1 comments about Hold That Train.

1. this is as good as it gets for hardcore chicago blues.
   smith sounds like a cross between magic slim and otis rush.
   his vocal are hard edged raw and pure chicago.
   his playing is somewhat like magic slim and all and all
   i would rate him as about equal to magic.
   5 stars must buy cd.

3 comments about Mojo: The Best of Muddy Waters Live!, 1971-1976.

1. It don't matter what's the matter. Just let Muddy Waters take care of it. And he does that on this collection of 'live' tunes with his great backup band. He is truly the Hoochi Coochi Man. You wanna get down, get funky? Get this one.



2. BOUGHT THIS CD BASED ON THE PREVIOUS REVIEW, AND WAS NOT DISAPOINTED. THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING RELEASE, BOTH IN CONTENT AND SOUND QUALITY, AND IS RECOMENDED TO ALL BLUES FANS--LETS HOPE THE UPCOMING CLASSIC CONCERT DVD IS OF SAME STANDARD--MUDDY DESERVES THE BEST.



3. This album is subtitled "The Live Collection", and while that may sound a little ominous, "Mojo" is certainly not a second-rate collection of hap-hazardly chosen live performances. On the contrary, these are some of the very best live recordings of Muddy Waters ever available.
   
   Superbly remastered, "Mojo" features excellent sound, capturing Muddy Waters in Washington and Oregon in 1971, and in Switzerland in 1976, a total of 74 minutes of music.
   The core of the Muddy Waters Band is in place on both the '71 and the '76 recordings, veteran blues drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and pianist Joe "Pinetop" Perkins, and harp duties are more than ably handled by George "Harmonica" Smith and Jerry Portnoy respectively. Muddy himself is in excellent form, and the track list is superb...tough, swinging renditions of Muddy Waters' best-known songs, and numerous lesser-known but equally fabulous ones as well.
   "Mojo" opens with a terrific, muscular rendition of "Rollin' And Tumblin'", after which it goes from highlight to highlight: "Got My Mojo Working", a lean, mean rendition of "Walkin' Blues", a slow, soulful "Howlin' Wolf", and an interesting, minor-note flavoured "Mannish Boy", which owes a lot to the huge pocket of the drummer who makes the five-minute, one-chord song into the powerhouse that it is.
   
   The great Willie "Big Eyes" Smith lays down a deep groove with his energetic, versatile playing, and the interaction between the rhythm section and Pinetop Perkins is worth noticing as well; Perkins contributes mightily to the magnificent swinging feel of songs like "Crawlin' King Snake", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Walkin' Thru The Park", and "Rollin' And Tumblin'", and his solo on "Can't Get No Grindin' (what's the matter with the mill)" completely takes over the track, even though it gets stiff competition from Jerry Portnoy's harp solo and a fiery guitar solo by Bob Margolin.
   And Luther Johnson shines on a rough, tough rendition of "Dust My Broom", doing the lead vocals while Muddy Waters plays the howling slide guitar.
   
   The sound, the material, and the musicianship make this one of the finest live blues albums I have ever heard, and a worthy companion to the classic "Muddy Waters At Newport".
   A must-have!

3 comments about Joy in the Camp: Gaither Gospel Series.

1. The audio on these dates is not good. Scratchy sounds and background noise seems to prevail on several of the songs. I am thinking I paid more than they are worth.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. I have only just ordered the cd of this, but have owned the tape for several years. My husband and i absolutely love this particular gospel tape more than all the other tapes we own. I searched and searched to find it with no luck until I contacted Amazon. I should have looked here first. Thank you Amazon for allowing us to finally have our favorite at long last. We thought since it is not a new one we would not be able to have it on cd.



3. I think I've heard every album that Bill Gaither has ever produced. This one was one of the first five "Homecoming" albums I heard. You can't stay down in the "mully-grubs" when you listen to this fabulous collection of joyful songs.

3 comments about Luther's Blues.

1. This is a re-release, with 3 additional songs, adding an "ADDITIONAL THIRTY MINUTES OF UNADULTERATED BLUES! The total playing time is an almost unheard of "SEVENTY MINUTES"! Luther is one of "Shaq's, The King Of The World Blues Reviewer's" six favorite electric blues guitarist's of all-time, and he shows on this CD, why he is rated so highly! The CD starts of with a 6 minute 18 second rendition entitled "Luther's Blues". The unique sound of his guitar stringing, has almost a tinny, electric, reverberation, and when he whales that "his mother calls him Luther and his Father calls him son".. You're hearing a rear combination of instrument, voice, and blue soul! If you bought this CD in it's first manifestation, it's worth buying it again, with the extra 30 minutes of music, which includes a "19 MINUTE LONG", live medley performed at Ann Arbor. Luther also does a toe-tapping rendition of a Freddy King song, "San-"HO"-Zay". This is a start to finish classic blues CD. And Shaq, "The King Of The World Blues Reviewer" says any lover of electric blues, would be remiss not to have this in their collection! P.S. You will also be pleasantly surprised at some of the outstanding "harp" playing, by Luther himself. What are you waiting for Mr./Mrs. Blues Lover? Shaq says buy this now!



2. The first couple of tracks display standard Luther Allison with his very distinct nervous, but soulful bending and vibrato. However, although this is first rate material this cd suprizes even a hardcore blues/jazz/funk fan with such songs as "You've Got It". This song is damn funky as well some other tracks on the orginal copy of this cd. Now the bonus tracks make the early parts of the cd seem like it was slowed down. The Freddy King cover and Bloomington Closing have so much out-of-control, on the edge energy that I kinda listen to these songs with my mouth wide open. It shows that Luther was foremost an excellent, over-the-top guitarist. Its almost like he caught the energy of someone like Hendrix and puts a very unique twist on it, more that SRV actually. And the final bonus track is live with the crowd not wanting him to stop playing. Funny how the first part of the jam sounds like the "One Way Out" by the Allman Brothers. If you like high energy, electric blues oyu should definately get is. If you play guitar, you better check out those instrumental bonus tracks.



3. This is great 70's blues! It's not overproduced, and it's got a great funky & soulful vibe throughout the entire record. An excellent place to start your modern blues collection & the cd has been remastered with bonus tracks - over 70 minutes!!!!

No comments about Messin Around.

2 comments about Broke, Black and Blue.

1. This boxed set provides an excellent opportunity to add breadth to any blues collection. It's also an oustanding bargain at the price.
   
   For the most part the compiler offers just one track per performer or group, with the tracks arranged in chronological order. The first two discs range from 1925 to late in 1930, the third covers the 1930's. The final disc changes the pattern. After five blues by different artists from the early 1940's we settle into multiple jump blues from Les Brown, Jimmie Gordon and Johnny Temple.
   
   Until this final disc, however, the range is enormous, with a sprinkling of famous titles amid a wonderful array of undeserved obscurities. For the most part the sound is highly acceptable given the age and occasional rarity of the originals.
   
   There's a substantial and useful booklet of about 40 pages, with full commentary and exhaustive discographic detail, as one should expect.
   
   Even at the risk of a certain amount of duplication this is an excellent compilation, either for people new to this wonderful genre, or to those with greater experience. Unless you're remarkably expert, it's certain to widen horizons and introduce you to unfamiliar treasures. Buy it with confidence.



2. This Box set is a treasure.Great collection of early recorded blues.Fantastic!

1 comments about Mississippi Kid.

1. Nobody does low-down, deep blues like Byther Smith. At times his guitar playing invites B.B. King comparisons, but Byther is lonelier, edgier, tougher and more personal. Byther's blues cut. "President's Daughter," "Blues on the Moon," "Give Me My White Robe," (harrowing, that; who else packs such a wallop singing about getting ready to die?), "Runnin' to New Orleans" and "Monticello Lonely" are standouts. Two or three cuts are weak, but that's a minor quibble on a very fine Chicago/Mississippi/Delta electric blues record.

2 comments about Blues on the South Side.

1. When i first heard this album over thirty years ago I gave it 5 stars, but hearing it again i think it's good but NOT the greatest album i've ever heard



2. Homesick James never quite got the accolades that his legendary cousin Elmore did, but I can assure you as a huge fan of both, he is just as powerful in his playing and singing.. There is rumor that during the Fire/Fury sessions that Homesick played for Elmore as a sideman on, Homesick even played lead on certain cuts such as "Homesick's Blues" but gave the credit to Elmore who actually was playing 2nd guitar not lead. Homesick even claims to have taught Elmore the Dust My Broom Groove which is probably the most copied and emulated guitar lick ever.

   This 1964 setting is just pure Chicago Blues. Drums, bass, and piano lay a mean groove and let Homesick weave his slide guitar and anguished vocals through one of the best sessions I have ever heard. Standouts include the burning slow groove "Goin' Down Swingin' and a version of the aforementioned "Homesick's Blues" that includes the Dust My Broom slide groove. I can honestly say there is not one letdown on this recording. From start to finsish this is Chicago Blues the way it is supposed to be, powerful and passionate. It is a credit to Homesick that now in his 80's is still performing festival dates and occasional shows. I looked for a long time to find this whole session after getting 4 track from it on another CD, I strongly urge anyone who likes Chicago Blues and/or slide guitar to purchase this without hesitation!!

2 comments about Blues Masters, Vol. 18 : More Slide Guitar Classics.

1. Amazon lists 13 of the 18 Blues Masters series as "unavailable". What's up with that?



2. Rhino's Blues Masters series is by far the best of its kind. Yes, better than the new Martin Scorsese series, although that's good, too.
   
   You can't just go out and buy the entire "Blues Masters" series and be done with, of course...there is much more to the blues than that. But casual or "mid-level" blues fans should love this well-compiled and well-annotated series, and this excellent collection is one of the best entries.
   Spanning 1927-1974, "More Slide Guitar Classics" includes some of the best songs in the catalogues of blues masters like Elmore James, Son House, Tampa Red, Robert Nighthawk, and J.B. Hutto. Elmore's smouldering slow burner "The Sky Is Crying" is here in all its glory, alongside Texas bluesman Johnny Winter's acoustic slide guitar blues "Dallas", Son House's awesome "Death Letter", and Babe Turner (the Black Ace)'s obscure "Your Leg's Too Little".
   
   Other highlights include Muddy Waters' wonderful early classic "I Can't Be Satisfied", Tampa Red's piano-driven "Green And Lucky Blues", a tough "Little Boy Blue" by Robert Jr. Lockwood (Robert Johnson's stepson), J.B. Hutto's fiery boogie "Hip Shakin'", and the powerful "I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole", played and sung by the grittiest gospel singer ever, Blind Willie Johnson, is just amazing.
   The numerous rarities make this album even better, and the inclusion of songs like Joe Carter's tough shuffle "I'm Worried" and Boyd Gilmore's even more obscure "All In My Dreams" is a real gift.
   
   This is a mouth-watering slice of classic blues tunes. Fanatics like myself will have most of this music already, but slightly more casual listeners should rush out and try to dig up a copy of this excellent CD and its companion volume.

5 comments about Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey.

1. January 30, 2003
   
   When Bill Wyman left the Rolling Stones in the early `90's he claimed there were more important projects he wanted to work on including photography, art, and writing. Wyman was the first Stone to release solo albums that were released on Rolling Stones Records label.
   
   Wyman has excelled in at least one post-Stones arena: writing. While his two books regarding his time as a Rolling Stone offer a sanitized glimpse behind the curtain, Wyman's book, `Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey' and the companion two CD set is nothing short of an excellent narrative of that great American art form, `the blues.' For a brief time a companion television piece also aired on satellite networks.
   
   As an avid, albeit older, music fan, there is nothing I enjoy more than delving back into time and finding a rare gem recorded 50, 60, or 70 years ago. While its like admitting you have fleas on your first date, I have to confess that some of these recordings are so poor that any listening enjoyment is erased. Sure, all those 78 rpm's being transferred onto CD make it easier and the liner notes are fascinating, but even the Yazoo label often releases titles that are so marred with `snaps, crackles, and pops' that I can't bear repeated listening. Which brings me to the point of this column.
   
   Do you remember when Columbia released the 2 disc Robert Johnson box set back in the very early `90's? Anyway, with the dawn of digital recordings, Columbia made the brief and untenable, yet true, boast that the box set recordings, since they had been remixed and remastered, were, "better than the original recordings." Listeners could distinctly hear Johnson rocking in a wooden chair while he recorded. Now I know someone, somewhere is going to tag me with the old lie, "I love the warmth of those old records." O.K. sure. But I like clarity. Wyman's companion two CD set release for `Blues Odyssey' is the finest example I have ever heard representing this era of the recording industry. To put a point on it, the two CD set is a compilation, 46 cuts in all, is of early period blues artists including Bessie Smith, Frank Stokes, Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson contemporary Charly Patton. Within the compact disc is a 22 page booklet with excellent liner notes regarding each artist represented on this collection. The Linear notes are a good indication of how excellent the Wyman's book was written.
   
   The mists of the past are parting.
   
   What Wyman has truly accomplished is to lend his name and credibility within the industry to create well deserved interest in the artists that are unquestionably the pioneers and bedrock of the music industry and rock music in particular. Through the use of video, the printed word, and digitally enhanced audio recordings, Wyman has created a veritable time machine that allows the serious music fan to truly experience this music as it sounded when it was originally recorded. Since purchasing this disc I have been trawling in the 1920's listening to music that is humorous, enlightening, and, "dadgumit" just darn great



2. This compilation of Bill Wyman's favorite blues songs gives a decent history of blues music. While listening to this music, it is quite interesting to note the influence it had on many rock n roll bands.

   However, the versions presented here are a stark in arrangement. Although they are performed well, usually its just a guitar and a vocal or a piano and a vocal. A few instrumentals thrown in for good measure. Unfortuantely after a while it all sounds pretty similar in spite of some good performances.

   Truthfully, I would prefer a smaller compilation of blues standards as opposed to this extensive batch. Nonetheless, big time fans of blues music might want to at least preview this collection.




3. For all of you who enjoyed Ken Burns' epic Jazz series, former Stones bassist Bill Wyman follows it up here with his own study and insight on the musical genre that he obviously loves, the Blues. Besides the handsome coffee table book, this 2 CD set contains most of the legends of the American blues spread over 46 tracks, from Papa Charlie Jackson's 1925 recording of "All I Want is a Spoonful" to 1951 blues tracks from Elmore James and B.B. King. No, "The Thrill is Gone" isn't covered here nor are the newer blues artists like Robert Cray or Stevie Ray Vaughan, just the old masters.

   One thing I was reminded of was that the blues did not begin with Robert Johnson who emerged in the mid-'30s. Of course! Just like rock and roll didn't begin with Elvis. Get this collection and check out Wyman's commentary on each of the artists. It's very informative and easy to get a grasp on what for many is an arcane musical genre.

   And yes, as Wyman states, "the Blues are perfect however you feel."




4. I'm rarely in someone's Amen Corner, but I can't disagree with anything the previous reviewer wrote. Rather, let me expand on it. The Rolling Stones, particularly in their salad days, were heavily influenced by black American blues as were many of their British contemporaries. Here the listener has the chance to hear 46 of the songs which influenced that generation of musicians and which touched Wyman in particular.
   Bill Wyman has put together a fine group of old blues that feature a wide range of musicians, both famous and obscure, playing a wide range of blues styles. Rock fans who have never listened to traditional blues will recognize a number of these songs which have been covered by artists ranging from Van Morrison to John Mayall.
   The 2-CD set includes an informative booklet containing short biographical sketches of each featured artist. It also contains many rare photos obtained from various sources.
   Hats off to Bill Wyman! Blues Odyssey is a noteworthy compilation, very well remastered, that is worth every penny of its price. If you love the blues, buy this one today.



5. Leave it to a Rolling Stone to assemble the most generous, distinctive collection of classic blues issued this year. I purchased this set on impulse because I love early blues recordings and heard that Bill Wyman, of the Rolling Stones, had just produced a broadcast series based on the lives and works of early blues musicians. To be honest, there aren't many early blues recordings on CD that have been as carefully researched or as beautifully remastered. There are two disks and 46 cuts on this bargain-priced collection, only about a third of which are performed by die-hard favorites like Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Big Maceo, Lonnie Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Minnie and Blind Lemon Jefferson. The balance of the collection includes performances by musicians you may not have ever heard, or at least listened too very often, from Mamie Smith and Bo Carter to Casey Bill Weldon and Georgia White. But there isn't a bad cut in the bunch. As with most of Wyman's recorded projects, there is a distinctive, laid-back feel to the compilation. The music is intensely personal, and very listenable. Originally remastered in the UK by Denis Blackham, the warmth and presence of the collection is startling. Add to all of this a booklet that is handsome and informative, and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend 20 bucks. PS. You don't have to love the blues to enjoy most of these performances. Anyone who loves vintage jazz or roots music can dive right in. Very strongly recommended.