5 comments about Live.

1. These cd represent John live without a band,just his guitar,dobro and voice which he use's as an instrument.These are sitting on the front/back porch, train station blues.Covering all of the original blues artist Willie Dixon,Muddy Waters,Robert Johnson and playing true to their oringinal feel and adding his own sense of emotion to them.I just came back from seeing John live,had the distinct pleasure of meeting him and talking to him. He is a perfect gentleman and a genuine american artist who will be remembered along with John Lee Hooker,Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and all of america's great blues artist.If you truly love real blues, not the fabricated stuff that fills the airwaves. Buy any John Hammond cd or Charlie Musselwhite cd. They are about the only true blues musicians left.



2. A few years after this CD was released, I was lucky enough to see John Hammond live from a second-row seat at a small theater outside of Chicago. That performance included many of the songs included on this CD, and this recording is faithful to what John delivers live: pure, raw, honest blues that, once heard, will inspire you to see him live. Once you see him live, the experience will stay with you for a lifetime.
   All Hammond needs to mesmerize an audience is a guitar, a harmonica and his voice. For proof, listen to his incredible version of "One Kind Favor," which is my personal favorite on this release.



3. Fantastic,from the begining until the end...!!This cd will be ever under rated with only five stars.It's a superb album,what clarity,what emotional moments,and...what repertoire...Willie Dixon;Charlie Patton;Robert Johnson;Sleepy John Estes....Really
   a primorous work!Those people who were at the theater that night, are rare lucky people.No more coments....only adrenaline
   and i agree with the others reviewers...All of the bluesfans needs this album like few others.This is really BLUES,a MUST HAVE!! blues album!!! OHH!! GREAT!



4. This recording is a one night sample of the hudreds of nights each year for the past 30 years plus that John Hammond pours his heart and soul into his vision of keeping pre-war blues alive. His renditions of songs that are 60 to 70 years old make them fresh and vibrant, full of raw emotion and to this author are the epitome of "Blues Power".

   If you are new to John Hammond, don't be fooled by what you hear in this collection...there are not three or four musicians here, it is John-solo. He alternates between six-string, twelve-string, and throws in some searing slide on National steel guitars all the while blowing harp, stomping his foot, and singing like it will be his last chance ever to perform the music he adores.

   If you are looking for the best live recording of country blues, get this. If you have ever had the chance to see John Hammond live, get this. If you ever do have a chance to see him live, do not miss it. It will be an experience a blues fan will never forget.




5. What a sad day when a CD of this caliber is over 46,000 on the Amazon sales list.

   And how sad it is that I've spent most of the night already writing reviews for another website that I cannot give it the credit it is lengthily due.

   Let me say this:

   If you own any Leo Kottke, Robert Johnson, John Fahey etc. etc. and you don't own this... shame, shame, shame!This recording is one of the greatest LIVE fingerstyle acoustic blues CD's EVER recorded. Simple as that.

   Buy it and tell me what you thought, Thank me later!

   Peace.

2 comments about Strictly Live... In '85! Plus.

1. James Harman blows hot harp and his band cooks like crazy on this live CD. Good quality recording of live set captures the energy and power of JH & company's timeless blues.



2. Years ago, Iwalked into a local club to listen to this band. Never heard them before. Afterwards. I thought they were as exciting as any blues band I'd ever heard. And that night, he'd only one guitarist with him. I immediately picked up this tape (in those days, it was either cassette or LP). Much to my pleasure, he had two great guitarists with him, plus a fine bass and drum section, probably the same ones that I'd heard before. This band was not only more exciting than the one I'd heard, but tighter as well. And then there were those excellent vocals and harmonica playing. Imagine my pleasure at seeing this out on CD, with extra cuts besides. I eagerly await even more, if possible.

1 comments about Alberta Hunter with Lovie Austin's Blues Serenaders (Chicago -- The Living Legends).

1. A nice and jazzy session by Alberta Hunter in the 60's with jazz all-stars. Really great stuff.

5 comments about Beware of the Dog.

1. These guys epitomize everything I like about the blues. It's a very stripped down band, just a drummer and two guitarists, no bass. Hound Dog had a dirt cheap guitar and a Sears amplifier. Most of the songs are very simple rhythms. This is not art rock.
   
   And they played primarily just for the love of the music. For most of their careers they had day jobs. They played in local clubs in the evenings. They very seldom rehearsed if at all. They just liked playing blues.
   
   This CD is a live recording. The band didn't know at the time that their performance was being recorded for an album. This was just a selection of songs from a typical performance. As you listen to this, imagine the smell of cigarrette smoke, and imagine being surrounded by a couple dozen smiling, laughing, joking and jiving people.



2. This album features the wild and rambunctious Hound Dog Taylor, who is most definitely the Ramones of the Blues. In other words, while his guitar playing is sloppy, his lyrics are sometimes unintelligible, and his music is monotonous, he is a lot of fun to listen to and keeps you tapping your feet. To those who are approaching the Blues from a technical guitar-playing angle, I do not recommend this album at all; you'd be much better off with Earl Hooker's "The Moon Is Rising". For those who like Punk Rock or maybe Heavy Metal, you'd probably be very pleased with this release. For aspiring slide players, this is a great pick. Though this music certainly doesn't have the lyrical content that a J.T. "Funny Papa" Smith or Blind Willie McTell disc might have, it's fun to "rock out" to this stuff. I recommend buying this disc.



3. The most famous Hound Dog Taylor quote was: "When I die, they'll say: 'He couldn't play sh*t, but he sure made it sound good.'" This is a man who understands his appeal. Taylor played a beat-up guitar, and he cranked on the thing, playing distorted, screeching notes. But god, it DID sound good. And as the quote implies, he had the personality to go with the raucous, raw music that he played. Which is why this album is so good. It's live, so you can hear the sound imperfections, the screaming crowd, and Taylor's off-kilter banter and sense of humor. And that's probably the perfect way to listen to Taylor. To put it all another way: He plays a version of "She'll Be Coming 'round the Mountain" that makes you want to get up and dance.



4. Hound Dog's searing slide guitar and vocals tear you to the quick with a depth and passion unequalled nowadays. This rocks!!



5. This album is a masterpiece. The highlights of this album are "The Sun is Shining" and "Freddie's Blues" . The way he uses feedback in "Freddie's Blues" is truley amazing.It's like Hound Dogs Ghost. I bought this ablum and it was well worth the money. This album is a frequent in my CD player. Any blues fan will like this Album

5 comments about The Essential Odetta.

1. Heard an excerpt of Odetta's singing on NPR and got so excited I bought two CDs. Unfortunately there was nothing on the label to warn me that "the Essential Odetta by Odetta" was a recording of a live concert. There is nothing more annoying on a CD than to have to listen to enthusiastic and long-lasting applause after each piece. It disturbs my enjoyment and does not make me feel that I'm at a concert. It only makes me feel that I was taken in by a low-budget recording of a live performance instead of a work performed in a studio with care for the listening audience.



2. One star off for poor mastering.
   
   It is not an exageration for me to tell you that this is one of my all-time favorite albums - or more properly, Live at Carnegie Hall is (which is mostly found on this one, along with Live at Town Hall). When I first heard this on LP, I couldn't stop listening to it. It's something everyone should hear in their lifetimes. It makes the case for why Odetta has been recognized by the Library of Congress as a Living Legend. Just listen to the sound clips for a taste of how great it is.
   
   However - I had the vinyl version. It sounds better than this. The problem with this CD is that it is in desperate need of remastering. The sound levels are so low that the dolby noise reduction used cuts into the instruments. Trying to adjust between the soft and loud parts is tricky, and you have to be careful not to blow your eardrums out if you're wearing headphones. Those of you who had CB radios and know what "squelch" is - this quickie mastering job suffers from that phenomenon. At the time (1990) a lot of record companies were coming out with poor mastering jobs, many of which have been revisited and corrected. Unfortunately that has not happened yet with this classic album.
   
   If anyone at Vanguard is listening - PLEASE REMASTER THIS ALBUM! It should be regarded as a national treasure and it deserves better treatment. I will gladly buy it again. And by the way, I notice you lopped off a few tracks from the original albums - well you have 17 free minutes with which to add back some of those tracks! Please do so, it will be greatly appreciated.



3. I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by Odetta for over forty years and she still brings that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar adds to the pleasure. She is the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I have noticed that audiences still response to her gentle prodding to sing along. If you have one Odetta album to get this is the one. Some children-oriented ballads, also sing-along-able add to the flavor of this album. Standouts here are If I Had A Hammer and Long Chains On.



4. Odetta's passion brings home the burden of the slave and the sharecropper. Haunting! Sound quality could be improved.



5. "The Essential Odetta", consisting of 20 live songs, was recorded and released in the early sixties as two separate albums capturing performances at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall. The full 20 songs showcase her extraordinary singing capabilities, interpreting folk and blues numbers. It is one of the two best compilations of her work, the other one being "Best of the Vanguard Years".
   
   Since her debut in 1954, Odetta served as an inspiration to folk artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, who picked up steam in the mid-to-late sixties. It was, as a matter of fact, thanks to the Martin Scorcese documentary about Dylan, "No Direction Home", that I first heard of her, and I am glad I did. This is one fine artist that deserves to be discovered by the new generations.

5 comments about Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live.

1. 1979's 'Muddy Waters Live' is a real treat. It features another blues icon, Johnny Winter's backing band, as well as Muddy's raw and unique voice.
   
   While this was released on Columbia, and his best sides were on Chess, which was purchased by MCA (now Geffen), this is still a supreme live set. If you enjoyed 'Live At Newport,' than you will absolutely love 'Muddy Waters Live.' He is considerably older, but older can mean better.
   
   And in this case, it means better. The first song on the record, his hit 'Mannish Boy' is probably better than the studio version; while the final song on this album 'Deep Down In Florida' just brings the whole house down. The guitar licks on that one are superb.
   
   Overall, this is live blues at it's finest. Highly recommended for any blues lover or Muddy Waters lover. You'll be very satisfied with this listen. ENJOY!!!



2. I got this for 9 bucks last year. I can think of things I paid over $100.00 for that are nowhere near as valuable to me as this CD. If it isn't the best 9 bucks I have ever spent, it is tied with something I have forgotten. The greatest thing about this is Muddy playing slide on a number of the songs. I doubt it is Muddy at his best, but gives you an idea of what Muddy at his best was like. While all the releases of Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters touring in the late 1970's are great, this is the best of them. I don't see how any blues lover could spend 9 bucks any better!



3. Muddy Waters - McKinley Morganfield is the source of all of rock and his teachers down in the Mississippi delta; Son House, Walter Johnson, Blind Willie, Rev.Johnson are who created our only original art form Jazz. "Who invented Electrizity...........Muddy Waters."



4. This is one of the best live blues albums ever made and you could make a case for best live blues album period. Johnny Winters did the blues (and America) a great service by bring Muddy out of semi-retrirement to record a series of studio albums on the Blue Sky label. These fantasic albums include 'Hard' Again', 'King Bee' and 'I'm Ready'. After finishing live to tape studio album Johnny took Muddy on the road to record this amazing album. Every song is a treat right from the openning Mannish Boy thru the slow paced Deep Down in Florida to the great 19 years old sung the way only Muddy could od. Muddy plays great slide guitar, the backing band is excellent, and the crowd is electric. What it must have been like to see this show. Only compliant is how short it is. Would highly recommend the extended 2 CD set version that recently came out. What ever fit your budget pick one - this is the BEST of the blues.



5. Muddy's vocals: dead on, excellent as always. The band: great. Sounds like a pretty good blues album huh? Well, it's more than pretty good, it's amazing. On some of his later albums, great as they were, Muddy played less of his trademark slide guitar; well on this recording, it is the slide playing that steals the show. Muddy positively wails, putting most slide players to shame, dropping the jaws of the audience, and turning great recordings into postively essential and timeless ones. I cannot emphasize enough the greatness of the slide playing on this record; Muddy just takes you to another place with his scary slide.

2 comments about Live and Cookin' at Alice's Revisited.

1. This is vintage wolf. His long time sax player, eddie shaw, and of course hubert on guitar really smoke. This cd has great sound (for 1972) , remastered, and in stereo. Wolf's voice never did suffer even the following the year after a car accident. Well worth the price-my favorite wolf cd, with "real folk blues" a second. Combine with magic sam's "Black Magic" make for some rockin' blues



2. This album has been quite hard to get a hold of for a while, but here it is, remastered and featuring Howlin' Wolf backed by his powerful early-70s combo, the Wolf Gang, which included guitarists Hubert Sumlin and L.V. Williams, bassist Dave Myers, drummer extraordinaire Fred Below, legendary piano player Sunnyland Slim, and saxist Eddie Shaw.
   
   Wolf himself was in his early sixties at the time this recording was made, and starting to suffer from ill health, but he could still rise to his former heights when it came to winning over an audience.
   This album was originally issued on LP in 1972, and featured eight songs. Two excellent bonus tracks were added when it was re-released on CD, extending the running time to just under 65 minutes, and Wolf and his band sound thoroughly inspired all the way through. Howlin' Wolf doesn't perform any of his classic hits, but once you slip this disc into your CD player and turn up the volume you will hardly notice. These powerful live versions of songs like the driving "I Didn't Know", Big Bill Broonzy's "I Had A Dream" (in a thumping high-octane rendition), and the gritty "Don't Laugh At Me" are every bit as great as any Willie Dixon-penned R&B hit.
   Opening with the eight-minute "When I Laid Down I Was Troubled", Wolf and the band swagger through one blues powerhouse after another, mostly mid-tempo numbers with a few slow grinds thrown in for good measure, like the supremely funky "The Big House". Wolf's vocal performance on that one is one of his best ever; he stretches out comfortably for over seven minutes, singing certain verses he likes two or three times as the band locks in with deadly authority. And the other bonus cut, "Mr Airplane Man", is Wolf working his one-riff voodoo for all it's worth, a swinging, soulful sax riff and a groove deep enough to get lost in.
   
   You won't find a tougher, more enjoyable live blues record anywhere. Muddy's Newport album is great, and so is John Lee Hooker's "Live At The Café Au Go Go (And Soledad Prison)", but this pulsating steam engine is live blues at its very best and grooviest. The sound is not truly stellar, in spite of the remastering, but once you turn it up and start rocking back and forth in your seat with your eyes closed, you won't care one bit.

5 comments about A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan.

1. 
   Vaughan's old band, led by his brother Jimmie, and a group of big-name blues-rock stars, play tribute to the late-great blues man. Guests are B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Dr. John and Art Neville.
   
   In between the songs are tributes by those guests, and some short excerpts of Vaughan's performances from various concerts. Those excerpts are great, and really show off Stevie Ray's extraordinary talent.
   
   Speaking of talent, all the guests are entertaining and fun to hear. Buddy Guy is fun to watch, too. Does anybody have more fun playing blues on his guitar than Guy? Nobody, frankly, does a super song but they are all good and, for just $10, this is a good deal.. The best number is at the end when the group jam and takes turns with solos. The finale, "SRV Shuffle," to me, was the best song on the DVD. It's so good I get tears in my eyes every time I watch and hear that last number.



2. This is one of the best of ACL and that's saying a whole lot. This 1995 tribute to Austin-based Stevie Ray Vaughn featured an all-star cast, including Stevie's brother, Jimmy, Eric Clapton, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, and more.
   
   "Pride and Joy" by Bonnie Raitt is probably my favorite of the bunch, but there's not a bad song in the collection.
   
   For such a short life, Stevie Ray Vaughn made an outstanding contribution to blues and guitar and he will be sorely missed. In my opinion, this is one of the best tributes I have ever seen or heard.



3. Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert King are my two favorite electric blue guitarists. I've had this CD for 10 years and it's just as great every time I play it. Until the last month (December 2006) I didn't know about amazon.com's venue for reviews, so Shaq is making up for lost time. This is without a doubt a 5 star classic! With stars paying tribute to Stevie, such as Bonnie Raitt, BB, Buddy Guy, Clapton, Doctor John, Robert Cray, brother Jimmie, and others. Buddy Guy performs a "haunting" version of "Long Way From Home". The lyrics for "Six Strings Down", which basically, welcomes Stevie to blues heaven, where he joins with the likes of Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, T-bone and others, is intelligent, touching, and oh yea! Has a good beat! SHAQ BLUES HISTORICAL TRIVIA NOTE FOR MY LOYAL BLUES FANS: "The night Stevie died, at the end of the concert in Wisconsin, Eric Clapton, told Stevie, with witnesses, "You're the best blues guitarist I ever heard!" By the way, read all of Shaq's blues reviews for all kinds of nuggets like these. P.S. Stevie's last recorded CD is "Family Style". I'll rate it a 5 here because I can't find it on amazon. It's a 4 musically, but the fact that it was the last CD he recorded, in addition to being the reuniting of brothers Stevie and Jimmie, and the hatchet between the brothers was buried.



4. Tribute albums aoften strike me as a collection of poor imitations of the original- but this is different. First and foremost, everyone on it was close to SRV, from his brother on down. They knew him, they played with him, and they understood his style. Second, and perhaps even more importantly, this was a live concert. Instead of a bunch of gunslingers trying to out-SRV each other in a studio, you have a group of great musicians, each a great stylist in their own right, and none of whom has to prove anything to anyone. The result is magical music that serves as a true tribute to that great Texas guitar player, Stevie Ray Vaughn.



5. This CD has the best blues musicians in the world paying tribute to SRV.
   Bonnie Raitt opens with a killer slide version of Pride and Joy,
   Jimmy Vaughn does a great version of Texas Flood second only to the version by Stevie.
   BB King does Telephone Song. Buddy Guy almost steals the show with Long Way From Home.
   Eric Clapton does a solid version on Aint Gonna Give Up On Love.
   Robert Cray does a strong version of Love Struck Baby
   This is a fitting tribute of musicians who are honoring SRV along with SRV's former band members.
   This is a must for any SRV fan, or any blues fan............

2 comments about Live At Joe's.

1. Even the most traditional blues fans like to have a little fun now and then. Wallace Coleman delivers the fun. It is rare when an artist succeeds in connecting today with the past - heritage with evolution - in a genre. Wallace Coleman does just that. Whether it's serious back room, smoky bar, down home, goose pimple raising pure blues as in "Lonesome Room Blues", or light hearted fun with a blues flair original as in "Big Dog Blues", Wallace delivers the goods. A purist's dream live half-track recording captures the spirit of a very special band. A must have if you love the blues!



2. Wallace Coleman was part of Robert Lockwood Jr.'s band through the sixties and until recently where his Little Walter inspired harp was a delight to those who caught him with Lockwood. There is nothing fancy about the music here as Coleman displays his stylistic indebtedness to Walter on a very nice programme of mostly classic blues including "Juke" "One More Chance With you," and "Tell me Mama" as well as songs associated with Jimmy Rogers "You're the One" and "My Last Wheel," and Muddy Waters "Young Fashioned Ways." Throw in a few originals including the slow "Hard Life" with some nice chromatic harp playing and the jazzy "Love Spell." and one gets a nicely sung and played set of performances that are centered on Coleman's very likeable, unforced vocals and fluid harp playing. The band provides a steady, swinging foundation. The guitarists get their solo spots but their playing does not intrude when Coleman is in the fore. Nothing startingly original here perhaps, but Coleman and band do a solid job in evoking the classic Chicago blues sound which certainly appeals to these ears and I know other ears as well.

5 comments about Live at the Regal.

1. So they finally went back and remastered the muddy audio on this classic album! The new sound is fantastic -- clear as a bell. Sadly, while the audio was being cleaned up, no one bothered to clean up the very, very sloppy edits (especially in the second half), such as when the second intro of B.B. (why two separate intros, anyway?) gets abruptly chopped off and goes right into a song that from the background crowd noise came at some other point in the show. If you're going to do a live album, the tracks should at least create the illusion of a live show, especially in this digital era when fade-outs and fade-ins are no longer used, and audience applause can be smoothly edited in to create seamless transitions!
   
   The performance is powerful and this is definitely a 5-star recording that has been royally botched by sloppy and oh-so-obvious edits. In addition, many remasters go back and add in some bonus tracks. If no original source material survives (which may be the case 42 years after this performance!), then something from the era is added as a bonus and the CD is fleshed out to anywhere from 60 to 79 minutes long. Not here. You get the original 35 minutes. No more. No less.
   
   Anyone who's seen what Legacy is doing with classic LPs (adding more to the original CD, plus a second CD of extra material) by Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, The Who, etc., surely have some idea how this great LP could have been updated for the 21st century. What we get is clearer audio, and nothing else. What a disappointment!



2. B.B. King-Live At The Regal *****
   
   Recorded live at the Regal in Chicago in 1964 this went on to become what is now widely considered the all time greatest live blues album. This is rightly deserved as this is in fact the greatest live blues album of all time.
   
   King's single note guitar lines are crisp as ever, and his vocals are beyond comparison. Aside from being obviously his best live recording, Live At The Regal is the best recording of King period. This is with out a doubt the best version of 'Sweet Little Angel' ever released. The essential version is more correct. 'Every Day I Have The Blues' and 'Its My Own Fault' are among some of the most inspired performances ever caught on tape. The albums closer 'Help The Poor' is just gut-wrenching. Pure bliss!
   
   This performance is pure electric. With every passing listen to Live At The Regal I still get chills all down my spine, and if you ask me that is the mark of a fantastic album after all these years and listens.



3. As a Memphis native, I have heard B.B. on many occasions. Never have I seen or hear him play with the same passion he did here in 1964. The quality of the recording is outstanding, with Lucille giving the center-stage on many occasions. The clarity and quality is amazing for a forty year old recording. This is the live B.B. King recording to buy. The Cook County Jail performance from 1971 is a close second, but the quality is not nearly as good.



4. recorded live at the regal theatre, chicago in 1964, this is generally considered b.b. king's best album, and deservedly so. this is simply one of the great urban blues albums of all-time. b.b.'s singing is as powerful and nuanced on this recording as it was ever to be, before or after. his guitar playing is at a peak of expressive beauty here, far more tasteful and beyond the technic, at this point, of what any rock and roll guitarist was yet capable of. yes, the rock and rollers would improve greatly in time, but this was 1964, and King was the undisputed guitar king. a fine horn section, it should be mentioned, also graces the album. the whole affair is magical. a great night in recording history.



5. BB King's Live at the Regal is a recording of a great show performed at the Regal Theater in Chicago in 1965. Considered among many, including myself, as his greatest album its a must for any blues collection. King is at the top of his form and you can hear it in his guitar playing. His band gives their all and, importantly, the song selections are magnificent.
   
   Its a great recording of a great performance. Its also a perfect introduction to the blues for neophytes as well. Highly recommended.