1 comments about Live At Montreux.

1. Like athletes, sometimes a piano player apparently gets into a zone. I love blues/boogie solo piano. Al Copley's other CDs are generally OK, as he shows good ability and uses it well. I was reluctant to buy this CD because I don't care for a live audience on a CD. Turns out to be one of the best blues/bw CD I own. Copley definitely gets into a zone on some of these tracks that I haven't heard by anyone before. His vocals are good, but he really takes off when he just lets his hands go, particularly on Yancey That and Cactus Jump. A quote from Copley in the liner notes - "I felt awful afterwards, but the next day when I heard the tape, it moved me to tears." Truly incredible, yet tasteful, piano pounding!!!

5 comments about Live from Chicago! Bigger Than Life!.

1. Had the pleasure of hearing these guys many times during the early 80s in W. Lafayette, IN while a student at Purdue. Performing for a bunch of corn-fed white kids, BT&TMFs might have looked out of place, but they were a huge hit everytime they came to town. Even partied w/Larry once...ah, my mis-spent youth...this cd sure brings it back. Tight, hot, great live band. Underrated and unappreciated, this band's just a blast to listen to.



2. Growing up in Southern Illinois, it was a weekly event for Twist and the Mellow Fellows to sneak me (being underage) into Merlins to hear them play. What more can I say? They were phenomenal.



3. Saw the original Big Twist only once before he died. Recorded a tape and played it constantly. The CD is wonderful, only wish that it had included "Childrens Blues" which is a favorite of mine. He was a great bluesman and played great Chicago Style Blues. Everyone who hasn't heard this band, should!



4. If you don't own this cd, you should 'covet' the thought of owning it. Larry is no longer with us physically, but those of us that were privey to the wonderful world of his 'down home Chicago blues', will never get him out of our system.In his "hayday', he had one of the most gripping blues "bands" going. His voice alone, and the way he delivered it, was truly the essensce of what blues IS. For those that didn't get a chance to kow him or his music while he was alive, I feel sorry that you didn't. The redeeing grace is, that, through 'modern technology',you can have this experience now. Do you want to party? Then you need this CD. This is the best of all the "Twist" CD's. Turn it up! It doesn't get better than this!



5. BTMF was the best bar band I have ever experienced. I used to catch them frequently in and around Chicago in the late 80's and early 90's. This album captures and extremely tight, lively R&B band in their prime. Steamroller Blues, Turning Point, To Much BBQ are all classics. If these guys didn't get you moving, man you are dead!

No comments about Live at Burnley Blues Festival.

No comments about Golden Legends.

No comments about American Folk Blues Festival: 1983.

No comments about Sittin' in with Blinddog Smokin'.

2 comments about Live Crawfish.

1. This is an unusually good genre CD. Harmonica Red (a.k.a. George Heard) on harp is this little road band's greatest asset...quite frankly, he's one of the three greatest living blues harp players. Harmonica Red has been building an ever larger "cult" following in recent years. Though Tim Wagoner's songwriting and vocals are superb, the mix on this CD is amateurish, the percussion and grating voice of their band's leader, Al Lauro, simply makes one want to wince at times. All in all though, Red and Wagoner make this one worth owning and you won't be disappointed. Just do your best to tune "Big Al" out. (Maybe they'll find a decent drummer before producing another CD).

   Ibear1 ---- "Blues Now UK"




2. Big Al and the Heavyweights have an energetic and inspiring live show. I just saw them at the Docksider in Erie, PA. and picked up a CD from Big Al. You're going to love the blues harp pieces!

4 comments about Last Time Around -- Live at Legends.

1. The sound is excellent on this 1998 live album, and Buddy Guy and the late, great Junior Wells both lay down some of their best vocal performances on record.
   
   Committed to tape in March, 1993, "Last Time Around - Live At Legends" documents the very last time Guy and Wells took the stage together. The arrangements are completely bare-bones, just Buddy Guy's Gibson guitar and Junior Wells' chromatic harp, but the performances are full of power and authority, and Guy's expressive tenor voice and Junior Wells' rougher baritone blend smoothly on songs like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "What I'd Say".
   Virtually every song is a highlight, actually...Junior Wells plays muscular, amplified harp behind Guy's lead vocal on "Key To The Highway" and "Oh Baby", and takes the lead on "Hoodoo Man Blues", and the duo share lead vocal duties on a great medley of songs from Jimmy Reed's good-natured repertoire of blues n' boogie, as well as a cover of Jimmy Rogers' "That's All Right".
   
   This is one great slice of classic, acoustic blues which would look at home on any real blues fan's shelf.
   I mean, why do we need synthesizers and computer sampling when two middle-aged men can sit down with just a harmonica and an acoustic guitar and make it sound this good?



2. If you want to sit back and put on some easy listening music then this is the CD for you. I like nothing better than putting this CD on loud after some lung exercises and relaxing! Just great!



3. When I want to turn a new friend onto the blues, it's best to reach for the cream like B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Muddy Waters - and, maybe best of all: Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. Perhaps it'll be "Hoodoo Man Blues" on Delmark, or any of their fine live releases, but these two summed up the majestic grit and soul of human expression in song. But we've finally lost Junior Wells, a gentlemen and inspiration who always took the time to talk to fans, DJ's, and reviewers like myself. This posthumous release, while not superior to their previous acoustic-flavored albums (like "Alone and Acoustic," or especially "Buddy and the Juniors")captures Junior and Buddy's chemistry one last time. Some of this record is as stunning anything they ever waxed. Most of it is good, down-home, back-porch blues. Admittedly, Junior may been erratic in later years ( with often over-produced albums and sometimes painful-to-watch stage behavior) all due to health problems and the neglect of a music world that salivates over guitarists instead of singing harpists. By the time of this recording, Buddy had only recently been even admitted to the mainstream (and even then, he has trouble getting radio airplay) while Junior and most true bluesmen languished on the margins. Wells was largely under-recorded for most of the '80's until he signed with Telarc, where he in fact made some notable music even in an obviously weaker condition . Silvertone deserves credit for seeing fit to release what has come be a fitting farewell to blues' favorite one-two punch.



4. Buddy&Junior set out some old school blues

4 comments about Cheap Thrills: Live, Vol. 1.

1. This disc is one of the most stellar live compilation blues CD's released in a LONG LONG time. Everything about it says that Bott painstakingly labored over every aspect of this package -- especially the interesting stories that personalize each song, all the players, and the venues where many of the songs were recorded. If you are a fan of the blues, you'll be blown away by these tracks! Though the tracks are in fact from several different analog sources (mainly cassette tapes) kudos to Bott on having the courage to put out such diverse recordings. They show a true understanding of what 'the blues' is all about -- how live and improvised performances are integral to its tradition and history. If you are a real blues fan, then there is no way on earth this CD will let you down! That being said, fans of seriously good music played by exceptional musicians will also enjoy this CD.
   
   If you like what has become the norm -- watered-down "slick" recordings with no soul, feeling or improvisation -- then don't buy this CD! But, if you want to step out of the box , take a journey side-stepping back in time to places where music was live and being created on the spot, then give this CD a listen. It promises to bring you into the very rooms where these performances went down. You'll feel as if you were there sipping a beer, downing a shot and cheering on the band with your friends by your side!



2. Throughout all his years of gigs drumming with Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers and most recently the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimi Bott, like so many other musicians, has a vast collection of his bootleg live performances. For this CD, Jimi has gone into his private collection for some of his finest vintage recordings. There are seven special moments with Mighty Flyers from 1987 to 1992 to accurately capture all the raw energy of that nightly West coast blues explosion. On the first song, he's nailing a sharp, double shuffle behind Rod's chromatic work on "The Eliminator." This is a brilliant reminder of how Rod starts off every show with high flyin', over the top energy. Bott's next song, "That's What You Do to Me," is a rare Mighty Flyer treat from 1987 with Junior Watson on guitar. This song comes from one of Bott's first gigs with the Flyers, a Battle of the Harmonicas in San Francisco. The crowd noise picked up by the tiny recorded adds to the authenticity.
   No Flyer show was complete without Bott and Honey doin' a brilliant drum piano surge. Here, Jimi shares two of those moments. Instead of pressing songs we all know, Bott asked Honey for something unique and she responded with "The Bumble Boogie/The Nutcracker" medley. It's pure classical meets boogie woogie with an Alex Schultz guitar bridge holdin' it together. Bott and Honey recreate the big bands of the 1930's on Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing." And Alex Schultz's "Jam Up" is a favorite to be played over and over because it perfectly captures the spontaneity of the Mighty Flyers. the final Flyers' song ends the CD with the Piazza's deepest blues, "Ah'w Baby" from 1990. The two Fabulous Thunderbird tunes with Kim Wilson show off Bott's drums on the world-wide stage. He include his own song "Cheap Thrills" from 1996 with Kid Ramos, and another, "I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled, and Crazy," from 2002 with Ramos and new T-Bird guitarist Kirk Fletcher. Bott's very personal liner notes offer intimate looks into the music and people that have shaped him. Remember that these songs were recorded live, so while there is no studio perfection, there is that live passion and energy we fans go out night after night to be part of. Can't wait for Vol. 2.



3. Every one that has listened to it has ended up buying it, this is a whammin- jammim collection.



4. While I don't like to trash another musician's work, I must say in all honesty that this CD is neither worth the $16 or the two to three week wait. In hindsight, I wished I had heeded the warnings of "raw analog recordings" and "never before released tracks," Generally, those are code words for noisy, inconsistent and otherwise poor sound quality not otherwise suitable for release. In some instances, the quality of this CD is lower than some bootlegs. This CD fits the rule that if the songs are good enough to be released they would have been, long ago. The crowd's chatter and idle conversation during the performance are very audible and distracting. Moreover, the sound quality varies from track to track due in part to the fact that the CD picks up songs recorded at different times and in different places. Jim Bott, apparently needing a buck, lists his telephone number on the back as 1-800-BUY-MY-CD. I gave him $16. Don't make the same mistake.

1 comments about In the Wilde.

1. "In The Wilde" by The Roadbirds is a CD that belongs in the collection of every folk/rock/blues/roots music lover in the world. Since they put on such a dynamic show in person, I thought The Roadbirds were a band that is best experienced live until I heard this recording. One take, no overdubs or electronic wizardry, one of the absolute best-sounding CDs I own. And the songs are very enjoyable, with my favorites being "18 Summers" and "A Thousand Times"- both penned by Patrick McGinley, long considered one of the best of the new breed of singer/songwriter. Only 4 stars due to the six-song length, "In The Wilde" leaves us all wanting more!