1 comments about Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection.

1. If you have to listen to any music, this is the collection to listen to. It covers all the basic beginnings of American Music and leaves you with a want for more. You will have all the tracks memorized and will be playing the CD even after the machine is shut-off. The CD shows the incredible range of American music. This is the BEST.

5 comments about The Chess Box :Muddy Waters.

1. 72 tracks on this compilation, and not a single flaw.
   The Plantation Recordings from the early 40's and his late 70's albums produced by Johnny Winter are all fine, because again, he just couldn't open his mouth and sing a BAD song.
   But leave these ones alone, and get The Chess Box (Everything he has done for Chess between 1947-1972). Just like other Chess artists (Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy) - the Chess years are his best by far, and the tracks put chronologically here serves you ear and historic sense great.
   The music here is absolutely astonishing - Muddy's clear, throaty famous vocal and whining slide work, Little Walter's/James Cotton's weeping harmonicas, Otis Spann on piano and all the other members of this legendary blues band.
   
   5 stars without a doubt. Just get it.



2. I love all these songs. The only problem I have is, there are recordings of these songs that are much longer. Mannish boy, Long distance call, Got my mojo working, She's 19 Years old, and many others have versions where the song is over 5 minutes. Unfortanately, these are all short versions.



3. McKinley Morganfield was born in Mississippi in 1913. He was given the name of Muddy Waters by his grandmother at an early age.
   
   Muddy Waters was one of the Blues musicians who was deftly able to make the transition from the cotton field, delta, acoustic blues, to the electric sound which has remained with us since. He not only made the transition, but set an example for others.
   
   Disc one of the box set covers the period 1947-1954. Disc two covers the hits of the 1950's, many of which inspired English rockers who were preparing to hit the shores. And Disc three covers the latter period from 1960 through 1972. It should be noted that there are recordings before and after the time periods on this box, and as such, this box set could not be termed "all inclusive". Not covered are the very early years of Muddy's singing, as covered by The Complete Plantation Recordings. And the Blue Sky recordings (I'm Ready; Hard Again; King Bee) of the 1980's cover the latter part of his career. This box set covers the meaty, main portion of his career and are definitely the set to get if you are going to get just one for your collection. The book that comes with this 3-CD set also gives a very nice overview of Muddy's life and career, something that the mp3 downloads cannot do.
   
   Muddy Waters was one of the most influential blues singers of all time and influenced generations of singers who came after him. If you plan on getting only one collection of Muddy Waters, I would strongly recommend this 3-CD set. You can now buy the songs individually through Amazon, but it is strongly recommended to buy the box set en total.
   
   They get no bluer than this. Muddy was, and is, the real deal.
   
   Highly recommended. 5 Stars.



4. This is simply the best collection of blues recordings ever! If you like the real blues, you must add this set no matter the cost. It makes you long for music that can be felt and not just heard like most anything recorded in the last quarter century.



5. More casual fans will probably be better served by MCA/Chess's much cheaper (but very good) two-disc compilation "The Anthology: 1947-1972". But if you're looking for the best and currently most thorough available overview of Muddy's recordings for Aristocrat and Chess, this is it.
   It is not the final word on Muddy Waters - his excellent latter-day recordings with Johnny Winter as producer aren't here, and you'll need some of his live stuff as well - but these 72 tracks do include the vast majority of his best songs from 1947 and twenty-five years on.
   
   Disc one spans 1947-1954, and most of the 24 tracks feature just Muddy Waters on slide guitar and bassist Ernest "Big" Crawford backing him, although the great Sunnyland Slim rolls the ivories on a few songs, like the delightful 1947 single "Gypsy Woman".
   Muddy's arsenal of slide guitar riffs may seem limited, but his playing on the 1948 hit "I Can't Be Satisfied" and the mellow "Train Fare Home" is really great, demonstrating what a fine guitarist he actually was.
   
   Percussion doesn't show up until two-thirds of the way through the disc, when the "classic" Muddy Waters band begins to take shape: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on second guitar, drummer Elgin Evans, and Otis Spann playing the piano.
   Along with the songs already mentioned, the lean, mean "I Feel Like Going Home" and "Rollin' And Tumblin'" are among the highlights on disc 1, which ends with the tough, swinging "Blow Wind Blow" and the classic "Hoochie Coochie Man". Big Walter Horton plays superb harmonica on "Blow Wind Blow".
   
   Disc 2 includes the majority of Muddy's classic 50s singles, from "I'm Ready" and the thumping "I Just Want To Make Love To You" to "Got My Mojo Working", the Bo Diddley-ripoff "Mannish Boy", and the superbly swinging "I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love". Harpist James Cotton appears for the first time on "I Love The Life I Live", blowing a truly inspired harmonica riff.
   And there are several lesser-known songs here as well, including previously unreleased takes and singles which make their LP/CD debut on this album. Most of them are good, although not quite great, with the exception of a very fine rendition of Jimmy Oden's "Take The Bitter With The Sweet".
   
   Disc 3 covers 1960-1972, and includes a few live recordings, as well as two alternates from the sublime "Fathers And Sons" sessions. Opening with the great live "I Feel So Good" from the Newport album, it is highlighted by Muddy's version of Eddie Boyd's "Twenty-Four Hours", the mid-60s hit singles "The Same Thing" and "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had", and a hornless version of "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone", one of the few good cuts from the otherwise forgettable "London Sessions" album.
   
   There is nothing here from the misguided and completely superflous "Electric Mud", or from Muddy's last Chess-effort, "The Woodstock Album", but that detracts little or nothing from the greatness of this compilation, the finest overview of Muddy Waters' Chess sides available.

2 comments about Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen - Live in Dallas.

1. If you like traditional, old style blues, you will love "Live in Dallas." Put this in the CD player, shut your eyes and it will transport you back to the good old days when music was meant to be played loudly, in smokey bar rooms with old friends. Buy it. This one won't disappoint.



2. This Grammy-nominated album is a pure performance emanating from the souls of 4 of the Last Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen.
   
   All acquainted with Robert Johnson the Father of Blues, these 4 men, all 90+ years of age, gathered together in Dallas, Texas at the Majestic Theater and continued their storied history as blues music icons.
   
   Hear their searing magic and have a part of Blues History in your collection. I have bought this album and given it to friends who want to know more about the blues.

5 comments about Woodstock Album.

1. After 27 years recording for Chess Records, this April 1975 album was Muddy's last for the label - and I think it's a bit of a forgotten gem.
   
   PAUL BUTTERFIELD provides fabulous bluesy Harmonica throughout, PINETOP PERKINS plays piano (guest vocals also on Kansas City & Caldonia) with both GARTH HUDSON and LEVON HELM of THE BAND throwing in Keyboards/Accordion and Drums/Bass respectively. While it's a straight-up blues album for the most part, Hudson's Accordion playing gives some of the tracks a slightly swing/Cajun feel - and is a genuine surprise and treat for it too. Special mention should also go to Paul Butterfield's harmonica playing, which is fantastic throughout - clearly enthused by the mere proximity of the great man! In fact in each guest musician, you can 'feel' their affection for him right across all of the recordings.
   
   Five of its eight tracks are Muddy Waters originals topped up with three cover versions. The three covers are Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller's peach "Kansas City", made famous by Wilbert Harrison and done by hundreds of others since, while the other two are the Louis Jordan R'n'B classics, "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Caldonia". Other contributions come from HOWARD JOHNSON on Saxophone, FRED CARTER on Bass and Guitar with BOB MARGOLIN on Guitar also - HENRY GLOVER produced the record.
   
   This 1995 ERICK LABSON remaster has typically ace sound from one of Universal's primo engineers, while "Fox Squirrel" is a CD-only bonus track that is just that - a genuine discovery and bonus - astonishing that this McKinley Morganfield original was left off the record - nor ever used as a b-side?
   
   "The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" divides fans, but I feel it's a forgotten gem that deserves a rethink. And like all of his 70's recordings - I love it to bits. Test out "Going Down To Main Street" on iTunes and you'll get the idea. Enjoy!



2. This is not Muddy at his best. Another attempt to change his sound. In spite of the efforts of a couple of members of The Band, it comes across as a weak effort. I can't believe it won a grammy. The upside is Johnny Winter and "hard again" were just around the corner! Avoid this. You won't play it much if you do own it.



3. In marked contrast to the hard, aggressive sound of his work with Johnny Winter the following year, this album shows another, far more relaxed side to Muddy Waters, as he revisits old songs and launches new ones in the laid-back company of his regular sidemen and some celebrity names. Producer and songwriter Henry Glover had gone into partnership with Levon Helm from the Band and converted a barn into a recording studio called Bearsville in Turtle Creek, Woodstock NY, and the Muddy Waters sessions, recorded 6-7 February 1975, were the first fruits.
   Although there is a light front-porch touch throughout the album, probably influenced by Levon Helm's subtle drumwork and Garth Hudson's distinctive organ and accordion accompaniment, there is nothing lacklustre about it, with fine contributions thoughout from local resident Paul Butterfield on harmonica and from Waters' regular piano player and vocalist Pinetop Perkins. The album kicks off with Why Are People Like That, written by Bobby Charles, another Woodstock resident. Muddy Waters switches to slide guitar for two of his own new songs, and performs Kansas City in honour of Henry Glover, who produced it for Little Willie Littlefield back in 1952 (as KC Lovin'). Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five are also remembered through versions of Caldonia and Let The Good Times Roll.
   The album concludes with a previously unreleased bonus track, Fox Squirrel, a Muddy Waters composition.



4. For a long time I had delayed buying this CD because of all the bad reviews of it I read. Finally I bought it and you know what, it's a good CD.

   This album finds Muddy branching out a bit and trying a different sound. Many tracks have more of a R&B feel than a Chicago blues feel. There is also some accordion, which gives some tracks a Cajun/Louisiana groove.

   The musicianship is great. Muddy voice and guitar are in top shape, but I found Paul Butterfield's harp to be a bit trebly.
   There is also cool organ on some tracks.

   While this may not be the place to start a Muddy collection, but if you have all the earlier Chess stuff, the CBS/Blue Sky stuff and still want more, it's definitely worth a shot.




5. i still think this is an superb cd unlike other reviewers i don't think it fair to compare this to fathers and sons this is different yes but you would'nt want him to keep doing the same things over & over the music & sound quality are great an easy 5 star cd a must have for a muddy fan unlike electric mud.it also has paul butterfield on it a big plus.

5 comments about Ella Fitzgerald - Live at Montreux 1969.

1. I am Manuel De Sica, the composer of the song included in this DVD 2"A place for lovers"(lyrics by Norman Gimbel). Thanks God to receive this unique gift to be sung(I was twenty, that year)from the greatest female singer of all times.



2. Seeing her perform live is the best way to see Ella Fitzgerald perform. Since she has now passed, the second best way is to her on video performing live. Great songs, and even better performances. Don't miss her rendition of "Hey Jude."



3. Ella fitzgerald showcases Her classic Instrument which moved so many peoples. Her range is amazing here. She incorperates so many styles here and make them all work. now she does the standards,but then takes on the Modern feel of the times. and her Riff Runs near the end of the show are magical. Ella Fitzgerald reminds you of what Greatness can truly feel like un-cut on a stage. the musicianship was fantastic.arrangements went into almost every direction that you could imagine and yet ella stayed on point.a Must have.



4. Since we don't have time machines, the only way to appreciate Ella Fitzgerald live is on the screen. This DVD is better than most since it captures the beloved First Lady of Song during a magical time of music. During this concert, Miss Fitzgerald's repertoire ranges from classic jazz to the Beatles and she sings every song flawlessly. A must-have for all Ella fans.



5. Much more of Ella's taped live performances need to be released!!! This is a fantastic concert featuring the First Lady displaying her gifts!!!! great swing numbers, ballads, soulful renditions of current pop songs, backed by a great trio of musicians, this concert DVD has great sound & picture quality, a Most Have for Ella fans!!!

5 comments about Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes.

1. From the fingerpicked opening notes of "Sunflower River Blues" (on the '64 version), you know you're in for a really special treat. Fahey's picking is at once familiar--we've all heard fingerpicked acoustic blues with octave bass note repetition, but we've never heard it like Fahey does it (unless, of course, you own other John Fahey records). This album's a great example of John Fahey's unique guitar technique after he'd had a few years to solidify his style and really start taking risks.
   
   What makes Fahey so unique is less his technical skill (though he does possess pretty wicked chops--listen to wild harmonics on the 1967 version of "America"), and more his compositional prowess. He was adept at blending familiar blues with classical ideas (ideas, not music directly). The result is complex, strange melodies and weird chord changes that sound otherworldly, but are still as accessible and easy to listen to as folk music.
   
   Just listen to the loping, heavy bass picking of "Stomping Tonight . . ." it's blues, the melody is catchy and hummable, but it seems to come from some unknown land. That's what I love about Fahey's music the most--there's something magical and unreachable about it that is melancholy and mysterious. This is music that anyone can enjoy--you don't have to be a guitar enthusiast, and you don't already have to like instrumental acoustic guitar. I recommend this album to anyone who likes folk, blues or rock (i.e. pretty much everybody), so give it a listen and let it work its subtle magic on you.



2. Fahey was both innovator and traditionalist. In his earliest days (and this CD is part of those days) he portrayed himself as a legendary character much like the blues players of old - a Blind Joe Death character. What's nice about Fahey is that he's not contented to just pick the traditional pieces, he's also not trying to wow you with flashy skills. He's very into the sound of the instrument and meticulous about giving you a sturdy recording of straight up guitar noise.
   He likes to wander off in his playing and it's those meanderings that really can bring the haunting to some of his work.
   
   the cover art is intresting - the fact that he was self publishing this stuff is fascinating at that (late 50s early 60s), and the fact that his pen left us some very cryptic and fanciful prose is worth the look too. Fahey was a total package. A real artist.



3. There are a few solo stringed intrument players or "pickers" who are real GIANTS. We all have our favorites, and not everyone's "list" will be just the same. But I can say here without reservation and without fear of contradiction that John Fahey should be on just about everyone's list. He was an inventive master, a gifted synthesist who took standard folk-blues progressions and reinvented and reinvigorated them into his "American primitive guitar" style.
   I'd rather hear Fahey's fingers sqeaking on the strings than most other guitarists playing. This album (1967 version) is a personal favorite of mine. It is surpassingly haunting. This is music that stays with you: once you've heard it, really LISTENED to it, you don't even need to put the record on. The music is so archetypal you can re-play it in your HEAD indefinitely.
   Fahey was a great genius. His contribution to American music and American folk guitar is inestimable. The release of this album on CD has been long anticipated and is extremely welcome, and a double treat because you get to listen to the original 1963 version and the (more familiar) 1967 version.



4. A gem of a CD, not only re-releasing a classic LP, but including earlier versions of many of the songs. Several of the numbers here, 'Some Summer Day', 'Stomping Tonight on the Pennsylvania-Alabama Border' -- how about that for a title? -- and 'When the Springtime Comes Again', are exquisite examples of what beautiful music can be played on a solo six-string acoustic guitar.



5. I cannot imagine having been without these pieces, auditory equivalents of Wyeth paintings-- wondrous strange indeed. This is work that can change one's life-- and it has certainly shaken my very foundations. The older recordings are eerier than those from the '67 sessions, which sound more beautiful. Sometimes, however, the strange is more powerful than the beautiful. What is this "otherness" he achieves? Listening to this album, I can almost smell death.

5 comments about Don't Mourn - Organize!: Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill.

1. I have to give this Smithsonian project the highest rating, because it captures one of the enduring myths of the Folk Revival, the Labor Movement, and American leftist politics. And I say all that as a folk music fan, the son of a union member, and a now moderate Democrat who was more radical thirty years ago. Joe Hill was a real person, but good songs, even about real people, do not have to tell the truth to be good songs. The truth seems to be that Mr. Hill probably did shoot down a grocer and his son in a botched robbery, and although he might have been executed partly because of his labor organizing, and his seemingly anarchist politics, that does not mean he was innocent of the crime. A comprehensive biography, "Joe Hill" by Gibbs M. Smith, is pretty convincing in its thesis that Joe got a fair trial, and a fair appeal, in Utah in 1915. Surprisingly, neither the judge nor the majority of the jurors were even Mormons, whose culture one might think was indeed at variance with Joe's politics. Joe was his own worst witness at the trial, and was pretty much begged to explain how he got a bullet wound at the same moment the grocer died with a discharged weapon in his hands, and why Joe had a handgun and threw it away in that same hour. The book is an eye-opener for those of us who want Joe to be a foul victim of capitalism. That aside, Earl Robinson's song "Joe Hill", adapted from a poem about him, has been a staple of left-leaning songfests for 70 years or so. Paul Robeson's version is on here (one of many he recorded) and to my ears, his was always the best. The disc also gives us Earl Robinson's own rendition. From the '30's to 1989, various aspects of Joe Hill's life, from his songs to his famous last will, to songs about him, and stories about him, are collected here for those who have a soft spot for the labor movement, or the famous song, or the man himself. Not every moment is compelling, but as other reviewers have noted, the good stuff on here is really great stuff.



2. Joe Hill a saint of our century to many is only remembered by a few and for a few songs. This man made a difference, and this album gives you a flavor of that act. I wish that more of his music could be played and not the few that are song by the many.



3. Though it's true that the consistency on this album is varied, the good stuff is truly good. So good that the CD gets 5 stars just because this material is on there, and it's like nothing you ever heard before. Real 1920's PUNK ROCK!!!

   You can hear the incredible insolence of Joe Hill's lyrics, especially as sung by one of the old time Wob's who knew him. Some of this stuff is so subversive it makes Jello Biafra look like a yuppie, and it makes Maralyn Manson look like the poser he is. This is REAL subversion, from real people, native Americans and immigrants like Joe, who weren't playing games or striking poses, but really saw things as they are and really wanted to change the world. Though some of these songs are hippy tunes from the 60's, there is nothing hippyish about Joe Hill. Your boy is a hard core working class true American hero, every bit as tough and no nonsense as any hard-bitten coal miner or any other blue collar American of today, except, unlike so many of todays "Reagan Democrats", this guy had his eyes wide open.

   Thats why they shot him, of course.

   I just wish the Dropkick Murphy's would cover some of these.




4. The story of Joe Hill, executed in Utah on trumped up charges, demands to be told, over and over again. Joe was executed by firing squad in spite of massive national and international protests and an appeal by President Wilson. Joe Hill died because his music and his labor organizing threatened to unravel the threads of society that gave a privileged few access to health, leisure, and comfort, while the masses toiled 60 and 70 hours per week, with no benefits or protections (like the workers who produce all that "made in China" stuff we buy!). Although Joe's story may be nearly 100 years old, with activists like Mumia Abu Jamal sitting on death row--we must remember.

   While this CD contains some important music, I really wish I'd gone out and spent the cash to purchase the recordings by the individual artists. I enjoy listening to my Utah Phillips and Pete Seeger CDs more--and each one has a more internally consistent feel than this one.

   But, if you're a labor history or folk music buf, purchasing this CD is a no brainer. Do it. Otherwise, spend some time listening to Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, and the other musicians represented here on their own recordings. You'll have a much richer experience.

   (If you'd like to discuss this review or CD in more depth, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)




5. While historically interesting, this is an inconsistent collection where the minuses are greater than the plusses. For the most part, the songs on this collection are boring, sixties era folk-songs which just don't have any energy. Fortunately, this is all made worthwhile by two cuts: Billy Bragg's "Joe Hill" and Hazel Dicken's "Rebel Girl"....two bluegrass ravers that'll make you wanna get up and head to the picket lines. An interesting cut is a mini-interview with Harry "Haywire Mac" McClintock, who knew Joe Hill and was a Wob. For any fans of the "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, Haywire Mac did the original recording of "Big Rock Candy Mountain." But the Haywire Mac selection, as interesting as it might be, doesn't make up for a lackluster collection. On the other hand, if you're a Hazel Dickens fan, "Rebel Girl" will make you want to have this.

5 comments about The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James.

1. The 1931 recordings of Skip James are simply among the strangest and most chilling music in recorded history. I first heard some of them as a teenager in the 1980s, after I had already listened to James' younger contemporary Robert Johnson; Johnson's music is equally spooked in terms of lyrical content, but his music at any rate always has a solid rhythmic pulse. James' music was less celebrated (perhaps because, unlike Johnson, he had lived long enough to be rediscovered in the 1960s), but in retrospect it was far more scary. Less earthy and worldly than Johnson's, it seems to float in the air, an eerie keening sound emphasised by James' unorthodox approach to rhythm and blurry falsetto voice. (Johnson, by contrast, could sound positively lewd; James doesn't sound entirely human.)
   
   The stories about James that have circulated since his death do not paint a picture of a lovable old master of the blues. He was no genial B.B. King or avuncular Muddy Waters. In old age he seems to have been a touchy, somewhat paranoid, arrogant man, contemptuous of the white blues fans who celebrated him but equally disdainful of those of his peers who were still playing. Although he was an ordained minister who had spent thirty years leading the choir in his brother's church, he carried a gun and had used it at least once.
   
   As time goes by and the early blues recordings are assessed and re-assessed by successive generations, the map of the Delta blues is continually redrawn. Charley Patton assumes a more central position than was previously thought. Masters such as Son House, Tommy Johnson and Ishmon Bracey are given the respect that they deserved all along. Robert Johnson's legacy has been rethought and de-sentimentalised, and he appears as more of an all-round musical genius, a brilliant consolidator, as much of a vaudeville entertainer as a man facing his own demons. Skip James, however, still remains the chilliest and most enigmatic of all the Delta blues musicians of that classic period. These recordings loom out of the past with their weird intensity intact. His later 1960s recordings do nothing to clear up the mystery. James never sounded like he was trying to make people happy with his music. The story goes that when he was a street musician during the Depression, people used to actually pay him to stop playing, because they felt bad enough as it was without him and his songs making them feel worse.
   
   Listen to these recordings and you'll believe it.



2. If you're looking for genuine heartful music, go with the early recordings. He's just not the same with the clean, crisp sound of a remastered CD. Blues is one of those types of music that sounds better with sand between its teeth. And really, if you have a record player, you're better off getting a record from him to play the music how it was supposed to be played.



3. I am dissappointed that the mp3s in this album were advertised as 250 kbps but they are not, they average 150 kbps. I am hesitant to buy mp3s from Amazon anymore. Althou the album is magnificient.



4. skip james is one of those true masters. there is so much to say about him, the way he sang, his funny tunings, the lyrics he wrote. he was an absolute genius. stay away from early recordings if you have a problem with lo-fi sound, but if you do you're cheating yourself. Amazing!!!



5. Wow!!! This is history on CD!! One of the darkest, eeriest , blues recordings I've ever heard. Pop this in the player and you feel like you're out in a lonely bayou in the dead of night. "Devil Got My Woman Blues", "Cypress Grove Blues" are probably my favs on here. And while it is a shame that the sound quality of the recordings are subpar, after a few listens you don't even seem to notice. It gives it an earthy quality that if absence could probably take away the powerfullness of the songs.

5 comments about American Roots Music [DVD].

1. This DVD answers the question "Where did American Pop Music come from"? It traces the idioms of folk, gospel, jazz, r&b, native American song, and country, and shows their combination in the work of Elvis and others. It includes interviews with people who were there, when possible, and contemporary artists influenced by the past, when it was not. For example, an extensive section on gospel includes interviews with the late Tom Dorsey (gospel, not the big band guy) and insights from Mavis Staples. Narrated by a legend in country music, Kris Kristofferson, American Roots is a testament to the music that shaped our nation and our current pop culture.



2. Its hard to believe someone budgeted a 4-part series that says so little about such a fascinating and important subject. This is truly one of the worst documentaries I've ever seen and in four volumes! The first episode makes no sense, its just bits and pieces of sound clips, film and photos supposedly representing the development of roots music but there's no story that ties it together. For example, gospel music is one of the foundations of roots music. The documentary spends a fair amount of time on the topic but gives no real explanation of what it is or why its so important. You have to already be familiar with the history of american roots music to put together the confusing pieces. Kris Kristoffersen narrates and sounds like he's about to fall asleep. Its very lame, don't waste your money.



3. Some great footage of real music legends edited into obscenely short clips with unenlightening narrative commentary by a bunch of folk-music has-beens and nobodies vieing for the viewers sympathies by maundering on cluelessly about the fabled sufferings of the American underclasses. Lots of bogus romanticization which would be thoroughly unecessasary if they had simply shut up and let the music speak for itself (like i give a crap what KEB MO has to say about any of the great bluesmen!!). The treatment of most of the musical forms is hoplessley brief and slapdash - particularily the cajun and Zydeco segments. Unfortunately, a lot of people will claim to like this simply because they feel like they SHOULD, but this was a concept that had a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered. A waste of time and money.



4. The PBS American Roots Music series - both the 4 part documentary on DVD and 4 CD boxed set - is a commendable work. It is an incredible education in not only popular American music and culture, but history, and should be required viewing and listening in high schools.

   Many of the problems in American Society and its youth today stem from a complete lack of pride and self-awareness. A quick survey of popular music and culture reveal a frightening level of ignorance of America's history, values, and ideals. In short, while the series focusses on America's musical traditions, it does a fantastic job of conveying a sense of America's "roots" in a positive, enriching manner.

   The DVD documentary strikes a perfect balance between glossing over, and becoming bogged down in, the material. Unlike the Ken Burns' projects that exhaust the viewer's interest and collapse under their own weight, the series is informative and educational, yet entertaining. It is not MEANT to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject - and so some reviewers here are missing the point - that would take 40, not 4, episodes. Rather, it is an introduction and a sampler; peaking our curiosity and prompting us to investigate and research further the wonderful heritage of music out there. And in that, it succeeds marvelously.

   What also impressed me was the documentary's remarkable objectivity. While it eschews political correctness, it doesn't necessarily candy coat anything either. What it does do is present the material in a respectful, thoughtful, intelligent, and unbiased manner - something so lacking in today's political and social discourse. So in this sense, folks looking for something with an "agenda" - conspiracies, skeletons in the closet, and historical revisionism - may be disappointed by the documentary.

   The CD boxed set is equally well-done: a fantastic booklet, thorough liner notes, and collection of songs that is a music lover's dream. Again, it is intended to be a sampler - great songs by landmark artists - not an exhaustive account of American Roots music. And also like the documentary, its meant to be a enriching, uplifting - not deconstructing - experience.

   If the series has a shortcoming, it is the absence of one of the major "roots" - Jazz - which was no doubt and most unfortunately excluded, because of the recent Ken Burns' PBS documentary. But to exclude Jazz from the discussion of American Roots music, means we do not have the entire picture. And so in that sense, the series is somewhat flawed.

   Still, its hard to find any other fault with the series. This is a work that TRULY embraces and celebrates America's cultural diversity. Entertaining and enlightening, I would heartily recommend owning the box set and DVD for one's own edification as well as a way to help introduce friends and family to REAL American music - in all its forms.




5. When I saw this picture of BB King on the cover of the DVD , I thought I was in for a real historic musical treat. When I read the back of the box and saw that they had rare footage and that they actually had a chapter on Zydeco, I got even more excited. I immediately rushed to the sales counter at Tower Records and gave them my hard earned 40 dollars plus tax. When I got home, I put the DVD in the player and main menu appeared. I selected the chapter on Zydeco, because it is a music that my family in Southwest Louisiana was instrumental in creating. When the video began to play, my excitement turned to disgust, for they attempted to present this very Black Louisiana Creole music as a spin off of so-called "Cajun" music. Other than the brief footage on Clifton Chenier, the video didn't interview or expose the viewers to not one Black Creole creator of the music. Instead they interviewed various white folks, who even if they considered themselves experts, are at best outsiders of the Black Creole culture, and judging from what they shared on the video they didn't know that much about the music.

   In the chapter covering Zydeco I would have loved to see some rare footage or mention of the "juré" music of the Black Southwest Louisiana Creoles that later became what is called Zydeco. I would have loved to hear stories from the common folk around Opelousas, Ville Platte, Mamou, Eunice and Plasiance telling about the racism of the Cajuns toward the Black Creoles of the area, and how this racism reinforced the seprate musical worlds of the Cajuns from that of the Black Creoles. Instead this video painted a very false picture of cultural homogeneity between two very distinct people who have been at odds for over two centuries. While it is true that the Black Creoles of Southwest Louisiana had French folk songs in their repetoire, Black Creole music ( including so-called "Zydeco") is no spin off of Cajun music. To the contrary, Cajun musicians are borrowing from Black Creole music at an alarming rate. In fact the only other musicians covered in the Zydeco segment is a band of white folks who according to the video are "blending elements of Cajun music, Zydeco and Swamp Pop". The makers of this video should have dug a little deeper into American soil and touched the deepest roots before projecting such an influential film into the market place of ideas. This DVD is sure to mislead at lease a million people. People should watch this video with caution.

   (reprinted with permission from blackdotcafe magazine oct/nov 2002 issue)

5 comments about Endless Boogie.

1. This is a quality John Lee Hooker album. John Lee is one of my favorites, but hgis catalog is pretty mixed. Endless boogie is not just an album, but a phase John Lee went through that was my favorite period with the artist. This phase includes live albums like 'Live at Soldad prison and his work with Can Heat.
   
   On this album the songs are great, their is a quality backing band (with Steve Miller on Guitar for most tracks), and excellent overall sound quality. This album reminds me a lot of another great JLH album 'Never get out of these blues alive' (buy it if you can find it.
   
   This is a smoking boogie blues album. Buy it and enjoy.



2. This was one of the first cds I had ever bought back in the early 90s. It was $9.99 even way back then. I have since bought or recommended this cd to all my friends. Its hard-core and AWESOME. #3 - Kick Hit... is stupendous from its first few chords. Then he hits you with #4 Standin' at the Crossroads... then some Sheep out on the Foam and In my Dark Room are slow methodical blues that just makes your head swing. I'm going to go home right now and crank this bad boy. Buy it. But beware, you'll rave about it to everyone who will listen and end up buying more for birthdays and holiday gifts.



3. be aware that the BGO release omits 4 tracks, about 23 minutes, while the MCA release has all 11 tracks.
   Missing tracks include the House Rent Boogie (later covered by George Thorogood), Standin' At The Crossroads, Doin' The Shout, A Sheep Out On The Foam.



4. A true standout, especially when you compare the performances on this album to some of Mr. Hooker's other work. The studio musicians all seem to blossom here, with J.L.'s incredible vocals, in creating this classic. It ranks with my personal top 10 alltime albums, way up there. Universal and current messages abound, and is a lot of fun too (check out "House Rent Boogie"..."Hit Kix U").



5. I bought this album soon after its initial release in 1971 and was blown away. It holds up even after 30 years and will continue to do so. Some critics have dismissed this album as another example of aimless jamming by some white guitarists in awe of a blues icon. I completely disagree. Sure, many of the tracks are over 5 minutes: and yes these are jams. But they anything but chaotic and unstructured as some listeners have suggested. There are fine contributions from the likes of Steve Miller, Mel Brown and the late Jesse Ed Davis (listen to Davis' snake like notes and brittle playing on the jam Pots on, gas up high). For the blues mood in extremis check out Kick Hit 4 hit Kix U and Sheep out on the foam. The rhythm section of Gino Skaggs (you want to learn blues bass playing, listen to this cat's clean playing) and Ken Swank (fine drumming) on most tracks (late Carl Radle and Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos appear on the remainder) is rock steady. I emigrated to Canada as a 15 year old in 1971 and this was the album that got me into blues. I have worn out two double albums and have presented copies to numerous friends to illustrate how joyful blues music can be. Its wonderful that the CD is available once more to delight blues fans every where. The 5 stars are for the content and for the seminal role this CD has played in shaping my musical education.