5 comments about Howlin Wolf: The Chess Box.

1. One of my first exposures to the world of Chicago-style blues, after a steady diet of country-style Delta blues, was the Rolling Stones' version of the Willie Dixon classic Little Red Rooster back in the early 1960's. I thought that was a song to beat all songs and it had nothing to do its allegorical nature, you know, about sex. What, moreover, capped it for me the fact that it was originally banned in Boston- from the radio airwaves of the times. Naturally that made this teenager want to hear it even more.
   
   All this is by way of saying-yes; the Stones did a great version of that song but if you really want it heard then you must go to the master- Howlin' Wolf. That big gravelly-voiced man who, in still pictures that I have seen of him as well as film seems to be inhaling the microphone, lets it all hang out as he struts his stuff on that number. In Do the Do, Little Red Rooster, Killing Floor and on and on the Wolf sweats, bleeds, sucks up the whiskey, has another one for good measure and gets down on his knees, sometimes literally, to belt out the blues.
   
   You buy this CD set to get your little hands on Rooster but that is hardly the end of the story. This set contains every classic Wolf song that you could want under one roof, and some interesting Wolf talk in between. What are the ones you want to make sure you hear (and hear over and over again). Well, here is a by no means inclusive short list. Spoonful, The Natchez Burning, Killing Floor, Dust My Broom, I Am The Wolf, Back Door Man, Wang Dang Doodle... hey, wait a minute let's make it easier just get the set, take a few hours off and listen-you won't want to turn the damn thing off.



2. Wolf along with Muddy were stablemates during Chess's glory years, and this set shows why his reputation as one of the blues' great masters is inviolable. The set begins in the early 50s with his first recordings for Philip's Sun studios in Memphis, which are key to understanding his origins in Delta country blues, before switching to his various band formations at Chess through to the early 70s. There are many classics here, including "Evil," "Sitting on Top of the World," and "Smokestack Lightin'," as well as lesser known gems and brief interviews. With partial exception of some lackluster liner notes, this set is necessary for any self-respecting fan of American folk music and blues.



3. This is not a very tough choice, if you like Howlin' Wolf or the blues get this box. It has not weak tracks, some fascinating interviews (well The Wolf talking), and many of the classic, indispensable tracks.Plus, there's, as evidenced here, no other electric blues guitarist nearly as nasty, dirty, just downright awesome as Hubert Sumlin. Buy and enjoy, this is the blues at its best.



4. I bought this box as a present and up to now have not haerd it. However, having today talked to the recipient of the gift, I can confirm that he is more than satisfied with it. The remastering is excellent and there are enough alternate takes to satisfy the most ardent completist.



5. this album is amazing. it's very long, but the songs never get old. i wish i could have seen the wolf in concert. that would be a great chance because he's my favorite bluesman. of course, robert johnson, blind blake and muddy waters come pretty close too but none can sing like the wolf. the best song on here is 'i asked for water (she gave me gasoline)' it's full of humor and makes me laugh every time. what's even funnier is in 'howlin wolf talks part 3' when he tells the interviewer why she gave him gasoline is because she was mad with him. i never know who he's singing to, but i'm sure they all get the message.

5 comments about Blues Summit.

1. I liked it. They sang about the relationships between men and women. They gave some good advice in the song lyric.



2. I agree w/ those who've said that this is one of BB King's best CD's. His duet partners truly are the 'real deal' when it comes to blues artists. Unfortunately, too many of them have passed on since this was recorded 15 years ago: Lowell Fulson, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, Katie Webster, and the recently departed Ruth Brown. Luckily, we have this recording to remind us just how good they all were. I recently found the DVD version in my local library & enjoyed seeing that also.



3. One of the best live performance DVD's I have watched. Great performance and well documented history phased into the product.



4. If you like BB king just a little bit this cd will make you a great fan of BB King. This is one of my favorite CDs of BB King.
   I think that one of the reasons I like the cd soo much is that BB allows his guests to shine.
   So be nice to yourself and get this cd.



5. This is a very enjoyable release from B.B. King, and friends! Well recorded and a very nice selection of songs and guests joining B.B. - I think this is what makes this recording such a treat!

   The stand out song for me is Call it Stormy Mondy with Albert Collins - a great version of this song!

5 comments about Blues Masters: The Very Best of Jimmy Reed.

1. A budget price Blues Master series issue sounding great with booklet from this loose down and out bluesman giant who so much influenced rock and roll and it's seniors such as the Stones,Dead,Them,Neil Young,The Yardbirds who covered these Reed originals as their own on their individual band cd's.
   All I can say is the sparse sound is typical of this genre with it's artists such as Slim Harpo and Reed.
   Now all can give credit to the originators because all are familiar with the imitators such as the early UK Invasion groups and latter day jam bands emulating Jimmy Reed's sincere uncomplicated style.



2. MCA's pitiful "20th Century Masters" series made me skeptical of the cursory and careless patch-work that constitutes the "greatest hits" collections of most Blues and Rock masters. But Rhino, as usual, proves to be the industry's most adept anthologizing entity here and has gone quite far to put the work of Rock 'N Roll's many geniuses into the kind of perspective that does proper justice to the artists. This Jimmy Reed collection, with its careful, dense and precise song selection, is no exception. Its 17-song track list reflects exactly the kind of generosity that the "20th Century Masters" series lacks. Not a single one of Reed's original classics eludes the radar here, from the particularly raw and aggressive early numbers, "High and Lonesome" and "Aint That Lovin' You Baby" to the smoother and more casual knockouts that stole crowds from Carnegie Hall to London in the late 50s, such as "Bright Lights Big City" and "Baby What You Want Me to Do," admirably covered by Neil Young (one of Reed's biggest fans) & Crazy Horse on their 1996 album, "Broken Arrow." That Reed would earn such a tribute from an artist whose roots are steeped in a tradition so dramatically distinct from his own testifies to the immensity of his influence. This is the document of a true American innovator whose work and talent made Rock 'N Roll possible.
   
   [...]



3. Haven't as yet listened to this cd but I don't really need to to know how good this man was in his time. Everybody in to the blues knows Jimmy Reed and his easy going soft flowing style. The man had it all with some of his arrangements having grown into some of the most recognizable blues licks anywhere on the planet. The Stones covered him earlier in their career as did many others, and it;s just a shame how Mr. Reed's own personal life must have been painfull to the point of him drinking himself to death at the early age of 50. What ghosts must have hauted this man to drive him to such an early grave? I suppose we'll never know and it's probably just as well? Jimmy Reed was a public performer it's true. But firstly he was a man deserving of the respect he's been given in death atleast if not in life, and we should leave him to rest peacefully and leave his old past ghosts alone. Sleep well Jimmy!



4. There's really no sound in the blues as easily digestible, accessible, instantly recognizable, or as easy to play and sing as the music of Jimmy Reed. His best-known songs have become such an integral part of the standard blues repertoire, it's almost as if they have existed forever.
   Elvis Presley covered Jimmy Reed, and so did The Rolling Stones and numerous hopeful garage bands, making him in reality one of the most influential bluesmen in history, and it's not hard to see why so many people found (and still find) Reed's music so appealing.
   
   Many, many Jimmy Reed compilations have been released over the past forty years, including several repackagings of his classic 50s Vee-Jay material. Some of these compilations have been excellent, particularly the superb 1993 collection "Speak The Lyrics To Me, Mama Reed", while others have been really shabby, and since many of them have featured the same basic songs, it's kinda hard to discern which are worthwhile and which aren't.
   
   Fortunately, Rhino's 2000 Blues Masters release provides first-timers with the ideal introductory package, presenting seventeen songs, including virtually all the very best of Reed's simple but catchy blues n' boogie.
   "Baby What You Want Me To Do" is here, perhaps the single most covered blues tune of all time, and so is "Shame, Shame, Shame", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Ain't That Loving You Baby", "You Don't Have To Go", "Big Boss Man", and many more. Right at the top of a long list of Jimmy Reed-compilations sits this fine, well-annotated disc alongside Recall's "Big Boss Man: The Very Best Of Jimmy Reed".



5. We listen to this cd everyday--it's great, funny, and sounds cool as heck!

5 comments about New Orleans Piano.

1. For me these Atlantic tracks are by far his best recordings.I have the LP but felt I must purchase the CD as well.Backed by Dave Bartholomews best musicians and produced by the excellent Atlantic Records team of Jerry Wexler,Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson it can't get any better!!What an excellent mix!!!These Atlantic greats should have made more trips to New Orleans (sorry Cosimo!)



2. These recordings date from 1949 and 1953 and are essential recordings for lovers of New Orleans music. Professor Longhair is the Godfather of modern New Orleans Piano and here he is on top form.
   
   Playing with him is a star-studded collection of New Orleans players, some of the better known are:
   Lee Allen - Tenor Sax
   Red Tyler - Baritone Sax
   Earl Palmer - Drums
   
   The recordings were produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, the kingpins of Atlantic records. Of course what counts is the music and in this department you are guarenteed a good time. Fess is steaming on "Ball the Wall" and Lee Allens tenor sax solo is blisteringly good. There are no weak tracks on this album and all of Fess's best known songs on here. Enjoy...



3. This is a GREAT collection of Professor Longhair's piano-dominated songs.... he is just amazing. I can't believe it took me this long to stumble across his work. This CD is perfection.



4. To quibble about the sound quality (as a previous reviewer saw fit to) of these classic tracks is perhaps expecting too much from "modern" sound technology. I can only imagine what opinions would be forthcoming on the Delmark live Magic Sam releases! 6 STARS for the man I would consider to be the father of the New Orleans rock and blues sound !!



5. I have a copy of this CD from BMG and the sound quality is awful. Not sure if this version is re-mastered but I would not take the chance. I recommend Crawfish Feista and Rock and Roll Gumbo as far better examples of Fess's work.

5 comments about Better Days.

1. EVERYTHING about this is wonderful featuring one of the great harp players, multiple vocalists, styles and, even genres. If you like his sound this is IT.



2. Every track on this CD is an absolute gem. I'm a completist by nature and have every Paul Butterfield release. This is by far my favorite.



3. I've had this recording before, but it was stolen. I had to buy it again. Paul Butterfield is a great harmonica player, and this CD shows his talent. The recording is smooth and the band is great on this one. A must have for blues or harmonica enthusiast. Trivia Note: Paul had the glossy picture for the harmonica on the CD cover attached to the inside of his harmonica case.



4. i love this cd i searched a long time to find this cd i am very pleased with it



5. Paul Butterfield has always done a great job; bought this new in LP in 70's, some cleaning scag stole it in 90's; worth spending twice for it

5 comments about Feels Like Rain.

1. Buddy Guy. One of my favorites. Picked up this one and it is fast becoming one of my favorites. I'm not a blues purist. I like the Southern Soul and this fits right in there. Some Kind Of Wonderful. Wow! Change In The Weather. Wow! A little taste of Ray Charles. A little taste of Muddy Waters. That's what the blues is all about. Feels Like Rain!



2. A nice album from the legendary Buddy Guy, Feels Like Rain is about as straight forward as it gets. A strong set of electric blues, served up with a heapin' side of boogie, the album plays out as an old blues man just havin' a great time makin' music.



3. Feels Like Rain was my introduction to Buddy Guy, and what a fine introduction it is! Altho some blues purists will complain that it isn't "pure" blues, and with it's all star cast, a sell-out, but I prefer to look at it as Buddy showing his versatility. From the Stevie Ray Vaughan-sque She's A Superstar, and Feels Like Rain (the smoldering and sensuous cover of the John Hiatt classic), to the red hot finale of Country Man, this to me is a much more consistant album than Damn Right. This CD proves that blues doesn't have to be confined to 12 bar covers of Elmore James and Robert Johnson. And since blues was conceived from slaves easing the pain of their confinement, isn't that what it's all about?



4. More of a mainstream rock record than Guy's first Silvertone album ("Damn Right I've Got The Blues"), and much more so than his third, "Feels Like Rain" is not where you go to listen to Buddy Guy the legendary blues guitarist.
   In fact, this is some of Guy's least blues-oriented material...the only real blues tunes are Muddy Waters's "She's Nineteen Years Old" and John Mayall's "I Could Cry"; the rest of the album is dedicated to rock- and soul covers, blues-rock and pop-rock.
   
   The production is rather slick and lacks muscle, and a little bit of grit would have been nice, but Guy himself comes off quite well. His guitar playing is not the best you'll ever hear from him, but his voice is excellent, strong and expressive, and while some of these covers are superflous at best, Guy's rendition of John Hiatt's "Feels Like Rain", Ray Charles' "Mary Ann", and the soul classic "Some Kind Of Wonderful" are really enjoyable (the latter is a duet featuring Paul Rodgers of Bad Company).
   Bonnie Raitt guests on "Feels Like Rain", playing bell-clear slide guitar, and the band includes a great pianist, Bill Payne from Little Feat.
   
   If you want to hear Buddy Guy play the blues, pick up "Buddy's Blues" from MCA/Chess, and Rhino's "The Very Best Of Buddy Guy". If you just want a regular feel-good rock record played by a number of better-than-average musicians, well, you'll probably like this just fine. After all, you can't keep a real professional down.



5. First off I love this CD and listen to it all the time. The only reason I gave this CD 4 stars is that this album is very Heavily produced and at times get a little to slickish for my liking. Listen to "Sufferin' Mind" to see what I mean. But still the production doesn't alter the fact that this is a good album.

4 comments about If You Love Those Blues, Play 'Em As You Please.

1. this is an awsome cd.straight blues no frills.some really great playing.but dont expect super session.some cool acoustic stuff too.



2. Mike Bloomfield's trademark style was a foundation of BB King riffs with jazzy noodleing and raga-like easternisms in the spaces where King would simply not have played at all. When MB first hit the scene, this style shook every young guitarist up; it was no longer ok to just learn the tunes, you had to learn how to -play-. His ahead-of-the-barlines phrasing, and melodic fearlessness conveyed a sense of constant exploration. As time has passed, the original blues artists' simplicity has come to be appreciated by a mass audience, and Mike's busy style has become less in vogue. On that basis, this may be the best place to start your Bloomfield collection: because he is referencing the styles that influenced him, more than performing, the performance itself is more rooted and bluesy than much of his other work.



3. I have the record for "If You Love these..." so my comments are related only to that parts of the CD from that record.
   
   Anyway, I rate this very highly but for hardcore blues fans only. Bloomfield does a great job re-creating the feel/style for each song using the style of the original artist/time period. My favorites are Mama Lion, WDIA, and Hey Foreman.
   
   This is not your Bloomfield guitar slinger album, rather a serious study in the diverse styles of the blues. He shows why he was so great.



4. This CD is a collection of two Mike Bloomfield albums that include an instructional album done for Guitar Player magazine in the 70's and the hard to get Bloomfield/Harris. You can forget about the hard charging sounds of Butterfield Blues/Electric Flag/Super Session. This is stripped down accoustic blues and gospel played by one of the greatest guitar players of all time.
   The first 22 tracks are the instructional album "If you love those blues play 'em as you please", accoustic blues with a very interesting narrative by Mr. Bloomfield himself before each song. The remaining tracks are accoustic gospel with Woody Harris and Mike Bloomfield. The sound mix is excellent.

5 comments about Right Place, Wrong Time.

1. If you're one of "Shaq's, The King Of The World Blues Reviewer's" loyal fans, you'll know that I love Otis, and he is one of my six all-time favorite electric blues guitarist's. My prior reviews of his CD's, all have exemplary reviews. But this CD, fails two of Shaq's critical tests. First, the volume and clarity of this CD is terrible. I had to turn up the sound on my stereo louder than on any prior reviewed CD. Second, there are a total of 10 songs on this CD, and the total running time of the entire CD is 40 minutes. So as Shaq always says: "You can't get da blues in 3-4 minutes. Summary: If you're the type of person who likes to turn your portable CD player up to it's highest volume, and sneak up behind someone you're stalking, and not have them know you're behind them, this is the CD for you! Playing this CD at its highest level won't bother the librarian, or your neighbors.



2. Otis Rush is one of the greatest singers and guitarists in the history of the blues. "Right Place, Wrong Time" is his unmistakeable masterpiece, far surpassing the Cobra recordings, his initial reputation was built on, and setting a standard he unfortunately never quite reached again. Over ten songs (four of which are originals) he conveys a lifetime of sadness, pain and passion through his tasteful guitar playing and soulful singing. When he sings "they say there's someone for everybody/ Ooooh I wonder where in the world is the one for me," on the title track its the poetry of loneliness brought to life. The final song "Take a Look Behind" is one of the most moving songs about the regret over a life badly lived in all the blues. There isn't a dud on here though. Every track is a thing of beauty.
   
   I first bought this album on vinyl in the 80s and nearly wore it out. The CD I replaced it with continues to get plenty of air time on my home stereo. No blues collection can be complete without this disk.



3. I heard this record on the telly. Channel 18 it was, a public access outfit on Long Island who when The Simpsons aren't on are absolutely the best thing on the box. See, what they do is put out a round-the-clock bulletin board of upcoming community events but they back this up with entire albums, often double albums, chosen by the dudes what work there. Each record plays for a couple of days at a stretch too so you can miss it a bunch of times and still catch up. They've even got a screen with the date, time and temperature. Like I said, prime time television. These old geezers are free to broadcast just about anything that takes their fancy and mostly it's not too crappy although once they played Hank Snow and I had to take up cycling just to get out of the house. Because really Hank Snow, I mean that sap's the Andrew Llyod Webber of country music, isn't he? I sent an e-mail to the guy in charge of this gig complementing him on their choice one night of early Charlie Parker--what I don't know about jazz could fill a warehouse but this bird is the spring in wintertime--and the felly wrote back an actual letter in which he described in the most amiable manner how they do things down at Four Village Studio. Tastes there run to older acoustic and electric blues, rhythm & blues, jazz and, like I said, lots of cowboys. Over the last several months as a for instance I've watched, usually from my bed, the following compact disks: Long John Hunter's Ride With Me, Texas blues tailor made for a Saturday afternoon. I own this record now on account of buying it there recently because it's just that good; Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding where he sings that song about Saint Augustine--as perfect a number as that man ever rolled. I love Dylan, his Chronicles are stupendously cranky and funny and I for one am eagerly awaiting volumes two and three. I didn't think much of David Crosby until I read this book but his crack after the Princeton debacle is a thing of beauty; A Junior Parker compilation which I'm pretty certain I remember not minding one bit; Celtic Solstice by Paul Winter and Friends, a processed slab of Irish cheese that made me want to fly into O'Hare International Airport and drink a lump of pints in The Green Potato; the first two albums by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, a double CD and Jehesius H. Horselips just a mongo kablammo twofer--red barn blues and on disk two the incomparable Elvin Bishop crooning some serious voodoo on Never Say No; and this record here by Otis Rush, searing big band electric blues, the perfect prescription for shutting up shop on a Sunday night. The thing about this record is that all the good bits--lead guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and brass--come through on their own but somehow stay together in a right snazzy arrangement. It's like one of those glass clocks you often find on mantlepieces where you can clearly see the whole gizmo actually ticking but in the wind up you still get the right time. I own this record now too so I do on account of it also is just that good.



4. If Rush had only ever recorded this single disk his place as a Chicago Blues great would have been secured. Add to this his incomparable late 50's sides for Cobra and you have a selection of the greatest West Side recordings ever made.
   
   'Right Place, Wrong Time', is quite simply the best straight blues recording made during the 1970's, bar none. Rush is on fire throughout, whether delivering wracked slow blues or up tempo shuuffles. He plays and sings with incredible passion and feeling throughout; constantly striving for the next lick or turn of phrase which might take these songs to a new level. The backing band are never fussy, the horn section restrained, the production sparse and tough.
   
   Highlights include the brilliant original 'Right Place, Wrong Time' and a definitive reading of Albert King's (Lets have a) 'Natural Ball'. Rush makes 'Lonely Man' his own and manages to deliver 'Rainy Night In Georgia' as a first rate blues ballad.
   
   These recordings carry none of the excesses that blight many of his later recordings, but rather capture Otis delivering at the very peak of his considerable powers.



5. From a fellow guitarist's perspective, this album is a masterpiece. The well-placed silence between mesmerizing, shimmering guitar licks is deafening. Otis is masterful at telling a story or setting a mood with the confluence of his anguished singing, espressive guitar-playing, and impeccable timing. What sets him apart from other, perhaps flashier, guitarists, is the patience he shows while telling a story---i.e., the spaces between guitar playing, the patience in holding a note. His phrasing on the guitar is simply hypnotic. One of his secrets is that he puts on a silky-smooth vibrato while deftly bending the string---a difficult task for many.
   I wish more current blues musicians played like this---less busy noise going-on,...
   His other indispensable studio album is "Cold Day in Hell," which has even sparser, intense playing, and perhaps a better, upfront tone.
   For a great LIVE album of Otis, I would suggest TOPS, or else LIVE IN EUROPE.

3 comments about I'm Ready.

1. By far one of the greatest albums Muddy ever recorded together with "Hard Again" and "Mississippi Live".
   Watch out as Johnny Winter unleashes one of the grittiest, dirtiest guitar solos ever managed on the track "Copper Brown". He bends and swoops his way through it. Being with Muddy brought out the best in Johnny Winter, as he said himself it was the time in his career when he KNEW he wasn't faking it but was truly playing the Blues.
   There's a superb version of the title track on here and the song "Who Do You Trust?" really makes a sound statement.
   Never again will you get such a fine team of artists on one album.



2. The second of Muddy Waters' Blue Sky-albums, "I'm Ready" was originally issued in 1978, one year after Muddy had found renewed commercial and critical success with "Hard Again".
   
   Johnny Winter produced and played on both albums, and if "I'm Ready" is slightly lesser than its magnificent predecessor, it is still a tremendous album. Remastered but (thankfully) not remixed, it finds Muddy Waters reinvigorated and in the company of Chicago blues greats Jimmy Rogers and Big Walter Horton, playing a supremely confident set of gritty, muscular electric blues. And the core of the Muddy Waters band is in place as well, of course, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on drums and the great Joe "Pinetop" Perkins rolling the ivories.
   Muddy's regular second guitarist Bob Margolin plays bass on this album, and he has contributed a wonderful, intimate six-page essay about the "I'm Ready" sessions. Margolin was instrumental in bringing guitarist Jimmy Rogers, a member of the very first Muddy Waters band in the late 40s, on board, and at his suggestion the great Walter Horton was hired to play the harmonica. Horton's exceptional playing is constantly smouldering beneath the gritty guitar parts of Waters, Rogers, and Johnny Winter.
   
   The numerous highlights include the hard-hitting title track, the slow grind of "33 Years", the swaggering power of "Rock Me", and of course an excellent re-recording of the classic "Hoochie Coochie Man". And this 2004 reissue adds three terrific bonus tracks:
   Jimmy Rogers' "That's Alright" sung in part by himself, a magnificent, driving rendition of Bob Margolin's "Lonely Man Blues", and a stinging "No Escape From the Blues", a song which would appear in a significantly different version on 1981's "King Bee".
   
   There are no weak songs here, actually, and "I'm Ready" is definitely a must-have addition to any Muddy-fan's collection. If you already own the original CD issue you might not want to shell out again in order to get three bonus tracks and some better liner notes, but if you don't, you should get it right away.
   And if you do own it, well...these are very good bonus tracks!



3. This is perhaps the greatest studio recording of the blues ever made. Re-united with 2 of his oldest colleagues, Muddy waters created a CD full of nuance, subtlety, variety, and power that enchants you all the way through. You will have an incredibly hard time not listening to this CD over and over again. "I'm Ready" says it all: Muddy was absolutely ready for this session, as were each of the remarkable musicians who accompany him herein. You will never catch a group of artists so compoletely on, all at the same time, that seamlessly they weave a sexually heated and often humourous take on the human condition. "Who Do You Trust" runs down the main suspects and highlights the sly underpinnings that compromise such endorsements. "Hoochie Coochie Man" humbles everyone who ever took on this track. "Copper Brown' is as sensual a paean as you'll ever hear, steamy as a night on the Delta. "Rock Me" is as feral a plea for sexual satisfaction as you will ever hear.
   Winters captures the band so authentically that it all sounds as though it was recorded live in a single take. It wouldn't surprise me if that were so because each person's part is delivered so spot on that you could never duplicate that with an overdub. This Cd won Muddy a Grammy in 1979. Rightfully so. It should have been record of the year. 3 additional tracks are added here and they are all keepers, each a sparkling full throated gem. You are no fan of the blues unless you have this CD, and in particular this remaster. This is what justifies the whole remastering process. Brilliant!

5 comments about The Best of Slim Harpo.

1. A very nice recording of early bluesman Slim Harpo. Had a few hits, all covered here, and was a major influence on bands like Rolling Stones.



2. A great blues album.
   Two songs covered by the rolling stones,"shake your hips" and "I'm a king bee.They dind't make any changes...Dind't have too , the original was good enough to be reproduced note for note.



3. Slim Harpo was a terrific harmonica player and a fine blues singer. His works were covered by many rock and rollers. He died, too young, of a heart attack at age 46.
   
   Let's consider some of the exemplar tracks on this CD.
   
   "I'm a King Bee": The Rolling Stones covered this and came up with their own credible version. But Slim Harpo's take on this is great fun to listen to. The vocal riff that recurs throughout this song:
   
   "Well, I'm a King Bee
   Buzzin' around your hive."
   
   Another nice line:
   
   "I'm a king bee,
   I want you to be my queen."
   
   Harpo displays an interesting blues voice in this sensual song. The backing music is almost hypnotic with its rhythm. Harpo plays the harmonica well.
   
   "I've Got Love if You Want It": One of the Rolling Stones' earliest live albums played off this song title. The piece begins with Harpo's harmonica playing. This is rollicking music with the backing group playing well.
   
   "Shake Your Hips": What a neat song, a nice up tempo dance piece! Once more, the harmonica work is strong.
   
   "I'm tellin' you a dance that's going around
   . . . .
   Just shake your hips,
   Do the hip shake, Babe."
   
   The Rolling Stones, on their "Exiles on Main Street" recorded a close variation on this classic piece.
   
   Finally, "Baby Scratch My Back": This is a nice dance piece. As the liner notes put it, "a slinky dance groove." Harpo's harmonica sings.
   
   This is a nice sampling of the work of Slim Harpo. Well worth listening to. A good piece to add to one's blues library.



4. The first song I ever hear from Slim Harpo was "Rainin' In My Heart." I hadn't heard that song before and I had to find out who this guy was. I called up the a.m. radio station and actually asked the disc jokey who that was. That was back in the late 50s and times were simpler then. From that moment on, I was a Slim Harpo fan. Slim is great all the time but I especially was knocked out to hear again "I'm A King Bee," "Rainin In My Heart," and "Baby Scratch My Back." Slim Harpo doesn't blow you out of the room. He sneaks up on you and just gets you. I dig him and his music and I think you will to.



5. If you're not into ' 50's style electric blues....STAY BACK This is Slim Harpo...The KingBee......I litrally sleep with this CD