.
Although Junior's superb harmonica work is present only on a couple of
cuts including the great instrumental Calling All Blues, there
are fine vocals and excellent songs and stellar instrumental work from
accompanying musicians like Earl Hooker, Syl Johnson, Lacy Gibson,
Lafayette Leake, Big Moose Walker, Willie Dixon, Fred Below and others.
Songs include I Could Cry/ Lovey Dovey Lovey One/ Come On In This
House/ Messin' With The Kid/ The Things I'd Do For You and others.
Note that his complete Chief, Profile and USA recordings are available
on Fuel 2000 61087 ("Calling All Blues" - $16.98). The remaining four
cuts are previously unissued live performances from an unspecified date
or place with Buddy and Phil Guy on guitars plus organ, bass and drums.
Includes fine performances of Help Me/ Look Over Yonder/ Messin' With
The Kid and I Can't Help Myself and this time there's no
shortage of fine harp work. (FS)
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| PEETIE WHEATSTRAW |
Document DOCD 5243 |
Complete Recorded Works In Chronological
Order, Vol 3 |
● CD $15.98 $10.98 |
25 tracks, 73 min., recommended
As the years rolled by,
Peetie Wheatstraw made clear progress as a vocalist and pianist,
demonstrated by the confident whoops, boastful proclamations, and
keyboard soloing on Good Hustler Blues/ Last Dime Blues. But the
artist rarely strays from his comfortable mid-tempo rhythm, making the
jaunty beat of Johnnie Blues a real standout. Santa Claus
Blues must be one of the first, and most melancholy Christmas blues
- other uncommonly sad themes distinguish Sorrow Hearted Blues/
Kidnapper's Blues. The last 7 cuts here feature Kokomo Arnold, an
excellent slide guitarist who cuts it up on Low Down Rascal/ Coon Can
Shorty. (MB)
|
| PEETIE WHEATSTRAW |
Document DOCD 5244 |
Complete Recorded Works In Chronological
Order, Vol 4 |
● CD $15.98 $10.98 |
23 tracks, 70 min., recommended
The duets with slide
guitarist Kokomo Arnold continue through the first 5 sides here, opening
with a favored Wheatstraw theme Old Good Whiskey Blues. As usual,
there is little variety in Peetie's piano style, but the imaginative
lyrics and strong imagery of Country Fool Blues/ Jungle Man Blues/
Don't Take A Chance/ Block And Tackle/ Little House transcend his
formula accompaniments. Arnold returns later in the chronology, issuing
extroverted slide excitement on False Hearted Woman/ Beggar Man Blues.
And the final two cuts show a whole new side to The Devil's Son-In-Law,
as he romps handily through the jazz inflections of Peetie Wheatstraw
Stomp. Like previous volumes, this one gets bogged down in
repetitive tempos, but is recommended for its frequent high points. (MB)
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| JOSH WHITE |
Document DOCD 5196 |
Complete Recorded Works, 1929-40; Vol 3 |
● CD $15.98 $10.98 |
24 more fine sides by White. The first 16 sides from
1935 and 1936 find him still recording for an AfricanAmerican audience
performing blues and spirituals with his voice and magnificent guitar
solo or accompanied by pianist Walter Roland or second guitarist Buddy
Moss. By 1940 Josh had become a part of the New York white club scene
and find him performing in a slicker and more sophisticated style
accompanied by string bass player Wilson Myers and on two cuts by great
jazz clarinetist Sidney Bechet.
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| JOSH WHITE |
Document DOCD 5571 |
In Chronological Order, Vol. 5, 1944 |
● CD $15.98 $10.98 |
26 tracks - When I Lay Down And Die/ Freedom Road/ I
Got A Head Like A Rock/ Hard Times/ Evil Hearted Man/ Jerry/ Waltzing
Matilda/ TB Blues/ Miss Otis Regrets, etc.
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| BIG JOE WILLIAMS |
Original Blues Classics 580 |
At Folk City |
● CD $11.98 $7.98 |
12 tracks, recommended
The always rewarding singer &
nine string guitarist Big Joe Williams is in fine form on this live set
recorded at Gerdes Folk City in New York in 1962. Many of the songs are
essentially compilations drawn from Big Joe's vast repertoire of
floating verses but Joe's enthusiastic performances but they sound fresh
thanks to Joe's exciting performances. It does include the original
Mink Coat Blues and the old favorite Bottle Up And Go and on
a couple of tracks Joe plays kazoo. Beautifully recorded with detailed
notes by Larry Cohn. (FS)
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| BIG JOE WILLIAMS |
Testament 5013 |
Back To The Country |
● CD $11.98 $8.98 |
21 tracks, 57 min., recommended
This reissue of
Testament LP 2205 captures Big Joe Williams with fiddler/guitarist Jimmy
Brown and harp blower Willie Lee Harris as they recreate the sound and
feel of an old time country party. Thirteen tracks features Williams as
vocalist, including a solo effort on Mean Backstabber, the
pensive The Mood Is Rising, and two previously unissued cuts,
Saturday Night Ball/ Goin' Back Home. Brown sings on 6 cuts,
including the absorbing Woody Woodpecker, leaving Harris two
opportunities (Worried And Lonesome/ Miss Ida B) to vocalize his
blues. But Williams dominates the proceedings with his booming voice and
impressing guitar work, and that's as it should be. Includes Pete
Welding's original liner notes, as do other volumes in this excellent
reissue series. (JC)
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| WARNER WILLIAMS |
Smithsonian Folkways 40120 |
Blues Highway |
● CD $15.98 $8.98 |
14 tracks, very good
Singer/ guitarist Warner Williams
from Tacoma Park, Maryland recorded live on the mid 90s - often
accompanied by harmonica player Jay Summerour. Williams was in his 60s
at the time of these recordings and performs in the Piedmont style with
some excellent singing and some nice fingerpicking though his choice of
material is overly familiar (Step It Up And Go/ Digging My Potatos/
Key To The Highway/ Good Morning Little Schoolgirl/ Worried Life Blues,
etc). He also does a couple of pop tunes and one humorous original
Hey Bartender, There's A Big Bug In My Beer. Includes 28 page
booklet with extensive notes by Nick Spitzer. (FS)
|
| SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON |
Purple Pyramid 833 |
I Ain't Beggin' Nobody |
● CD $13.98 $8.98 |
15 tracks, 40 mins, highly recommended
Complementing
Arhoolie 310 ("King Biscuit Time" - $12.98) this is another great
collection of recordings made by the wonderful singer and harmonica
player Sonny Boy Williamson for Lillian McMurray's Trumpet label in
Jackson, Mississippi in the early 50s. It features at least take of all
the songs not on the Arhoolie set including tracks not originally
issued. The tracks are drawn from five different sessions in 1953 and
1954 with different line ups. The use of a sax on some cuts seems a
little incongruous but is well done and sidemen on these sessions
include Willie Love, Joe Willie Wilkins, Lester Williams, David
Campbell, B.B. King and others. Tracks include a song about Trumpet's
owner Lillian McMurray 309 Blues, one about the train that took
him and his good friend Willie Love to Houston for a session City Of
New Orleans, the upbeat instrumental Clownin' With The World
and a reworking of his classic Mighty Long Time as No Nights
By Myself. (FS)
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| SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON |
Spectrum 544 277-2 |
The Best Of Sonny Boy Williamson |
● CD $10.98 $7.98 |
20 tracks, 57 mins, highly recommended
Inexpensive
introduction to the music of one of the greatest Chicago bluesmen Aleck
"Rice" Miller aka Sonny Boy Williamson. Williamson was truly brilliant
harmonica player with a style very different from his contemporaries and
a dazzling technique where he would switch between vocals and harmonica
riffs without a pause! He was a powerful vocalist and a brilliant
songwriter whose themes range somewhat father afield than most blues
artists, often drawing on some totally unique and witty imagery. On the
majority of his sessions he was accomanied by a quintet of brilliant
musicians - Robert Jr Lockwood and Luther Tucker/ guitars, Otis Spann/
piano, Willie Dixon/ bass and Fred Below/ drums - musicians who
perfectly complement and follow his vocals and harmonica. This set
includes help Me/ Don't Start Me Talking/ Ninety Nine/ Nine Below
Zero/ Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide/ Decoration Day/ keep It To
Yourself/ Too Young To Die/ The Goat/ fattening Frogs For Snakes and
more classics. If you are not familiar with the music of Sonny Boy you
should be and this is a good place to start. (FS)
|
| CHICK WILLIS |
Benevolent Blues 6 |
Mr. Blues: The Best Of .. So Far |
● CD $14.98 $11.98 |
17 tracks, 74 min., recommended
Willis plays as if he
were born in a blues club and his first words had a sexual double
meaning. Nasty Chick, they call him, and with some justification judging
from songs on this best of/rarities release such as Jack You Up
("Stoop down baby, let me jack you up"), Bootie Call/ I'm The Son (I
Like It Like That), among others. But Willis is better than that, if
a little on the raw side sonically as well. This set has enough good
songs to impress the doubters and five previously unreleased cuts to
hook the fans. (JC)
|
| CHICK WILLIS |
Collectables 5193 |
Stoop Down Baby |
● CD $13.98 $9.98 |
Are you ready for a 21 minute version of Chick's
Stoop Down Baby? If so, the man who plays the guitar with his tongue
has got a risque disque for you. Also has Something To Remember You
By/ Things I Used To Do/ Mother Fuyer and more.
|
| JIMMY WILSON |
Official 5256 |
Jumpin' From Six To Six |
● CD $17.98 $11.98 |
26 tracks, 69 mins, recommended
Excellent, but
problematic, collection of West Coast blues from Wilson who has had very
little of his work reissued on CD. He had an R&B hit in 1953 with his
version of Tin Pan Alley and recorded the exciting Jumping
From Six To Six which has inspired a number of covers. Both of these
great songs are featured here. Wilson is a fine singer who first sang
with the gospel group The Pilgrim Travelers and his vocals show a strong
gospel influence. The recordings here were cut between 1951 and 1961,
usually in the company of top West Coast musicians like the great
guitarist Lafayette Thomas, sax men Que Martin & Wild Willie Moore and
pianist King Solomon. I am particularly fond of his minor key, doomy
blues and there are a number of these songs here. Musically this is
deserving of an "essential" rating, unfortunately the remastering
frequently leaves a lot to be desired and the absence of liner notes or
discographical info are regrettable. (FS)
|
| JIMMY WITHERSPOON |
Blue Boar 1018 |
Ain't Nobody's Business (24 early sides) |
● CD $12.98 $7.98 |
24 great early sides
JIMMY WITHERSPOON: Ain't Nobody's Business, Pt. 1/
Ain't Nobody's Business, Pt. 2/ All My Geets Are Gone/ Bar Fly Blues/
Big Heart/ Call My Baby/ Ernestine/ Funny Style Baby/ Hey Mr. Landlord/
I Want a Little Girl/ Long About Dawn/ Lush Head Woman/ Miss Candy B/
Money's Gettin' Cheaper/ New Look/ Please Stop Playing Those Blues, Boy/
Roll on Katy/ Shipyard Woman Blues/ Skid Row Blues/ Spoon Calls Hootie/
Strange Woman Blues/ Third Floor Blues/ Voodoo Woman Blues/ Wandering
Gal Blues
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| JIMMY WITHERSPOON |
Collectables 7722 |
Spoon |
● CD $12.98 $7.98 |
Something a little different from the great blues
shouter on this 1961 Reprise album. Spoon does straight ahead renditions
of pop and jazz standards like Lover Come Back To Me/ Do Nothin'
'till You Hear From Me/ We'll Be Together Again/ Just Sittin' And A
Rockin/ Music Maestro Please/ Don't Worry 'Bout Me and others
accompanied by a fine band including Gerald Wilson, Si Zentner, Lanny
Morgan, Gerry Wiggins, Al Viola, Earl Palmer and others. Spoon does a
fine job and while this may not appeal to diehard blues fans there's a
lot to like in his expressive vocals and fine arrangements.
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| JIMMY WITHERSPOON |
Original Blues Classics 575 |
Some Of My Best Friends Are The Blues |
● CD $11.98 $8.98 |
12 tracks drawn from two sessions recorded in Sweden
during a 1964 tour. One session features Sppoon with a big band and the
other with strings and chorus. He Performs a mixture of blues, R&B, pop
and a folk tunes - Some Of My Best FRiends Are The Blues/ I Wanna Be
Around/ Who's Sorry Now/ Happy Blues/ One Last Chance, etc.
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| CARL WOLFE & GROUP |
Inside Mempis ISC 0516 |
W.C. Handy's Beale Street - Where The
Blues Began |
● CD $15.98 $7.98 |
A group led by co-founder of the Memphis Jazz Orchestra
performs songs written and published by blues pioneer W.C. Handy -
Harlem Blues/ St. Louis Blues/ Friendless Blues/ Basement Blues/
Blue-Gummed Blues/ Loveless Love/ Wall Street Blues/ Ole Miss/ Chantez
Les Bas/ Way Down South Where The Blues Began, etc. - 21 tunes in
all.
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|
REV. MACEO WOODS
& THE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLES CONCERT CHOIR |
Specialty 7066 |
Hello Sunshine |
● CD $14.98 $8.98 |
18 tracks, 77 min, highly recommended
With the help of
his mentor Professor Alex E. Bradford Jr., 20 year old Chicago-born
organist Maceo Woods (and his singers) first recorded for Apollo in
1952, followed by an 8 year period with Vee Jay Records - usually
featured as a solo organist and accompanying artists like the Argo
Gospel Singers, Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi, Highway QCs and the
Jesse Martin Singers. For these 1969-1970 sessions - taken from their 2
Volt albums - Woods conducts his choir through electrifying selections
like Hello Sunshine ('69,#28 R&B), Surrender To His Will,
The Name Of Of Jesus (with Marion Williams-ish lead singer Doris
Sykes), and a remake of his 1954 hit, Amazing Grace (solo organ).
If you enjoy your gospel choir jumpin' & a hollerin', you will enjoy
this CD, which reminds me a little of Alex Bradford's Abyssinian Baptist
Choir. Excellent notes by Opal Louis Nations. (EL)
MACEO WOODS: Amazing Grace/ Beams Of Heaven/ Bringing
In The Sheaves/ Hear My Prayer/ Hello Sunshine/ I Know God Cares For Me/
I'll Get Home Someday/ I'm Going To Live This Life I Sing About/ I'm
Mighty Grateful/ It's Been A Mighty Good Day/ Let My People Go/ Reach
Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)/ Step To Jesus/ Surrender To His Will/
The Name Of Jesus/ Think Of His Goodness/ Try God And See/ We See God
With The Eyes Of Our Soul
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| BIG JOHN WRENCHER |
Castle CMRCD 649 |
Big John's Boogie Plus |
● CD $15.98 $9.98 |
12 tracks, recommended
Fine set recorded in
England in 1974. Born in Mississippi in 1923, Wrencher made a name for
himself singing and blowing his harp in Chicago blues clubs and on
Chicago sidewalks, but he never found anything like commercial success
before his death in '77. This set was recorded while he was on a
European tour and features him accompanied by fine Chicago guitarist
Eddie Taylor along with British blues stalwarts Bob Hall, Bob Brunning
and Peter York. The material is a mix of originals or reworked standards
and John and the band sound good throughout on a set of basic stripped
down Chicago blues with solid, but not flashy, playing from all. The
influences of Howling Wolf and Little Walter are frequently present but
John was very much his own man. (FS)
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| JIM WYNN |
Classics 5070 |
1947-1959 |
● CD $14.98 $10.98 |
18 tracks, 48 mins, recommended
Second volume devoted to
this fine West Coast saxophonist/ bandleader features only 18 tracks
recorded over a period of 12 years at seven different sessions for seven
different labels! Although these were the only recordings issued under
his own name Wynn appeared as a sideman on hundreds of other recordings
during this period. This is a fine collection of jump blues, ballads and
r&B instrumentals including some good vocals from drummer Robert Simms.
(FS)
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| JOHNNY YOUNG |
Testament TCD 5003 |
Johnny Young & His Friends |
● CD $11.98 $6.98 |
18 tracks, 55 min., good
Reissue of Testament 2226,
comprising an assortment of "informal" mid-sixties recordings featuring
Little Walter, Otis Spann, Robert Nighthawk and others. Young was part
of the southern migration that fueled post-war Chicago, but lacked the
frontman qualities and vocal talents of his influential companions Sonny
Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters. As a result he is remembered mostly as
a respected accompanist who never lost his rural string band roots.
Young's mandolin playing is his most distinguished feature, heard to
good effect in the crisply recorded small group settings of Sugar
Farm Blues/ Kid Man Blues and the unissued Bumble Bee. His
solo performances of Want My Lovin'/ My Home Ain't Here are also
memorable for their assured, chugging acoustic guitar and convincing
vocals. The full band cuts rock, but are not always distinct in sound or
style. Still there are plenty of chances to enjoy the all-star sidemen,
particularly Little Walter, who steals the show on I'm Leaving Baby.
(MB)
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