2 comments about Hard Time Killin' Floor.

1. This is it! In my opinion, this is the definitive collection of Skip James' early recordings. Yazoo has always had the best sound, mostly because of the label's judicious use of noise reduction (in the old days, that meant NO noise reduction!). Now they've apparently used the latest tools to remove most of the intermittent noise, while leaving the music and some high-end background noise intact. Whatever process was used, sound engineer Richard Nevins has created the best sounding versions of these songs that I've ever heard. On the old Yazoo compilation, songs like "Special Rider Blues" and "Illinois Blues" were almost completely buried in noise. Somehow, Nevins has resurrected them. In particular, the guitar parts are much clearer. There is still quite a bit of noise and distortion - these records are notoriously rare and in poor condition - but this is probably the best they'll ever sound. This CD has all of the Skip James 1930 Paramount recordings that are known to exist. It also includes four cuts by Son House from the same year. These recordings are also extremely rare in and in very poor condition. Once again, Nevins has made them sound better than ever. As for the music, it is some of the most haunting ever recorded in the blues genre.



2. Skip James was one of the finest - and most refined - masters of the Delta blues tradition. The performances on this CD are nothing less than superb. He plays the guitar with grace and nuance, and his rather rustic, eccentric piano style makes up with charm for whatever it may lack in technical virtuosity. Skip James is an important figure in any sophisticated blues collection.

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...............

2 comments about Urban Blues.

1. I could kick myself in the duff for not picking this cd up when I had the chance years ago @ a Border's store for only $5.99. Now I can't find the damn thing anywhere. On top of that it sells for $18.99 new on Amazon and used for $13.99. I screwed myself hard with that misjudgement.
   
   I still don't own the album, but I have heard it all the way through. Let me just say that whoever is playing bass on this album has fingers of gold (listen to the 1st track to readily agree w/ me). This album sounds much like the great "Serves You Right To Suffer" album also recorded in the mid 1960's. Both albums feature JLH w/ a band who knows not to be overbearing, to simply lay down the beat while still letting JLH's voice and guitar playing remain on the foreground - unlike JHL's 1980's & 1990's over-produced clean sounding recordings w/ all-star bands. "Serves You Right..." is a bit more diversified while "Urban Blues" is more groove oriented. Good stuff, but find it used.



2. This was my first blues cd, and hooker hooked me! I you like blues and John Lee Hooker, this would be a great cd to add to your collection

5 comments about Sanctuary.

1. A lot of altruism here a lot of sincerity here a lot of fight here with the bad moments of the past .CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE is not afraid of the past is not afraid to testify his beliefs about the next to come whatever might be.HIS HARP AND HIS SMOKY VOICE EXPLAIN BETTER HIS STRENGTH TO RECONCILIATE WITH THE UNEXPECTED .ONE OF THE MOST SINCERE BLUES ALBUMS I HAVE EVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN .



2. If you ever wanted a way to "jump down a manhole and light yourself a candle" this could be the way. Buy this Sanctuary cd and you shall hear the Buddah of Blues in all his gentle glory both above the ground and deep within. Warning. Once Charlie lights the candle and takes you for a ride on his midnight train, you'll never forget just how dark it really is out there in "The Neighborhood". Take his hand, listen to his music, and rebuild your faith with a deeper understanding.



3. > It is almost impossible for any professional musician to put out a CD with 60% or more excellent songs >>> Charlie Musselwhite put this one out with what I would rate at 92% or 11 out of 12 >>> all were excellent but "1" did not fit...
   
   > Charlie Musslewhite WROTE "3" Incredible Blues songs (#1: MY ROAD LIES IN DARKNESS - #2: SHADOW PEOPLE - #3: I HAD TROUBLE) on this album and they
   can be Clearly Labeled as the: "CHARLIE MUSSLEWHITE BLUES BRAND" which will go down in Blue's History as "CLASSICS"...
   
   > CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE has locked in his Very Clear and "UNIQUE BLUES
   BRAND" and is same League as: Muddy Waters - John Lee Hooker - Stevie Ray Vaughn - Buddy Guy - Jr. Wells - BB King - Koko Taylor - Elvin Bishop >>>
   and many more who Had That Key Ingredient to have THEIR UNIQUE SOUND which
   is "THEIR UNIQUE BRAND" they were Born With...
   
   > Every Blues Person has to have at Least "1" Charlie Musselwhite >>> Get This One >>> ***** SANCTUARY ***** ...



4. Okay CD but not terrific. I recently saw Charlie Musselwhite live and thought he was great. The band was excellent, the music was tight, intense, and had a lot of punch. This CD did not have that punch. Much more laid back and some selections boring. The discrepancy betwen the live performance and the CD disappointed me.



5. Listen to this album once. No, don't form any judgements yet, just listen. And then listen again. And again. See if this haunted, evocative world of midnight blues doesn't stick in your craw somewhere. That's the effect of veteran Chicago/Mississippi/Memphis harp player Charlie Musslewhite's latest effort, Sanctuary, will have on you. There are some first rate individual songs here, especially "Homeless Child," "My Road Lies in Darkness," and a fabulous cover of the Savoy Brown classic "Train to Nowhere," featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama, but mostly, the whole effort is greater than the sum of the parts. Musslewhite has the perfect voice for 3AM reflections with a glass of booze (or whatever), and Charlie Sexton's ringing guitar parts are first-class all the way. Great vocal tracks, but also incredible instrumentals, such as "Shadow People," "Alicia," and the harmonica-fest that is "Route 19". The album's total effect is at once troubling and eerily comforting, as Musslewhite clearly implies that the blues can be a sanctuary from problems, as well as a way to confront them. Purchase Sanctuary right away, and see if the shadow people don't pay you a visit some morning at 3AM.

3 comments about Feelin' Good.

1. Jessie Mae Hemphill hails from the North Missisipi hill country and grew up in a famous musical family that no doubt nurtured her great talents. Her grandfather was none other than Sid Hemphill, the "drum and fife" master who was recorded by the Library of Congress half a century ago.

   This album (Jessie's second) is strictly hill country blues, although Jessie's "drum and fife" playing can be enjoyed in the "Deep Blues" documentary. Her soulful and often melancholic voice rides above tight, rhythmic and skillful guitar playing, with clever use of percussion and bottleneck guitar. The pace varies from the frenetic "tell me you love me" to the mule-plodding "go back to your used to be". Other North Missisipians such as Fred MacDowell and R. L. Burnside may have gone on to become more famous blues musicians than this lady, but none have a voice as sweet as Jessie Mae's. But it is frustrating that Jessie Mae has recorded so little material, with only two full albums, some live cuts on blues compilations and a recent "greatest hits" package to her name. Following a stroke, Jessie no longer plays the guitar, although I understand she can still be heard singing gospel songs in North Missisipi and in nearby Memphis, Tennessee.




2. Great blues party music to which you you can't help pat your feet and shake your hips. The first six tracks feature complementary second guitar by musicologist David Evans, who once taught a University Of Memphis course on Merle Haggard, and drums by R.L. Boyce. Among those, "Tell Me You Love Me" is a wonderful rendering of soul music coated in traditional delta blues. Playing guitar and percussion one-person band style, Jessie Me rocks out on the other ten tunes with some of the most rhythmically hypnotic blues you're likely to ever hear.



3. Jesse Mae Hemphill ain't no wannabe she's the real deal, the kind of blues singer you hear in the joints with dried blood on the floor. The place yOU go too hear authentic gut-bucket blues, no cross over pap from Ms Hemphill. This and other Jesse Mae recordings are a must for anyone SERIOUS about the blues.

1 comments about The History of Rhythm & Blues.

1. As a Doctor Who fan, my greatest wish would be to travel back to pre-war America and see and hear some of the late, great blues stars of their generation. But let's face it, the Tardis is unlikely to materialise, pick me up and give me a ride there. So I'll have to settle for the next-best thing - an incredible four-CD journey that will at least let me listen to my heroes in all their glory and imagine I'm there with them as they croon, moan, hum and holler. And you won't get any closer to the real thing than with this superb £14.99 four-CD box set - arguably the most important and fascinating collection of rhythm and blues music compiled in recent years.
   Attractively packed, the set features no less than 97 tracks culled from one of American music's most important eras, between 1925-1942, plus an incredibly informed 32-page booklet featuring comprehensive and musically-savvy sleeve notes. From the first, and frankly disturbing, field recording track from 1934 (My Soul Is A Witness by Austin Coleman) to the later urban sophistication of the last number (Mean Old World, by T-Bone Walker) this a collection that by turns fascinates, entertains, amuses and delights any self-respecting rhythm and blues fan with a sense of history.
   The beauty of the boxset is that it resists the temptation to play safe. So many blues compilations are heavy on favourites such as John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, BB King, and so on. Robert Johnson's in there for just one song, Preachin' Blues, but even greats like Son House just don't make it here. Instead, we are treated to some complete unknowns and peripheral players who, nevertheless, played a key role in the history of the genre.
   Take Arthur `Big Boy' Crudup, for example. Who? Exactly. A man who didn't even learn to play guitar until he was 30, an artist of indifferent ability and largely forgotten by the music world. Yet Crudup penned a string of hits, including That's Alright Mama, and Mean Ol' Frisco that other artists feasted on - including a young hip-swingin' hopeful called Elvis Presley, no less. Without That's Alright, the world may have had to wait a little longer for the King's arrival. And didn't a certain Eric Clapton cover Mean Ol' Frisco a little later on? Crudup's original 1942 version of this number is featured here, and it's pretty good listening.
   And how about Hambone Willie Newbern? He wrote the immortal Roll And Tumble Blues, giving us a riff that will be forever recalled and copied by scores of later artists, including Clapton, again. Good Morning Schoolgirl also became a timeless classic, and we hear the original 1937 version by John Lee `Sonny Boy' Williamson. And then there's Don't You Lie To Me, which everyone seems to think was written by a certain Chuck Berry, who made it famous, as well as The Rolling Stones and the Flaming Groovies. But it was the fabulous Tampa Red who was the original writer, and the definitive 1940 version is right here on CD 3. Tampa, gets star billing in the boxset, highlighting his perceived importance in the history of R&B, and the listener can only marvel at the control and dexterity of his single-string bottleneck riffs on numbers such as It's Tight Like That (1928).
   For me, the first CD covering Country Blues And Spirituals, Jug Bands and Hokum, is a revelation. Stand-out tracks include Papa Charlie Jackson's Shake That Thing, Curley Weaver's No No Blues and Barbecue Bob's scintillating 12-string guitar on Ease It To Me Blues. The incomparably laid-back and multi-talented Blind Lemon Jefferson is also there with the classic Match Box Blues and the listener can only sit back and wonder at the fingerplay of Blind Blake on the irresistible Diddie Wah Diddie.
   Disc 2 concentrates on Piano Boogie Woogie, Ragtime and Jazz - not particularly my scene, I thought. But I was surprised to find some absolute gems here, in particular Lil Johnson's hilarious Press My Button (full of wonderful double entendres), Louis Armstrong's Knockin' A Jug and Cab Calloway's melodramatic funster, Minnie The Moocher - guaranteed to lift anyone's spirits.
   Next we move on to Urban Blues And Gospel on Disc Three, with Leroy Carr drawling his way through Barrelhouse Woman and Bill Bill Broonzy demonstrating why he was such a great singer on the same theme, this time with Barrelhouse When It Rains and Rockin' Chair Blues. Tampa Red pops up again with the catchy Don't You Lie To Me and the superb Big Maceo shows his piano and vocal skills to great effect on Worried Life Blues. This collection isn't just about guitars - there are some great pianists, big bands, little bands, kazoo players, jug-blowers and washboard raspers, all doing their thing in the name of entertainment. You have to hear ex-pro boxer Champion Jack Dupree's thumping piano style to believe it with Junker Blues (it's so punchy it sounds like he's playing in boxing gloves) and Sister Rosetta Tharpe (one of my favourites) wielding a mean electric Gibson guitar on This Train.
   Gospel, of course, plays a big part in blues history. No streetwise busker would dream of playing all-secular songs when the audience demanded some gospel numbers and these were also perennial best-sellers on recorded music, even when times were hard. Hence the contributions of the wildly popular Ms Tharpe, Elder Otis Jones (Holy Mountain) and the spectacularly titled Somebody Stole Gabriel's Horn by the Three Keys.
   Disc Four brings us to After Hours Swing, Boogie and Jive, allowing such luminaries as Count Basie and The Lionel Hampton Orchestra to take centre stage as music moved into a more sophisticated era of big band sound, even though the music remained mainly up-tempo. Albert Ammons And His Rhythm Kings showed here where music was heading with a cool rendition of Boogie Woogie Stomp, but there was still room for a more simple style on Floyd's Guitar Blues, by the astonishingly named Andy Kirk And His Clouds Of Joy. The song that deserves to knock everyone flat is the magnificent Bessie Smith's (pictured left) rendering of Backwater Blues, delivered in that powerful, sexy, laid-back voice that's instantly recognisable and backed by the superb pianist James P Johnson, whose rolling boogie woogie style is a delight but cleverly makes room for the vocals to shine through.
   With so many treasures to trawl through, this massively impressive four-disc compilation deserves a place in any collection and a long, long listen. Cow Cow Davenport, Sleepy John Estes, Scrapper Blackwell, Kokomo Arnold, Speckled Red, the Harlem Hamfats, Jazz Gillum, Muggsy Spanier and Bumble Bee Slim may not be household names, and most of them still died penniless, even when they were moderately successful. Even Tampa Red, who once boasted a gold-plated National guitar and became know as "the man with the golden guitar", passed away destitute. As Lonnie Johnson says in Mr Johnson's Blues: "I want all you people to listen to my song. Remember me after all the days I'm gone". With this incomparable collection, we can at least do try to do that and applaud their priceless contributions to modern day music.
   The Bluesman's Blog

1 comments about Atlantic Blues: Chicago.

1. Atlantic Records had some of its finest success in the 60s and 70s with groups carrying and amplifying the blues tradition (Led Zeppelin, Cream/Eric Clapton, even the Rolling Stones' tenure with the label). So it's fitting that they also recorded some influential bluesmen over their 50-year history, gathering them on collections spotlighting guitar, piano, vocals, and this, the Chicago blues style.

   Several second-generation Anglo/American blues disciples help out. Eric Clapton and Dr. John back Buddy Guy and Junior Wells on three hot tracks including "T-Bone Shuffle." Influential blues guitarist Freddie King gets help from King Curtis and arranger Donny Hathaway on three tracks including the talkin' blues "Play It Cool." (King is again heard on the live "Goin' Down.") Duane Allman contributes solid slide guitar to Otis Rush's renditions of BB King's "Gambler's Blues" and Chuck Wills' "I Feel So Bad" (the Memphis version Elvis always had in him.)

   The highlights also include live performances from Chess alumni Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon w/Koko Taylor recorded at a 1972 Ann Arbor, MI concert. All passed their creative peak by then but could still rouse a crowd, as Taylor does on her crackling "Wang Dang Doodle."

   This set (also part of a four-CD box) supplements, but doesn't substitute, for Chess' "The Blues" volumes or the more recent "Best of Chess Blues" samplers. Buy those and best-ofs from your favorites among them before investing here.

3 comments about Banana In Your Fruit Basket : Red Hot Blues, 1931-1936.

1. I'm a blues fan, not easy listening jazzy blues, but the gritty, soulful kind. So when I say I bought this cd because I was going "Oh wow, no, this can't be real.", giggling to myself the whole time, I mean it as no insult to the blues genre. I couldn't quite remember how I stumbled across Bo, and I just now remembered: I was researching the song I was named after (Correna, Correna) and stumbled across his name on wikipedia. Searching further, I came across this.
   
   So I laughed. A lot. I giggled until my face got a little red, and I called up my friends and told them they had to come over and hear this. And they did, and they laughed, too. But with time, my feeling about this cd has changed. I actually LIKE it. I pop this cd into my cd player and it mellows me. It's almost a little witty, and it has a great sound.
   
   So while originally bought on a ridiculous, silly whim, I have come to find this cd in my cd player quite often. It always amazes me when that happens.



2. Bo Carter is always noted for his barely veiled celebration of carnal pleasures and clever lyrics. While that is well deserved recognition, and its hard to think of anyone who has ever celebrated sex as joyfully as Bo Carter, he's still one of the most undeservedly obscure artists to ever come out of Mississippi.
   
   Carter's guitar work and vocals put him in a league with other Delta Blues icons like Son house and Robert Johnson. That sounds like high praise, and it is. From his work with his family hokum string band (Mississippi Sheiks)through his solo work, Carter is a shining example of the Delta style, and its a shame his novelty work gets so much more attention than his musical talent.



3. It sounds juvenile. Bo Carter here writes 14 metaphors for sex using potato diggers, pencils, and pincushions to stand for parts of the anatomy. But what starts off as funny mellows with age into something comforting and sly. You're in on the joke. And in his world, men and women enjoy themselves A LOT. I mean, when was the last time you heard that? In so much of today's music, sex either screws you up or makes you a status symbol. Here, the music (a lone guitar and temperate, folksy, semi-blues picking) and lyrics suggest we are taking it way too seriously. He makes Hokum Blue's finest statement.

1 comments about The Complete Chess Masters (50th Anniversary Collection).

1. This is a great 2 disc set. I had no idea who Lowell Fulson was until I entered the Blues Mart in Chicago. As I shopped I continued to be impressed with the music that was playing. I bought the album right out of the CD player and was not disappointed. I found play this album as dinner music when we have company and people will frequently ask who is playing. The album has a classic timeless sound that is hard to categorize. It's blues with that kind of Stax soul sound if you know what I mean. Similiar to Albert King, more more focus on the vocals\songs then the guitar playing. Sometimes the unexpected can turn out the best experiences. Take a chance and buy this album.

No comments about Chesky Records: The Collection, Vol. 1.