5 comments about At Last!.

1. So glad I got this album! It's all here! Won't point out my fav cuts; if you're a blues/Etta lover you'll figure yours out - they're all there. If you're not(yet), this will be your epiphany - this stylist and the selections are astounding. [Note "Sunday Kind Of Love" and "Stormy Weather".]



2. The music quality had been fixed up,(do'nt know the word) to sound really great! I listened to the music when I was a teen, forty-five years ago. It sounded better now, even though I truly thought it was the best & loved the songs then!



3. This is one of the most pleasurable CDs on the market. This collection of Etta's songs showcases her considerable talent as a blues singer. Though the instrumentation is dated on some of the songs (the strings soar a little too high), her voice saves the day, alternately powerful and vulnerable.
   
   Her version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" rocks harder than the Rolling Stones version, and that is no small feat. 'At Last' is a great song, and her vocal interpretation is the best out of many artists who attempted it. 'Sunday Kind of Love' is another masterpiece, as is her rendition of 'Stormy Weather'. Not a bad song on the record.
   Etta James is a national treasure. Thanks for the beautiful, heart-felt music.
   
   As an aside, does anyone else see a resemblance between Etta's singing and Janis Joplin?



4. I have 2 other Etta James cds and I love them. This cd left me cold...very 'pop' very little blues. I didn't like it at all...very
   disappointed!



5. To hear the purity of Etta James is to be as close to perfection as is possible on this planet. "At Last" alone is worth the price of this phenomenal collection of soulful exuberant song collection. I cannot praise too highly when I tell you that this music has uplifted my very being, just from the deep feeling this woman has given to each note - each syllable. Whether she is rocking with Harvey Fuqua (of the Moonglows) on the song "It's A Crying Shame" or doing her own very special take on the classic "Stormy Weather" in a reach-right-into-your-gut variation, the ride you take is a thrilling one in so many ways.
   
   I fell in love with this song all over again when I heard a singer at a favorite resort do this number and strangely enough when a ventriloquist through a puppet sang this title song that I just had to own this CD and I'm so glad I did. Etta James has joined Aretha Franklin for me as the royalty of soulful music. And that's saying something since I fell hard for Aretha while still in my teens so many years ago.
   
   "Sunday Kind Of Love" is another cut that deserves high praise. The phrasing alone is superb, and if these songs don't touch you, I would seriously consider a soul transplant.
   
   If you love music that moves you and makes you glad you're alive, this CD is a MUST.

5 comments about The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James.

1. Love the blues? This is for you. One of the early up from Mississippi to Chicago bluesmen (I think he died in '43). "Madison Blues" and "The Sky is Crying" the way 'lonesome George' heard them first.



2. Since the advent of the compact disc two decades ago, there have been a number of worthy compilations by the great Elmore James (1918 - 1963), and yet James' reputation and popularity still falls far short of many of his contemporaries, post-War giants like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, who came out of the Mississippi Delta and migrated North to cities like Chicago or Detroit. James, perhaps even more than Wolf or Waters, embraced amplification - not just because you had to be loud to be heard in a crowded bar, but for the creative possibilities offered by plugging in. Only Bo Diddley, perhaps, found electricity to be as essential to his creative evolution as Elmore did, as one can't help but be blown away by the way Elmore deployed distortion, volume, sustain, and other effects that allow for the myriad of textures and colors heard on these vintage masterpieces. And playing the music on this superb set LOUD goes a long way towards demonstrating just how vital James' intense, piercing, and hugely influential slide guitar playing remains on rock and blues players (from Duane Allman and Ron Wood to Hound Dog Taylor and Jack White), how cohesive and sympathetic his bands (especially the Broomdusters) were, and how emotionally raw and deep his greatest work sounds some 45 years after his death.
   "The Sky Is Crying", issued by Rhino in 1993, remains the single best collection of Elmore's work, essential to any serious blues collection as well as the perfect introduction for newcomers. The 21 track set (recorded between 1951 and 1961) is unique in that it represents James' recordings for a variety of labels, including Trumpet (where he recorded his debut, 'Dust My Broom'), Flair, Chess, Atlantic, Chief, Flashback, and finally Bobby Robinson's Fire, where James settled during his final, fruitful four years. The fact that this CD's producer, the late Robert Palmer (who also contributes a typically insightful essay that allowed me to really HEAR this music 14 years ago) brings together so many of James' recordings from different periods and labels allows us to hear the evolution, abd especially the range and scope of Elmore's body of work, from his almost tentative (in light of what follows) debut hit to fully realized masterpieces with the Broomdusters, as well as blistering workouts with Ike Turner (whose own go-for-the-throat guitar is a perfect foil for Elmore's slide), a collaboration with Big Joe Turner, plus performances by Willie Johnson (guitarist on Wolf's immortal early Memphis sides), Willie Dixon, and more. By the time we get to hear "Hawaiian Boogie" and "Madison Blues", "I Can't Hold Out" (covered by Clapton), "Done Somebody Wrong" (ditto the Allman Brothers Band), the amazing "12 Year Old Boy" (track down Lydia Lunch's version!), and the primal funk of "Rollin and Tumblin" the power of Elmore James is undeniable, as is the intellegent sequencing of this lovingly compiled collection. For those who want more, I'd recommend two inexpensive boxed sets that are still in circulation if not in print: "The Classic Early Recordings 1951 - 56" (Flair/Virgin, 1993) has some amazing workouts by the Broomdusters and a booklet full of rare photos and the compilers' tale of visiting Canton Mississippi in 1993, where we meet folks who knew Elmore. "King Of The Slide Guitar" (Capricorn, 1993) takes us to the last years of James' career, which found him at his peak: 50 wonderful tracks recorded for Bobby Robinson (James' best producer) and originally issued on Fire.



3. Elmore James is underrated--period. He was as much of a pioneer and original artist of electric blues as Muddy Waters, yet timing, connections, and probably his health problems seemed to diminish his stature in the blues world in the 1950's and early '60's somewhat, at least compared to Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. Over time, we have seen his work to be just as influential as Muddy's, and probably more than Wolf's. I admire Muddy Waters and the Wolf and respect their supreme positions as kings of Chicago blues, but I actually enjoy listening to Elmore James more. His singing is second only to Son House in sheer terms of emotional intensity. I love his quivering vocal vibrato that so perfectly fits the beat to "Dust My Broom." And his slide playing is without question some of the most influential music ever. The legendary Duane Allman studied him--need I say more?
   
   This is a perfect CD for those interested in sampling Elmore's music for the first time. Every song is a winner. You won't be disappointed!!



4. I love blues music and this is one of my faviorte artist. This cd does a good job with song selection and its just an awesome piece of music. The price is a steal as well.



5. If you want a slick full blown stereo recording of Elmore you may be disappointed, but if you are a true blues brother you will appreciate that they have reached back in time for some early Elmore. Dust My Broom - the classic standard of Elmore - has a better sound later and by other artists...but man this is Elmore when Elmore wasn't even hardly known...dig it and appreciate it. The Sun Is Shining and The Sky Is Crying seems to have been covered by everybody. Why, they are true Chicago Electrified Blues Standards. I loved T.V. Mamma because my main man "Big Joe" Turner is backed up by Elmore and that classic distorted slide guitar of his....loved it. Madison Blues has a completely different sound than most of the later covers especially by the white blues bands...the original is the best. Other favorites were I Can't Hold Out, Shake Your Money Maker (man whats blues dude hasn't done this one), and Rollin and Tumblin. Elmore was the 2nd blues man I ever heard..circa 1958 on KATZ a.m. and Dave Dixon is St. Louis, Mo. He was one 1st I ever heard and still is one of the best in my opinion...his slide guitar set the trend for people like Hound Dog Taylor and many others. When he gets that sucker wailing, it puts chills up and down my back. Elmore James is one wailing cat...makes me feel like I am in some smoky, black club back in the late 50s and early 60s enjoying real music when Paul Anka and Annette Funicello were on the white stations singin bubble gum music...buy Elmore and be a BIG FAN just like ole Joliet Jayle the Bluze Brother ... Rock-n-roll, boogie woogie, rollin and tumblin all night long!

5 comments about His Best :(Little Walter)The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection.

1. Picture yourself in a crowded juke joint or blues bar on the southside of Chicago in the late '40's. Muddy Waters is about to play. He's already gone electric; I mean, he had to, to be heard over all the talking and yelling and what not. His harp player has about blown out a lung trying to be heard over all that din. Walter Jacobs has been doing a bit of experimenting himself, in an attempt to amplify the sound of that little instrument. Tonight he actually grabs the microphone off the stand, bumping it up close enough in his clasped hands to touch the harp. He cranks up the volume and starts to blow. The sound coming out of the amp is unlike anything anyone's ever heard. It's got a deep, heavy, honking, sexy wail, nothing at all like the unamplified harmonica sound of "country" blues. Men and women alike dance ecstatically, screaming and crying in excitement, over this new and intoxicating sound, this amazingly sensuous and insinuating beat. Necessity is the mother of invention; the guy was simply tired of people yelling that they couldn't hear him. So, being the innovator he was, he came up with a simple adjustment in technique.
   
   This small act completely revolutionized the blues. Walter Jacobs, probably more than any other individual, has influenced every person who has ever played electric blues. When it comes to harp players, he is the undisputed king, the god, the creator, the originator. You can listen to anyone who's ever played amplified harp since it begun, somewhere late '40's, and you will hear Little Walter's riffs. Most people would probably admit that Little Walter is the reason they play harp at all!
   
   This set contains all his best stuff, done after he went out on his own. Imagine this for a three-piece band: drums/bass/harp. That's it; no guitar. He actually played sets with this lineup, and blew the doors off. Most of the tunes on the set here do contain guitar, but it's clear that the lead is Walter and his harp. He wasn't content to just play ten-hole Marine band harps either; he incorporated the rich sound of the chromatic harp into his repertoire.
   
   All blues fans and most of all, those enamored, bewitched, and obsessed with the wonderful sound of electric harp need to own this record and commit it to memory.



2. Marion Walter Jacobs (b. May 1, 1930 in Alexandria, Louisiana), and influenced by the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson (No. 1) and Louis Jordan and his jump saxophone arrangements, quite simply revolutionized the blues harmonica technique when he showed up at Chicago's famed Maxwell Street market in 1947.
   
   Among the hundreds of artists plying their trade in that environment he stood out to the point where he attracted the interest of the small Chicago labels Ora Nelle and Regal where he cut several sides. His big break came in 1951 when the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, hired him to back Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers, and it was as much his amplified harmonica that made hits out of Mannish Boy, I'm Ready, and Standing Around Crying [by Waters), and That's All Right and The World Is In A Tangle (Rogers).
   
   By 1952 he was assigned to the Checker subsidiary, and by that September he literally burst into prominence when the instrumental Juke streaked to # 1 R&B and remained there for eight solid weeks [the flip was Can't Hold On Much Longer and is erroneously listed in this compilation as "Can't Hold Out ..."). This single was billed to Little Walter and His Night Cats.
   
   The follow-up Sad Hours (instrumental) didn't quite repeat that success, settling for # 2 early in 1953, while the vocal flipside, Mean Old World, reached # 6 as by Little Walter and His Night Caps. Fittingly, Muddy Waters played guitar on each of these first three hits.
   
   When his next hit reached the charts later that spring (Off The Wall, # 8 as an instrumental, and Tell Me Mama, # 10 as a vocal, he was billed as Little Walter and His Jukes in order to capitalize on his debut smash hit. The Jukes consisted of Chess sessionmen Louis and David Myers on guitar and Fred Belows on drums.
   
   From there to 1959 he would add 10 more hit singles to his credit, his last coming in 1959 when Everything Gonna Be Alright (erroneously listed as "Everything's") reached # 25 (his lowest charter) as simply by Little Walter. These included the seminal My Babe, written by Willie Dixon and based upon the old spiritual This Train, which became his only other # 1 hit, staying at that position for five weeks early in 1955.
   
   It would have been nice if, in putting this tribute together, producer Andy McKaie had found room for the three hits omitted - Oh Baby which made it to # 8 in May 1954 b/w Rocker, You'd Better Watch Yourself which reached the same position that September b/w Blue Light, and Who, which reached # 7 in April 1956 b/w It Ain't Right. You can find You'd Better Watch Yourself on The Best Of Little Walter from MCA/Chess, also listed by Amazon.
   
   Adding to this CD's worth are the six pages of liner notes written by the noted music historian Billy Altman, which includes a wonderful story behind Juke, several nice photographs, and a complete discography of the contents. To quote from Mr. Altman "By 1968 he was gone, leaving behind a legacy that harmonica players everywhere regard as, quite simply, the holy grail." That much was recognized by the Blues Hall Of Fame in 1982 when they inducted him among the 20 honoured in their first year of existence. You'd think those pompous ciphers at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame would wake up and at least recognize him in their Early Influence category.
   
   Just a superb collection.



3. Wonderful harmonica music! The liner notes mention that Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs was experimenting with different methods of getting the most out of his harmonica playing. He finally discovered an answer through the "use of a hand-held microphone which was plugged into its own amplifier. . . By `going electric,' Walter single-handedly transformed the harmonica. . . ."
   
   Some nice cuts on this CD. One was a tune that he played when he was with Muddy Waters' band in Chicago in the very early 1950s, "Juke." This is an instrumental tune and well played, beginning with some very strong harmonica work by Little Walter. The band overall produces a nice blues sound. Fun to listen to!
   
   By the time "Blues with a Felling" was recorded, Little Walter had left Waters' band and had a new one of his own, featuring the Myers Brothers and Fred Below. Once more, the harmonica work is great. Little Walter sings nicely, although his voice is not in the genre of Sonny Boy Williamson (II), Muddy Waters, or Howlin' Wolf. One nice line:
   
   "I'm gonna find my baby
   If it takes all night and day"
   
   "My Babe" is a nice little rocking song. As before, good harmonica and good overall band playing. The recurring vocal riff: "My babe don't stand no cheating."
   
   Another quick note. "Confessin' the Blues" was covered by the Rolling Stones.
   
   In short, a nice album. His singing may not have been as rough and distinctive and powerful as other leading blues singers of the era, but he still sang well enough. And the harmonica work was outstanding.



4. There are no bad songs on this overview of the career of maybe the greatest blues harp player of all time. Chess' compilations, be they boxsets or single disc comps, are all, in my experience, very well remastered. Buy it if you want to hear straight up great blues in the Chess tradition.



5. Little Walter had an amazing harmonica sound and style that was all his own and could never be duplicated. Man, is this some hot stuff. His first record, "Juke", an instrumental is just, to quote another title of his, "off the wall." Yeah, there is a number that's called that which is on this CD. Absoultely what the blues is all about. Songs like "Sad Hours" and "Off the Wall" are practically Little Walter and the band sittin' around and jammin'. Check out the guitar lick at the beginning and the through the whole of "Sad Hours"; classic blues lick. Some other cool stuff is "Tell Me Mama", "Blues With A Feeling", "You're So Fine", "Mellow Down Easy", "My Babe", "Hate To See You Go", and especially "Boom, Boom Out Goes The Light." That one's a regular jam session, too. This is how music was made and appreciated to these guys. They just played as and what they felt. If you're learning about the blues, don't forget one of the supreme harmonica players of the genre: Little Walter.

5 comments about Love Songs.

1. In an age when music is trite and shallow, it is refreshing to re-discover music that is timeless and beautiful. I am glad I purchased this.



2. When Etta James starts to sing the world stands still and your heart skips a beat. What a voice this lady had. I am very thankful to have this music as it can transform an ordinary day into a fantastic mood of love and happiness. When she sings At Last or Sunday King of Love my heart smiles and her smooth blues make me sings too. She makes music way more than just sound. Thanks



3. For years I have said that even though Etta James did not have many "Top Ten" hits on the charts, she is the best interpreter of other singers' songs, the best who ever lived and sang on a New Orleans or a Chicago stage or bar stool. She takes every song she sings and makes it all new and all Etta. She is the single most important reason I became a fan of the blues _ _ _ years ago. You get the picture? I am an old lady and am an old fan.
   
   She's been through many years of problems and heartache, but then, here she still is, with a voice that is even better (if that's possible!) than when she was a sweet young thing performing with Louie Armstrong, Ray Charles, BB King and all the great band leaders and blues singers. She even has a new thin physique!
   
   A couple of the tunes are ones she had in her regular repertoire forty-five years ago and others are contemporary hits from other artists. Each one is "pure Etta." I seem to play this one over and over and over. I can't get enough. I even have it on my computer so I can listen to it when I am doing other work!
   
   This CD is a great example of what the blue are and the influence it can have on all kinds of music. Some of the tunes one will hardly recognize at first. And--the best part of this recording is that you don't have to be in love to enjoy it! (though it wouldn't be bad that way, too)



4. Great songs and some very sensual! Perfect for a romantic dinner at home with candles.....



5. This is one of those CD's that just keeps getting better with familiarity. Etta really puts her heart and soul into each song. I bought it for "At Last" but now love all the songs on it. It sounds like my old 45's, but in a good way.

5 comments about Live in Cook County Jail.

1. great fun.takes you into the hall ,the booing of the sheriff and judge sets the tone for a fun gig.foot tapping and air guitar.



2. B. B. King is more than a talented musician and songwriter, he is a phenomenal entertainer as well. He works a crowd like few others with his obvious love for people and his devotion to giving his best. This album captures BB as he is best, live and in action. He does not need light shows or other props to sell his work, he just plays and sings with a style and an infectious joy that few entertainers can match. One of his best albums.



3. Fans often call B.B. King the king of the blues guitar, but if B.B. were only a brilliant guitarist he wouldn't be a household name for decades. B.B. King is also a powerful singer, a terrific interpreter of others' material, an effective bandleader and - most importantly - a thoroughly professional entertainer. You can experience all B.B. King's sides on the "Cook County Jail" CD.
   
   Virtually every cut on the CD is a powerhouse. Although the Cook County Jail setting might lead one to expect that B.B. King would play up the outlaw aspects of the blues (the way that Johnny Cash did with his prison LPs), B.B. takes the opposite approach. He delivers a well-rehearsed and utterly professional show. It must have seemed a revelation to rock fans, as most blues-rock concerts at the time were notoriously sloppy affairs. But it's what we expect from B.B. King. He may define himself as a bluesman, but B.B. applied many lessons learned from tight jazz combos.
   
   For the uninitiated, the strong performances of B.B. King's best-known hits "Sweet Sixteen" and the "Thrill is Gone" will be the selling points, but every track has its delights. For me, the strongest moment comes with "How Blue Can You Get?" Here, we clearly get to experience how B.B. King is able to feed off the energy of a responsive audience, to the point where the inmates are practically bandmembers. When we hear their laughter and applause, we know that B.B. King has won over one of the most difficult audiences to please. Every solo on the CD is well-constructed, and at no time does B.B. allow himself to become self-indulgent.
   
   The CD's short running time is the only deficit. While appropriate for an early 1970s LP, this is one short concert by modern CD standards. It would be nice to see this CD reissued with material cut from the original release (as is the usual trend for live album reissues), but there is no denying this is one of the very few live albums worth revisiting again and again. It belongs in the collection of anyone who truly loves post-war blues.



4. This CD captures the very essence of what makes Blues Boy King the King of the Blues. The power of BB's music thunders througout the CD. This album has the best rendition of "The Thrill is Gone" I have ever heard, and I've heard just about all the versions he has done over the years. You can almost see him crooning to the microphone with his eyes closed, and Lucille gives this song so much more with her solo at the end. If anything buy this CD for the "The Thrill is Gone"; as soon as you get it turn it up, sit down and close your eyes...



5. I don't get it.
   I had high hopes for this CD. Every review I've read, including the editorial review here at Amazon, has been jubilant, and "Live In Cook County Jail" is certainly not a bad record, but it's not great either, and at times it's barely even good.
   
   I have an awful lot of blues albums, and I like to think that I know good blues when I hear it, but I just can't figure out what it is that people find so appealing about this recording.
   Sure, King does a very good rendition of his trademark "The Thrill Is Gone" and plays excellent guitar on a great reading of "How Blue Can You Get", but "Every Day I Have The Blues" is marred by bland vocals and horrible drumming (easily the most annoying ever heard on a blues record!).
   
   As for the rest of the seven songs, "Worry, Worry" trails off into long, sometimes tedious improvisations and is badly mixed. The first half of the medley "3 O'Clock Blues / Darlin' You Know I Love You" is pretty good, but "Darlin' You Know I Love You" is more jazz ballad than blues, and while I enjoy a good jazz ballad, I don't expect to find them on blues records. Besides, this one is not really that good either.
   
   King does a good job with "Sweet Sixteen", but the album winds down with a closing number, "Please Accept My Love", which doesn't feel like it belongs on a blues album...there's more pop than blues to it.
   All in all, there is some good and some bad on this album, and quite a lot in between. King's playing on "How Blue Can You Get" and "The Thrill Is Gone" rivals anything he's ever done, but those two songs by themselves are not enough to make this a great album.

5 comments about The Complete Studio Recordings Mississippi John Hurt.

1. Mississippi John Hurt is the best blues performer of all times. No leser show, no smoke, no big talk, but MUSIC!!!
   Music that comes from his personality and soul!!!



2. This is a fantastic collection that ANYONE with even a passing interest in folk should own. Mississippi John Hurt's music is so powerful and so delicate, so raw and beautiful at the same time. I love the way he frequently finishes his vocal lines with his guitar, making the instrument an extension, or rather an essential part of his voice. Don't hesitate, if you found your way to this page you will enjoy this album.



3. Am enjoying Missisippi John Hurt very much. Very relaxing. Was very happy that he lived to see the fruits of his wonderful labor of love.



4. His singing and guitar playing is just as good as on the early recordings.



5. C H I C K E N
   That's how you spell chicken!
   
   This won't be a particularly helpful review because I don't "know" music. All I can say that ever since seeing The Blues Brothers, I have enjoyed listening to blues without knowing much about it. Favorites include Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson... and John Hurt.
   
   He had a great voice. Cool vocals + cool lyrics = really listenable music. I am so greatful to my Yahoo!Music player for introducing me to him. :)

5 comments about Never Been Rocked Enough.

1. This is, in my opinion, one of Delbert's finest efforts. A great mis of rockers and slow tunes.



2. If I hadn't owned any Delbert McClinton music and recommended a CD to pick up, this would be my recommendation. He was young enough to have a strong clear voice when needed and old enough to get it right. He moved into more of a rock sound and it is truly supurb. I love it along with Nothing Personal and One of the Fortunate Few. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.



3. I have been a Delbert fan for decades, and this is easily one of his best albums ever. It's full of his fabulous roadhouse rock/blues/country sound; I never get tired of listening to this vibrant CD. Delbert is the best! More than 20 years ago I saw him perform in Atlanta. I was with Doc Pomus' son, so before the show I got to hang out and do a shot or two with Delbert, and after the show we drove him to his motel (he asked me to turn the radio off because his ears were still ringing from the concert). I've seen Delbert perform a few times since then, and man, can he sing.



4. This was the first Delbert McClinton CD I ever bought (actually it was a cassette back then) and I loved it so much I've purchased everything he's recorded since then. Never Been Rocked Enough is still my all time favorite - it is loaded with great songs that illustrate his multi-faceted talent. There is even a track with Bonnie Raitt as an added bonus. I highly recommend it.



5. This is a fine album worthy of purchase by anybody wanting to add to their Delbert collection. Has a number of songs that are really good but won't be found on any compilations. Get it and you won't regret it.

5 comments about East-West.

1. This recording contains what has to be the one of the greatest blues/rock songs of all time. The song is East West which contains some of the greatest music I've ever heard. It is a preview of what the bands later in the 60's will produce and remains one of the finest example of the extended guitar solo pieces.
   
   At this time the Butterfield Blues Band had two of the best guitarist around, Elvin Bishop and (my favorite) Mike Bloomfield. They each take an extended solo, Elvin Bishop first. Elvin throws out a blazing fast mountain of notes. It is what happens next that makes this an unique experience. It is Mike Bloomfield's turn next, not with another show stopper solo, instead he pares back the music to the absolute minimum. His clear ringing notes lifts one from out under the mountain into the clear blue sky. From this he slowly builds, never to excess, an exquisite solo that sends us flying above the mountains. There is nothing else like it that I've ever heard. I cannot do it justice, this music must be heard. It is unique moment that everyone deserves to experience.
   
   For this reason along, the song East West, makes this recording a must. But there is also all of the rest of the songs, including Butterfield's catchy solo on Work Song.



2. I sampled all tracks and was surprised that I knew all of them since I had never owned it or even heard it in 30 years. Bought it and love it.



3. I too had this on vinyl and wore it out 5 times and one listen to "I've got a mind to give up living" will send you out of your head. Maybe this is one of the cd's or of of the bands youeither love or hate because I don't love evry cd they have made. But with this versions line-up, the Butterfield Blues Band ain't s***. Sorry to all u die hards.
   
   There are many more memorable sond here than on any other PBBB albums, but go ahead and listen and u be the judge.



4. I'm a huge fan of Chicago blues and a big fan of Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield, but this album doesn't do it for me. The title cut East West is great and is nearly half the album hence the three stars. This album sounds a bit dated and I its due to the slightly heavy phycodelic rock influence found on this album. PBBB was on of those groups (like the ned of the Peter Green Fleetwood Mac era) that was trying to push the boundries of the blues art form. What you have 30 years later is an album that just doesn't sounds that good. that doesn't do it for me. I don't think this album as aged well. The blues are timeless and should hold up to the test of time. Great artist like Magic Sam and Lowell Fulson still sound great today. This album doesn't. Buyer Beware I guess.



5. The Jazz-Rock fusion movement of the late 70's (Weather Report, Spyro Gyra, Tony Williams) was born on this album. If I could only keep one record in my collection, this would probably be the main contender for that position. This album is a musical safari including a remarkable variety of musical idioms in a Blues context that goes way beyond Blues. Obviously, the East-West track is the pinnacle of this exploration. Listen closely and you will hear East Indian, Calypso, New Orleans Jazz, Bluegrass, and 4 or 5 other distinct musical styles each in a separate movement with very striking transitions. When I first got this album as a sophmore in college in 1966, I used to put on the East-West title track in the late afternoon and drift off into a wonderful, dreamy nap carried off in a magical concoction of World music as I think no one had ever heard before.
   
   This is just a glorious masterpiece, a high-point in American popular music. It feels as good today to listen to it as it did in 1966.
   
   Oh, aspiring blues guitarists would be wise to try to copy Mike Bloomfield's delicate, complex and powerful solo on "I've Got A Mind to Give up Living." I wore out my vinyl copy trying.

5 comments about Strong Persuader.

1. STRONG PERSUADER, Oregon bluesman Robert Cray's classic 1986 breakthrough album, is a unique mix of blues and Stax/Volt soul which proves that great blues can come from anywhere, not just the Midwest, the South, or even England. Cray's sound and style take the blues to the next level, proving that you don't have to have slept in boxcars or picked cotton in order to be a great blues musician; you just have to be human. This is a great album about love gone wrong in contemporary settings, with Cray playing both victim and perpetrator, sometimes both on the same song. This is a wonderful CD that's a must-own for any blues/roots-rock fan.



2. this absolutely, positively a must have cd for any one who appreciates great music. it is all good.



3. Robert Cray is one of those singers who is a quintessential crossover artist because he is able to bring a type of music (in this case blues)into the mainstream. Of course when you do that the hardcore blues fans will say its not bluesy enough etc.. but who cares. The first several songs on this CD are so catchy I still hmm them 18 years after I bought this CD!



4. One of the cool features of the Blues is how many types and styles there are. Unfortunately for my wallet, I enjoy just about every form out there. Way back when Strong Persuader came out, it just knocked my socks off. It was quite different from anything I'd ever heard. The more I listened into it, the more I heard. I was rewarded with every repeated playing. This album isn't like Stevie Ray Vaughn, isn't like Clapton when he plays the Blues, isn't' like Muddy Waters, isn't like Hubert Sumlin, Son House, Lonnie Johnson.... it isn't like anything but Robert Cray... and that's a good thing, as Martha would say.
   
   Guitar players worldwide admire the tight, efficient, textured, smooth style of Mr. Cray. Clapton, Mark Knopfler, B.B. King, and even Chuck Berry have all sung the praises of Mr. Robert Cray on electric guitar. THAT should tell you something.
   
   I have much of his catalog in my collection and some of it is uneven. Not this baby! There are no bad songs here... period. Cut after cut, the playing is energetic and the singing is spot on. There's only as much there as there needs to be and no more than that. Because of that, the music and the lead licks get a chance to breathe a little. They're not covered up by the other instruments in the mix.
   
   I've been lucky enough to see the Robert Cray Band twice in fairly small venues, both in Spokane, WA, and he simply tore the joint up both times without looking like he was doing it. When you listen to this disc, you definitely get a strong taste of what those two concerts were like.
   
   From my perspective he is the consumate professional and a most courteous musician who has no problem with the spotlight being on someone else. On my 2-disc version of CHUCK BERRY: Hail! Hail! Rock n' Roll, there's Robert playing RHYTHM guitar in the background, laying down in the weeds and putting out that trademark sound which allows the pyrotechnics of Mr. Berry to be luminescent due to the contrast. Make no mistake; Robert Cray is a Big Dog in the world of Blues. It tells you all you need to know about the guy when you see and hear him do something like this.
   
   If you get this one, try playing it on a "big" system sometime - one with strong, tight bass and crisp sparkle in the treble area. When you close your eyes, you can almost hear the angels... and the devils gettin' down...
   
   In going back to his roots as far as his catalog is concerned, you can't go wrong here. I'd give this one 6-stars if I could.



5. The CD came in excellent quality!! I love it!!
   Roxann Hill
   Gecko Girl

5 comments about Maria Muldaur.

1. My first exposure to Maria Muldaur was after picking up the album Pottery Pie with her then husband Geoff Muldaur. Great album and her singing blew me away. I bought this on cassette the following year and have been listening to it ever since. She is one of a kind.



2. had this album years ago when it first came out - just wanted to walk down memory lane!



3. If you like acoustic country blues you'll love this Cd.
   I first ran accross the album in it's vinyl form back in the 1970's
   I looked for quite sometime before I found the cd version of it.
   And everyone I have played the album for has went out and got their own copy of it.
   So do yourself a favor.
   One other thing you might want to look at her Richland Wowman and Sweet Lovin' Ol Soul albums and according to the liner notes of the Sweet Lovin' cd there will be one more album in this trilogy called Naughty,Bawdy & Blue



4. This is one of my FAVORITE albums of all time. This album never ever gets old. I have no idea what the style or genre is but I love it. Theres nobody like her. Every song is Excellent. She is a true romantic. She creates tones and sounds with her voice that are highly unusual. I feel totally relaxed when I hear her tunes.



5. And by golly, Maria had herself one in 1973 (though I know that Maria had been on other albums before this, as part of a band). This album is full of contrasts. It is so much FUN, yet has a lot to offer musically. The arrangements are unusual, yet spectacular. And her voice just goes all over the place--yet it works beautifully. If I ever used the word "rollicking" to describe an album--this would be the one. I'm glad I finally found this one (or, should I say, that this one finally found me). Now I have the great pleasure of getting caught up with everything else she has done over the past 30+ years. I'm usually slow to catch on, but I'm always so grateful whenever I do. It always makes me wonder who or what else I have missed, and if I will ever find those (or, of course, if they will ever find me)...