2 comments about Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Masters, Vol. 2: 1952-1958.

1. Imagine, it is 1931 and Robert Johnson comes home to Robert Lockwood Jr.'s home in Helena bringing a young man who calls himself "W. M." (actually, if you pushed him young Alex "Rice" Miller would have told you that he was "Willie Miller" actually his brother's name. Robert, Robert Jr. and Sonny Boy live on the Helena, Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. By the late 1930s W. M. now calling himself "Sonny Boy" and Robert Jr. are playing electric guitar and harmonica through car radios and juke boxes. Later they would call it "Chicago Blues." In 1941, Sonny Boy began a radio show on a new radio station KFFA in Helena and soon invited the now recording artist Robert Lockwood Jr. to join him. King Biscuit Time took the delta by storm as it was the only radio show in the area featuring a local black artist. Sonny Boy would play Muddy Waters' wedding and a few years later Muddy would move to Chicago because Sonny Boy had all the good gigs. Robert Jr. would follow him and in the 1940s remind him of Robert Johnson's repertoire which Muddy would rewrite and record. In the mid-1940s Muddy Waters would buy his first electric guitar long after "Chicago Electric Blues" was "invented".Sonny Boy would stay in the delta where he ruled the roost and Robert Jr. would end up heading the house band at Chess/Checker studios. Sonny Boy would not record until 1950 for Trumpet and 1955 for Checker where he would be reunited with Muddy Waters and Robert Jr.When Sonny Boy went to Europe for the American Folk Blues Festival in 1963, Muddy Waters had not had a hit in America in eight years. Sonny Boy was the inspiration for more English blues rockers than any one and more tributes to him were written than any other blues man including Muddy Waters. He just died in 1965 and Muddy was blues king by default. One was not better than the other; they were both equally brilliant and unique as was Little Walter (who drank too much) and Howlin' Wolf (who was sitting down to play by then). Explore the whole history which is much deeper than just Muddy Waters who had the best promoter at the right time and outlived most of them.Enjoy this and hope they do the same for Sonny Boy Williamson II.



2. I do have one complaint with this release from Hip-O Select, and it deals with the packaging. Although it LOOKS incredibly handsome on the surface, they have the discs fitting into these tight cardboard slots that are tailor-made to get the discs scratched up, and that's just ridiculous. In this day and age, these guys should really know better.
   
   Still, I say hunker down and grab a couple spare jewel cases to put the two discs of this set in. Because they are truly incredible discs. Muddy was playing with a rhythm section by the time where this set begins--he was in absolute peak form, and innovating in ways that may go underappreciated nowadays but shouldn't be dismissed.
   
   Due to the strict chronological sequencing and thoroughness of the set, there are cases where the same song appears twice in a row, but it's hardly a problem, because songs like the riffy "She's All Right" and the stomping "Baby Please Don't Go" are so great that you won't mind hearing them twice in a row, and the little differences between the two versions are intriguing.
   
   A case can be made that Muddy Waters paved the way for rock & roll more than any other performer. Beyond that though, his music is simply timeless, and resonates in a way those who followed in his footsteps (i.e. the Rolling Stones) have been woefully unable to duplicate. Yes, Muddy's vocals are obviously the REAL DEAL. But also a key 'secret weapon' was Little Walter's brilliant, utterly natural and earthy harmonica playing--just listen for his absolutely hair-raising solo on "I Just Want To Make Love To You" to cite one example.
   
   This wonderful two disc set piles up one soulful classic after another, whether it's the irresistibly swaggering "I'm Ready", "Don't Go No Farther", and "Rock Me", the mind-blowingly swinging-yet-gutsy "Trouble No More", or mournful slow blues numbers like "Standing Around Crying" or "Sad, Sad Day", just to name half a dozen more in addition to the ones mentioned previously.
   
   A couple songs, particularly "Hoochie Coochie Man", have absolutely been done to death, both by Muddy's own endless re-recordings, not to mention all the other artists' covers, but that's a minor gripe.
   Ultimately, this set is a treasure. Just buy it, it's beyond essential.

1 comments about Chicago/The Blues/Today!, Vol. 3.

1. A definitive album! It features songs by Johnny Shines and Johnny Young, both backed by Big Walter Horton (who takes center stage once, with Charlie Musselwhite on second harp, to blow the instrumental Rockin' My Boogie). These are some of the best recordings you'll find by any of these artists.

   Horton is absolutely magnificent. There is no harp-man that gets a tone quite as full as Horton's, and he is at his best on this album. One listen will prove why this lesser-known bluesman is considered one of the Chicago harp masters along-side Little Walter and Sonny Boy. The first three notes he blows on Black Spider Blues will pierce your heart.

   You will also be hard-pressed to find Johnny Shines sounding any better than he does here. It is not an exaggeration to say that Shines has a more capable voice than the majority of bluesmen and it is displayed in full power on this disc. Shines' Dynaflow Blues (an alteration of Robert Johnson's Terraplane Blues) is absolutely breathtaking.

   Johnny Young is also in top form. His band on this album gets a very complete sound not found on most of his recordings. One More Time just plain rocks and Young's work with the mandolin on Stealin' Back is incredible.

   Don't be fooled if you've never heard of these guys. These are bluesmen of the first order and they all perform to the best of their capabilities. This is the best album in the series (which is made up of two other excellent albums) and I'd say one of the best blues albums out there. Among my 100 blues albums this is one of my two or three favorites.

No comments about John Dee Holeman & the Waifs Band.

3 comments about Amazing Grace: Mississippi Delta Spirituals By The Hunter's Chapel Singers Of Como, Miss..

1. The old time blues/gospel music on this collection is as real and raw as it gets. You'll recognize lots of the tunes but you have never heard them like this. If the first and last tracks of this album don't move you, you're half dead anyway!



2. Every track on this collection is solid rural blackgospel blues. Fred McDowell is joined in his vocals by his wife and three members of Hunter's Chapel in Como, Miss. McDowell accompanies the group on bottleneck guitar.

   This is the powerful, raw blues polished not in the recording studio but in life. Their voices blend in an emotional range ranging from rough and raw to nearly lyrical. Jesus Is On the Main Line could have easily come off a recording from the teens or twenties. You Got to Move has a smoother, more forties and beyond sound. Amazing Grace is a wonderful rendition with the voices interweaving - somewhat as if you merged the call and response style with a lining out style -- the result is absolutely spectacular.




3. If you think Amazing Grace is a cliche, you probably haven't heard the very different rendition found on this album.

   Simple, unembelished, and raw, the arrangements here bring out the emotional complexity, irony, and anger in southern black christianity.

   Today's gospel music is all polish and electronic keyboards, attempting to appeal to young people through the infusion of elements like rap. I wonder if there are many groups like this left today, delivering the music in a more "authentic" and ultimately more satisfying way.

2 comments about Cotton Pickin' Blues.

1. Tommy McClennan was a unique, rough-voiced, dirty-guitar player from the Mississippi Delta, who laid down a batch of eccentric recordings between 1939 and 1942 before disappearing into relative obscurity. The complete set was reissued a couple of years back in a double CD from RCA, but this album from ABM presents a useful sample of the best of the man's music, as well as that of his buddy, Robert Petway.
   
   The idiosyncratic McClennan appears to get totally involved in his music making and taken over by it, uttering impromptu asides amongst wild guitar flourishes. He was an influential performer, and many of his recordings, such as 'I'm A Guitar King', 'Bottle It Up And Go', and 'New Highway No. 51', have become blues classics, with several providing hits for other, more famous artists. His blues 'Cross Cut Saw' is now strongly identified with Albert King, who recorded it for Stax in the 1960s.
   
   Robert Petway was from the same musical school as his friend McClennan, and although possessing a relatively mannered vocal delivery was the more styled guitarist. His 'Catfish Blues' is a stunning performance which McClennan also recorded a few months later as 'Deep Blue Sea Blues', and it's a pity that this track is not included here for comparison purposes. The song was later taken up by Muddy Waters to form the basis of his famous 'Rolling Stone'. A comparison can be made of Petway's 'Ride 'Em On Down' and McClennan's 'New Shake 'Em On Down', and it serves to highlight the essential differences as well as similarities between their deliveries, and perhaps, their personalities. There's even the opportunity to hear both musicians working together, on 'Boogie Woogie Woman'.
   
   There's no problem with sound quality on this ABM release and, with illuminating notes by Neil Slaven, a complete discography and a fascinating sample of the music of a unique pair of artists, the CD can be recommended to all fans of the Delta sound.



2. Cotton Picking Blues
   Acrobat (label) U.K.
   features raw pre war country/delta blues from the late 30's & early 40's by Tommy McClennan & Robert Petway....
   
   track are;
   1. Bottle it up and go
   2. Catfish blues
   3. Cotton patch blues
   4. Whiskey head woman
   5. Ride 'em on down
   6. Cross cut saw blues
   7. Let me be your boss
   8. Des'e my blues
   9. Brown skin girl
   10. Bertha Lee blues
   11. You can mistreat me here
   12. Classy Mae blues
   13. Boogie woogie woman
   14. Blues trip me this morning
   15. New shake 'em on down
   16. My little girl
   17. It's a crying pity
   18. Travelin' highway man
   19. In the evening
   20. Mozelle blues
   21. Mr so and so blues
   22. I'm a guitar king
   23. Rocking chair blues
   24. New highway no 51 blues
   25. Roll me baby...............

5 comments about Black Snake Moan.

1. An awesome CD!!! I really liked the movie, and absolutely had to have the soundtrack. Blues at its very best!!



2. 
   This is a very good collection of blues, and Samuel L Jackson really does lend an amazing voice to the collection. Just like his acting style is his own, so is his way of singing. I'm honestly impressed by his voice and style.
   
   The music is a nice blend of blues, rock, and almost ethereal, hynotic- spacey tunes.
   
   Some tracks are better than others, and though I have my favorites, I didn't skip over a single track.
   
   Is it the best blues CD ever? No. But for beginners and aficionados, it's a nice listen.
   
   Samuel L Jackson fits in well, and his authentic (not seemingly trained just for the movie) voice made the CD worth buying, for me at least.
   



3. This is an awesome soundtrack. If you love the blues you will definitely love this cd.



4. An extremely peculiar film from Craig Brewer, the director of Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan is a deep-South drama covering topics as diverse as promiscuity, religion, redemption, love, and Blues music. Samuel L. Jackson plays farmer and part-time blues musician Lazarus, who wakes up one morning to find a young woman named Rae (Christina Ricci), badly beaten and unconscious, lying half-naked in his yard. A childhood victim of sexual abuse, Rae had developed into the town tramp, using her sex addiction as a replacement for the love she has never felt in her life. Lazarus, however, seeing a chance to redeem both himself and Rae, takes it upon himself to `cure' Rae of her illness - and proceeds to chain her to the radiator of his remote farmhouse, forcing her to endure sexual cold turkey. And so begins a truly unusual friendship between the pair - and, as always happens in these things, they learn more about life from each other than they ever expected. As one might expect, the film's music is heavily rooted in the musical heritage of the deep South, especially that of blues artists such as R.L. Burnside, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House and the North Mississippi Allstars. Jackson performs a number of himself, his distinctive deep voice sounding very authentic when performing tracks like the forlorn "Just Like a Bird Without a Feather", the rollicking "Alice Mae", the angry/funny/dirty-sounding "Stack-o-Lee", and the languorous, eponymous "Black Snake Moan". Composer Scott Bomar's score is limited to just three cues and around 5 minutes in length, comprising mainly blues instrumentals, electric guitars, and ambient electronic textures, although his work arranging the blues tracks heard in the movie is important and impressive in context. Not really one for score fans, but recommended for fans of modern blues.



5. Black snake moan gives a raw and at the same time gentle look at two scarred people who succeed in helping eachother. Magnificent acting in combination with the very best of blues. I enjoyed it very much.

2 comments about California Blues.

1. There's some discrepancy over the correct recording dates for these two Fantasy albums included on this CD. Some sources say only the SONNY TERRY AND BROWNIE MCGHEE sides (#1-14) were recorded in 1957, the other album being recorded in 1961. Whatever the case may be, these are excellent performances. Sonny's singing is rougher and more old-fashioned than Brownie's. I GOT FOOLED is a terrific piece and THINKIN' AND WORRYIN' has an unusual form: 4-bar verses piled up one after the other - different and captivating. Sonny and Brownie sing duets on a handful of tunes. The second album is a bit more folky than the first, with the oft-recorded JOHN HENRY included as well as a version of TAKE THIS HAMMER. Both albums are excellent and will give much enjoyment.



2. This is actually a repackaging of two earlier Fantasy albums (Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, tracks 1-14, and Blues and Shouts, tracks 15-26), both originally recorded in March, 1957. [They actually recorded 38 tracks at that session. The other twelve songs, all spirituals, were released as Just a Closer Walk With Thee.] There are no session musicians used here, just Terry on harmonica and McGhee on guitar; both provide vocals. They sometimes sing solo--it's McGhee's smooth vocal on tunes like "I Got Fooled" and "I Feel So Good," and Terry's rougher-edged voice on "California Blues" and "I Have Had My Fun"--but on many of the tracks they harmonize wonderfully, like on the McGhee-penned "Sportin' Life," which Baby Boomers will recognize as a song covered by the Lovin' Spoonful. They also harmonize on "John Henry," which was performed at the close of the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that featured both Terry and McGhee in the cast from 1955-1958.

   This is wonderful folk blues and though not as strong as the other Fantasy re-issue Midnight Special, it is still a welcome addition to any Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee collection. RECOMMENDED

1 comments about Collection: Hard Again / I'm Ready / King Bee.

1. Back in the late 70's Johnnie Winters pulled Muddy Waters out of semi-retirement to record three great CD's on the Blue Sky label. When back in the studio Muddy noted that it made him feel so good that it made him 'Hard Again', hence the title for the first and best CD of the series. All are recordings using a live to tape method, which suites the blues and in particular Muddy extremely well. The backing band is excellent, sound quality is outstanding and Muddy is top of form. Each CD has a slightly different feel and each in the set gets a little weaker then the previous. This is relatively speaking given that Hard Again is easily one Muddy's best albums and one of the top ten blues CD's ever made - seriously good stuff. If you can only afford one, buy Hard Again, otherwise just by the set and enjoy.

3 comments about Last Session.

1. Blind Willie McTell was in his prime best on this last session recording from 1956 and could'nt have been more laid back telling stories to these classic songs as your right there in the tavern with him,listening to his fine singing and extraordinary twelve string guitar playing while you're slugging down gin,and as you're listening maybe Willie does stumble a word or two,who cares,after all,Willie McTell is a legend of the blues as you can hear on this OBC cd song after song,Blind Willie McTell went out with a loud bang,the songs speak for themselves.



2. This fascinating 1956 recording finds Willie sitting on a stool in a pawn shop near the end of his life, drunkenly reminiscing about his life and music, and playing tunes dating back to WWI. He is not quite as sharp as you will find him on my personal favorite Blind Willie Mctell recording, the 1949 session released under the name "Atlanta 12 String" (two tracks from that later session are included here). He hesitates and slurs his way through his classic "Kill it Kid," and his phrasing elsewhere also lacks his characteristic precision.

   But what makes this recording a must for anyone who has fallen uder the spell of Willie McTell--a monumentally underappreciated musician and protean virtuoso of American musical forms from ragtime to country--is the glimpse it gives into his character and life. He plays a tune from his days with a traveling Plantation show in 1918, a country tune, and whatever else strikes his fancy. And for me the imperfections only make the record more vivid, almost as if you are sitting in the room with Willie, sharing his bottle of corn whiskey and watching his wrinkled old hands fly over his battered old 12-string.

   I recommend you start with one his other records and get this when you have become a full-fledged member of the cult of Willie.




3. This recording is a real gift and time piece of it's era. McTell was a true genius of the acoustic 12-string. His life story of "blind man goes off to see the world" is incredible enough in it's own rite. The fact that his recording career was stymied by an early "opportunity" to record with Lomax which spawned a deep distrust of record producers makes the existance of this recording all the more significant.

   Rediscovered in the 50's as a street musician, his vocal qualities and technical skills were as good or better than his early recordings. His music links country blues, urban blues, gospel, and white audiances of the time.

   Politically incorrect lyrics tell it all. It's great to see this recording on a CD!

1 comments about Early Blues Roots of Led Zeppelin.

1. It was very backwoods and a great product of the arena but not what I was looking for.