1 comments about Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1, 1924-1925.

1. I bought this CD after hearing a few Butterbeans and Susie songs on the anthology CDs "The Roots of Rap" and "Double Crossing Blues". It's got a lot of good songs on it, but some of them that I suppose were supposed to be funny at the time are kind of unpleasant to listen to now, "A to Z Blues" in particular. The reason is because they're full of threats of violence to the wife in this husband-wife team, Susie. You get used to seeing that from time to time in blues songs this old, but I was kind of surprised by the amount of it, and the extent to which the songs focused on it. Not that Susie always treats her husband with respect and dignity in the songs, of course. Often the threats of violence are in response to infidelity or threats of infidelity. Susie rarely appears meek or afraid of her husband after he makes these threats, which saves this from being too painful to listen to.
   
   Anyway, there are also songs that have no violence in them. Some are funny and some are just good. "Construction Gang" is funny, and pretty typical of the songs here: both Susie and Butterbeans make extraordinary demands of their spouse, and after the dramatic tension has grown sufficiently, they are refused. There are also sweet love songs, sometimes tinged with sexuality, like "Kiss Me Sweet" and "When My Man Shimmies".
   
   Overall, this CD has some catchy and amusing songs, but it's also interesting as a window on attitudes to marriage in the 1920s. And it's certainly much more interesting than "The Lockhorns".

1 comments about The 1930's: Singers.

1. Whether sad, bouncy, optimistic, dreamy or pessimistic, these songs convey the thoughts, hopes, despair and problems of the good old, bad old days in the most touching way...through the heart and soul of the entertainers. If only the river could take care of us all! This cd's a keeper!

No comments about The Return of Roosevelt Sykes.

2 comments about When the Sun Goes Down 4: That's All Right.

1. This is the fourth volume in Bluebird's "When The Sun Goes Down" series, 72 minutes worth of excellently remastered early blues sides from the RCA Victor label.
   
   The sound is generally very good considering that all of these songs were committed to tape between 1939-1955, i.e just before the reign of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf on the blues scene. Austin Powell (billed as "The Cats & A Fiddle") perform a melodic "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water", a young Memphis Slim pops up doing "Grinder Man", and Little Richard (yes, that Little Richard) is here, doing a driving 1951 R&B waxing called "Get Rich Quick" four years before his commercial breakthrough.
   
   Other highlights include the classic and endlessly covered "Worried Life Blues" by Big Maceo Merriweather, a delightful instrumental, "Walkin' The Boogie" by Albert Ammons and Big Joe Turner's pianist Pete Johnson, Eddie Boyd's "Chicago Is Just That Way", and a pretty tough acoustic cover of Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom" by none other than Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, the man behind Presley's "That's Alright Mama". That one is here as well, by the way, although not by Elvis Presley.
   Slide guitarist Hudson Whittaker (Tampa Red) does a great "Sweet Little Angel" (later associated with B.B. King) and a muscular "When Things Go Wrong With You", recorded by Elmore James as "It Hurts Me Too". And while James's rendition of "Look On Yonder Wall" stil stands as the ultimate take on that song, this early recording by harpist Bill "Jazz" Gillum is great as well, as is the driving "Ride And Roll" by Sonny Terry, and Lillian Green's gentle, jazzy "Who Don't You Do Right".
   
   This is a nicely varied and well annotated compilation, the best in the series (alongside vol. 3). There are four volumes in all, available individually or as a box set, plus six volumes dedicated to individual artists (like Blind Willie McTell, Arthur Crudup, and Leadbelly, whose entry is one of the very best), and an eleventh volume of gospel music titled "Sacred Roots Of The Blues".
   Casual listeners may feel that this is still a bit too far from Muddy Waters and B.B. King for their liking, but the whole series, and this disc in particular, is highly recommended to everyone and anyone who is interested in the developement of the blues.
   4 1/2 stars.



2. That's All Right is the fourth volume of the 4-part CD series, When The Sun Goes Down. This disc is my personal favorite of the series, perhaps because the tracks here are the most recent chronologically. Or it could be simply because every cut here is a true Blues gem. From Doc Clayton's "Pearl Harbor Blues," which opens the disc, to "Get Rich Quick," a wonderful Jump Blues from a young Little Richard that wraps up the series, there are 25 more great tracks to enjoy.

   Doc Clayton's two tracks illustrate why his strong, high tenor voice was such an influence on B.B. King. "My Buddy Blues," by The Five Breezes, features a smooth and melancholy-sounding vocal harmony ensemble that includes a 25-year-old Willie Dixon. There are more great harmonies on The Cats & A Fiddle's "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water."

   There is the classic "Worried Life Blues" by Big Maceo, the man who took Otis Spann under his wing when he came to Chicago in the late `40s, becoming Spann's biggest influence on piano. There is a veritable bounty of more great piano from Memphis Slim, Pete Johnson & Albert Ammons, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Boyd (doing a cool ode to the Windy City), Roosevelt Sykes and Piano Red.

   There are three tracks from Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, including the original "That's All Right," the song that helped start all that Rockabilly business with Elvis. Add a classic from Robert Lockwood and a couple more from Tampa Red and you've already got quite the compilation. But two of my favorite selections here include the ultra-smooth and hip "Why Don't You Do Right" by Lil Green with Big Bill Broonzy on guitar, and "How Blue Can You Get (Downhearted)" by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers with Oscar Moore and featuring piano and vocal work from Billy Valentine. Exquisite stuff...

   For the most raucous and jumpin' track in the whole series, though, you have the swinging, horn-driven "Get The Mop," by Henry "Red" Allen to get your pulse pumpin'. The pace of the piano and drums is absolutely hectic.

   I highly recommend this disc to everyone wanting to search out the best in Blues from the `40s, with a few early `50s sides, also.

   Don "T-Bone" Erickson for BluesWax.com.

2 comments about Houston Ghetto Blues.

1. With the current trend for "sacred steel," it's interesting to hear steel guitar from the "other side of the tracks." Hop Wilson apparently didn't like touring, and spent most of his musical career playing in Houston, Texas. The recordings featured here are pretty much his entire output.

   But what an output it is. Hop's lap steel guitar playing is by turns wildly demented and plangently sweet, sometimes within the same phrase. The lap steel adds a different tonal color to the proceedings, and Wilson has a terrific singing voice, perfect for blues, with a mournful edge even on the faster numbers. Drummer Ivory Lee Semien and an unknown vocalist take the mike on two other numbers, but I prefer Wilson's own singing, though they do a fine job.

   The "recorded in a bar at midnight" ambience, combined with the occasional amp crackle and buzz, gives you that feeling of presence lost on many modern sanitized blues recordings. The band is loose but tight, and you get the feeling they are into what they're playing and know the material well.

   Professional blues critics have compared Hop Wilson to Elmore James, but I frankly don't hear it except on "Be Careful With The Blues," where Wilson lifts the "Dust My Broom" riff and makes it his own in an instrumental. Wilson is less frenetic than James, and throws a lot more variety into his music. As much as I love Elmore James, a lot of his material relied on that "Dust My Broom" riff and stayed in the same key. Wilson has no such limitations.

   Overall this is a great, downhome, funky recording of a little-known and underappreciated bluesman. I would recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates the real live blues.




2. The late Hop Wilson is heard at his best on this album. For all blues enthusiasts, and particularly for those who appreciate slide guitar, Hop Wilson tells it like it is. I first heard of Hop Wilson mentioned on the award-winning album, "Showdown" which teamed up Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, and Robert Cray. At the beginning of the cut "My Baby Got a Black Cat Bone," Albert Collins remarks, "Remember Hop Wilson? He used to lay that steel on his lap and sing, 'My Baby Got a Black Cat Bone." Hop's classic recording of that song is on this album along with many others. Every cut is worth hearing. Relatively few blues guitar artists use the lap steel guitar. Hop wrote the book. Once you've heard Hop Wilson, if you haven't already, also listen to Sonny Rhodes, a living blues man who also uses lap steel on many of his tunes.

2 comments about Live: Mardi Gras in Montreux.

1. This live recording captures the energy and spirit of the classic New Orleans sound. Also, the playing is tight and the tunes are great!
   
   The only quibble I would have is that the recording is a little on the quiet side - you've really got to crank the stereo to get the full effect. Otherwise, a great one to get.



2. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band take you to the depths of New Orleans with this great live cd. A must have for any music fan.

No comments about Down Home Blues Classics: New York & East Coast.

2 comments about Jacksonville.

1. I've become a big fan of Jim Henry and this CD is a good place to start. It's worthy every penny.



2. I truly enjoyed discovering Jacksonville. I'd heard several of Jim Henry's other CDs and found that Jacksonville contained the full range of musical styles, song subjects, humor, and the fully charged guitar playing that I'd come to love and expect from Jim Henry.

4 comments about Greatest Hits, Vol. II.

1. I had a hard time listening to any Sammy Davis Jr. music, especially the wonderful songs included on this second Greatest Hits album, for a long time after his passing. These tracks, ranging from big hits to songs long out of print, create an eerie mood that both celebrates Sammy's fabulous life and seemingly acknowledges his impending death at the time of this collection's release. I can't help but get emotional over the music on this CD. Mr. Bojangles is a real fan favorite that has to be included on a greatest hits collection, and the song is personalized to Sammy rather remarkably. It was one of his greatest fears that he would end up a has-been like Mr. Bojangles, and the cancer that took away his voice and eventually his very life made that nightmare a reality of sorts for him at the end. Sammy lived life to the fullest, though, and such songs as All That Jazz, The Goin's Great, If My Friends Could See Me Now, and Here I'll Stay draw from his passion for life. Somebody, a toe-tapping song about finding someone to love, is one of my favorite Sammy songs of all time. A few songs touch on the issue of a brighter future ahead and/or a life filled with the love of friends and family: We'll Be Together Again, The Shelter of Your Arms, Every Time We Say Goodbye, I'm Glad There Is You, and Here I'll Stay. Here's That Rainy Day (featuring Laurindo Almeida) is a poignant, quiet ballad. Children, Children is a hauntingly beautiful yet somber song that speaks of the quick passage of the years and the yearning of the aged for the dreams and hopes of childhood. I don't think there could be a better way to end this album than with a live recording of Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (featuring the incomparable Buddy Rich). Its upbeat, almost playful appeal does much to counteract the sense of loss I continue to feel in the atmosphere of the preceding songs. Despite the song's title, many of us will talk about you, Sammy, now that you are gone, for you have taught us to celebrate and live the lives we have rather than sink under the loss we oftentimes feel in our daily lives.



2. I LOVE THIS CD!! First of all, this covers Sammy's best period musically speaking - by that I mean the songs and arrangements were superb and Sammy rocked them all. As you may know, Sammy was on REPRISE records for most the 1960s and worked with some great arrangers (e.g. Don Costa, Marty Paich).

   I am also amazed how tender Sammy could be on ballads.

   Why is this almost better than Volume 1? Because by this time Sammy had more fully developed his style and his singing had more maturity and depth.

   Both of the CDs are great and Steve Hoffman had done a great job remixing a great bulk of these songs so the sound quality is top-notch!

   Swing cat!




3. This disc offers what the title says- Sammy's greatest hits. So don't be discouraged if it doesn't offer some of his greatest songs. There is a difference. That aside, this is a great listen to surround yourself with. It might just take you back to those golden days of television when anyone of the many variety shows would feature the talents of the likes of those such as this "cool cat", one of the greatest entertainers of our time. No Sammy collection is complete withou Mr. Bojangles. Pity there isn't an accompanying video to show Sammy perform that song- one that captured the complete essence of Sammy the entertainer. But you'll still picture it in your mind as you listen to it... might even find yourself smiling while doing so. Where has the time gone? Seems like just yesterday I could find Sammy, Dean, Frank, Tony, hell, even Satchmo on TV on a given Sunday night on the network fortunate enough to have these great American talents on their aivwaves.



4. SAMMY GETS DOWN AND REALLY DIGS ON THIS ONE. THE ARRANGEMENTS ARE SUPERB....

   I REALLY LOVE THIS MAN!!

No comments about Folk Music at Newport, Vol. 1.