1 comments about Hang On!.

1. This Bernard Allison CD, along with his others, is just outstanding. What a fabulous musician Bernard Allison is! If you love great blues and if you love great music, you will love this extraordinary artist. He is the son of the late, great Luther Allison who died too young. Luther Allison and Bernard Allison make music that will give you pleasure and joy and delight and awe.
   People who actually love great music need to put their money and purchases where they belong and let the really talented artists receive the praise and rewards they deserve. As I write this today, I have just read of performers like Eminem and others of that ilk whose CDs sell astronomically and who get so much media attention.
   Come on, music lovers. Put your money where the good music is. You can start with Bernard Allison and Luther Allison.

4 comments about Nothin' But the Truth.

1. Sleepy's choice of songs and performance is worthy of most of his live performances. He is energetic, singing with abandon at times. However, this otherwise fine album is mired by extremely poor accoustics. I had seen many bands at this bar (Harper's Ferry) and none of them sounded their best. I am not a musician but I believe there was too much echo in the room, possibly the result of brick walls etc. Too bad this album was not recored in a more appropriate setting.



2. Nothin' but the Truth ROCKS. If you never had the chance to see Sleepy live then this is the next best thing. This CD rocks from start to finish and Sleepy is truly a human jukebox.



3. i'm loathe to give 5 stars to anything, but this one comes close (5 stars would be seeing sleepy in person, dancing your butt off 5 feet from him). imho almost all music (rocakbilly, classical, blues, zydeco...) is best heard live. this is a live cd that captures as much of sleepy's hard driving guitar and booming baritone as possible on cd. i highly recommend both the cd and seeing sleepy live (as close as possible).



4. This is the best live Sleepy you are going to get next to seeing him in person. If you're a fan of roots music, or alternative country ( what ever that means ) you need this album. You also need any other Sleepy LaBeef records you can get your hands on. You can't put a label on his brand of music. If you like a gumbo of blues, rockabilly, hillbilly, alt.country, etc., then this human jukebox is a must for you. I started out as a pure blues fan 25 years ago and Sleepy Labeef is one of the artists that opened my eyes to all styles of American roots music. To me this is essential music.

4 comments about Live: Charly Blues Masterworks, Vol. 18.

1. I was a Jimi fanatic in high school and read all of those cheesy guitar magazines and as a result heard about Albert King along the way. I found this CD in a close-out section right when I graduated high school in 1994. This bar-none the best $3.99 I have ever spent. I'm not so much into the guitar solos and blues that I once was, but do yourself a favor and listen to the solo on "As the Years Go Passing By" on this live CD and tell me its not the best. Nobody can touch his tone and evoke a fraction of the emotion he can get with one note.



2. Except for "Overall Junction," all tracks are also on 'Live' (Tomato/Rhino/Wea), along with excellent liner notes by Robert Palmer and better packaging.
   
   All tracks plus "Matchbox Holds My Clothes" and "Jam in A Flat" are on 'Blues from the Road' (Fuel 2000/Varese Sarabande), along with informative liner notes by Bill Dahl and, again, better packaging.
   
   The material on all three albums is from King's 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival appearance. While his Tomato studio albums from the '70s seem contrived and less satisfying than his King/Bobbin ('50s), Stax ('60s), and Fantasy ('80s) albums, I prefer his live albums from this period to those before and after. King seemed to have found his musical home with the horns on the road, after having been juxtaposed to them and female choruses in the studio. Compared to the '50s and '60s live albums, the sound is fuller, the solos even more focused and meaningful, and the vocal presence even more centered and commanding. There are precious few live albums from the '80s. I have 'Live in Canada' (Charly Blues Legends 'Live' Vol. 6): no date is given, but the Elmore James number "The Sky Is Crying" and the "Texas Flood"-rewrite "Rainin' in California" put it in the mid-'80s. It's a fine CD, but the recording quality is lacking (excellent for an audie) and King didn't seem to be reaching anymore or feeling he had something to prove or reveal.
   
   'Live' (Tomato/Rhino/Wea) is my favorite blues album. 'Blues from the Road' may be more complete, but I prefer the single disc format of 'Live' with its "Watermelon Man" opener--a perfect combination of convenience and musical sense. I enjoy having both, frankly, since the extra tracks are well worthwhile.



3. Albert King is Truely in Top Form on this 1977 live Recording.
   Albert just playes so clean and sharp on this record, his band is tight and the horns Funky. If you are a fan of Alberts you really should have this great recording in your collection!



4. I have had this cd for a few years the sound quality is great, Albert seems to be in top form here. If your a true Albert fan you will enjoy this one, i have everything of his i can get my hands on. But Albert live recordings are always a treat, so give this one a try.

No comments about Blues Is All Right.

No comments about Real Good Time: Live!.

4 comments about Live.

1. All tracks from this album plus "Overall Junction" and "Jam in A Flat" are on 'Blues from the Road' (Fuel 2000/Varese Sarabande), which also has informative liner notes by Bill Dahl.
   
   The material on both albums is from King's 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival appearance. While his Tomato studio albums from the '70s seem contrived and less satisfying than his King/Bobbin ('50s), Stax ('60s), and Fantasy ('80s) albums, I prefer his live albums from this period to those before and after. King seemed to have found his musical home with the horns on the road, after having been juxtaposed to them and female choruses in the studio. Compared to the '50s and '60s live albums, the sound is fuller, the solos even more focused and meaningful, and the vocal presence even more centered and commanding. There are precious few live albums from the '80s. I have 'Live in Canada' (Charly Blues Legends 'Live' Vol. 6): no date is given, but the Elmore James number "The Sky Is Crying" and the "Texas Flood"-rewrite "Rainin' in California" put it in the mid-'80s. It's a fine CD, but the recording quality is lacking (excellent for an audie) and King didn't seem to be reaching anymore or feeling he had something to prove or reveal.
   
   'Live' (Tomato/Rhino/Wea) is my favorite blues album. 'Blues from the Road' may be more complete, but I prefer the single disc format of 'Live' with its "Watermelon Man" opener--a perfect combination of convenience and musical sense. I enjoy having both, frankly, since the extra tracks are well worthwhile.



2. I could bore you with compiling a list of the musicians in the rock, blues, jazz, and new age field who were influenced by this master of electric blues but I will refrain from doing so. Albert King was one of those whose playing inspired me to learn guitar. I thought "heck, it sounds easy enough for me to play". Aah the naive thoughts of youth! Truth be told often the easiest sounding parts are the hardest to play and play with authority. Albert plays a lot of the same licks but inflects them differently in delivery - a talent that is in and of itself notable. He finds ways to transcend the patterns that all - himself included - fall into when playing. To quote Robert Palmer, his solos combine both "torrential power and striking freshness" and his style works not only in traditional shuffle style blues but also with r & b, funk, soul, jazz, and rock stylings backing him up.

   No offense intended to BB King partisans with the title of this review (or to BB himself), but the truth is the truth. BB is (and has been) a wonderful ambassador for the blues. However, if we are talking about whose stylings have been most influential, Albert comes out ahead by quite a ways. No one has ever played the guitar with more authority for one thing. Also, Albert combined an impeccable sense of timing, the ability to utilize dynamics effectively, a penchant for economy of notes, and the ability to subtly inflect the notes he played with an individuality that few have ever approached. On top of that, his style was akin to a wrecking ball slamming into a building. His was a killer tone coupled with the elements I outlined earlier that many have sought - and still seek to - emulate in their playing (including yours truly). As Robert Palmer astutely pointed out in the liner notes, Albert's playing is never cluttered. On this album he plays uptempo jazzier tunes, scorching slower blues, and songs where he combines his approach with music stylings then current (circa 1978).

   More could be stated but perhaps the best tribute to Albert King was from Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh (who also eulogized him at his funeral in December 1992). Joe Walsh stated quite bluntly that "Albert King could blow away Eddie Van Halen with his amp on standby". Obtain this CD and listen to King live employing the various elements of his unique style. If you are infected with "MTV-itis" be warned: the songs on this disk average about 8 minutes per with some surpassing 10 minutes long. But then if you enjoy good music and biting soulful playing, you will not be disappointed.




3. This is a very solid cd! Albert King is as close to musical perfection as there will be, this is a GREAT example of why. He puts everything he has in each song, each note, each word... This cd takes you into the crowd for that concert, no matter where you listen to this cd you gain a sense of feeling for King's onstage presence; in word--captivating. Each track on here is clearly recorded and very well presented. This cd is NO gamble--you will enjoy it for many, many years.



4. Almost all tunes are classics of the blues repertoire, or even jazz revisited such as "Watermelon Man". I have really enjoyed listening these pieces, the crispy riffs in the masterpiece "Kansas City" as well as the slow bars in "Blues at Sunrise", and foremost his duet with Rory Gallagher in "As the years go passing by". Don't miss it.

2 comments about Live and Raw.

1. In July of 1999, I had the pleasure of experiencing Terry Hanck and the Soul Rockers at the Mt. Shasta Blues Festival in Mt. Shasta, CA. After his performance I met Terry breifly as he was loading up his van to travel to his next performance.

   Terry and I have a mutual friend in Portland. Lloyd Jones of Lloyd Jones Struggle. Terry asked me if I had a copy of his CD. I didn't. So, he gave me a copy of his Raw and Live CD.

   After I returned to my home in Klamath Falls, Oregon, I listened to his CD with my band (The Craig Allen Blues Band). We were all very impressed. Most of the songs are longer than most CD songs, so when you are hit with an awesome groove, Like "Slip Away," or "Let A Woman Be A Woman," it's almost as good as sex.

   Terry has spent some time in Cajun country around New Orleans. Even though Terry is a Californa resident, it is apparant that he's picked up on some of the Cajun musical repitoire. Both his voice and sax sizzles with the verosity of a Cajun hot sauce mixed with blues, rock, and R&B. Terry is west coast boogie at its best.

   Terry and the Soul Rockers Sizzle....You must check it out.




2. I saw Terry Hanck perform live at a blue's club in San Francisco and purchased the CD the next day. Very seldom does a CD give one the same feelings, emotions, and adrenaline flow as a live show, but this one does that and more! It cuts to the very core of every blues lover. He's got a distinct New Orleans old blues feel mixed with contemporary appeal. The music draws you in and the lyrics hold you there. This is a definite got to have if you like blues.

1 comments about Live at Rum Boogie Cafe.

1. I heard a couple of cuts off this CD on a local radio station and just had to have it. Billy Gibson's hard driving, rich, articulate harmonica playing is amazing. The boundless energy level of Billy and his band is scary. This is a great album all the way through.

No comments about Live with the Candy Licker.

4 comments about Champagne & Reefer.

1. 69 years old at the time this recording was made, George "Mojo" Buford still sings and plays with power and conviction.
   He served as Muddy Waters' harmonica player on four different occations, and was Muddy's harpist of choice when he (Waters) passed away in the spring of 1983, and here he is, playing with another former Muddy Waters sideman, lead guitarist Bob Margolin, and a hand-picked combo which includes a second guitar, bass, and drummer Chico Chism.
   
   Many of these songs are old Muddy Waters standarts, but while everything here is electric, more than half the songs are played with no rhythm section, just Buford and Bob Margolin, which makes for an interesting "earthy" sound on numbers like "Blow Wind Blow" and "Nine Below Zero", and leaves plenty of room for George "Mojo" Buford's muscular, meaty harp playing to shine.
   The many highlights include "Rollin' And Tumblin'", a swinging "Don't Go No Further", a tough, band-backed "You're Gonna Drive Me Away", and the aforementioned "Blow Wind Blow", and these gritty performances are a welcome reminder that there are still people out there who play real music on real instruments.



2. If you don't know Mojo Buford, you are in for a real treat. Mojo, of course, was one of the standout harp players for Muddy Water's and, on this set, he is joined by fellow Waters band member, Bob Margolin on guitar as well as Phoenix-based musicians, Chico Chism on drums, Paul Thomas on bass and Johnny Rapp on rhythm guitar.

   As is all too often the case with blues musicians, their music is better known overseas than in the States. Hopefully, this CD will change that. As you can imagine, with Margolin on guitar, the set list takes a page out of Muddy's play book and, while there is really nothing new here, Mojo's performance on harp and his Jimmy Roger's like vocals are outstanding. If you like what you hear on this disc, work backwards from here. The quality on all of this musicians work is always first rate.




3. If you don't know Mojo Buford, you are in for a real treat. Mojo, of course, was one of the standout harp players for Muddy Water's and, on this set, he is joined by fellow Waters band member, Bob Margolin on guitar as well as Phoenix-based musicians, Chico Chism on drums, Paul Thomas on bass and Johnny Rapp on rhythm guitar.

   As is all too often the case with blues musicians, their music is better known overseas than in the States. Hopefully, this CD will change that. As you can imagine, with Margolin on guitar, the set list takes a page out of Muddy's play book and, while there is really nothing new here, Mojo's performance on harp and his Jimmy Roger's like vocals are outstanding. If you like what you hear on this disc, work backwards from here. The quality on all of this musicians work is always first rate.




4. Muddy Waters called Mojo his favorite harp player, and from this CD you'll get a clear understanding as to why. The ensemble work is delightful. Mojo has a knack for knowing when to grab the microphone and when to let the band groove.

   Featuring Dave "Cool Breeze" Brown (guitar) and Bill Black (bass) on several tracks, or Dan Schwalbe (guitar) and Curtis Blake (2nd harp) on others, this CD is a Chicago blues tour de force. It sounds like you've got front row seats at one of those Halstad Street watering holes, it's after-hours, the front door is locked, and you've got the whole place to yourself. I swear, it's just like being there, except without all the smoke and background noise.

   You will congratulate yourself on your good taste once you get hold of this disc.

   Paducah Fats