Blues & Gospel - Bulletin July/ August 2009 - Little Joe Blue -> Johnny Winter + DVDS
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BULLETIN - July/ August 2009
Blues & Gospel
Little Joe Blue ->
Johnny Winter + DVDS

 

 

BOOKS

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Delmark DVD 1800 It Ain't Over - Delmark Celebrates 55 Years Of Blues ● DVD $22.98
Delmark celebrates it's 55th anniversary with a blues bash at Buddy Guy's Legends club in March 2008 featuring many of Delmark's current recording artists including Zora Young, Jimmy Johnson, Aaron Moore, Little Arthur Duncan, Lurrie Bell, Shirley Johnson, Eddie Shaw and Tail Dragger. Includes a commentary from DElmark's founder Bob KOester.

 
MUDDY WATERS Shout Factory 11304 Live At Chicagofest ● DVD $14.98
12 tracks, 56 min., highly recommended Filmed in August of 1981 at ChicagoFest, this live show captures one of the last great concerts by the most influential bluesman of his time performed before a hometown crowd of adoring fans. Sure Muddy spends most of the show sitting while he sings and plays his Telecaster, but he looks and sounds vibrant, no signs of frailty. His band was hand picked by harpist Mojo Buford in three days time and after one listen received the Muddy seal of approval. And though John Primer (guitar), Rick Kreher (guitar), Lovie Lee (piano), Earnest Johnson (bass), and Ray Allison (drums), had very little time playing together, they sound tight and powerful, as if they had been touring for months. Muddy is joined on stage by Johnny Winter (who had recently produced Muddy's Hard Again "comeback" LP) on Walking Thru The Park and sticks around long enough to sing Going Down Slow and You've Got To Love Her With A Feeing. Muddy's fellow Chicagoan Mighty Joe Young also takes the stage for a few special verses of Five Long Years>. A rewarding show from a tremendously talented bluesman. (JC)

 
JUNIOR WELLS Image Entertainment 3630 Live At Nightstage with Special Guest Buddy Guy ● DVD $19.98
Chicago blues harmonica giant joined by his frequent playing companion Buddy Guy on a 71 minute concert from The Nightstage in Cambridge, Mass. in 1986. Includes some introductory performances by Guy before he is joined by Junior. Songs include Look Over Yonders Wall/ I Just Want To make Love To You/ Tribute To Muddy Waters/ Juke/ Got My Mojo Workin'/ I Got You (I Feel Good), etc. Technical quality isn't the greatest but this is a rare chance to see these two giants at length. There is a 20 minute bonus segment filmed at The Channel in Boston in 1989 with Buddy & Junior talking about their lives and their long, and sometimes, tempestuous partnership and performing two additional songs Little By Little and Better Than I LOve Myself.

 

NEW COMPACT DISCS

 
LITTLE JOE BLUE Evejim 2054 Little Joe Blue's Greatest Hits ● CD $15.98
16 tracks, highly recommended This CD has been out quite a while but we only just came across it. Los Angeles bluesman Little Joe Blue (Joe Valery) who died in 1990 was a fine urban bluesman with a vocal style strongly influenced by B.B. King but with a more down home guitar style. He started his recording in 1963 career and had his only R&B hit in 1966 for Checker with Dirty Going On but continued to be popular performer recording singles and LPs for a variety of labels. This CD features his last recordings from two sessions in 1987 and 1989 originally issued as Evejim LPs. Produced by veteran L.A. singer, songwriter, producer and arranger Leon Haywood, Joe's excellent vocals and guitar are featured against a backdrop of a solid rhythm section and some fine horn arrangements. Joe does a new version of his hit Dirty Work as well as remakes of several other earlier recordings, new songs by Haywood and some well chosen covers like Israel Tolbert's Big Leg Woman and Sonny Boy Williamson's Don't Start Me To Talking. An excellent collection of no frills blues from an artist who deserves to be better known - too bad that Evejim couldn't be bothered to provide any notes. (FS)

 
EDDIE C. CAMPBELL Delmark 799 Tear This World Up ● CD $14.98
New album from veteran Chicago West Side bluesman. Mostly original songs plus a couple of Magic Sam covers, a Howlin' Wolf cover and a version of Summertime!

 
CLIFTON CHENIER/ CLARENCE GARLOW JSP JSPCD 4212 Louisiana Stomp ● CD $23.98
Two CD set. The first CD is devoted to the King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier and his first recordings in 1954 and 1955. The first six are primitively recorded sides recorded in Lake Charles in 1954 and originally issued on Elko, Post and Imperial. The rest of the disc features his recordings for Specialty in 1955 - many of which were not originally issued and are all available on Specialty CD 2168. Clarence Garlow was a fine Louisiana singer, guitarist and accordion player and the first 23 tracks feature Garlow's recordings for various labels between 1949 and 1955. Most of these were previously reissued on La Cienega 701 but this CD includes his osbcure zydeco sides cut in 1954 where he plays accordion. The second disc ends with two tracks by Boozoo Chavis including his original recording of the frequently covered Paper In My Shoe.
BOOZOO CHAVIS: Boo Zoo Stomp/ Paper in My Shoe/ CLIFTON CHENIER: All Night Long (Take 7)/ All Night Long (Take 8)/ Ay-Tete-Fee/ Ay-Tete-Fee (Take 8)/ Boppin' the Rock/ Cat's Dreamin'/ Chenier's Boogie (Take 3)/ Chenier's Boogie (Take 4)/ Clifton's Dreamin'/ Cliston Blues/ Country Bred/ I'm on My Way (Take 2)/ Louisiana Stomp/ Opelousas Hop (Take 3)/ Opelousas Hop (Take 34)/ Rockin' Hop/ Rockin' the Bop/ Squeeze Box Boogie/ Tell Me (Just a Lonely Boy)/ Things I Did for You/ Think It Over/ Wherever You Go I'll Go (Take 2)/ Wherever You Go I'll Go (Take 6)/ Yesterday (I Lost My Best Friend)/ Zodico Stomp/ CLARENCE GARLOW: Blues as You Like It/ Bon Ton Roula/ Come Baby Come/ Crawfishin'/ Cry Cry Baby/ Dreaming/ Hey Mr Bon Ton/ I Called You Up Daddy/ I'll Never Hold It Against You/ I'm Hurt/ In a Boogie Mood/ Jumpin' for Joy/ Jumping at the Zadacoe/ Made Me Cry/ New Bon Ton Roula/ New Bon Ton Roulay/ No No Baby/ Nothing to Talk About/ Route 90/ She's So Fine/ Train Came Down the Track/ You Got Me Crying/ Za Belle

 
WILLIAM CLARKE Watch Dog 1008 The Early Years, Vol. 1 ● CD $14.98
14 tracks recorded between 1978 and '85, prior to his signing to Alligator, by this fine West Coast singer and harmonica player who was a four time WC Handy Award winner as "Harmonica Player Of The Year". About half the tracks feature him with the Hollywood Fats band and it features two tracks with Clarke accompanying one of the people who influenced him - the great George Smith and one track accompanying bluesman Smokey Wilson. Includes Hittin' Heavy/ Diggin' My Potatoes/ So All Alone/ Keep It To Yourself/ Blowin' My Nuts/ Fine Little Mama/ I Miss You So, etc. Compiled with the assistance of Clarke's widow Jeanette.

 
WILLIAM CLARKE Watch Dog 1009 The Early Years, Vol. 2 ● CD $14.98
13 more early sides with Ronnie Earl, Johnny Dyer, Mitch Kashmar, Rasheed Abdullah, George Smith and others. Includes Early In The Mornin'/ Give Me Mine Now/ Shoulda Kept On Runnin'/ Bloody Tears On MY Pillow/ So Glad I'm Livin'/ I Had My Fun/ Boogie Woogie Woman, etc.

 
JOHNNY COPELAND Rounder 2207 Down On Bended Knee - Essential Recordings ● CD $9.98
Part of Rounder's new "Perfect 10" series featuring budget priced compilations of some of Rounder's most popular artists. This one features 10 sides from this superb and powerful Texas singer and guitarist drawn from albums he recorded for Rounder between 1984 and 1989. Includes When The Rain Stars Fallin'/ Down On Bended Knee/ Blues Ain't Nothin'/ Honky Tonkin'/ Don't Stop By The Creek, Son, etc.

 
PAPA JOHN CREACH Bee Bump 03 Papa Blues ● CD $15.98
13 tracks, 62 min., recommended Most people discovered John Henry "Papa" Creach during his years playing violin behind Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship. His 1970s LPs on that group's Grunt label were well received, and this album (reissued here on the tiny Bee Bump Music label) recorded two years before Creach's death in 1992 was to be his last album. Papa is backed here by the Bernie Pearl Blues Band and takes on vocal and fiddle duties. In all a solid set and, though perhaps not as pleasing as his earlier work, filled with Creach's own brand of understated cool singing (check Why Don't You Let Me Be) and remarkable violin work Scufflin' and everything else). (JC)

 
DRIFTIN' SLIM Original Blues Classics OBCCD 590 Somebody Hoo-Doo'd The Hoo-Doo Man ● CD $12.98
We've turned up a few copies of this long out of print CD. Reissue of 1967 Milestone by fine down-home bluesman originally from Arkansas and relocated to Los Angeles in the late 50s. Some of the cuts feature him as a one-man band (guitar, harmonica & drum) as well as solo harmonica cuts and some cuts with a down home electric band.

 
CHAMPION JACK DUPREE JSP JSPCD 71120 Early Cuts From A Singer, Pianist & Songwriter ● CD $28.98
Four CDs, 104 tracks, highly recommended Wonderful set featuring 104 tracks recorded between 1940 and 1953 by this fine blues singer and piano player who had a lengthy career and was frequently in the studio between 1940 and his death in 1992 and was so popular in Europe that he spent much of the last 20 years of his life living there. The recordings here, the majority of the sides recorded in this period, were recorded for a diverse selection of labels and find him in a variety of setting from solo vocal and piano to accompaniment by a guitarist to small groups including sidemen like Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, tenor saxist Jesse Powell, Stick McGhee, bassisst Cedric Wallace, Mickey Baker, Papa Lightfoot and others. While Jack was not one of the deeper bluesmen he was a very entertaining one and was a fine songwriter with material ranging from the topcal - Warehouse Man Blues & F.D.R. Blues, the personal - Bad Health Blues, the risque Wet Deck Mama, the humous - Drunk Again and the rocking Shake Baby Shake. Jack spent his early life in New Orleans and his early playing show the influence of the New Orleans piano style including his recording of the drug song Junker's Blues which provided the template for a number of New Orleans songs including Fats Domino's The Fat Man. An immensly appealing collection with informative notes by Neil Slaven and fine sound. (FS)
DISC 1:Gamblin' Man Blues/ Warehouse Man Blues/ Chain Gang Blues/ New Low Down Dog/ Black Woman Swing/ Cabbage Greens No. 1/ Cabbage Greens No. 2/ Angola Blues/ My Cabin Inn/ Bad Health Blues/ That's All Right/ Gibing Blues/ Dupree Shake Dance/ My Baby's Gone/ Weed Head Woman/ Junker Blues/ Oh, Red/ All Alone Blues/ Big Time Mama/ Shady Lane/ Hurry Down Sunshine/ Jackie P. Blues/ Heavy Heart Blues/ Morning Tea/ Black Cow Blues Disc 2: My Cabin Inn (alternate)/ Bad Health Blues (alternate)/ Gibing Blues (alternate)/ Dupree Shake Dance (alternate)/ My Baby's Gone (alternate)/ Jackie P. Blues (alternate)/ Black Cow Blues (alternate)/ Jitterbug/ Slow Boogie/ Mexico Reminiscences/ Too Evil To Cry/ Clog Dance (Stomping Blues)/ Rum Cola Blues/ She Makes Good Jelly/ Johnson Street Boogie Woogie/ I'm Going Down With You/ F.D.R. Blues/ God Bless Our New President/ County Jail Special/ Fisherman's Blues/ Black Wolf/ Lover's Lane/ Walkin' By Myself/ Outside Man/ Forget It Mama Disc 3: You've Been Drunk/ Santa Claus Blues/ Gin Mill Sal/ Let's Have a Ball/ Going Down Slow/ Hard Feeling/ How Long, How Long Blues/ Mean Old Frisco/ I Think You Need a Shot/ Bad Whiskey and Wild Woman/ Bus Station Blues/ Love Strike Blues/ Wet Deck Mama/ Big Legged Mama/ I'm a Doctor For Women/ Cecelia, Cecelia/ Going Down To the Bottom/ Fifth Avenue Blues/ Highway 31/ Come Back Baby/ Chittlins and Rice/ One Sweet Letter/ Lonesome Bedroom Blues/ Old Woman Blues/ Mean Mistreatin' Mama/ Featherweight Mama/ Day Break Disc 4: Deacon's Party/ My Baby's Comin' Back Home/ Just Plain Tired/ I'm Gonna Find You Someday/ Goin' Back To Louisiana/ Barrel House Mama/ Old, Old Woman/ Mean Black Snake/ The Woman I Love/ All Night Party/ Heart Breaking Woman/ Watchin' My Stuff/ Ragged and Hungry/ Somebody Changed the Lock/ Stumbling Block Blues/ Highway Blues/ Shake Baby Shake/ Number Nine Blues/ Drunk Again/ Shim Sham Shimmy/ Ain't No Meat On De Bone/ Blues Got Me Rockin', The/ Tongue Tied Blues/ Please Tell Me Baby/ Walkin' Upside Your Head/ Rub a Little Boogie/ Camille

 
SNOOKS EAGLIN Hep Cat 0524-2 Baby, You Can Get Your Gun ● CD $12.98
11 tracks, very highly recommended Reissue of Black Top 1037 from 1987 - generally considered his best Black Top release. Snooks Eaglin has long been the top gun of New Orleans guitarists, but rarely captured as a hot R&B performer, rather pigeonholed as an archival bluesman. But those who heard his raucus Imperial sides, his funky backing for the Wild Magnolias, or the Professor Longhair Woodstock sessions, or have caught him live, know that this is the kind of setting he thrives on. With a sympathetic backing band of fellow New Orleanians David Lastie on sax, Smokey Johnson on drums, Ewing Charles on bass with help from Ron Levy/ keyboards & Ronnie Earl/ guitar, Snooky grabs hold of these tunes and doesn't let go! Whether an instrumental romp like Providia and the meterized Drop The Bomb, or the Earl King title tune or his own That Certain Door he shows why the New Orleans brand of funk and blues is such a fountain of musical creativity. (JMC)

 
B.B. KING Geffen 12448-02 LIve At The BBC ● CD $13.98
14 tracks. 77 min., recommended This release collects highlights from shows in London (1978), Glasgow (1991), and Croydon (1998), and throws in 2 songs (Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, The Thrill Is Gone) cut in BBC studios in 1989. Songs include a cover of the WIllie Nelson classic Night Life, Stormy Monday Blues, U2's When Love Comes To Town, the Randy Crawford-penned I Like To Live The Love (actually a retread of an old gospel song). and more. King, the consummate blues professional, sounds great every time out. In fact, the only thing surprising here is the consistent sound and quality despite more than a decade being represented. A bigger-than-life talent with yet another solidly enjoyable release. (JC)

 
FREDDIE KING Bear Family BCD 16979 Taking Care Of Business ● CD $195.98
Postponed from May this is due by the end of this month. This seven CD box set with 168 tracks features all of Freddie's studio recordings from his first rare single on the El-Bee label through his classic recordings for Federal and King and on to his sides for Cotillion and Shelter. It includes a bunch of unissued alternate takes from his Federal/ King Years as well as an entire unissued demo session from 1968 featuring the only recording of J.B. Lenore's The Mojo and three untitled instrumentals. Comes with a 104 page LP sized hard cover book.

 
ALBERT KING/ OTIS RUSH Chess (UK) 9322 Door To Door ● CD $10.98
14 tracks, 40 mins, highly recommended Available again. Another classic Chess blues album that is now deleted in the U.S.A. but still available in Europe. This is a reissue of Chess LP 1538 - great album featuring two of the premier exponents of modern blues guitar. There are six superb sides by Rush from 1960 including the magnificent So Many Roads, So Many Trains which is one of his greatest ever performances with a mind-bending string-bending guitar solo and two tracks not originally released including a remake of his Cobra classic All Your Love. The 8 cuts by Albert were recorded for Parrot in 1953 and Bobbin in 1961 with only two of the Parrot sides being originally issued - all are superb and it's interesting to see the development in Albert's style between his early and later sessions. It includes reproduction of original LP liner notes plus new notes by Don Snowdemn and full discographical info. (FS)

 
ALEXIS KORNER'S BREAKDOWN GROUP GVC 1006 Blues FRom The Roundhouse - Featuring Cyril Davies ● CD $13.98
29 tracks, 80 mins, essential If you are a fan of British Blues, then the names Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies need no introduction. However, for the novices in the reading audience, might be necessary: Korner and Davies, via their early 60's group Blues Incorporated, were the early catalysts of the burgeoning British Blues scene and served as either inspiration or employment for many future stars or important musicians (Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, John Mayall, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards). But before Blues Incorporated, Korner and Davies had begun presenting live music at The Roundhouse, a pub in London's Soho, in late 1956. A few months later in February 1957, they recorded an album called Blues From the Roundhouse, which was credited to Alexis Korner's Breakdown Group featuring Cyril Davis [sic]. Released as a 10 inch LP, for years this album was considered the Holy Grail of collectors since only 99 copies were ever pressed. It soon followed by two equally-rare EPs, each also titled Blues From the Roundhouse, credited to The Alexis Korner Skiffle Group and Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated featuring Cyril Davis [sic], respectively. All three of these important releases-including an LP outtake-make up the bulk of this compilation (the first 17 tracks). The no-frills acoustic guitar and plaintive vocals make a beguiling combination and the Breakdown Group tracks are nothing if not mesmerizing in their simplicity; even a track as innocent as Skip to My Lou becomes an exercise in sadness in their hands. The Skiffle Group (a misnomer if there ever was one) and Blues Incorporated (the first version of this band) tracks were cut in 1957 and 1958, respectively, and are as good as the blues gets. The remaining 12 tracks were all recorded between 1954 and 1956 and feature Alexis and/or Cyril as sidemen for the likes of Ken Colyer and Beryl Bryden. Cyril Davies ability as a harp player was legendary, but there was little audio evidence to back up the claim; just people's hazy memories, but that problem has been solved with this invaluable document of Davies' extraordinary talents. The sound quality on these tracks is perfect and there probably won't be a more important British blues related CD issued this year. (GMC)

 
AMOS MILBURN Bear Family BCD 16926 Amos Milburn Rocks ● CD $24.98
31 tracks, 82 mins, essential Houston singer & piano player Amos Milburn was one of the greatest of the urban blues performers and a personal favorite. A wonderful singer with a soulful smokey voice and a truly brilliant piano player he was equally at home on a straight blues, boogie or Charles Brown style pop blues ballad. Between September, 1946 and April, 1957 he recorded some 140 sides for Aladdin records and this collection features 31 of his most rockin' tracks - many of them R&B chart hits. Although there have been quite a few Milburn reissues over the years including a comprehensive box set on Mosaic, many of those previous reissues are out of print, so if you missed out on those this is a great place to start. Amos loved to drink and party and a number of songs celebrate that including House Party Tonight/ Bad, Bad Whiskey/ Let Me Go Home, Whiskey/ Let's Have A Party/ Once Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer and others. If you recognise these titles it's probably because many artists have covered Amos's songs. In addition we have both versions of his iconic Chicken Shack Boogie - the 1948 version with a small group and the spectacular 1956 version recorded in New Orleans with an all star group of Big Easy musicians including Lee Allen, Alvin "Red" Tyler, Justin Adams and others. From that same session comes the originally unissued We Teenagers Know What We Want - a fairly dumb song but the great vocals and arrangements more than compensate. Most of the other sessions were held in Los Angeles with stellar sidemen like Maxwell Davis, Chuck Norris, Harper Cosby, Irving Ashby, Red Callendar and others. As always for Bear Family the sound is maginificent and the 48 page booklet has extensive notes by Bill Dahl, loads of photos and memorabilia and full discographical info. (FS)
AMOS MILBURN: Amos' Blues/ Amos' Boogie/ Bad, Bad Whiskey/ Birmingham Bounce/ Boogie Woogie/ Chicken Shack Boogie (1948)/ Chicken Shack Boogie (1956)/ Down The Road Apiece/ Every Day Of The Week/ Girl Of My Dreams/ Good, Good Whiskey/ Greyhound/ House Party (Tonight)/ I'm Gonna Tell My Mama/ Johnson Rag/ Juice Juice Juice/ Let Me Go Home, Whiskey/ Let's Have A Party/ Let's Rock A While/ My Baby's Boogying/ One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer/ One, Two, Three, Everybody/ Rock Rock Rock/ Roll Mr. Jelly/ Rooming House Boogie/ Sax Shack Boogie/ Soft Pillow/ Square Dance Boogie/ Three Times A Fool/ Vicious, Vicious Vodka/ We Teenagers Know What We Want

 
OTIS RUSH, MAGIC SAM, BUDDY GUY Retroworld 6007 Snakebite ● CD $24.98
This CD features all of Otis Rush's recordings made for Cobra between 1956 and 1958, Magic Sam's recordings for Cobra, Chief and Crash recorded between 1957 and 1966 and a miscellany of Buddy Guy tracks including two of earliest recordings cut for Ace in 1957 and not originally issued, his four sides cut for Cobra subsidiary Artistic in 1958 and four tracks where he accompanies vocalist Jesse Fortune whose vocal delivery owes a lot to that of Buddy's that were recorded for USA in 1963. These tracks have been out a number of times before - most recently on Westside and Fuel but if you don't have them they are absolutely indispensible recordings of great Chicago blues singing and guitar playing.
JESSIE FORTUNE: God's Gift To Man/ Good Things/ Heavy Heart Beat/ Too Many Cooks/ BUDDY GUY: I Hope You Come Back Home/ Sit And Cry/ This Is The End/ This Is The End (alternate)/ Try To Quit You Baby/ Way You Been Treatin' Me, The/ You Sure Can't Do (alternate)/ You Sure You Can't Do/ MAGIC SAM: 12 Days In Jail/ All My Whole Life/ All Night Long/ All Your Love/ Blue Light Boogie/ Do The Camel Walk/ Easy Baby/ Everything About This Time/ Everything Gonna Be Alright/ Look Whatcha Done/ Love Me This Way/ Love Me With A Feeling/ Magic Rocker/ Mr Charlie/ My Love Is Your Love/ Out Of Bad Luck/ She Belongs To Me/ Square Dance Rock/ Square Dance Rock/ You Don't Have To Work/ OTIS RUSH: All Your Love (I Miss Loving)/ Checking On My Baby/ Double Trouble/ Groaning The Blues/ I Can't Quit You Baby/ If You Were Mine/ It Takes Time/ Jump Sister Bessie/ Keep On Loving Me Baby/ Love That Woman/ My Baby Is A Good 'Un/ My Love Will Never Die/ She's A Good 'Un/ Sit Down Baby/ Sit Down Baby (alternate as Little Red Rooster)/ Three Times A Fool/ Violent Love

 
CANDI STATON Emtro Gospel 931522 I Will Sing My Praise To You ● CD $13.98
After focusing on gospel music for more than a decade, R&B singer Candi Staton made a stunning comeback to secular music with 2006's "His Hands." Since then, she seems to be dividing her time between secular and gospel music; her latest CD, "Who's Hurting Now?", features the former, while 2008's "I Will Sing Praise to You" highlights the latter.

 
BABY TATE Original Blues Classics OBCCD 567 The Blues Of Baby Tate - See What You Done Done ● CD $12.98
12 tracks, 35 mins, recommended We've turned up a few copies of this long out of print CD. Another fine obscurity reissued from the Bluesville catalog. Recorded in 1961, South Carolina singer/ guitarist, was an associate of Blind Boy Fuller. There is a lot in common between Tate and Fuller's style and repertoire and has also been influenced by Buddy Moss and Lightnin' Hopkins. However, Tate is enough of his own man to not be considered a mere copyist - he is a expressive and engaging singer and a fine and fluent guitarist. CD sound is excellent and booklet reprints original album liner notes - a bit too small for my liking, though. (FS)

 
BIG JOE TURNER Atlantic (UK) 122748 The Definitive Blues Collection ● CD $16.98
2 CDs, 30 tracks, 84 mins, highly recommended Here we have a concise collection of Big Joe Turner's best, recorded between 1951-59. The big man, with the big, big voice, in his prime. Though Big Joe worked from the 30's all the way to the '80's, the 1950s definitely was his commercial peak. You get Chains of Love through to Love Roller Coaster, all digitally remastered and sounding as great as ever. Every household needs a good Joe Turner collection and this is a great one to start with if yours doesn't. Essential cuts like Honey Hush/ Shake Rattle and Roll/ Flip, Flop and Fly/ Boogie Woogie Country Girl/ Crawdad Hole/ The Chicken and the Hawk (Up, Up, and Away,) and so many more monster tracks from one of the greatest ever. Fine notes from Bill Dahl are pretty much the highlight to otherwise pretty sparse packaging. (JM)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Delmark 800 It Ain't Over - Delmark Celebrates 55 Years Of Blues ● CD $14.98
The audio version of Delmark's 55th anniversary blues bash has 11 performances compared to the 15 on the DVD.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Dust-To-Digital 13 Take Me To The Water - Immersion Baptism In Vintage Mus ● CD $33.98
25 track CD/ 90 page hardcover book, very highly recommended A gorgeous book & CD combination. If you saw the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" you may have seen a scene involving adults being baptized in the river. This has been common practice among certain sects of Christianity - in both African-American and white churches for a long time. This book and CD is a musical and visual evocation of this practice from a historical perspective covering the period 1890 to 1950. The 96-page hardcover book (8.75 x 6 inches) has 75 sepia photograph reproductions from 1890-1950 collected by Jim Lindeman and is accompanied by a CD of songs and sermons from both African-American and white traditions featuring artists like Rev. J.M. Gates, Rev Moses Mason, The Carter Family, Rev. R.M Massey, The Carolina Tarheels, The Tennessee Mountaineers, The Empire Jubilee Quartet, Ernest Thompson and others. The book also includes essays by Linderman and Luc Sante, lyrics to all the songs and full discographical and biographical details for the musical performances. Both the musical performances and the photographs are moving and haunting and once again Dust-To-Digital has given us a valuable insight into American vernacular culture. Counts as four CDs for shipping purposes. (FS)
THE BELMONT SILVERTONE JUBILEE SINGERS: Wade In The Water And Be Baptized/ THE BIRMINGHAM JUBILEE SINGERS: Wade In The Water/ BILL BOYD AND HIS COWBOY RAMBLERS: Sister Lucy Lee/ ELDER J. E. BURCH: Baptism By Water, And Baptism By The Holy Ghost/ Wash You, Make You Clean/ REV. J. C. BURNETT: Go Wash In Jordan Seven Times/ REV. E. D. CAMPBELL: Take Me To The Water/ THE CAROLINA TAR HEELS: I'll Be Washed/ THE CARTER FAMILY: On My Way To Canaan's Land/ THE EMPIRE JUBILEE QUARTET: Wade In De Water/ REV. J. M. GATES: Baptize Me/ FRANK JENKINS OF DA COSTA WOLTZ'S SOUTHERN BRO: Babtist Shout/ J. E. MAINER'S MOUNTAINEERS: Goin' Down To The River Of Jordan/ MOSES MASON: Go Wash In The Beautiful Stream/ REV. MOSES MASON: John The Baptist/ REV. R. M. MASSEY: Old Time Baptism Part I/ Old Time Baptism Part II/ WASHINGTON PHILLIPS: Denomination Blues Part 1/ REV. NATHAN SMITH'S BURNING BUSH SUNDAY SCHOOL PUPIL: Baptism At Burning Bush/ THE SOUTHERN WONDERS QUARTET: Go Wash In The Beautiful Stream/ ERNEST STONEMAN'S DIXIE MOUNTAINEERS: Down To Jordan/ THE SUNSET FOUR JUBILEE SINGERS: Wade In The Water/ THE TENNESSEE MOUNTAINEERS: At The River/ ERNEST THOMPSON: I'm Going Down To Jordan/ DOCK WALSH: Bathe In That Beautiful Pool

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Mosaic Select 30 Boogie Woogie & Blues Piano ● CD $53.98
Three CD set, 72 tracks, 209 mins, essential Fabulous limited edition (5,000 copies) set with 72 tracks featuring a great section of piano blues and boogie from the vaults of the Victor and Columbia group of labels from 1935 to 1941. Although many of these tracks have been reissued before wherever possible these have been remastered from original metal parts and the set includes several previously unissued alternate takes. Includes solo piano sides and piano within a group framework - mostly instrumental with a handful of vocals. Includes Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson, Harry James & The Boogie Woogie Trio (some tracks with Pete Johnson, some with Albert Ammons), Joe Sullivan & His Cafe Society Orch., Benny Carter & His All Star Orch (with Sonny White/ piano & Big Joe Turner/ vocals), Will Bradley Trio (including two previously unissued alternate takes of the iconic Down The Road A-Piece with Freddie Slack on piano & celeste), Teddy Wilson & His Orch., Lionel Hampton & His Orch. (with several different musicians in the piano chair), Jimmy Yancey, Cripple Clarence Lofton and others. There are also the great Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons piano duets and a few tracks of Ammons, Johnson and Meade "Lux" Lewis as a trio. Fabulous music throughout with superb sound and with 32 page booklet with notes by Dan Morganstern and full discographical data. If you love piano boogie, this is a must! (FS)
ALBERT, MEADE & PETE & THEIR 3 PIANOS: Café Society Rag/ HENRY "RED" ALLEN & HIS ORCH.: K. K. Boogie/ K. K. Boogie (alt take)/ ALBERT AMMONS: Shout for Joy/ Shout for Joy (alt take)/ WILL BRADLEY TRIO: Down the Road A-Piece/ Down the Road A-Piece (alt take)*/ Down the Road A-Piece (alt take)*/ WILL BRADLEY'S SIX TEXAS HOT DOGS: Basin Street Boogie/ Basin Street Boogie (alt take)*/ BENNY CARTER & HIS ALL STAR ORCHESTRA: Beale Street Blues/ Beale Street Blues/ Joe Turner Blues/ Joe Turner Blues (alt take)/ LIONEL HAMPTON & HIS ORCHESTRA: Bouncing at the Beacon/ Central Avenue Breakdown/ Munson Street Breakdown/ HARRY JAMES & THE BOOGIE WOOGIE TRIO: Boo-Woo/ Boo-Woo (alt take)/ Home James/ Jesse/ Woo-Woo/ Woo-Woo (alt take)/ PETE JOHNSON: Boogie Woogie/ Barrel House Boogie/ Boogie Woogie Man/ Cuttin' the Boogie/ Foot Pedal Boogie/ Movin' the Boogie/ Pine Creek/ Sixth Avenue Express/ Walkin' the Boogie/ Baby, Look at You/ Cherry Red/ Jump for Joy/ Lovin' Mama Blues/ MEADE "LUX" LEWIS: Bear Cat Crawl/ Honky Tonk Train Blues/ Whistlin' Blues/ MEADE LUX LEWIS-PETE JOHNSON-ALBERT-AMMONS: Boogie Woogie Prayer, Pt. 1/ Boogie Woogie Prayer, Pt. 2/ CRIPPLE CLARENCE LOFTON: Brown Skin Gal/ Monkey Man Blues/ Policy Blues/ Strut That Thing/ You Done Tore Your Playhouse Down/ RAY MCKINLEY & FREDDIE SLACK: Southpaw Serenade/ Southpaw Serenade (alt take)*/ JOE SULLIVAN & HIS CAFE SOCIETY ORCHESTRA: I Can't Give You Anything But Love/ I Can't Give You Anything But Love (alt take)/ Low Down Dirty Shame/ JOE TURNER & PETE JOHNSON: Goin' Away Blues/ Roll 'Em Pete/ MARY LOU WILLIAMS: Little Joe from Chicago/ TEDDY WILSON & HIS ORCH.: Touch of Boogie/ JIMMY YANCEY: 35th and Dearborn/ 35th and Dearborn (alt take)/ Bear Trap Blues/ Cryin' in My Sleep/ Death Letter Blues/ Death Letter Blues (alt take)*/ East St. Louis Blues/ Five O'Clock Blues/ I Received a Letter/ Mellow Blues/ Old Quaker Blues/ Slow and Easy Blues/ State Street Special/ Tell 'Em About Me/ Yance Stomp/ Yancey's Bugle Call/ Yancey's Bugle Call (alt take)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Saga Blues 530 193-4 Black Heroes - From Stagger Lee To Joe Louis ● CD $13.98
Another one of those attractively packaged thematic collections from the French Saga Blues label. The title is a little bit misleading as not all the characters featured in this collection could be considered heroes and President Roosevelt who is the subject of Rev. J. Gates 1934 sermon was not even black. Perhaps a more accurate title would be "Iconic Figures In African-American Culture" but I guess that's not as catchy as "Black Heroes." Songs here deal with Stack-O-Lee/ Stagger Lee, John Hardy, Railroad Bill, Joe Turner, John Henry, Casey Jones, etc. Artists includes Mississippi John Hurt, Leadbelly, Papa Charlie Jackson, Benny Carter & His Orchestra, Jazz Gillum, Jesse James, Memphis Minnie, etc. Considering the wealth of material available it's a shame that there's only 22 tracks but it's an entertaining and interesting set.
ARCHIBALD: Stack-A-Lee Pt 1&2/ BARBECUE BOB: Monkey and the Baboon/ WILLIAM BENNET: Railroad Bill/ BIG BILL BROONZY: Blues in 1890/ John Henry/ BENNY CARTER AND HIS ALL STAR ORCHESTRA: Joe Turner Blues/ REV. J. M. GATES: President Roosevelt Is Everybody's Friend/ JAZZ GILLUM AND HIS JAZZ BOYS: Just Like Jesse James/ ALBERTA HUNTER: He's Got a Punch Like Joe Louis/ MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT: Stack O'Lee/ PAPA CHARLIE JACKSON: Long Gone Lost John/ JESSE JAMES: Southern Casey Jones/ LEAD BELLY: Duncan and Brady/ John Hardy/ The Titanic/ FURRY LEWIS: Kassie Jones/ BROWNIE MCGHEE: Robbie-Doby Boogie/ MEMPHIS MINNIE: He's in the Ring (Doing the Same Old Thing)/ Sylvester and His Mule Blues/ JOE PULLUM: Joe Louis Is the Man/ THE TWO POOR BOYS: John Henry Blues/ WILLIE WALKER: Dupree Blues

 
MUDDY WATERS Geffen/ Chess 12650-02 Authorized Bootleg - Live At The Fillmore Auditorium ● CD $13.98
15 tracks, 74 min., highly recommended Authorized Bootleg apparently means live show. Collecting the finest moments of Muddy's three 1966 shows at San Francisco's famous Fillmore Auditorium, this release captures the blues legend short weeks after his Muddy, Brass & Blues LP came out. Oddly he tends to ignore the album he's touring behind and concentrates on such classics as Honey Bee, and Got My Mojo Working. The only hesitation here is that 4 songs (Rock Me, Baby Please DOn't Go, Forty Days And Forty Nights Nights, Hoochie Coochie Man) show up twice--different recordings, of course--out of 15 tracks. Still, Mr. Morganfield's band is about as good as it gets for 1966 blues bands, offering up the stinging guitar work of Luther Johnson and Sammy Lawhorn, as well as George Smith's harmonica exploits. It's difficult not to admire the way the band stretches out on Thirteen Highway and Long Distance Call, and Muddy Waters is his bad self all the time. Minimalist packaging, but Muddy is always worth hearing. (JC)

 
JOHNNY WINTER Shout Factory 11328 The Johnny Winter Anthology ● CD $24.98
2 CDs, 35 tracks, 2 hours 29 min., highly recommended First compilation that samples material from across Winter's career (from 1969-2004, anyway) regardless of the label. So sides from Imperial, Columbia, Blue Sky, Pointblank, and Virgin coexist peacefully, or as peacefully as possible when someone is playing the guitar as if his brain were on fire. Unsurprisingly, most of the best of the best is produced by Rick Derringer, including some smoking hot rock shots, including Silver Train and Still Alive And Well. So if it can be said that Winter moved from rock to blues during his career, it's just as possible to argue that he never changed at all, playing rock 'n' roll and blues right from the start. That blues fans rediscovered him after his excellent work with Muddy Waters no doubt colors one's impression. Either way, His growling rasp will never be remembered as one of the great voices in rock, but Winter has always made excitement shoot from his guitar, and it's difficult not to be impressed by his abilities demonstrated all over this fine set. (JC)

 

 

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