5 comments about Raising Sand.

1. Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss is a wonderful musical event that may be explained as a Hegelian synthesis of ostensibly opposing ideas....see http://www.aquilaarts.com/plantkrauss.html. Five stars...highly recommend it.



2. Well of course both of these artist alone are musical genius. You certainly can't go wrong putting two geniuses together. I love Led Zep. and although I've never been a "fan" of Blue Grass, I have been an Alison Krauss fan. Of course this CD is closer to Blue Grass than hard rockin' Led Zep. But, it works. They work. I can't wait for their next album! (My favorite song on this is 'Please Read The Letter'. In this song is where you will find your Led Zep. "flavor".)



3. Two great artists but they just croon... effort came out vapid and flat. Too Mellow.



4. two people I've followed individually have made this supremely heavenly album that I simply cannot qualify; it reflects an amalgum of strange purity that exceeds a mere collaboration. Words fail me...



5. A beautiful, relaxing album with plenty of interesting sounds. I've become addicted to it!

5 comments about Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday.

1. This is not a good demonstration of Billie Holliday. First, too many songs squeezed into each side. Sound not good. For me, it was a waste of money. One of her best is the Billie Holiday-Lester Young CD " a musical romance"



2. Excellent CD. A good purchase if you do not want to buy the box set. Has the essentials.



3. If you love the blues, and its history, this is a must have. Billie Holiday had a voice, and a tempo, and delivery, followed by back-men who are jazz/blues icons today, that was new, and fresh, and inspiring in their time, and remains so today. I lost all my belongings in a wildfire, including an extensive collection of Billie's recordings. This was my first step back to remembering her, purchasing this wonderfully produced CD. I now consider it a treasured musical archive. If you love Lady Day, relax, and listen to this CD, and you will be entranced again, and again. Her gift to us, forever.



4. Anybody who likes Billie Holiday even part time needs this CD. Even great for those people who only know a few songs just by chance. Love the CD. Even got another as a gift for a friend.



5. Bought this for my granddaughter. She's a Billie Holiday fan. She loved the CD.

5 comments about Hoodoo Man Blues.

1. HOODOO MAN BLUES by Junior Wells is a GREAT blues album. If you like Chicago electric blues, you've GOT to have this CD! The CD also has some out-takes that were never on the original album. These are great too. Junior Wells is my favorite bluesman of all time. His harp playing is fantastic as are his vocals. I almost forgot to mention that Buddy Guy plays absolutely fantastic guitar on this album!



2. A great collection of songs by one of the great blues harmonica players, backed up by legendary musicians. If I recall the LP album back cover of this (or the other essential Junior Wells album "It's My Life, Baby!") had this story: Junior worked to save up for a harmonica at a pawn shop, at the end of the week he was 25 cents short, so at the shop he picked up the harmonica and ran out. Caught and brought before a judge Junior's defense was "I just had to have it." The judge asked if he could play it, which Junior did causing the judge to rule in Junior's favor - case dismissed. Don't know if this is a true story but I'd have bought it for him myself. My thanks to the judge and my thanks to Junior! (ps. I no longer have the albums. If anyone does have the LPs please verify the judge story.)



3. 
   I dig the blues man, but I don't tend to review blues albums very much, unless there is something about the album in particular that stands out. HOODOO MAN BLUES by Junior Wells, which infamously includes legend Buddy Guy on lead guitar is one such blues album.
   As a fan, primarily of good, hard hitting, sleazy gutter rock and roll, as well as blues, this album brings alot of things together for me that make it a solid LP of straight ahead ballsy rock.
   An album that prides itself in being the very first Chicago Blues LP ever, it definately is one of the best. It was recorded at a time in the early sixties before the British Invasion revived the blues and the market for American blues was pretty much dead. Most of the blues market was either recording styles leaning towards acoustic folk or more of an r&b style. Even most of your down and dirty blues rockers of the forties and fifties were dulling down. But Junior Wells put together his best band ever, featuring Buddy Guy, who is now legendary for being the influence behind a bunch of guitar rockers... like Duane Allman, and most notably, his direct influence on Jimi Hendrix.
   This is timeless blues, that could in no way be considered dated or old fashioned either then or now. In fact this is probably one of the sleaziest, riffiest, ballsiest records of the early sixties, and is def a must if you like slick sounding, jagged edged, kick ace music.
   Every song rocks... A blues album album.



4. Junior Wells is one of the premier harmonica players ever to his the blues circuit, and this definitely shows off his talent. Very nice to have Buddy Guy playing guitar along side Junior. If you like Little Walter and Muddy Waters, Junior Wells fits in right along side of them, having replaced Little Walter in Muddy's band after Walter left. Highly recommended to any blues lover!



5. I'm pretty horrified by the thought that I almost wrote off the praise of this album as hype. It is not just one of the coolest blues CDs I have ever heard, but one of the coolest albums period. Even if you (like me) prefer the Delta Blues but aren't so hot on Chicago -- and *especially* if you dislike Chicago blues because of the tendency for slow, long, boring guitar solos with too much string bendage -- then you need to check this album out. It's tight, contains not one boring solo from beginning to end, and includes some of the best amplified harmonica I've heard (made even better by Wells' tendency to gasp for air right into the microphone between harp blows, the way Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson does when playing his flute). The bass part on "Yonder Wall" will blow your mind. This album has attitude.

5 comments about Anthology Of American Folk Music (Edited By Harry Smith).

1. There are some truly haunting performances here, and some funny ones, and some of everything, really. This stuff is so far deeper and weirder and spookier than any folk I've ever heard. It's the motherlode; Harry Smith wandered around and got these recordings before radio started, and thus we get true folk music, passed down the generations and from that area, or from the motherland of the musicians, with the spirit of the New World.
   The vibes are palpable, varied, and intense. Lots of "mistakes", but so much feeling that missed notes only add to the experience.
   If you've ever liked any folk music at all, whether Leadbelly, the Seegers, the Carter family, early Dylan, or if you need to know where real country music comes from, this is your collection.
   Too many highlights to list. Beautiful and detailed booklet with notes on each tune makes it even better...though listening first with no preconceptions and creating your own story for the songs is probably an even better way to let this stuff seep into your subconscious.
   Best of all, it's probably at your local library.



2. Great stuff. Yet some of the singing is almost too real, too raw. Bob Dylan cites this album as a main inspiration, and you can hear his singing and songwriting style in a lot of the songs. Not for everybody, and may be even too much for casual folk music fans. Has to be listened to in the context of a historical document.



3. This CD compilation set is more than just an album of music--it's a historical document. I first heard of the AAFM in a Bob Dylan biography--after buying this and listening to it, I can understand how Bob was inspired to ditch his Little Richard aspirations and travel the rugged road of folk. Through the three sections--Ballads, Social Music (mostly instrumentals), and Songs (kind of like ballads, but less story-oriented), this collection not only contains some great, timeless music and performances, it's also steeped in pure humanity--the real essence of true folk music. The people Harry Smith collected and anthologized were mostly just that: folk. People like you and me who love music, and play the songs they've been handed down. You don't have to be Bob Dylan to appreciate and be moved by songs that have been passed down through the generations and soulfully interpreted by many different artists.
   
   Aside from some essential listening ("Coo Coo Bird," "Stackalee," "Mississippi Boweavil Blues," "I wish I Was a Mole in the Ground," etc. etc.), the package has some great supplementary material. It's very interesting to learn about the song information and performer information that Smith collected with his anthology, but it's also interesting to get a glimpse into his project, seeing how he relentlessly collected and chose which songs to represent. He was a true lover of music, and that love is reflected in his project.
   
   Please don't come to this compilation expecting pristine sound quality--it was assembled in the 50's, which means that the recordings come from then as well as much earlier--it's about the music and performers anyway, and a little bit of scratch really doesn't detract that much from the organic, down home experience. It IS a bit of a shame that there are 6 CDs, but really only about 4 full CDs worth of music--it would have been OK with me if the Ballad/Social Music/Songs organization was not cleanly divided between discs to save space, since the division isn't very efficient, but I suppose the reissuers wanted to emulate the original vinyl collection. I don't really find the material to be homogeneous like the second spotlight reviewer does, although I do agree that Roots N' Blues: Retrospective 1925-1950 is also a great compilation (though it's getting harder and harder to find)--I'd recommend getting both for a great complementary experience.
   
   Hopefully this set never goes out of print, as it's a great piece of art that any music fan or musician can learn a lot from--and enjoy, too! It's a shame that Smith had to preserve this music as it was beginning to die out even as he was collecting it, but it's also heartwarming that such classic sounds can be preserved for us to hear so many years later and keep the tradition alive. Enjoy the living history!



4. This collection led to the "re-discovery" of many artists who had dissapeared after when the depression crippled the recording industry. Mississippi John Hurt is probably the most famous as of now, but others, like Clarence Ashley were major finds at the time - and when Folkways sent a field crew to do a new record by Ashley he requested some assist from a young friend named Doc Watson. Watson was unknown outside his home town at the time but went on to become a major star in a field which has very few stars.
   Listening to many cuts on this album you can hear the source of much material for folk groups as diverse as the New Lost City Ramblers and The Holy Modal Rounders, rock groups like Canned Heat, and The Grateful Dead. Some of the melodies will be familiar to fans of Dylan, others to Jorma Kaukonan listeners. There are otehrs -- many many others.
   This set is the source, the headwaters of reissues, and revivals. An essential part of any folk music collection.



5. I dont think there is a need to go into to much detail about this *6 CD* set. If you can fork over the cash, just buy it. If you have any interest in roots music, just buy it. If you thought ol' Bobby Dylan and the Band made some great weird music in the basement of big pink in '67 .. for the love of god, BUY THIS! strange, unadorned, raw music , just buy it.

5 comments about The Definitive Collection.

1. There is a huge amount of Muddy Waters-compilations out there, and while MCA/Chess's two-disc, 50-track "Anthology 1947-1972" is certainly more definitive than this Geffen compilation, it does offer a very good overview of Muddy Waters' career.
   
   Opening with the classic 1948 single "I Can't Be Satisfied", this CD takes you through (most of) the highlights from the 1950s and 60s. "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I'm Ready", "I Just Wanna Make Love To You", "Mannish Boy", and "Got My Mojo Working" are here, of course, and in the original versions, too, but it's a shame that some slightly lesser known (but equally fine) singles like "I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love", "She's Nineteen Years Old" and "I Want To Be Loved" are missing.
   
   But there is certainly enough great music here to satisfy the casual fan, and if you do want more, there is always the impressive "Chess Box" and the late-70s/early-80s albums produced by Johnny Winter (only one track out of these 24 is from those sessions).
   This album is not the definitive word on McKinley Morganfield, but it's a good introduction for the uninitiated.



2. I do not pretend to be an expert on Muddy Waters. I saw a TV biography and was motivated to get a "greatest hits" CD. There was a 2 disc option at Amazon, but then I saw this one. I checked it out with various reviewers, and it met the bill. All the songs are well done, and the whole CD seems like a great overview of the blues from this specific artist. From all I can tell, this would be an excellent highlight collection for anybody who wants just one CD of Muddy Waters.



3. Ever notice that you're seeing more and more of these "best of" collectons out there now? Now there is UMVD's "The Definitive Collection" of numerous artists from that same unforgettable era featuring 20 or more top tunes of the featured artist crammed onto one disc. Sometimes these single-disc collections fail to make the grade because of so much essential material that ends up being left off for reasons of space alone and the rest of it is the same predictable fare. An exception in this case would be this: Muddy Waters' Definitive Collection. This collection runs through Muddy's premiere years featuring his swampy, slide guitar sound and musical style then continues through the '50s and early '60s when he began to make his significant impact on blues music and eventually would be regarded as one of the most highly respected names in blues music. So many of his best tunes like "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I'm Ready", "Forty Days and Forty Nights" and "Got My Mojo Working" were covered by so many bands so many times that these tunes are really timeless and have becomes standards in blues. You really do get and stay interested for the entire length of the album. It is a little slow to start, but it picks up quickly and the bulk of the action happens with tracks 8-18. "Crosseyed Cat", recorded in 1976, is something you really got to hear. It is swampy, raw and tough. A 6 minute jam session, basically. This "Definitive Collection' lives up to its name overall, and is absolutely essential for the blues fan if the 2-disc anthology is a bit much.



4. You want to know about Muddy Waters? This is a wonderful introduction to his work. No single work, of course, can contain all the best songs of someone like Muddy Waters (nee McKinley Morganfield). But this CD is awfully satisfying.
   
   And the first cut is the classic "I Can't Be Satisfied" (later covered by The Rolling Stones). The instrumentation is remarkable simple--guitar and bass. But Waters' singing is primal and gives this cut life.
   
   The 1950 tune, "Rollin' Stone," gave the English rock and roll band their name. The music is raw, but compelling. One line: "I wish I was a catfish, swimming in the deep blue sea, I would have all you women's comin' after me." At another point, he sings that his mom says to his dad that I got a boy child comin', gonna be a Rollin' Stone. A must listen to piece.
   
   Willie Dixon wrote the words for another song, a Waters' classic, "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man." First, what a backing group! Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, and Fred Below. This is a great blues tune topped off with Muddy Waters' great blues singing.
   
   Another Willie Dixon song, "I Just Want to Make Love to You." Also covered by the Rolling Stones. . . . Listen to this version. A wonderful blues song.
   
   And then there is "Mannish Boy" (talk about a greatest hit!). Again, great instrumental work and a terrific backing band. The song begins with him singing "Everything's gonna be all right this mornin.'" The insistent theme, "I'm a mannish boy," recurs throughout. One set of lines hearkens to other classic music:
   
   "I'm a man,
   I'm a Rolling Stone.
   I'm a man,
   A hoochie-coochie man."
   
   Then there is "Got My Mojo Working." An uptempo romp with a great backing band.
   
   So, do you want to know what Muddy Waters was all about? Try this CD. It will give you the introduction to his body of work.



5. No one has to say anything about a Muddy Water's collection. The music speaks for itself. There is a reason "the man" is rated as one of the best blues artists ever - his music speaks volumes. Enough said. ...April, 28 2007 - I can't believe anybody would even want to read a Muddy Waters review...man that cat needs no reviews...HE IS THE KING OF THE BLUES. The one neophyte who read my initial review and didn't think much of it must not know about the Mud Man so I will add some more commentary for those who evidently are new to the blues. My favorites on this cd were "Rollin & Tumblin: Part One." Those is the know that is the original black euphanism for "sex" or "rock-n-rollin" before Allan Freed made it popular. "Rollin Stone" makes me want to be at a club watchin the man perform live. Muddy gets cookin on "Turn Down Your Lamp (Please Don't Go)." He doesn't usually get so up tempo and bring in the harmonica so ENJOY THIS ONE - IT'S CLASSIC. What can I say about "Hoochie Coochie Man" it is so good that it has been covered so much even to George Thoroughgood. THIS IS A STANDARD IF THERE EVER WAS ONE. "Mannish Man" is so great ... it usually goes by "I Am A Man" oh Muddy gets down on this one. Oh man I got off on "Got My Mojo Working" and I still almost wear this one track out by playing it over and over. How can you not like a song like "My Home Is In The Delta." Muddy talks bout leavin Chicago for the Delta mud .... he is really singin the blues on this one. "Crosseyed Cat" is the closest Muddy get to Jimmy "Harmonica" Reed or Slim Harpo or even somebody like Howlin Wolf.....this is a class song that is not your typical soulful Muddy Waters. Now for all you cats who read this review ... quit readin and start buying. You need Water, Hooker and Wolf to get your collection goin then start addin some Jimmy Reed, Slim Harpo, Hound Dog Taylor, Lightning Slim, Lightning Hopkins and don't ever stop ... but first listen to "Crosseyed Cat" and GET YOURSELF SOME WATER ESPECIALLY THIS DEFINITIVE COLLECTION....Joliet Jayke The Bluze Brother.

5 comments about The Search for Robert Johnson.

1. This is one of the best documentaries on Robert Johnson ever made. John Hammond Jr. also performs some of Johnson's songs which is an added treat. Very informative and as factual as can be expected, considering that we know so little about many of the details of Johnson's life. I would highly recommend this documentary for any serious Robert Johnson fan.
   
   John Cole



2. This video was great, if you are a fan of blues music and of history and especially of Robert Johnson who "sold his soul to the devil" you will love it. It is well worth the money.



3. This documentary would have been much better, and shorter without the film maker inserting himself into the film with his singing and playing guitar. I like Robert Johnson, but the documentary maker is just not talented in those fields.



4. Great coverage of the man and his music. Enjoy it very much.



5. This DVD offers a wealth of information about the life of Robert Johnson. We meet a girlfriend of Robert Johnson, who claims she knows where his actual burial ground is, and another girlfriend who had a song written about her by Robert (and who hears it for the first time on the DVD). A man is interviewed who claims to be Robert Johnson's son, along with a birth certificate showing that in fact this may be the case. Johnny Shines talks about how they would play the game of "cutting heads" in Helena, with Robert stealing away the audience every time. We get the insight that the person who poisoned Robert Johnson's drink admitted as such to one interviewer, after first presenting an alibi for a question which was never asked. We are also presented with three possible grave sites of Robert Johnson, though none of them can proven to be incontrovertible as such. In short, there is a lot of good information on this DVD about the enigmatic bluesman known as Robert Johnson (and pseudonyms in various other places). This DVD is clearly a window into the past which will slowly disappear as the years go on......Hammond does us all a great service by documenting Robert Johnson's life and that of his contemporaries.
   
   The one complaint I would have is that at times Hammond (an excellent blues singer in his own right) himself is singing RJ's songs, and at the bottom of the screen it will have the name of Robert Johnson along with the songs title. This may leave those with little knowledge of the blues to conclude it is actually Robert Johnson who is singing, when in fact it is not. Also, there are montages throughout the film when they will be talking about Robert Johnson while at the same time showing pictures of blacks in bars and juke joints, without saying that in fact Robert Johnson is not in the photograph, as there are only two known photographs of him, and each one of these show him alone in the picture. To the novice blues fan, they may not know this and think they are actually seeing Robert Johnson, and I think this fact should have been made clear in the film.
   
   Even with the above provisos, this was an excellent documentary on Robert Johnson's life....Hammond clearly has a deep love for the blues and the early musicians of the delta.
   
   **** 1/2 stars.

5 comments about American Folk-Blues Festival: The British Tours 1963-1966 [DVD].

1. Having a live recording is owning a piece of history,I wish that I could name the concerts that I attended way back when and bam heres a live recording of a piece of your life frozen in time.Very well done.Can you come up with a live performance of Paul Butterfield in 1968....??...



2. Great to see these legends in their prime. The English audience is more lively than the German one.



3. Can't wait for the arrival of V 4 of this series. V1-3 are must haves for any serious students of American Blues. The DVD captures performances of some of the the greatest - Bluesmen/women - America has ever produced.
   
   As iternated in the booklets of V. 1-3, many modern rockers/bluesmen - ie Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant . . etc. say, these gaints were major influences on their careers.
   
   Don't hesitate - - - order it !!!
   
   Nina Jensen



4. WOW! I don't know how much they found of this stuff, but I can't get enough! Fantastic footage of the legends in their 60's prime--Muddy, the Wolf, Lightnin', Sonny Boy, and all the rest, as always preserved in two more incredible hours of super clean B&W footage with beautifully preserved live audio. The railroad station show is weird, but I sure loved seeing Big Joe Turner accompanied by Otis Rush, and Willie Dixon backing nearly everyone on accoustic bass (as he did on most of the previous 3 vols.)Dig Sonny Boy's two tone suit, and the phenominal funk of Junior Wells, who kicks hell out of "What'd I Say" without even picking up his harp! Sugar Pie, a fish out of H2O, is the only weak link. Long live Reelin' In The Years and the Hendrix family!



5. Now I want to purchase the other American Folk Blues DVDs - Great footage of these giants of the blues - Sound is outstanding as well - I will be purchasing the other DVDs in this series next

5 comments about The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James.

1. Love the blues? This is for you. One of the early up from Mississippi to Chicago bluesmen (I think he died in '43). "Madison Blues" and "The Sky is Crying" the way 'lonesome George' heard them first.



2. Since the advent of the compact disc two decades ago, there have been a number of worthy compilations by the great Elmore James (1918 - 1963), and yet James' reputation and popularity still falls far short of many of his contemporaries, post-War giants like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, who came out of the Mississippi Delta and migrated North to cities like Chicago or Detroit. James, perhaps even more than Wolf or Waters, embraced amplification - not just because you had to be loud to be heard in a crowded bar, but for the creative possibilities offered by plugging in. Only Bo Diddley, perhaps, found electricity to be as essential to his creative evolution as Elmore did, as one can't help but be blown away by the way Elmore deployed distortion, volume, sustain, and other effects that allow for the myriad of textures and colors heard on these vintage masterpieces. And playing the music on this superb set LOUD goes a long way towards demonstrating just how vital James' intense, piercing, and hugely influential slide guitar playing remains on rock and blues players (from Duane Allman and Ron Wood to Hound Dog Taylor and Jack White), how cohesive and sympathetic his bands (especially the Broomdusters) were, and how emotionally raw and deep his greatest work sounds some 45 years after his death.
   "The Sky Is Crying", issued by Rhino in 1993, remains the single best collection of Elmore's work, essential to any serious blues collection as well as the perfect introduction for newcomers. The 21 track set (recorded between 1951 and 1961) is unique in that it represents James' recordings for a variety of labels, including Trumpet (where he recorded his debut, 'Dust My Broom'), Flair, Chess, Atlantic, Chief, Flashback, and finally Bobby Robinson's Fire, where James settled during his final, fruitful four years. The fact that this CD's producer, the late Robert Palmer (who also contributes a typically insightful essay that allowed me to really HEAR this music 14 years ago) brings together so many of James' recordings from different periods and labels allows us to hear the evolution, abd especially the range and scope of Elmore's body of work, from his almost tentative (in light of what follows) debut hit to fully realized masterpieces with the Broomdusters, as well as blistering workouts with Ike Turner (whose own go-for-the-throat guitar is a perfect foil for Elmore's slide), a collaboration with Big Joe Turner, plus performances by Willie Johnson (guitarist on Wolf's immortal early Memphis sides), Willie Dixon, and more. By the time we get to hear "Hawaiian Boogie" and "Madison Blues", "I Can't Hold Out" (covered by Clapton), "Done Somebody Wrong" (ditto the Allman Brothers Band), the amazing "12 Year Old Boy" (track down Lydia Lunch's version!), and the primal funk of "Rollin and Tumblin" the power of Elmore James is undeniable, as is the intellegent sequencing of this lovingly compiled collection. For those who want more, I'd recommend two inexpensive boxed sets that are still in circulation if not in print: "The Classic Early Recordings 1951 - 56" (Flair/Virgin, 1993) has some amazing workouts by the Broomdusters and a booklet full of rare photos and the compilers' tale of visiting Canton Mississippi in 1993, where we meet folks who knew Elmore. "King Of The Slide Guitar" (Capricorn, 1993) takes us to the last years of James' career, which found him at his peak: 50 wonderful tracks recorded for Bobby Robinson (James' best producer) and originally issued on Fire.



3. Elmore James is underrated--period. He was as much of a pioneer and original artist of electric blues as Muddy Waters, yet timing, connections, and probably his health problems seemed to diminish his stature in the blues world in the 1950's and early '60's somewhat, at least compared to Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. Over time, we have seen his work to be just as influential as Muddy's, and probably more than Wolf's. I admire Muddy Waters and the Wolf and respect their supreme positions as kings of Chicago blues, but I actually enjoy listening to Elmore James more. His singing is second only to Son House in sheer terms of emotional intensity. I love his quivering vocal vibrato that so perfectly fits the beat to "Dust My Broom." And his slide playing is without question some of the most influential music ever. The legendary Duane Allman studied him--need I say more?
   
   This is a perfect CD for those interested in sampling Elmore's music for the first time. Every song is a winner. You won't be disappointed!!



4. I love blues music and this is one of my faviorte artist. This cd does a good job with song selection and its just an awesome piece of music. The price is a steal as well.



5. If you want a slick full blown stereo recording of Elmore you may be disappointed, but if you are a true blues brother you will appreciate that they have reached back in time for some early Elmore. Dust My Broom - the classic standard of Elmore - has a better sound later and by other artists...but man this is Elmore when Elmore wasn't even hardly known...dig it and appreciate it. The Sun Is Shining and The Sky Is Crying seems to have been covered by everybody. Why, they are true Chicago Electrified Blues Standards. I loved T.V. Mamma because my main man "Big Joe" Turner is backed up by Elmore and that classic distorted slide guitar of his....loved it. Madison Blues has a completely different sound than most of the later covers especially by the white blues bands...the original is the best. Other favorites were I Can't Hold Out, Shake Your Money Maker (man whats blues dude hasn't done this one), and Rollin and Tumblin. Elmore was the 2nd blues man I ever heard..circa 1958 on KATZ a.m. and Dave Dixon is St. Louis, Mo. He was one 1st I ever heard and still is one of the best in my opinion...his slide guitar set the trend for people like Hound Dog Taylor and many others. When he gets that sucker wailing, it puts chills up and down my back. Elmore James is one wailing cat...makes me feel like I am in some smoky, black club back in the late 50s and early 60s enjoying real music when Paul Anka and Annette Funicello were on the white stations singin bubble gum music...buy Elmore and be a BIG FAN just like ole Joliet Jayle the Bluze Brother ... Rock-n-roll, boogie woogie, rollin and tumblin all night long!

5 comments about We'll Never Turn Back.

1. Mavis Staples has a voice unlike any other -- one that will give you chills, bring tears to your eyes, and inspire you. This is one of the best albums ever: powerful songs of the struggle for freedom and dignity sung with profound soul and brought up to date with a great backing band. Mavis is at the top of her form, and music doesn't come any better than that.



2. Whew! There is no better voice of the Civil Rights Movement than Mavis Staples. These were the songs that gave us courage, the songs by which we kept the faith. These newer versions rock! Listen.



3. I love this CD! Thank you for your quick response. It arrived in perfect condition. Thanks so much.



4. Thanks, Mavis! One of the few people still fighting for what is right.
   This album NEEDS to be heard.



5. If this CD is a disappointment (as I found it to be), it's in part because the cast - Mavis Staples, Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, Ladysmith Black Mambazo - gets one's expectations up so very high. But this recording, despite the caliber of the musicians, sounds surprisingly lifeless. It all seems so calculated, so produced. Mavis's voice, which (as often happens as singers age) has grown husky over the years, just doesn't have the fire it once had. Noble intentions, yes; great music, no. One keeps waiting for some fresh air, for some sort of spark, for some sense of real in-the-moment immediacy. But, sadly,it never comes.

5 comments about The Definitive Collection.

1. I just finished another review and this CD popped up as a product I recently purchased for me now to review.
   
   I don't even have anything to say.
   
   I took a look at the reviews below and can't add a single thing except just to express my heartfelt agreement with them and to recommend this CD to anybody that comes along. So read the reviews below and buy this amazing collection of legendary John Lee Hooker's music.



2. This is not everything you could ever want from John Lee Hooker, but if you are just looking for a single-disc compilation to get you going, you could do a lot worse than "The Definitive Collection".
   There are dozens of mediocre Hooker-compilations out there, many of which only cover his output for one particular label, but here you get almost all of the Hook's best and best-known songs, from his sparse 40s recording of "Boom Boom" to his modern-day collaborations with Santana and Bonnie Raitt.
   
   I wouldn't have chosen the stylistically challenged "The Healer" to represent the album of the same name, and a single CD can't quite hold all of John Lee Hooker's best songs, but this is still one of the finest compilations of its kind currently on the market. The sound is terrific, the liner notes are fine, and songs like "Dimples", "Boom Boom", "I'm Bad Like Jesse James", "It Serves You Right To Suffer", and "Think Twice Before You Go" are all part of the fabric of the blues.
   
   In time you'll want to hear John Lee Hooker's extraordinarily gritty live album from the Café au Go Go, and ALL of his magnificent 50s and 60s waxings for the Vee-Jay label - available on the Tomato albums "The Early Years" vol. I and II - but everybody's gotta start somewhere. And this collection is quite as good as the other five-star, single-disc Hooker-compilation out there, Rhino's "The Very Best of John Lee Hooker", and while the Rhino label's rather more pricey two-disc "Ultimate Collection (1948-1990)" is a bit closer to being actually definitive, this is still a very, very good place to start. Perhaps even the best.



3. A lot of times these single disc collections try so hard to offer as much as possible the best of a certain artist. Too many times so much essential material is left off, and the same predictable fare is churned out, that it seemed effortless and pointless for the most part. That isn't necessarily the case with someone like John Lee Hooker, whose career spanned some 40-50 years on a variety of more than 20 some labels like Modern, Chess, Impulse, Vee-Jay, ABC-BluesWay and so many others. That's where it becomes very problematic and debatable as to what counts and what doesn't. Every label in every tiny aspect of his career couldn't be represented, of course, so balance becomes an issue, too. Another thing is that a handful of these approach or are over 5 minutes in length. It may sound like this is very picky, but for a single CD, this is a rather noteworthy representation. Early classics like "Boogie Chillen" and "I'm in the Mood" are represented as well as timeless upbeat tunes like "Boom Boom" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" which is blues at its very best. The latter part fo his career is represented with his collaborations with Canned Heat in 1970, and Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt in 1988. Other than those mentoned, "Dimples", "I'm Bad Like Jesse James", and "Think Twice Before You Go" are also definitely worth checking out as well as the three final tracks featuring the collaborations. "The Healer" is the most different of the three, and has a slicked, synthesized Latin-tinged groove. Overall, a fair enough representation is made proving how John Lee Hooker was successful with each generation he played for and encountered during his mammoth career, and is still appreciated with many new fans and bands today.



4. There is a reason that artists like Santana, Bonnie Raitt and Canned Heat team up with John Lee. There is a reason he shows up in the movie "The Blues Brothers." It is because John Lee Hooker is delta blues to full tilt boogie. The man is a legend and just knocks your socks off if you are really into blues. When you see him in person, his attire also sets off the mood. John Lee you are up there with Muddy and The Wolf. Maybe the best endorsement for any John Lee Hooker compilation comes from none other than George Thoroughgood and The Delaware Destroyers. In one of George's versions of "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," just before George gets the boot from his land lady for not paying his rent he says "I gathered up my John Lee Hooker collection..." Now that is PAYING HOMAGE TO ONE OF THE THREE GREATEST BLUES ARTISTS OF THE MODERN ERA...i.e. Chicago Style Blues.



5. John Lee Hooker is by far one of the greatest blues player ever. He was smooth, soulful, even a little dangerous but always kept playing the blues. The Definitive Collection is a great CD to start with. The only draw back is it has a song from the '80s inspired by that bad Caribbean influence that everyone seemed to cling too. But its only one track so you can skip ahead. Chances are you have heard John's music before - only you didn't know it was John's. He's been covered by a lot of artists and while the covers were good - best example is George Thoroughgood's "One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer" - the originals are still the best.