5 comments about King Biscuit Time.

1. If you like really great Blues Harmonica, this is an excellent choice. This CD has a good selection of tempos and feeling, but it's definitely all Blues. If you've never heard SBW II, he is quite different than SBW I (no relation), and I prefer his style of early Blues. It's not exactly delta blues, although I think that's what many might classify it as: SBW II seems to have a broader appeal.



2. Aleck "Rice" Miller, Sonny Boy Williamson II, was around long enough to have played with Robert Johnson at one end of his career, and with Eric Clapton at the other. He was born at the tail end of the 19th century in Glendora, Mississippi, he taught the basics of blues harmonica to a young Howlin' Wolf, and he was present the night Robert Johnson was poisoned.
   
   And even though he took his moniker from the younger Tennessee bluesman John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Miller's style was nothing like Williamson's.
   
   In fact, no-one really sounded like Rice Miller. His raspy vocal delivery was sly, world-weary, and delightfully evil, and his inimitable harp-playing relied on short, rhythmic bursts one minute and powerful, passionate blowing the next. The liner notes to a 1960s LP of his stated with disturbing seriousness that only a man who had long since sold his soul to the devil in exchange for not having to breathe while performing could sing and play the way Miller did.
   And Rice Miller was perhaps the best songwriter the blues has ever seen, displaying an attention to detail which is rare in the blues. His songs were full of mordant wit, with largely autobiographical lyrics that truly hold up to the scrutiny of the printed page.
   
   This CD collects most of Miller's earliest recordings, his magnificent 1951 Trumpet sides. The raw original versions of several songs that whe would later record for Chess are here, including "Cross My Heart", "Nine Below Zero", "Too Close Together", and the classic "Eyesight To The Blind". And since Miller was already in his early 50s at the time and had established a style of his own many years before, these performances are every bit as impressive as his later Chess sides.
   
   Miller is backed by drums, piano, bass and electric guitar, and slide guitar legend Elmore James is credited as one of the guitarists on several tracks, alongside pianist Willie Love and the "eternal sideman", Joe Willie Wilkins. Wilkins taught B.B. King guitar in the 40s, and recorded with Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, Elmore James, Roosevelt Sykes and several others.
   The fidelity here doesn't match Miller's Chess sides, but there is so much power and grit in these 57 year old recordings that it really doesn't matter all that much.
   
   This CD reissue also includes Elmore James' first single, the famous rendition of Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom", which features Rice Miller on harp, as well as a thirteen-minute KFFA broadcast from 1965, the year Rice Miller died. That one includes his versions on "V-8 Ford", "Right Now", "Come Go With Me", and T-Bone Walker's "They Call It Stormy Monday".
   
   "King Biscuit Time" is a tremendous collection of Sonny Boy in his prime, and a must-have for any and all fans of blues harmonica.
   4 1/2 stars - highly recommended.



3. Sonny Boy somehow gets swept into a corner because he only had a few records that were "hits" in the 1950s, "Don't Start Me To Talkin'" and "Mighty Long Time," his masterpiece on this CD. However, when he died, artists including The Moody Blues, Jack Bruce, Jimmy Reed, Paul Jones of Manfred Mann, John Maysll, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and others recorded tributes to him. He recorded with the Animals and Yardbirds, Jimmy Page, jazzmen Chris Barber and Roland Kirk and others. The real story is that Sonny Boy II (not the same Sonny Boy Williamson who recorded "Good Morning Little School Girl"} was Alex Miller, a blues harp player, songwriter and singer who had been playing in the Mississippi delta since the late 1920s with people like Robert Johnson and Robert Lockwood Jr., Joe Willie Wilkins, Pinetop Perkins, Ike Turner and others. He was THE star of the Delta, so popular he didn't need to record until 1950 when he started to record these sides with Jackosn Mississippi's Trumpet Records. He was an escaped convict who became an international blues star using another man's name (John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson among others) and another's as his alias (his brother Willie Miller). He was truly hiding in the spotlight.



4. For hearing the man born as Alec (Rice) Miller as he had rounded into near-complete game shape, in the years immediately preceding the seminal sides he would cut for Chess beginning in the mid-to-late 1950s, there is no better package than this of Sonny Boy Williamson's incandescent, embryonic recordings for the ancient Trumpet label. Many of these songs would get the Sonny Boy makeover when he re-cut them during his Chess years, and it's intriguing to compare between the Trumpet originals and the Chess refineries of such signature songs as "Eyesight To The Blind," "Cross My Heart," "Nine Below Zero," "Mr. Down Child," and "Mighty Long Time." Then again, the tandem treat is to hear a good enough dollop of some of Sonny Boy's more personal material, particularly the slightly haunting "West Memphis Blues," which he wrote about the fire that actually burned down the house he had bought with his wife.

   Then, there are the bonuses: one of the last broadcasts of the legendary "King Biscuit Time" on which Sonny Boy would appear before his death; and perhaps the earliest known version Elmore James would cut of his signature "Dust My Broom," this one with Sonny Boy (who was long reputed to have tricked him into cutting it for Trumpet) sliding in with some fills showing he was a deft an accompanist/partner as he was a harmonica virtuoso. Accompanying the cantankerously poetic Sonny Boy, mostly, are such legends of Memphis/Helena blues as guitarist Joe Willie Wilkins (Robert Jr. Lockwood he ain't, but for laying a sensible support and spitting out the occasional fill and run he acquits his own self very nicely), bassist Cliff Bivens, drummer Frock, and pianist Dave Campbell, and they deliver yeoman's work.




5. Rice Miller was a man of many faces, tones, and zip codes. THis disc packs some of the fiercest, most downhome sounds that Mississippi had to offer. Includes a radio broadcast from the KING BICUIT FLOWER HOUR and definitve versions of such tunes as "She Brought Life Back To The Dead," "Cool Blues," and "Eyesight To The Blind." As well, "Mighty Long Time" is a marvel. Wonderful harp with Willie Love on piano, and Elmore James on guitar for most tracks. Some of the best Sonny Boy available in the States.

1 comments about Original Source.

1. Amazon's review calls this a budget release, which may be a bit misleading. This is the exact equivalent of any of the JSP blues boxes. The packaging is very cheap, but the music is major-label quality and remastered(just like JSP). This has everything T-Bone recorded from 1951 back. The major downside(if there is one) is that it ends abruptly in 1951 in the middle of his tenure with Imperial. He was with that label from 1950 through 1954, and this collection has the first half(or so) of that output. There is no real reason to end it here when this could have been a 5-CD set including all the Imperial material. His entire Imperial output is available on an excellent 2-CD set, but the first disk, and the first couple of songs on the second disk of that set overlap with the last disk and the end of the third disk of this set. If you don't buy both sets, you will have the blues when you hear what you're missing!!!!!!

5 comments about Heavy Love.

1. A nice bit of the electric blues, from Buddy Guy, with a lot of organ and piano mixed in. But it's the truly wailing guitar numbers that really shine ("Had a Bad Night"). And the southern feeling "Are You Lonely Baby" also plays as an album highlight, as does a playfully funky cover of "I Just Want to Make Love to You." The slow blues grind of "Did Somebody Make a Fool Out of You" really changes the mood of the album, to a more somber, reflective atmosphere, with some timely acoustic guitar magic, before the album returns to its starting point in the upbeat, organ tinged "When the Time Is Right."
   
   A very enjoyable electric blues album.



2. This is the best overall blues album I've ever heard! Buddy Guy at his best, funkiest, grooviest, movingest, and feelingest...
   
   Each song is something new, has something new to say, or if it's a cover - says it in a new way.
   
   My nephew gave me this CD and it was one of the best CDs I've ever gotten. Thanks, Pete!
   
   Tell it, Buddy. Make it sing like you do...



3. Buddy is as great as always on this album. I have several of his other CDs, but was driven to buy this one specifically because of the duo "Midnight Train" with Jonny Lang. I'd have bought the CD again simply because of that song. It is simply outstanding! I'd love to hear more collaborative efforts between Buddy and Jonny.



4. Some blues fans have dissed on this disc here and that's fair enough. This CD is fairly pop/funk for a longtime blues man like Buddy, but for me it works. About half of this disc is very strong in my opinion. Great band playing excellently on a bunch of great tunes. But make no mistake, this ain't your typical Buggy Guy blues disc. It's got a mix of rock, soul and blues with a heavy funk aspect. I like it!



5. There is a great deal of arguing amongst fans of the "Blues" about Buddy Guy's music in this new century. I am reminded of Muddy Water's trip to England in 1958, when fans expected to hear the lonesome delta blues & instead got Muddy's raging electric guitar sounds. He took a wad of cash out of his pocket & waved it in the air & said something like, "how do you expect me to play like that when I got all this now?" Times & artists change & you either dig where your favorites are heading or else it's time to start listening to someone or something else. Me? I dig it & I bet if Muddy were here he'd groove on it, too.

5 comments about Gatorhythms.

1. I heard from Marcia on a Blues webcast.I bought 3 of her albums including her Live Down the Road. It was mainly based on a single review on the album page." Great sax on the many solos".. That sax man is awful. Bad notes, phrasing, and amature style. Gator rhythms was not what I expected either. Marcia is a terrific talent we saw in Bay St Louis some time back before the town was blown away. These Albums miss the mark. sorry.



2. I like Marcia Ball and love her music. I see her around town now and then and have gone to many of her local gigs. However, eighteen bucks for 34 minutes of music is a nasty rip off. Folks, that is worse than a cheaply mastered LP! Rounder (more like Bounder) records conveniently neglects to list a total time, or track times, on the exterior packaging so you have to open the package before you learn you've just been seriously gouged and it's too late to take it back then. It's companies like Rounder that are driving the various sorts of music piracy.



3. There's something haunting and envigorating about her style. Even though you can get lost in her vocals don't forget her piano playing, which is second to none. She's just a true musician.



4. On this set, Marcia demonstrates her skills on a variety of songs, beginning with How to carry on, an up-tempo rocker, which sees her attacking the piano in a manner reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis. There's nothing else quite like that here, but there is a nice mix of tempos. The mood of the album is generally upbeat.

   The power of love is her own song - of course, there have been many songs with this title - I've come across about ten totally different songs. The most famous was the one that was a huge hit all over Europe in the eighties for Jennifer Rush. It was a flop in America, but later became an American hit for Laura Branigan, then in the nineties it became a monster hit for Celine Dion. Marcia's song is not as dramatic, but it is still a great song.

   Mama's cooking explains in song why Marcia manages to avoid getting fat - she could eat plenty, but always burn off the excess by dancing the night away. The cover picture provides the proof.

   Lee Roy Parnell, who eventually achieved success as a country singer in the nineties, wrote two of the songs but he was unknown at the time this music was recorded. What's a girl to do and Red hot show that he could write great songs.

   Marcia's music should appeal to anybody who likes rock music with a touch of blues, particularly fans of Bonnie Raitt.




5. This is the best of the cds put out by Marcia Ball and I recommend it highly. The performances on other Ball cds is equally good, but the quality of the songwriting on this one sets it apart from the rest. (I realize 4 stars around here amounts to damning with faint praise, but geez, there ought to be some shades of gray between the ridiculous and the sublime).

3 comments about Blues Gold.

1. This CD is a must for any person who wants to truely understand the history of our people. The song really express the love, the pain, and yes even the hate that time brought to the lives of us. The instruments seems to take on a life of there own it is like they became one with the singer. The words reflect the mood of today life styles for many. I think that the BLUES GOLD shoul dbe in evry ones collection. One listen and you will understand.



2. A nice mixture of old and new, familiar and not-so -- sort of a Blues Greatest Hits. I was a little put off by the packaging, which is so plain as to look like a cheesy reissue set, but the liner notes are good, the sound quality is good, and above all, the music is good.



3. This thirty-eight track, two-hour-plus anthology does an excellent job of presenting fifty years of blues from the post-World War II era through the present day. Disc one includes such Chicago blues giants as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy who all recorded for Chess. While many of these artists did not enjoy huge crossover success, they influenced everyone from Elvis ("Hound Dog") to the Yarbirds ("I'm a Man"), The Rolling Stones ("I'm a King Bee"), Cream ("Spoonful") and George Thorogood ("One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"). Every song on disc-one is a classic, from T-Bone Walker's million-selling "Call It Stormy Monday" to Bobby "Blue" Bland's No. 2 R&B hit "Turn on Your Love Light" (which peaked at No. 28 on the pop charts). Disc-one is required listening for anyone with even a remote interest in the blues.
   
   Disc-two, while it includes such blues stalwarts as Albert King, Etta James and B.B. King, focuses more on contemporary standard-bearers. Eric Clapton and Duane Allman perform Little Walter's "Mean Old World" from the LAYLA sessions. The Allman Brothers perform a live version of Muddy Water's "Trouble No More." And a then sixteen-year-old wunderkind Johnny Lang takes on the Sonny Boy Williamson classic "Good Morning Little School Girl." In addition, there are other performances by such modern blues artists as Robert Cray, Keb' Mo' and Susan Tedeschi.
   
   This is by no means an exhaustive look at the blues, but it is a solid collection of the some of the best songs of the genre. And while many of these songs may already be in your music library, it's nice to have them all gathered together in one collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2 comments about Live from Chicago.

1. Lonnie Brooks is one of the BEST! If you enjoy real up beat blues you will LOVE this!!! I bought 5 more of his CD's after this one. Highly recommend all of his music he is really fabulous. You won't be sorry both my husband and I have truly enjoyed Lonnie's work. You will find yourself turning up the volume and dancing as you become addicted to this man's music.



2. One of the most happy blues albums,this one recorded at a Chicagoan Club,reveals all of the magic of Lonnie's gutural voice and his really fast way to play guitar.The best sets are "One More Shot" and the sensational version of "Hideaway",plus the emotional"In the Dark"! You will really buy this one,and of course..... ....never will be the same!

5 comments about Texas Cannonball.

1. These versions of many blues and soul standards are all fine, there are a couple of Freddie penned trax as well. I've read the quibbles in the All Music Guide and thru out the Freddie King reviwes listed below, but I still really like this music. Yes Leon's destinctive piano often sits on top of the mix, and the strings and backing female voices occationaly over power King's playing and mar and date the arrangements, but it's soooo good, even if it is at the end of the road for Freddie.
   .
   I'd suggest picking up the 2-disc "KING OF THE BLUES".
   That CD contains all of these cuts and then some; about 60 in all, in a generous package. There are only a handful of songs that are not up to par and some that are so good you will wonder why you did not already have King in your blues collection. For those looking for a blues CD beyond Freddie's vintage 1950's classics, see "KING OF THE BLUES".



2. After listening to blues for many, many years, and playing a bit myself, IMO, "Me and My Guitar" is the second greatest blues song ever recorded by anybody, anywhere (the greatest being "Crossroads" by Cream). That's my 2 cents' worth.



3. This is a fantastic album by Freddie King. Recorded in 1972 on Leon Russell's Shelter label, the album features Freddie on guitar, Leon on piano, and Donald Duck Dunn on bass. Great renditions of Lowell Fulsom's Reconsider Baby, Howlin Wolf's How Many More Years, and Bill Wither's Aint No Sunshine. Plus a coupl eof track written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. In the thirty plus years I have been listening to this, I have worn out at least four copies. Freddie really knows how to make that guitar sing.



4. I was introduced to Freddie King's music going on forty years ago and was fortunate to have actually seen him in concert several times when he visited San Antonio. This is by far my favorite work from Freddie. I'm not a great admirer of Leon Russell, but he does provide Freddie with some exceptional material that has had staying power with me for decades. I still own this on vinyl, a most cherished possession. Every cut is great. Having said that, an alternative would be to buy "The Best of the Shelter Years" because you get most of the cuts on Cannonball and other greats like "Woman Across the River". A real classic and one that the Allman Bros. have recently covered.
   
   There is also a 2002 DVD covering this 1972 album.



5. Freddies steel finger 'n' thumbpicks make the notes ring out throughout this classic album. The notes swoop and bend. The version of "Reconsider Baby" (originally done by Lowell Fulson but also covered by Elvis Presley) seems like it was almost MADE for Freddie. His voice is racked with pain and anguish as he slows the song down to a funky grind and adds shimmering finger vibrato to notes that seem to fall from the sky. He was definitely the finest vocalist amongst the famous "3 Kings" and his guitar playing has influenced everyone notable, from Clapton to Johnny Winter to Paul Kossoff,etc..
   A few people have tried to cover songs featured here. Tab Benoit has adequately attempted "Me & My Guitar" back in 1998, but the growling vocals of Freddie can't be equalled. Every track featured on this CD is superb and the cover art was striking when this album first was issued on vinyl back in 1971.
   This CD version comes with several *bonus tracks which adds incentive to purchase it. If you think the Texas Shuffle started with The Vaughan Brothers THINK AGAIN because this was from where it originated.
   I was so fortunate to see Freddie King live on stage with Eric Clapton back in summer 1976. He was a giant , both musically and physically!

5 comments about Standing on the Bank.

1. Upon the death of SRV, Rolling Stone asked, 'how does it feel to be the best blues guitar player alive today?' E.C. replied, "I've no idea, go ask Tab Benoit."
   
   I've seen him in person - a wonderful, powerful, full-on assault of blues and bending the frets as he cares to - and now own several of TB's works, and love them all.
   
   If your taste for the blues runs like mine - ZZ Top to Clapton to SRV to Robert Randolph and the Family Band to Muddy Waters to Buddy Guy to Erida Badu to the Blues Brothers - ANY of Tab's works will make you smack your lips in indulgence and reflect 'mighty tasty indeed'.



2. This is the first review I've ever written so I'll be brief. If you don't like music don't buy this album, that is the only excuse I can think of not to buy this album or any of Tab's stuff for that matter.

   Mr. Himes needs to spend more time in New Orleans contemplating why he is wasting everyones time writing reviews. I'm sure he doesn't like Stevie Ray Vauhn, Cool John Ferguson or BB King either. What an idiot! If you don't like the blues don't review the blues. This album is awsome.




3. One of my favorite Tab albums. His own material is great, and he covers the "Alberts" to a T. This guy (from Houma, LA by the way) has with "Standing on the Bank" recorded a master piece. But he is even better live. Catch him at the Rock-N-Bowl on a Saturday night, and get blown away. He plays really hard - usually pops at least 4-5 strings per show. And on home turf he doesn't want to quit, and will go as long as they let him. Go see him when he comes to your town!



4. I don't generally comment on other peoples reviews but after reading Mr. Geoffery Himes review, I avoided this cd and opted for "These Blues Are All Mine" instead. Then, Tab Benoit came to town and put on a little show. Not only was he a fantastic performer, but I realized that several of the tunes he was playing, and which had the audience in a frenzy, were all songs off of this cd. In fact, at the show, Benoit sold every copy of this cd that he had brought with him. Shortly after the show, I came back to this cd and reread Himes review. What is this guy smoking? The cd is excellent and may well be the best that Benoit has produced.

   Benoit's mastery of the fret board is astonishing and, as one writer commented, "the man knows more chords than Six Figures Mandel and is able to make them all sound like Uncle Paul could play them".

   Oddly, and again contrary to Himes comments, Benoit's least likeable song on this cd is "Rainy Day Blues" with Willie Nelson. Not that it is a bad song, but it just doesn't fit with the rest. Don't make the same mistake I did and rely on Mr. Himes, buy this cd today.




5. Pay no attention to Mr. Himes' Blues Snob review! Tab Benoit delivers great, gritty blues guitar and vocals throughout this CD. This IS the blues Geoffy! Don't believe it? Just catch Tab's live show some Saturday night in New Orleans and watch him pack'em in. If the blues is about energy & passion...Tab is a FIVE STAR BLUESMAN!

5 comments about Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band.

1. If you like real South Side of Chicago blues, this is what you need to buy .
   
   After just hearing of Charlie Musselwhite recently , I decided to listen to some clips of his CD's and , by far, this first recording with the South Side Band is his BEST ever . This was recorded in the mid-60's when he and his band members were very young - this band is so tight that you will marvel at how seasoned they sound .
   
   The talent on this CD is easily worth twice the price .
   Charlie Musselwhite is an outstanding blues harmonica player . True soul and passion emanates from his harp. Harvey Mandel on guitar , of Canned Heat at Woodstock fame ,is one of the best ever - his style is very unique and reminiscent of Hendrix, using a lot of sustain on the notes . Barry Goldberg is on keyboards - he played with Mike Bloomfield and he and Harvey are members of the Chicago Blues Reunion , along with Nick Gravenites , Tracy Nelson and Samy Lay . I also highly recommend that CD .



2. I bought this record when it first came out and have listened to it consistently since then. It's one of the real classics, in the same group as the 1st generation Chicago blues classics - a desert island record. Great blues has a soul that all fans can identify - this record has that soul to burn. And burn it does, mostly. The singing, harmonica and guitar work are peerless - equalled by electrified white bluesmen only a few times, for example, in the first two Paul Butterfield Blues Band records and maybe parts of John Hammond's "I Can Tell." Harvey Mandel's guitar solo on 4PM makes my hair stand on end (the longest bent note in the blues!), even after almost 40 years. Charley's hard driving vocal style and aggressive harp fills and solos against that solid simple back beat are the essence of hard rocking.
   
   My favorite Musselwhite story - at a rock festival in 1970 filled w/ hippie comunards, somewhere in rural Oregon, Charley, with slicked back short hair and a white short sleeve shirt surveys the frolicing multitudes - swirling, colored clothes, flowing long hair everywhere, wildly high, like a chemically enhanced group of 18th century utopians at an outdoor picnic- looks at the audience - knowing how incongruous his blue collar band must look, and growls, "SOMEbody got to play the blues." So true. He did. The harp wailed and the crowd went wild. He rocked then and he rocks now.



3. attention blues lovers, stand back is fresh and hard and real in 2005 as in 1967. this album has magic as it captured a real and lasting feel for the blues.the harp and electric guitar and organ were meant for each other. musselwhite vocals are in top form for crying the blues. if you collect blues music, this is the leader of the pack...and blues is my main music...graffitiglenn



4. Junto a Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite es una de las figuras más notables del despegue del blues rock americano de mediados de los 60's. hay muchas similitudes entre ambos músicos y sus respectivas bandas (Blues Band y South Side Band), lo que no debería extrañar si se consideran los paralelos en su formación y el común denominador del blues de Chicago. También se hacen acompañar por secciones rítmicas de avezados músicos negros y por virtuosos solistas an guitarra y órgano.

   Si hay que escoger, la ventaja la tiene Butterfield, que presentó su revolucionario sonido en 1965. Pese a que Musselwhite venía tocando por la misma época, su debut se produce en 1967, con el fenomenal East West a sus espaldas. En términos de búsquedas sonoras, la South Side Band se mantiene fiel al estilo, pero ese apego no le quita densidad y calidad a su música.

   Virtuoso de la armónica y con un timbre semejante al de Butterfield (en especial cuando fuerza la voz), Musselwhite alterna números lentos con otros dinámicos y potentes, acompañado por el futuro Canned Heat Harvey Mendel, de sólo 22 años, el que deslumbra con un manejo envidiable e irresistibles solos (No More Lonely Nights y 4 P.M por nombrar algunas). Barry Goldberg tampoco se queda atrás, aportando y por momentos tomando el control, como ocurre en el tema de su autoría que cierra el álbum, algo desacostumbrado para un tecladista, usualmente relegados a un papel secundario. Es que en este álbum ho hay actores menores, sino una suma de talentos nada sencilla de igualar.




5. blues albums to emerge from the 1960s. Charlie Musselwhite had been paying his dues back in the '60s on the South Side of Chicago, learning from the Blues Giants and doing session work with the likes of John Hammond and Tracy Nelson, but he really emerged as a FORCE and a TALENT with this album. Musselwhite just shows impeccable instincts, and the result is something rare: a white who plays the blues in an overwhelmingly convincing way. Listen to "Strange Land" or "Baby Won't You Please Help Me" and you will sense NOTHING trivial, and much that is deeply moving, about this music. A real hidden talent on this CD is Harvey Mandel on guitar--the man was and is a creative genius, bringing his own style of feedback and sustain--a highly idiosyncratic manner--to a pure understanding of the blues. I have had this album/CD for over 30 years, and when I play it today, I can still feel the fresh drive, energy, and authenticity that startled me when I first bought it back in 1967 (?).

5 comments about Natural Boogie.

1. awesome album just what i been looking for.
   I really like the style,raw,simple, and something to enjoy and to let the younger people listen to.
   so they can appreciate different types of music



2. Hound Dog Taylor was born polydactyly - he had six fingers on both hands. One night in a drunken impulse, he cut off the extra digit on his strumming hand with a razor blade while leaving his fretboard hand with all six. For that reason alone, Hound Dog Taylor is the baddest MF to live in Chicago since Al Capone. While "Scareface" had machine guns to fire off in the streets of The Windy City, old "Eleven-Fingers" had his raw voice, gritty guitar, punk boogie, and sad stories to dredge up from the back alley dumpsters of Chi-town.



3. All I gotta say is this is some of the most gritty, raw, rockin' boogie blues I've ever heard. The guitars on this album are loud, dirty, nasty -- where can I get this tone? You can't buy it. Well, you can if you buy this album.
   
   You got wax in your ears? I gotta cure for you: Listen with headphones on to You Can't Sit Down -- the guitar in the left channel -- that'll jar it loose.



4. I can't tell you how strongly I feel about this album. This is awesome! This is one of the more outstanding examples of the "boogie" blues style. My favorite tracks are "You Can't Sit Down," and "Sadie" although its a little like selecting favorites among your children...ultimately, you love them all very much. This makes a tremendous addition to any blues collection.



5. What?!
   I couldn't think of a title which made sense.
   
   Anyway, "Natural Boogie" (which should probably have been spelled "natch'l") is Hound Dog Taylor's second album, and it rocks with at least as much fire as its predecessor.
   Taylor and his Houserockers, drummer Ted Harvey and gritty second guitarist Brewer Phillips, lay down a superbly groovy rhythm on "See Me In The Evening", one of his very best songs, and they do a fine take on Elmore James' "Shake Your Moneymaker" (retitled "Roll Your Moneymaker" and shamelessly credited to Taylor himself!).
   
   Other highlights include the unusually low-key "Sadie", and a great cover of another Elmore James-tune, James' Chess-single "Talk To My Baby (I can't hold out)".
   Not all of the handful of instrumentals on this album manage to keep one interested for very long, and there isn't excactly a lot of musical variation here, but when it all gels, "Natural Boogie" really rocks, and the three-man band dig some deep grooves.
   3 3/4 stars. Recommended.