Amazon.com

Not known for his acoustic work, Buddy Guy unplugs for a rare album-length excursion into folk blues. Continuing the rootsy, bare-bones approach that made 2001’s electric Sweet Tea (also produced by Dennis Herring) so gutsy and memorable, the guitarist gets down and dirty with 12 tracks that sound like they were recorded after hours in his living room or on his back porch. Guy’s stinging leads are still evident as is his emotive voice, but both are less flamboyant in the unplugged setting. Accompanied by spare stand-up bass and brushed drums, Guy sounds nearly possessed on covers from Skip James ("Hard Time Killing Floor"), Johnny Shines ("Moanin’ and Groanin’"), Son House ("Louise McGhee"), and John Lee Hooker ("Sally Mae") among others. It’s a low-key, low-down affair made for late nights, rainy days, and the saddest of moods. Guy is just as convincing here--arguably more so--as on his barnstorming electric albums, making Blues Singer one of the bravest and most poignant albums in his catalog. --Hal Horowitz ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Buddy Is Back
My, my, my Buddy Guy you have definitely got the blues this time, yes you do.Welcome back Buddy:) So [darn] simple, so absolutely beautiful. Front porch, sitting in the shade & doing some blues. Nothing complicated, no show boating, no playing to the crowd (Mustang Sally:) a blues album for the true blues lover. Songs from John Lee Hooker, Frankie Lee Sims, Willie Dixon, Son House, Johnny Shines,Jack Owens & Robert Nighthawk fill this cup to the brim. The playing is wonderful but it is the SINGING people, the voice, the human instrutment that just blows your mind man.. Man, you just seemed to forget what a powerful & soulful singer Mr. BG can be. He is just vocal dynamite on this CD. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. The CD starts out with Skip James tune HARD TIME KILLING FLOOR, an epic to hard times. Nail this bad boy to the floor BG. You got me feeling it Buddy, a desperate man indeed ,hoping for hope. CRAWLING KINGSNAKE, JLH chestnut, has Buddy crawling the floor for his lady. Sexy little number folks. Frankie Sims LUCY MAE BLUES next in line, done easy friends, no hurry, no worry, laid back. CAN'T SEE BABY (Jack Owens) talking about a man & wife in love but they can't get along. Been there, done that, have t-shirt.You can feel the hurting Buddy, yes I can.. LOVE THE LIFE I LIVE (Willie Dixon) once again, taken down a notch to take full advantage of Buddy's voice. LOUISE MCGHEE (Son House) nobody has the power of Mr. House but Buddy does a real sweet job on this tune. That Louise McGhee was indeed a heartbreaker who men did not forget. MOANIN' & GROANIN' (Johnny Shines) one of best vocal tracks on CD. BLACK CAT BLUES (JLH) man moanin' bout bad luck & troubles. In other words LIFE. BAD LIFE BLUES lady done wrong song that is on EVERY blues CD. Good man treated bad. Poor, hungry, down in the dumps the man can't get a break. One of best tunes on CD. SALLY MAE (JLH) starts with Buddy banter about JLH. Nice t ouch. Real sweet vocals on this one. ANNA LEE (Robert Nighthawk) starts with real sweet riff. Man wants woman song. Another of my favs here. End it with LONESOME HOME BLUES (Willie Borum) slow, easy tune with Buddy lightly touching these lonesome blues. I feel the pain Buddy, I do. Buddy has done an OUTSTANDING blues CD. Wonder if it will sell ? We shall see.......

A Blues Legend That Just Gets Better!
I have to admit I was a little hesitant about this cd when I heard it was all acoustic. I love Buddys stinging and blistering electric guitar solos, but man oh man is this cd a real blues treat! Buddy Guy is the real deal and he has no problem proving it here! Eric Clapton and BB King lend a hand on "Crawlin' Kingsnake", and Clapton plays on "Lucy Mae Blues" as well. Buddy's vocals are right on and at times make your spine tingle as you really find out here what the blues are all about. Every song on this one is great, my favorites being "Crawlin' Kingsnake", "Moanin' and Groanin'", and "Black Cat Blues". If you love the blues then this cd will definetly put you in blues heaven! Thanks for the great music Buddy!

This is an essential recording
Buddy Guy has done it again. This recording is simply one of the best I have ever heard and was engineered beautifully. And to make it even more special, B.B. King and Eric Clapton make an appearance. This is an essential Buddy Guy CD.

Blues Listener
First of all this CD is the best. It realy doesn't matter that these are covers and not Buddy's usuall style, but it's all good. This is blues as it's ment to be, and also could someone tell me why people call this CD a "Country Blues" CD. If it's acoustic and finger picked it's Delta Blues (like Robert Johnson). Any way most of the lower star reviews say something like this isn't Buddy's style, once again, the songs are good, he does them good, usuall style or not it's still a good CD.

Scorching blues
This recording is my favourite blues CD ever. Buddy's voice is smooth, full of emotion and gutsy. The backing is rich and funky. It's personal, cut from the heart.

I imagine it's like having him at your kitchen table and pulling out his guitar...there's not much in the way of production overlaying the acoustic sound.

If you like blues this should form part of your essential collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This package combines blues giant Howlin' Wolf's first two albums, themselves compilations of his singles released between 1951 and 1962. Apart from two tracks cut in Memphis with Ike Turner, these Chess Studios recordings are landmarks in the development of electric Chicago blues. The Mississippi Delta native's gruff persona towers over "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Red Rooster," "Spoonful," "Evil," "Wang Dang Doodle," "Back Door Man," and others that have become standards since being "discovered" by the Rolling Stones, Clapton, The Doors, et al. Almost as influential as Wolf's bottomless growl are the guitar playing of Hubert Sumlin and the writing and direction of Willie Dixon. An exceptional twofer value for such a weighty slice of American musical history. --Ben Edmonds ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The best from the best
Two unbelievably good albums - the first two, in fact - from THE king of electric blues. The patented growl, the lyrical innuendo and black humour, the AMAZING performances from the band, make every single song on this twofer absolute killers. Ultra-gruff swamp-blues mayhem that'll knock you dead.
The line-up of songs is almost a walking blues cliche now, but remember these are the originals (mostly) and done better than anyone since: "Red Rooster", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Back Door Man", "Evil", etc. A powerhouse collection.
Looking back, I remember when I was much, much younger reading about the early '60s UK R & B scene ('Stones, Pretty Things, Yardbirds, etc.), wondering why on earth all these geeky white guys idolised the likes of 'Wolf and Muddy Waters so much, when they had the likes of Elvis, Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly to be content with. Well, no disrespect to those mentioned, but the wall-shaking vibe of Howlin' Wolf is something no such artist could argue with; these two discs make much of what passed for rock'n'roll in the '50s sound positively tame in comparison. Life-changing stuff, for sure. Get to it.

Maybe the best buy you'll ever do
Here are two classic Howlin' Wolf original albums collected on one CD, and it is some of the best blues music ever recorded. The Rocking Chair album must certainly have been one of Stevie Ray Vaughan's favourite album, because he recorded several songs from this one. I beleive this must be the best chicago blues album of all time. Moanin the Blues is just as great with songs as 'Evil', 'All night boogie' and 'Smokestack Lightning'. I have been a fan of Howlin' Wolf since I started listening to the blues in my teens, and his music continues to thrill and amaze me. I think you get your money's worth and more so if you get this one.

Still a great place to start
You could say that MCA/Chess' various Wolf compilations ("His Best", "His Best vol. 2", "The Genuine Article") have made this twofer-CD obsolete, but as an introduction to the great Howlin' Wolf it still ranks among the best.

The sound quality is not stellar (no remastering), but the songs certainly are.
"Howlin' Wolf / Moanin' In The Moonlight" brings together Wolf's first two LPs, the self-titled one usually called "The Rockin' Chair ALbum" due to the peaceful-looking picture on the cover of a rocking chair with an acoustic guitar propped up next to it...misleading cover art if I ever saw it!
One song has been omitted due to the lenght of the original albums, the liner notes say. A completely meaningless excuse since this CD only runs for 65 minutes, but what's even more odd is that the material from Wolf's first album comes after the songs from his second one, putting latter-day Willie Dixon-penned material before early Wolf-penned songs (these two albums were not conceived as such, they were merely collections of oreviously issued singles as was customary at the time).

But those are minor quibbles. This certainly isn't everything you could ever want from the Wolf, but it is an excellent place to start. Many of his most accessible "mainstream" blues tunes are here, usually written by Dixon: "The Red Rooster" with its muscular, slinky slide guitar riff, the propulsive "Down In The Bottom", the gleeful "Back Door Man", the catchy hard-rocking "Howlin' For My Darlin'" (erroneously titled "Howlin' For My Baby"), and the slightly-too-cute "Wang Dang Doodle", which became very popular even though Wolf himself didn't like the song.
But Wolf's own songs are here a-plenty as well, and those remain his most powerful: From the Rockin' Chair album comes the swaggering groove of "Tell Me", one of the most underexposed Wolf singles, and the Chicago blues classic "Who's Been Talking", a supremely funky arrangement with some powerful, syncopated drumming from Earl Phillips and a great piano part by Hosea Lee Kennard.

And "Moanin' At Midnight" is almost all Wolf, opening with his first hit single, the monster combination of the smouldering, piano-driven "How Many More Years" and the eerie "Moanin' At Midnight". The classic "Smokestack Lightnin'" is here, one of the pillars of early electric blues singles, and so is the menacing "Forty-Four", Wolf's take on Tommy Johnson's desperate "Cool Drink Of Water Blues" (retitled "I Asked For Water"), and a slew of rough, tough lesser-known songs like "I'm Leavin' You" (later covered by J.B. Hutto), "Somebody In My Home", "Baby How Long", and the wonderful early Dixon-composition "Evil".

Howlin' Wolf didn't carry himself with the statesman-like dignity of Muddy Waters, but his performances were the stuff of legend. A huge, intimidating man with a voice like heavy machinery operating on a gravel road, Wolf's early Chicago sides are some of the most awesome electric blues ever recorded, and no-one culd match the Wolf when it came to rocking the house (and scaring the audience out of its wits at the same time).

Wolf is not for everyone...even if you like a good dose of Muddy Waters, you may still be turned off by Wolf's glass-gargling roar of a voice and sometimes bleak - or downright frightening - lyrics. But if you are interested in classic Chicago blues, Wolf's classic Chess sides are a must-own. Chester Burnett in his prime remains the most overwheling performer the genre has ever seen.

Great, but "His Best" sounds MUCH better
this is great stuff as all of the reviewrs have noted, but if you want a truly remastered sound try starting with "HIS BEST" on the Chess label. much of the same songs, and WAAAAAY better sound. the songs he wrote himself on the first 1/2 of the CD are the best ones.

The beginning of it all-
This disc, which is a compilation of two early Howlin Wolf albums minus one track, I believe, is one of those seminal precursors to the music of the next four and a half decades (and counting). It's got that raw edge that's missing from so much of the music that followed it, and a depth and power that's frightening at times. Really, this is one-in-a-million stuff that might scare you. If you really dig on this kind of sound, you might enjoy "Spotlight Kid/Clear Spot" by Captain Beefheart, who picked up on this eccentric electric blues thread and ran with it past the endzone and out into the street. Tom Waits also has this feel in his bluesier material. But this will never be topped. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

Opting for simplicity this time around, B.B. King gets by with a little help from his excellent backing band, producing an album that's evocative of the Louisiana countryside where it was recorded. After over half a century in the business, King knows what he's about: he makes playing good blues sound easy, and every track on Blues on the Bayou is a treat. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (65)

"Clearly & Unequivocally, this is by far B's best-to-date"
I will never forget the evening of November 7, 1998, as I left the Palace Theater in Columbus, Ohio...I had the best front row seat of my life, which placed me just five (5) feet away from the "KING" as he and his band emotionally played all the cuts from "Blues on the Bayou". Let me say this, I have seen "B" play many times, but his current band is the "tightest" group i've ever witnessed and it left me mesmerized that evening. Therefore, I highly recommend his latest,"Blues on the Bayou" -- the recording by MCA records is of the highest quality possible, and so are the tunes! If you do not currently own any of B's Albums and you buy this one, rest assured, you now own his best, period!

Sincerely, Gary L. Foley, Columbus, Ohio

A bit too slick and unvaried
Recorded in four days with his regular road band, "Blues On The Bayou" includes no duets, no guest stars, and no unintentionally funny cover versions of pop songs. Just fourteen B.B. King originals, a version of T-Bone Walker's "Mean Old World" which King shamelessly credits to himself, and a loose and relaxed approach.

B.B. King produced this album himself, for the first time in his 50-year career, and the result is pretty good, although "Blues On The Bayou" is somewhat slicker and more polished than I would have liked (but then again, King never aspired to be Muddy Waters).

Among the best songs are the slow, soulful "I'll Survive" (definitely NOT the Gloria Gaynor single, but rather a discreet rip-off of Tampa Red's classic "It Hurts Me Too"), the swinging "Shake It Up And Go" (which is actually a slightly altered take on "Bottle Up And Go"), the funky instrumental "If That Ain't It I Quit", and the slightly jazzy "Good Man Gone Bad", which features some excellent piano playing by keyboardist James Toney.

I would certainly have preferred a bit more grit and a little less of the very synthetic sounding organ and the equally synthetic string orchestra, and the many slow songs all sound more or less alike, but that's contemporary blues for you, I suppose.

If your idea of what electric blues should sound like is Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James, stay FAR away from this album.
But if you prefer your blues from the decanter rather than the bottle, you'll probably like it just fine.

Louisiana Loungin'
At the time of this recording, BB King was 73 years old. He and his road-tested band cut these tunes in Lafayette, LA. Overall, "Blues on the Bayou" is as pleasant as an ice-cold Jax on a lazy summer day. This is a good, accessible CD to expose novices to the blues. But it is a little too refined. One reviewer aptly describes "Blues on the Bayou" as blues from the decanter, not the bottle. True - this ain't RL Burnside or Howlin' Wolf. But it is light years better (and more sincere) than anything that poser Slowhand has done since Cream disbanded. Plus, how can you not like the grandfatherly BB? If only I am half as cool as The King when I'm 73.

BB'S THE BOSS!
This is the greatest blues album ever! Mastered by the greatest blues performer ever, BB King. This album has such an easy feel to it. The band is so together and BB, well, what can you say about the man, the performer, the singer, the guitar player. Words can't describe him. He's a national treasure and proves it on this disc and so many others he's cut over his great career. It always makes me upset when they give the title of "superstar" to some of these no talent bums who permeate today's music industry. BB truly is a superstar and proves it every time he plugs in Lucille and open's his mike with that wonderful, powerful, soulful voice. Long live the King!

He is the greastest (B,B King)
While reviewing B B Kings music Muddy Water. My elderly relative was so delighted to here some music she used to listen to in her younger years. Cousin Hazel, replied to me that she used to be one of his fans. His music put a bright light on her face. Being Handicapped and not able to see. While listening to his greastest hits you really could not tell the different. BB Kings, live forever in one of his 76 year old fan.

Best At Being A King B,B, KING
from your fan
Nancy ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Classic Sound Of The Time
Samuel Johnson wrote "Every man has a right to utter what he thinks truth, and every other man has a right to knock him down for it. Martyrdom is the test." The reviewer who gave this CD only one star must be a real martyr.

All I can say is, if The Four Aces are as bad as he describes them, then there must have been a worldwide epidemic of tin-ears among the millions upon millions who bought their records, and listened to their songs on radio, to the point where they chalked up 36 Top 100 hits from 1951 to 1959.

You also have to think that the reviewer must have a personal grudge against Peter Grendysa, who wrote some of the most comprehensive liner notes [seven pages of them] you'll ever find in a single-disc CD package. Add to that several nice photographs - one with the luscious Mamie Van Doren - and a complete discography of the contents, and you have a nice, neat package which gives you sixteen of those hits, along with two flip-sides [You Brought Me Love which backed Perfidia in 1952, and I Understand which was the B-side of I'm Yours that same year].

Another nine of their 36 hit singles can be found on More Greatest Hits. If I have a gripe it's from the perspective of a completist collector of hits. Neither this CD nor More Greatest Hits contains Two Little Kisses, one of two releases by the Palda Record Company [on their Flash label] which made it to # 29 in 1952, the other being Sin which was their first hit [# 4] in 1951 on Palda's Victoria label.

If you know and loved The Four Aces you won't be turned away by the negativity in that other review. If you don't know them, this is one of the best examples of old-time,street-corner harmony you're apt to hear. But it. Enjoy it.

A nostalgic look at a more innocent time.................
Every once in a while I like to experiment with different kinds of music, and after hearing an instrumental version of the song, "Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing", I decided to check out the Four Aces' vocal version. And I'm glad I did. I've heard most of these tracks before either as instrumentals or covered by other singing groups. Even so, the songs found on this CD are the definitive takes. My own highlights include: "Tell Me Why", "Perfidia", "Three Coins In The Fountain", "Stranger In Paradise", "Mr. Sandman", and of course, "Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing". In fact, there's not a bad song on this CD. Each track is beautifully arranged and sung to near perfection. I guess you can't ask for more than that. Don't be put off by the fact some of these tracks were recorded in the early 1950s (this is pre-rock n' roll folks!). I was born in the 70s, and my taste in music covers a wide spectrum - from rock n' roll of the 50s right up to today's nu-metal. But I also love good music, and this is all you'll find on this CD. Recommended.

Jon.

No Sheets
What ever happened to the song "Three Sheets to the Wind" ?
It was a hit around 1959.
It's probably the hardest song that they recorded to find anyhere

Four-go this painfully ace-erbic collection.
Being a fan of 1950s pop, especially the vocal-group variety, I expected to like this collection. The Four Aces, after all, are one of the big names from the period, and there were any number of superb white quartets who recorded at the same time--The Crew Cuts, The Diamonds, The Four Lads, etc. But this material is terrible. The group is nearly unable to harmonize, and the four singers often sound like a barely-in-key duet with a third (and, every once in a while, a fourth) voice peeking in. Al Albert's lead vocals are frequently off-key and consistently overwrought. And the earliest "arrangements" have less body than something one might hear on an inexpensive synthesizer's songbank. The reissued sound is great, and a few of the numbers are enjoyably bouncy, but I wish I'd saved my money. I can forgive good singers nearly anything, but these guys were anything but. Four-go this painfully ace-erbic collection.

Superbly harmonized and very well recorded.
The Four Aces' Greatest Hits is a handsomely packaged collection of their music that is
superbly harmonized and very well recorded .
'Tell Me Why' and, 'The Gang That Sang "Heart of My Heart"' are two of my favorite songs of the early 1950's. ... Read more

Album Description

Musselwhite recorded three critically acclaimed albums for Alligator Records during the 1990s. DELUXE EDITION is a collection of highlights from those releases, which are among the strongest of his entire career. Included on the new CD is a previously unreleased track from 1994 and a never-before-available home recording of legendary Memphis Jug Band member Will Shade (Charlie’s first mentor) and Musselwhite from the early 1960s.

With Deluxe Edition, fans can revisit the music that helped elevate Charlie to his current position as one of the blues’ greatest living legends. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great blues album! A must have!
I am SHOCKED that this album has only one review! Charlie Musselwhite is an award winning blues musician, one of the best blues players alive, one of the best harp players alive, and this is one of his best albums! It's fantastic!

I come home from work feeling crappy after being beaten up in the workaday world, and I put this on, poor a shot of tequila, and suddenly the world is alright again!

Seriously, this is a must-have cd, especially if you like blues harp.

muscular harmonica
This album is the cream of Charlie's Alagator work.The cat can sure burn up a harp. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good sampler
The trouble with the Blues Masters collection is that CDs like this one, which is compiled to showcase some great blues harmonica playing, is that it never tells the full story.
Howlin' Wolf is here, Sonny Boy Williamson (II) is here, Little Walter Jacobs is here, Jimmy Reed is here, but these songs generally doesn't rank among their best, since they were chosen primarily for the harp playing.

But if you already have the essentials by these artists, "Harmonica Classics" and its companion volume (excitingly titled "More Harmonica Classics") is a really good purchase, featuring several excellent lesser-known songs like Jerry McCain's "Steady", Big Walter Horton's "Easy", and Lazy Lester's superbly groovy "Sugar Coated Love". Just don't think that you can go out and buy the "Blues Masters" series and be done with. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Sounds nice," Bo Diddley tongue-in-cheekily observes of his music in "The Story of Bo Diddley," one of three self-named tunes on this 20-track examination of his classic '50s and '60s Checker Records sides. Not only was the former Ellas McDaniels rhythmically sharp enough to have a beat named after himself; he had a great guitar sound and a seemingly endless supply of shaggy-dog stories, lover-man boasts, silly jokes, and complaints with which to fuse them. His Best boils down the two-CD Chess Box, including signature pieces like "Bo Diddley" and "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" alongside unjustly obscure tunes such as "Pills" (later covered by the New York Dolls) and "Dearest Darling." Great. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (11)

BO KNOWS HIS ROCK AND ROLL!
Bo Diddley is without a doubt one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock and roll. That trademark "Chunka Chunka" guitar riff of his was probably copied more times, by more bands, than any other guitar line. What I liked about Diddley was not only his ability to make rock and roll, but also his equal talent with making great blues. It's only fitting that his first single was Bo Diddley/I'm A Man, with rock and roll on one side, and the blues of "I'm a Man on the other. This has to rank as the most influential two sided single in history. Although you won't find much more in the way of blues on this compilation, 2 of the songs here were written by Diddley's bass player and blues legend Willie Dixon. The first, recorded in 1955 was "Pretty Thing", which features some good harp work by Billy Boy Arnold, and "You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover", which has been covered numerous times by rock and blues artists alike. Even on these songs though, Bo gives them a rock and roll slant with his use of right hand rhythm chops. Diddley has been compared over the years to Chuck Berry. The biggest difference I can see in their musical styles was that Bo Diddley used a much deeper african type drum beat, and at times latin rhythms, as heard on the songs "Crackin' Up" and "Bring It To Jerome", which was written by band member Jerome Green, who was soon to become the worlds most famous Maracas player. A couple more of my favorites are "Who Do You Love", which was later covered by Quicksilver Messenger Service in the 60's, and Tom Rush and George Thorogood made a hit out of it in the 70's. The royalities from this song alone should have made Bo a rich man. "Roadrunner" is another song which has been covered many times. With it's "Beep Beep" vocals, I think you could say he even inspired that famous cartoon character that battled Wile E. Coyote. Surprisenly, his biggest pop hit was "Say Man", a different sounding Diddley tune which offered a little hip hop funk with his verbal insults that was known as "Signifying". Bo Diddley, with his trademark homeade square guitar and black rimmed glasses, offered us a little bit of everything in his musicial career. As far as I know, he's still going strong. I had the privalege of seeing him live a few years ago, and the man could still walk the walk. This "Best Of" is a great introduction to Bo Diddley's rock and roll side. Another great compilation by the always reliable Chess Records.

"You got your radio turned down too low!"
So says the man on "You Can't Judge A Book By Lookin' At The Cover." He's right. Turn this UP. Get it to the point where Bo's guitar is vibrating your entire house. Let it shake all the dust out of the floorboards. Make your neighbors call the police. This music is worth a night in jail.

Seriously, it could be argued that this guy was the forerunner of so many things. None of the British rockers of the 60's would be anywhere without Bo Diddley. The Who and the Stones in particular owe him a great debt, not just for the rockin' Bo Diddley beat but for the macho, right-upfront lyrics and vocals and the total rock-and-roll attitude. Not to mention the huge sense of fun that permeates the whole Bo Diddley experience.

And that guitar! It's safe to say that nobody ever played electric guitar like Bo Diddley. He just turned on every effect available to him and turned it all the way up. It wiggles, it throbs, it bumps and it vibrates. And if you think the White Stripes invented minimal rock and roll, dig Bo Diddley. Some of this stuff is just his guitar and some maracas! Lean, mean, and ready to rumble.

There are so many classic songs and so many innovations on here, it's impossible to pick one out and praise it too much. I'll just point out here that, among other things, Bo invented rap on "Say Man," and that his use of rhythms that head straight back to Africa predate "world fusion" by about, oh, 30 or 40 years. Or the fact that he was one of the first rock musicians to have female instrumentalists in his band. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

You cannot go wrong with this CD. I don't care who you are or where your head is at or what kind of subgenre of rock you dig; Bo Diddley had an influence on it. In many ways he was the "Originator" as he and his fansites claim. You owe it to yourself to pick this up immediately if you haven't experienced the one and only Bo Diddley. All your rock heroes (and heroines) already have!

Should Have Been Among The First Hall of Fame Inductees
Otha Ellas Bates McDaniels, born December 30, 1928 in McComb, Mississippi, took the stage name Bo Diddley from the name of a one-string African guitar. He only registered eleven R&B hit singles from 1955 to 1967, all for the Checker subsidiary of Chess Records, and just five of those crossed over to the more lucrative Billboard Hot 100 [one more "bubbled under"] - and yet - justifiably so - he was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987 - the second year of its existence.

The only mystery is why he was not among those honoured in its first year - Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley - since in my mind anyway he was every bit as influential as any of them in the development of the genre, despite the comparative low hit totals. Indeed, almost all the foregoing adapted a Bo Diddley tune in their repertoire at one time or another.

His first - the double-sided Bo Diddley [# 1 R&B for two weeks] and I'm A Man [a follow-along # 1] - peaked on those charts in the early summer of 1955, but it was the driving rhythm of the A-side that captured everyone's attention at a time when the film Blackboard Jungle was re-introducing the world to Bill Haley's (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock. That had first come out a year before with little fanfare but now, coupled with Bo Diddley, the world was on notice. A new sound had arrived.

But, whereas Haley's # 1 signature tune also did very well on the R&B charts [# 3], Bo Diddley made no impression on the Billboard pop charts. The same held true for his follow-up Diddley Daddy which, with The Moonglows doing backing vocals, reached # 11 in late July b/w She's Fine, She's Mine [not included], as well as his next immediate hit, Pretty Thing, # 4 in January 1956 b/w Bring It To Jerome.

He then experienced a 3-year gap before his fourth hit, I'm Sorry, which peaked at # 17 in April 1959 with the vocal backing of The Carnations and Oh Yea on the flipside. Neither is included in this volume, but his next two from 1959 are here, beginning with Crackin' Up which became his first pop crossover, reaching # 62 that August [and # 14 R&B] b/w The Great Grandfather [not here].

That was followed in October by his best pop crossover, Say Man, in which he trades insults with maracas player Jerome Green. That topped out at # 3 R&B/# 20 pop b/w The Clock Strikes Twelve [another omission]. Also overlooked in this volume is the sequel hit Say Man, Back Again which reached # 23 R&B and "bubbled under" at # 106 pop in late December, and its flipside, She's Alright.

In April 1960 one of my Diddley favourites, Road Runner, made it to # 20 R&B/# 75 pop featuring the great Otis Spann on piano, with the B-side shown as My Story [in here it's listed at track 15 as The Story Of Bo Diddley]. Another I especially liked was You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover which, in September 1962, became his second-best pop crossover, reaching # 48 [and # 21 R&B] b/w I Can Tell. There would then follow a 5-year gap before his eleventh and final hit single, Ooh Baby [# 17 R&B/# 88 pop] b/w Back To School [not included].

The 32 bit digitally re-mastered sound is flawless, there is a complete discography of the contents, and the liner notes are quite informative. But I still had to deduct one star for the omission of those two hit singles [which would have been better choices than tracks 7 and 13 which are obscure cuts] and six of the flipsides. A bit of a strange way to approach a 50th Year Anniversary compilation titled "His Best."

Bo blows it away and back!
This is a good basic collection of all the well-known Bo Diddley songs with a few B-sides that were quite well-known. This is rock 'n' roll at its finest among finest. Bo Diddley was one of the originators of rock'n'roll along with Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Jerry Lee Lewis; these guys invented rock'n'roll!! Bo's music is an excellent example of '50s rock 'n' roll even though he wasn't a major success on the charts. "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Diddley Daddy", "Pretty Thing", "Road Runner", "The Story of Bo Diddley", and "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover" are the best songs on here. They rock the house! They're all good, basically. As Bo proclaims in "The Story of Bo Diddley": "I'm a killer diller."

The best single-disc Bo Diddley collection
Ellas McDaniel only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but Bo Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers.
His very first single, "Bo Diddley" b/w "I'm a Man", was not exactly blues, or even straight R&B, but a new kind of guitar-based rock & roll, soaked in the blues and R&B, but owing allegiance to neither. And Diddley quickly became a hero to young white blues and R&B fans like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and The Animals - the Stones in particular borrowed a lot from Bo Diddley's pulsating rhythms and galvanizing stage performances.

This MCA/Chess compilation gathers virtually all of Diddley's best and best-known songs, an hour of deep grooves, tough blues, R&B and early rock n' roll which includes "Bo Diddley" (with the fabulous Bo Diddley beat), "I'm A Man", "Who Do You Love", "Crackin' Up", "Mona", "I Can Tell", the sublime blues rocker "Before You Accuse Me", and the underrated "Pills".

Diddley and maraca player Jerome Green lock into a locomotive groove on numbers like "Roadrunner" and "The Story Of Bo Diddley", and the transfers used on this set are exemplary, the majority of them utilizing masters that have a few extra seconds (or more) appended to the fades, which will cause even hardliners to hear these old standards with fresh ears. Especially revelatory are the "long" versions of "I Can Tell" and the Willie Dixon-penned "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover".
"The Chess Box" is the ultimate Bo Diddley-collection, but this is one single-disc collection that really hits the bullseye, and it is the perfect way to get started. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The purrfect introduction to Albert King
There are so many great r&b, jump blues oriented blues singers/guitarists, taht sometimes one disc has to cover a good overview, and this disc does the job. It has plaenty of jump blues stompers, as well as draggers and boppers. There is a little r'n'r but mostly shuffle blues rhythms, great for lindy hopping, jitterbug, jiving, or cruising or working on your 50's hotrod or custom. Awesome rockin' cd, essential! Also if you like Albert King, then Johnny Guitar Watson is a must(get "Hot Just Like TNT"). Buy this now!!!

A Very Good Overview of Albert King's Recorded Music.
Well compilation albums are always hard to assess. Everyone has their favourites or all time classics. I personally like the Rhino issues of most blues artists. The remastering is good and their liner notes are always well presented. This CD is great as an introduction or a sampling of Albert King's style of playing urban blues. He was heavily influenced by swing music, Louis Jordan, Robert Nighthawk and Tampa Red. But he couldn't play a slide. He created a style based on bending the strings to get to the notes you want and make them sing with vibrato. This disc takes you on a tour of Albert's recording career from the beginning at King Records with "Let's Have A Natural Ball", a great Jump Blues he used to use as a warm up tune, then on to "COD" from his very rare Coun-tree session. From here the set progresses into seven of his early Stax classics from "Born Under" a Bad Sign and "King of the Blues Guitar". Then on to the later Stax stuff with "I'll Play the Blues For You", from his most creative period. The CD ends with "Cadillac Assembly Line" which was a Stax tune, but released under the Tomato label. This is a well presented and compiled disc. It has great live moments in the famous Filmore West classic:"Blues Power", some rare items and a good cross section of King's recorded work. This was culled from a larger set "The Ultimate Collection" which was issued just after his death. This set has two discs and a great booklet as well. It even has a cut from his last recording sessions at Fantasy Records. It would be nice to include an early Chess release such as "Wild Woman" and something from his rare out of print album (and his last) "Red House". I love "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". This is a great disc for the blues beginner, casual fan, or as an inclusion in a blues collection. I think is covers most of King's great and innovative blues, funk, R&B and soul style. When he became popular in the 60's he was the leading exponent of using blues as a medium to instigate musical change. Afterall, blues is the roots of all American Pop Music. It is much like in the Scorsese series "The Blues" (on DVD) the film on "Godfathers and Sons" is about Hip-Hip artists doing a blues inspired modern tune. This is much like Albert did at Stax in the 1960s and it is well developed in this CD compilation. Also, what a great cover photo!!!

Very good if you only want one disc
"The Very Best Of Albert King" does a really good job drawing from King's 60s output and his soul-influenced latter-day recordings alike, and this is a very good single-disc overview of his career.
A couple of the selections are debatable, as always when you make a compilation, but almost all of the must-have classics are here, including "Let's Have A Natural Ball", "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong", "Crosscut Saw", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Laundromat Blues" and "I'll Play The Blues For You".
("The Hunter", "Down Don't Bother Me" and a few others are missing, though, which is a shame.)

Rhino's double-disc "The Ultimate Collection" is a lot more comprehensive, however, and contains almost every track from King's superb "Born Under A Bad Sign" LP. If you really only want one Albert King-CD in your collection, that's the one I'd go for.

The ONLY King
Years ago, when I purchased this disc, I thought it was a great introduction to the greatest Blues guitarist to ever live, it's great for someone who says, "Yeah, I like blues, B.B.'s cool." Because after hearing this, their life won't be quite the same. I can guarantee they will never listen to B.B. the same way again. Where B.B. plays clean and dare I say, wimpy, Albert was hard, funky, soulful, and dirty. Combining his MS delta blues with the Memphis Soul of Booker T. & the MGs, with the great Al Jackson on drums, King's blues recordings simply have no equals. Even later, without the MGs, King used top notch musicians and cooley slid into the 70s.

Now that I am familiar with so much more of the King's work, I realize how very limited this disc is. There are so many great tracks missing from here, including "Wrapped Up In Love Again", "Drowning On Dry Land", the Mack Rice penned "Playin' On Me" , and I could go on forever. There are tons of King CDs out there (mostly poorly done compilations), but a box set is truly long overdue. However, the sound here is great! This disc sure pleased me when I bought it, and it is always the first I reach for when I want to hear some of the masterpieces that are represented here.

Thursday Night in San Francisco is even better.
First five songs on this CD are excellent. If you are expecting blues but not funk rest of the songs may be a little boring. Thursday Night contains all blues of Albert King. You may check out Thursday Night before this CD. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Very few artists have attempted--or succeeded in--improving thestandard template for classic blues records set some 40 years ago in the golden age of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Perhaps R.L Burnside's recent heavily produced work on Fat Possum Records has come closest to adding an original slant.

On his new album, Buddy Guy looks to the same source for inspiration; seven of the nine songs here are written by Fat Possum's hill-country blues roster, including T-Model Ford and Junior Kimbrough.Working with producer Dennis Herring (Counting Crows, Jars of Clay) and asmall collective of Mississippi-based musicians, Guy sings with a passionthat can only come from the same source as the songs. The noise generated in the studio through vintage amplifiers has a live and dangerous feel toit. The acoustic opener, "Done Got Old," does not prepare the listener for the colossal aural assault of "Baby, Please Don't Leave Me." Fading in on apercussion track, Guy's guitar hits its cat-strangling best and never looksback, while the voice sounds energized, vital, and wholly contemporary.Through the 12-minute "I Got to Try It, Girl" to the closing Guycomposition "It's a Jungle Out There," Sweet Tea has all the hallmarks of a classic blues album, mixed with a twist of the new. --Rob Stewart ... Read more

Reviews (106)

Favorite album of 2001!...Junior LIVES
A couple of years ago I was brousing around a CD shop in North Carolina while on vacation. In their used blues section I dug up 3 CDs by Junior Kimbrough. I'd never heard any of his work, so I popped one in the CD previewer and immediately had found a sound I had been looking for for a long time. Junior cranked out long, soulful & heavy songs on all 3 discs I purchased that day.

After the first tune on Sweet Tea, a fine acoustic "Done Got Old", I immediately felt Junior's soul coming through with a distinct twist of Buddy Guy's frenetically aggressive guitar work. Sure enough, I checked the liner notes and was pleased to see that several of the tracks were Kimbrough's.

The pace keeps up throughout the CD. An amazing energy. I won't go into details about each track, but rest assured it's all GOOD!

Buddy gets down in the swamp blues!!!
Buddy Guy went to the swamp and mixed his classic blues sound up with some voodoo electricity. The result is an album so hot that it sears the soul of any listener brave enough to get down in Buddy's swamp blues. I haven't heard Buddy Guy sound this inspired since his revered "classic recordings". Buddy has found his Mojo again, and it is working overtime! His guitar playing is focused, and it cuts right down to the bone as it shrieks and howls through the stereo speakers. Buddy's vocals seem to be pulled from the very depths of his soul, and he sounds like he means every word he shouts, moans, and groans over this powerful music. This is a man ignited by and caught up in the blues. Buddy Guy may be an old man, as he sings on the first track, but on this album he sounds more like a mannish boy. If you like raw, passionate blues with an edge so sharp it makes you bleed inside, then this album is for you. BUY THIS CD IMMEDIATELY!!

Copy cat
An essential?! The best blues album in the past 10 years?! Hardly. This album is a collection of songs by the artists of the Fat Possum Label (T-Model Ford, Cedell Davis, and Junior Kimbrough) which have been covered by Buddy Guy. Why has he abandoned the sweet fluff he's been pumping out the past 15 years in favor of raw rural blues? Has he seen the light? Or is it a move by him and his label to cash-in on the sector that Fat Possum has dominated for the past 10 years? Either way, Guy's covers do not contribute to any of the originals in any way, so don't waste your time. Go to the sourcec, check-out T-Model Ford, Cedell Davis, or the late Junior Kimbrough, and see for yourself where the real blues are found. And what's with the shack on the cover?!

Blues with Guts
Buddy Guy takes the blues in a powerfull emotional direction with Sweet Tea. To me and to many other Buddy Guy fans, what separates Buddy from many other "want-to-be" blues players is emotion. Here on Sweat Tea, he lays it all out there. You can hear the love for the blues, you can hear the swamp and feel the power that is true Buddy Guys blues.

Any doubt, just check out Tramp. For those Stevie Ray Vaughn fans out there, if you want to here where Stevie came from, this is a perfect album.

Like a Fat Possum tribute... only pure Buddy, too...
I loved this CD. If it were vinyl, I think I'd have worn a groove in it by now. I was pretty clueless to the whole Mississippi Hill country artists and FatPossum scene, so I thought this was an incredible burst of creativity by Buddy Guy. Well, its not exactly. He is covering several of the Fat Possum artists that both together and individually breathe a new life into the blues. Since I bought this CD, I have started to explore these artists and love them too. But I can still go back to this CD without feeling like it is some ripoff. Buddy is covering a lot of Junior Kimbrough tunes on this CD, but he really puts his own stamp on it. He lets the rythym of Junior's original material be the launchpad for some great moaning and soulful guitar work. I read another review on here that complained that this album wasn't "Delta blues" and that Buddy wasn't such a great guitar player. Well, I honestly don't know what belongs in the "Delta Blues" pantheon, nor am I qualified to critique his fingering technique. But I know he takes some songs that were great by the original artist and plays them true to their essence, while adding his own moody style. It sounds awesome and I don't care about what else it is or isn't.

If you haven't heard the Fat Possum artists, I think there is a sort of desperation in a lot of the lyrics and nonsensical rythym. At least Junior Kimbrough's music feels that way. Buddy seems to be pleading with a woman in "I gotta try you Girl". It sounds like an intimate relationship, but when he gets to her response, she calls him "Mr. Guy". What is that about? It leaves you wondering if the whole song is about some unsavory relationship where they aren't even on a first name basis. But there is no doubting their passion for one another either. It is the kind of thing that seems to slide in under the radar with this style of blues and make it more interesting. The same song ends in some wild guitar work. It includes a sound effect like a clap of thunder, which another reviewer apparently didn't like. It seemed appropriate to me after that solo.

Tramp, which is my favorite song on the album has some incredible guitar riffs. They are slow and moody, moaning on. The original Junior Kimbrough version, sounds like Junior is three sheets to the wind, kind of mumbling, so its nice to actually hear the lyrics on Buddy's version. Although, Junior does a great slashing slide guitar solo on his version, Buddy's version feels truer to the mood of the song. One song starts out like the band is just warming up and picks up a groove. Someone else calls out, "Keep it going. Keep it going."

Yeah. Keep it going, Buddy. I for one, wouldn't complain a bit if you returned to the Fat Possum well of original blues material, again and again. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

'unplugged' blues at it's best...
Before I heard this album I was only aware of Buddy Guy's electric abilities, this record showcases just how enormous and down to earth his talent is. Together with the late Junior Wells he weaves a spontaneous and magical acoustic performance. Just wonderful.

Buddy Guy acoustic blues will blow you away !!!
My past experiences with Buddy Guy's music has been with his fender plugged in and turned up.A true blues icon imitated by every guitar player in the last decade so you could imagine my suprise to see this acoustic set with Junior Wells. Let me tell you one thing...I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!! He is a master of the guitar ..plugged in or not.This albulm is the real deal born from the juke-joints of yesterday.Every note he plays takes you furthur back to the days of smoke filled gin joints where hard working folk escaped the oppression of their days. If you only buy one CD this year make it this one. It is the best blues I ever heard. Buddy and Junior keepin it strong and real.Robert Johnson would be proud to hear his blues come full circle .THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

****½ - wonderful low-key acoustic blues
Okay, an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, how good can it be? Geez, everything must sound the same!
Eh? Well, it can be very good indeed, actually. And it is.

1991's "Alone & Acoustic" is one of the very best of the numerous albums that Chicago blues greats Buddy Guy and Junior Wells recorded together, an intimate, expressive session, and a showcase for Guy's abilities on the acoustic twelve-string as well as for Amos "Junior" Wells' tasteful harp playing.
Sharing lead vocals, the relaxed mood seems to suggest that the two old friends are just sitting down for an hour of easy jamming, but the performances are never sloppy, always tight and done with honesty and conviction.

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells play their own compositions (Guy's "Give Me My Coat And Shoes" and Wells' "Big Boat" are among the highlights), as well as covering artists like Jimmy Rogers (a great "That's All Right"), Sonny Terry (an equally fine "Diggin' My Potatoes"), and John Lee Hooker. There are no fewer than three John Lee Hooker-numbers here, actually, and rather than substituting his own name in Hooker's mini-epos "Boogie Chillen", George "Buddy" Guy lets the narrator refer to himself as "Johnny"!

Okay, so the setting may have been an Alligator Records studio, but this is still acoustic street-corner blues at its best, and one of the warmest, most enjoyable blues records I've ever listened to.

WOW!!
THE VOICE IS SO DEEP AND WONDERFUL.. THAT TOGETHER WITH THE GUITAR THE MIXING OF BOTH "INSTRUMENTS" IS AMAZING!!
RECORD TO DIE4.

Great collaboration, great music
This is simply a great bit of acoustic blues. I highly recommend it for any listening audience. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Call it three for the price of one. Far from engaging in a guitar-playing shootout, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and Johnny Copeland work together incredibly well, achieving a kind of musical synergy that's rarely heard. Copeland and Cray handle most of the vocal duties, and Cray's smooth, soul-tinged voice (positively shiver-eliciting on "The Dream," as is Collins's lead guitar work) complements Copeland's growl perfectly. Collins doesn't get to sing as much, but he more than makes up for it with his harmonica on the slow blues "Bring Your Fine Self Home." And of course, all three turn in stellar guitar work, trading solos and rhythm parts with the greatest of ease; Cray was a relative newcomer at the time of this recording, but he more than holds his own. One would be hard pressed to find a better blues collaboration anywhere. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Educate Me, Please!
Nothing better than a showcase of bluesmen, exemplifying what one man's influence can have on his prodigies. In this case, Johnny Copeland and Robert Cray both owe much of their sound to Collins' style and influence. Collins met Cray while touring through the Northwest, playing a gig at a high school prom. Years later, Cray was out giving his own concerts, and has been recognized as one of blues' brightest young stars.

T-Bone Shuffle is a great example of this particular CD, with each guitarist singing a verse and soloing out before the next one steps up to the plate - and each one drives the ball right out of the park...

An essential CD to have in your blues collection, without a doubt.

Peace Out.

They're into something !
A great CD by 3 blues-giants, this album won a Grammy for the best blues album. Albert Collins had been brought to the very top of contemporary blues through his recordings for the Alligator-label, while Johnny Copeland hadn't quite received the response his talent deserved. Robert Cray was perhaps an odd choice for this group, for when this album was recorded in 1985, he wasn't really the big name he was to become a mere year later. But an inspired choice it turned out to be ! The tunes have been carefully picked to bring out the vast talent these men had. The 3 men take turns playing a solo and singing the vocals. As all 3 have a distinct style, both when it comes to singing as when it comes to playing the guitar, this is a well-varied album, which fans of modern Texas blues should really love !

Brilliant Collaboration
I've been listening to this effort for over a decade and it still sounds good. It's hard to imagine that these guys hadn't worked together for years. Many collaborative efforts come off as contrived. This comes off smooth and natural. The combination of Collins' guitar and Cray's voice on "The Dream" is spine-tingling. "Black Cat Bone" is another favorite.

Two Old Pros and an Upcoming Star
Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland were two of the pioneers of Texas blues, and major influences to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. These two guys work their magic on this CD, and bring on a young bluesman named Robert Cray. These guys just seem to have fun with this CD, never trying to outdo each other. Great riffs in the leadoff track "T-Bone Shuffle", harmonica on "Bring Your Fine Self Home", lyrics in "Black Cat Bone" (hear Johnny Copeland yelling "Hey Albert!") and the last track "Blackjack" where each does a tremendous guitar solo. Cray, of course, is now a major talent in his own right, and Johnny Copeland lives on in a way in his daughter Shemekia Copeland's music, but here is a playful, low-key yet powerful, piece of work from some of the masters of electric blues. Highly recommended for serious blues fans.

A must have for a guitar fan
These guys are great, and I wish this were a box set. I could listen to this trio for weeks. ... Read more

Amazon.co.uk

Born Under a Bad Sign dates back to a time when albums were collections of singles, and when singles, designed for radio and jukebox play, seldom ran more than three and a half minutes. That limitation meant that artists had to make an impact quickly and firmly. In blues, the tendency of songs to go on a bit had to be curbed to produce performances with punch and point. There are few better examples of this process in action than Albert King's 1960s tracks like "Crosscut Saw," "Born Under a Bad Sign," and his story of hot whispers during the hot-wash cycle, "Laundromat Blues." With his thick voice and no-nonsense guitar, King brought absolute blues credibility to the well-made commercial single, and even tracks that were recorded purely for the album, like the aching slow blues "As the Years Go Passing By," became classics. Reissued with the original funky cover art, Born Under a Bad Sign is one of the foundation stones of a blues collection. --Tony Russell ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Greatest Blues Guitar Album Ever?!
If you are reading this review, I'll have to assume you are new to blues and blues guitar in particular. If you weren't, you wouldn't need any convincing by me to pick this classic up right away. BB King may be called the King of the Blues, but Albert King is the player most wished they could sound like. He was Stevie Ray Vaughan's favorite player and the only man Hendrix said he was afraid to share a stage with. Live Wire, Blues Power may feature flashier long extended guitar solos, but this cd, more then any other, is the one I use to answer the question: who is Albert King? I just pop it in the deck and let the opening title track fill the room. Two or three tracks are usually all I need to get any newbie running out for their own copy. With guys like Booker T., Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and the great Issac Hayes backing Albert up, this thing grooves from begining to end and every track is a gem. This could quite possibly be the single greatest and most important blues album ever recorded. It's so nice to see it available again. Do yourself a favor and make this your next blues guitar cd. While you're at it, pick up Live Wire, Blues Power and I'll Play the Blues for You. You may have just found a new favorite guitar player.

Unbelievably good - great tracks, great sound - true classic
There are perhaps 4 or 5 classic blues albums that all blues fans should own and this is one of them. The album contains definitive versions of many classic blues tracks, such as Born Under a Bad Sign, Crosscut Saw, 'Oh, Pretty Woman', the Hunter (popularized by the rock band Free). ... The sound and tones captured here are excellent (so many recordings loose something when transferred to CD) and Albert's playing show taste and restraint but also fire. Something magic happened when Albert King & Booker T and the MGs (including Steve Cropper)got together.

Most of the tracks have been covered many times over by blues stars including the likes of Eric Clapton, Gary Moore and SRV.
There were a couple of excellent tracks that were new to me (Laundromat Blues and Personal Manager). That said, there are two tracks that seemed dated and which I do not care for: "I almost lost my mind" and "The very though of you" (the liner describes them as "uptown"), but there is more than enough A1+ quality blues here to make that a total non-issue. Quite simply sublime.

The real "KING" of the blues
This is an exceptional blues album from Albert King. It includes such classics as Born under a bad sign, Oh pretty woman, the hunter, and Laundromat blues. Buy this album and listen to Albert's guitar sing and then you will recognize why such greats as stevie ray Vaughan and eric clapton site king as a major influence.

Ranked #499 By Rolling Stone
This is a solid blues album by a man named Albert King and this album dates back to 1967 he also has a cover of Kansas City this album has good instrumentation and good singing.
Lyrics 9/10 Production 10/10 Music 9/10 Style 6/10 Voice 7/10
Overall 41/50 This album is a solid 4 star release

GREAT
I purchased this album on Friday the thirteenth after hearing a few of Albert King's tracks, knowing that I would not be dissapointed.
This album starts off with the great songs: "Born Under A Bad Sign," an anthem to those with bad luck and then continues to give one blues classic after another.
Anybody reading this review probably already knows about Albert King's adept guitar playing and there is really no need to say that much more about it, but I will. In my opinion he is the best of the three kings (Albert, Freddy, and BB). His guitar is very mixed, sometimes he delivers the little riff in between each line and other times he goes all out and plays really fast and powerful solos, other times he is just committed to creating a melody. He did everything that a great guitar player needed to do on this album and surely it will not dissapoint any fan of the blues. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Released in 1979, this live album is a gem, from the enthusiastic audience (who cheer every line of opener "Mannish Boy") to Muddy Waters's killer guitar to vocals that tease and deliver by turns. The slide work is what to listen for here, especially on "Howling Wolf," where Waters gives any guitar virtuoso a run for his money. There are other special moments as well, including the absolutely killer timing on "She's Nineteen Years Old," the rock-bottom-deep vocals on "Baby Please Don't Go," and the slow sensuality of "Deep Down in Florida." The only shortcoming of this CD is that it's so short: there are only seven songs here, which will leave any listener wanting more. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Muddy was still in command.
Muddy was the man. And this disc proves it. On every single one of the tracks on this disc we hear an older Muddy still in full command of that special sense of timing and vocal control that made his name synonomous with blues. He teases us with a slow, stalling intro to a rocking version of Mannish Boy. He introduces Nineteen Years Old, playing to the crowd: "If she wasn't a young girl I wouldn't be arguing over her. I'm so carried away with young women that I'll kill anyone about one of'em." Highlights like these abound, and live audiences hoot their approval the whole way through. Also of note is some stellar instrumental work. James Cotton blows some searing harp on Nine Below Zero, as does Jerry Portnoy on Baby Please Don't Go. Both Johnny Winter and Pinetop Perkins cut loose on the marathon Deep Down in Florida. And, of course, Muddy displays his usual impressive chops on the slide. Buy this album and put it in your CD player at high volume. The results are electric.

Steamy!
This latter-day album gives the listener a chance to hear Muddy Waters playing live with the band that he recorded his 1977 comeback LP, "Hard Again" with.
The musicians include Joe "Pinetop" Perkins, Johnny Winter and harpists James Cotton and Jerry Portnoy, and the crowd greets every song and every solo with enthusiastic response.

Muddy Waters himself plays slide guitar on a couple of tracks, and while his improvisations are more enthusiastic than melodic, the band is generally quite tight, and the highlights include "Mannish Boy", "She's Nineteen Years Old", "Deep Down In Florida", Sonny Boy Williamson's "Nine Below Zero", and a powerful rendition of Big Joe Williams' "Please Don't Go".
The atmosphere is great, and so is the music. Seven tracks is a little on the short side, and the sound isn't quite as three-dimensional as on "Chicago 1979" or "Muddy Waters At Newport" (or the stereo cuts on "Mojo"), but "Muddy 'Mississippi' Waters is nevertheless a really good latter-day Muddy album.
Look out for the expanded 2004 re-release...

Vital Mckinnely Morganfeild
If you don't have it please get it just wish it had more live music .

MUDDY AT HIS BEST
I picked up this Grammy winning live album (his 3rd of 4 Blue Sky releases) on vinyl after seeing Muddy open for Eric Clapton at the Capital Centre (R.I.P.) on April 26, 1979. After being blown away by this blues legend, it struck me that over half of the audience (which was still straggling in) had missed the best part of the show (and would never know it). As good as Muddy is on record, he is truely in his element on stage. Therefore, I just had to add this live album to my collection. When I upgraded my stereo system, this is one of the first CDs that I purchased. If you like Muddy, you'll love him live.

Howlin, Screamin, N' Slidin
What a performance, thank GOD it got recorded! The whole band is at the top of their game, and Muddy just smokes!

Muddy and the audience feed off each other's enthusiasm - making this a very special live recording!

This is nothing short of a MUST HAVE release for the blues fan!

For those of us who never had the chance to see Muddy perform live, this is as close as you can get.

Put it on, turn it up, close your eyes, and ENJOY! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Raised near the border of Texas and Louisiana, Marcia Ball continues to claim dual citizenship for her music, forging a rollicking roadhouse groove that has never sounded richer or more vital than it does here. With her piano style steeped in the soul of New Orleans, Ball and coproducer Doyle Bramhall enlist the Cajun accordion of Pat Breaux and the bluesy Texas bite of Pat Boyack's guitar and Gary Primich's harmonica on a collection that holds its own with the classics that inspired her. Highlights range from a duet with Delbert McClinton on Allen Toussaint's "You Make It Hard" to the supper-club sophistication of "She's So Innocent" to the album-closing homage to Huey "Piano" Smith, "You Make Me Happy." Though uptempo rhythm & blues dominates the selection, the open-hearted balladry of "Let the Tears Roll Down" and "I Have a Right to Know" brings out the best in Ball. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Marcia as good as ever
Marcia has been influenced by many different styles of music, predominately blues and roots rock but also including R+B, country and jazz - even some Cajun. You can find elements of all these in this album though some are more obvious than others. She has never been a prolific recording artist but her albums are all of the highest quality. This wonderful album, mostly of good-time music, shows Marcia singing as good as ever and backed by plenty of great musicians, although she only occasionally shows her dynamic skills on the piano.

The songs are mainly original (often written by Marcia) but also include covers of You make it good (a cover of an Allen Toussaint song featuring Delbert McClinton as duet vocalist), I have the right to know (originally written and recorded by Brenda Burns and also covered by Francine Reed) and I'm coming down with the blues (a Don Covay song from 1960).

Among the original songs, I particularly like Louella (on which Marcia makes more use of her piano than usual for this album), Thibodaux Louisiana (with a touch of Cajun). She's so innocent (an outstanding ballad) and You make me happy (a great song to close the album) - but every song here is brilliant.

If you like great rock music with a variety of other influences, this is for you.

Strong material, variable production
It's refreshing to hear music that's sung and played by a serious musician: Marcia Ball's exciting New Orleans-styled piano and her committed vocals are a happy invitation to an uplifting listening experience. This album sounds like it was recorded...in an actual *recording* studio? Yes, the air is a little tight around the mike, but do I hear a real acoustic piano?
The highlight of the album is "She's So Innocent", a kind of album sub-title, a mello and sombre ballad beautifully rendered by Marcia. This is the quietest slow number here and the most impressive. "I Have The Right To Know" is reminiscent of the best of Percy Sledge, with a dash of Domino (as in Fats). Like many of the selections, however, it runs about one minute too long. The Don Covay co-composition "I'm Coming Down With The Blues" is a great addition. It's a lesser-known slow number and it's soulful throughout.
The best uptempo item is "Fly On The Wall", actually a mid-tempo. The arrangement is perfect with backing vocals well mixed. A contender is the Ball composition "Louella", somewhat reminiscent of Frankie Ford's "Roberta" [aka "Loberta"], a fun lyric about some chick's penchant for making private business public. Must make a nice *set* entry.
"Count The Days" has an entertaining hook, but the arrangement is third-rate. With lyrics presumeably derived from the Presley-related "Milcow Blues Boogie" and a chorus possibly based upon The Beatles "All Together Now" you'd think this track would cook, but the mindless repetition of "...one, two, three..." and the length of the tune leaves one perplexed by a poorly integrated novelty effect. Maybe a fun after hours sing-along but not a number to hold the third position on an album by an esteemed artist.
The CD closes with Marcia's "You Make Me So Happy", an engaging track which directs you right back to Track One. Perhaps by leaving off a few numbers and simplifying a few more the album would really cook. Still a notable effort.
[Marcia is included on the Island Visual Arts video "Let The Good Times Roll - A Film About The Roots Of American Music"].

5 Stars Ain't Enough But It Is All That I Can Do
I am a long term Marcia Ball fan. Her music and piano boogie really energizes me. Recently she appeared in concert locally (Norman OK). I took my two daughters who are in their early 20s and who were not familiar with Ms Ball. They were both mesmerized by the talent and the music of this lady. Any of her CDs are a bargain. All of her stuff is fun. All of her music is hot ... hot ... hot!

"talent in the purest form...Marcia Ball"
Think of boogie woogie, zydeco, piano skills unmatched and a great expressive style...the result is Marcia Ball...memories of past releases come to mind ~ "Hot Tamale Baby", "Gatorhythms", "Blue House", "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" and "Sing It", all on the Rounder label, composer of blues with lyrics pouring straight from the heart...I'm a big, big fan, and this latest release from Alligator Records ~ "Presumed Innocent", spells a winner.

From ballads to New Orleans blues, Marcia keeps them coming straight at you, entire CD is a must have...don't pass this one up...Can't say enough, except...we need more of the same...so spin this, sit back and enjoy, cause' Marcia's so happy when she's with you...you're going to have a ~ BALL!

Total Time: 52:53 on 13 Tracks ~ Alligator Records ALCD-4879 ~ (2001)

Not what I expected, but I like it
I was shopping in the Amaxon's Alligator web site and I saw Marcia Ball, I bought it on a wim. Not hard blues but good, fun rythm and blues. Great stuff. I don't have any others, but I will. Great Piano by Marcia, and great guitar, especially on Thibodaux, Louisiana, A great rocking tune. Delbert McClinton stops by on Scene of the Crime. If you like old fashioned fun Rythm and Blues this is great stuff... ... Read more

Amazon.com

If Bonnie Raitt played piano and had a little more New Orleans in her, she'd be proud to claim the soulful sincerity of this release as her own. Producer Stephen Bruton (long Raitt's lead guitarist) polishes this groove-laden set with rich arrangements of horns and harmonies, as Cajun accordionist Wayne Toups, former Storyville vocalist Malford Milligan, and blues guitarist Pat Boyack provide additional sonic spice. Though the second-line syncopation of "Foreclose on the House of Love," the buoyant swamp pop of "Honeypie" (with Toups), and an acoustic, mandolin-driven transformation of the funky "Three Hundred Pounds of Hongry" find the veteran blueswoman in playful spirits, she shows her depth as a balladeer on originals such as "Give Me a Chance" and "The Storm," as well as a revival of Arthur Alexander's classic "If It's Really Got to Be This Way." Between the river towns of New Orleans (Ball's musical homeland) and Austin (where she's based), these 14 cuts cover a lot of ground. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Reviews (1)

More like it.
I was disappointed with Marcia's last album, "Presumed Innocent", as it had a somewhat antiseptic sound for this most organic of performers. "So Many Rivers" sounds much more vibrant and closer in feel to her best album: "Let Me Play with Your Poodle". Her playing and that of her band is solid and rollicking. The mix between rockers and ballads is perfect. However, to experience Marcia at her best you need to see her in concert. This album should provide some excellent fodder for her current live set. A live album would really do Marcia justice. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Very impressive!
A lot of tribute albums seem to really stray from the original songs and become more about the person doing the cover. On this one, however, you can tell that everyone was very serious about what they did. Every song is done very tastefully and you can tell that all the artists probably had a great time in making these songs. I love the Spin Doctors rendition of "Spanish Castle Magic." It has their signature style and TONS of energy. A definite standout. Buddy Guy's take on "Red House" is also good. It is done in old blues fashion with just a hint of Buddy's wildness. "Hey Joe" done by Ice T's band Body Count is very intense. Very tight band and heartfelt vocals. Nice job! Seal and Jeff Beck come together for a very cool version of "Manic Depression." Seal's silky-smooth voice sounds great and so does Jeff's tone. Nigel Kennedy does one of the instrumentals on this one; "Fire." Pat Matheny does the other ("Third Stone From the Sun") and both sound great. Jimi would no doubt be very proud of the work by these two masters. The last, and in my opinion, best track on this album is "Hey Baby (Land of the New Rising Sun)" done by M.A.C.C., which stands for McCready (Mike, guitarist from Pearl Jam), Ament (Jeff, bassist from Pearl Jam), Cameron (Matt, drummer from Soundgarden) and Cornell (Chris, singer from Soundgarden). This is unbelievable. It has the moody feel of these two bands and the amazing vocals of Chris "Leatherlungs" Cornell. This is a very powerful song and must be heard to be believed! Overall, this is a very, very, very good album. I didn't know what to expect when I bought this one a few years ago, but boy am I glad I did! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Defiles the legacy of one of history's great guitarists
Stone Free, a collection of Jimi Hendrix covers, attempts to celebrate Hendrix's legacy and fails miserably.

The album's newer artists seem daunted by the task of covering God's gift to the guitar, and end up only adding to the misconception that Hendrix's songs are a calculated mixture of screeching guitars and drugged-out vocals.

The guity parties range from the Cure, with their dancefloor destruction (and I mean that in a bad way) of "Purple Haze" to Belly with a lethargic "Are you Experienced?"

P.M. Dawn is its wimpy worst on "You Got Me Floatin'", Pearl Jam and Soundgarden members collaborate on an especially pretentious version of "Hey Baby", and does anybody really care what the Spin Doctors sound like on "Spanish Castle Magic"? Didn't think so!

The CD's few "mature" artists fare reasonably better. Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy turns in a blistering performance of "Red House" and Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck actually have the guitar chops to justify their appearance on a Hendrix tribute. Come to think of it, this CD could have benefited from more of the same: Where are Hendrix fans and guitar greats Pete Townshend, Prince, and Eddie Van Halen when you need them?

In the end, Stone Free only proves what Hendrix fans already know: the best versions of Hendrix's songs are by Hendrix himself.

Tribute albums SUCK
Tribute albums SUCK Buy the originals dammit, don't be a complete loser.

Funky rendition of Purple Haze by The Cure
I bought this album for the funky rendition of Purple Haze by The Cure. I love that rendition. In this tribute album, the artists give their own renditions to the songs, not trying to imitate Hendrix. I like it.

Cruddier than a backed up septic tank.
I'm really sorry, but this is simply a bad cd. While there are some good songs(never anything close to the original, of course), the "various artists" who added their versions of Hendrix's genuis to this cd shouldv'e put them on one of their own cds. With this and that Pepsi commercial, i wonder more and more if Hendrix's relatives aren't just whoring his image out for cash(which is cruelly ironic, if you know how Hendrix was milked to death by his management and those around him while he was alive). ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is the infamous "somebody-put-something-in-the-Waters" LP from 1968. A relative hit for Chess, it features the exalted bluesman bellowing over psychedelicized arrangements that owe more to Steppenwolf than Willie Dixon. Waters himself complained that the drums were too busy and the lead guitar sounded like a cat's meow. Not a bad critique. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Not excactly horrible, just superflous
With the exception of a terrible rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together", "Electric Mud" isn't unbeararble to listen to, it's just not particularly good either.
Muddy Waters' vocals are fine, sure, but the psychedelic arrangements and aimless guitar wailing doesn't suit the songs.

Guitarists Pete Cosey, Ronald Faulkner and Phil Upchurch, who back Muddy Waters on these eight songs, are probably quite talented players, but Muddy's brand of tough, downhome electric blues suffers greatly at the hands of extended fuzzy solos, manic drumming, and occasional wailing soprano saxophones which bounce around aimlessly like loose basketballs.

If you're really into 60s psychedelia, you might like "Electric Mud" just fine. If you're into the blues, don't waste your money on this album, which is neither original nor particularly well executed; rather it's a classically wrongheaded, crass update of the blues for a supposed "modern" audience, and everything here is readily available in much, much better versions.

A Crime Against Humanity!!
The reviewers below must be joking. This is an abomination - probably the worst album I've ever heard. I'm not a purist, just a lover of good music - and even Muddy recognised that this was awful. Much maligned? It really can't be maligned enough. By any standard this is truly dreadul - an attempt by an ill-informed record label to make Muddy Waters more accessible to white audiences. How? Who knows. Do yourself a favour, if you're after "Electric Mud", go for either "Hard Again" or "I'm Ready" (both produced by Johnny Winters). Poisoned chalk and an epicurist's cheese!

Flower Power Mud!!
A great combination of Muddy's powerful blues growl, and the musicianship of some of the best psychedelic players-Phil Upchurch, Pete Cosey(who later played with Miles Davis), etc.. Howlin' Wolf did an even wilder album at the same time(1968), with the same musicians, which I would like to see released on cd. I know a lot of people consider this a stinker, but I like this strange compelling mixture of tradition and modernism. FOUR STARS!!

I Don't Get It. This Sure Ain't The Muddy I Know & Love
Just a lot of fuzz-tone and reverb...over-done, over-produced...over rated.

Not as bad as the critics say it is.
Aside from the pointless meandering of "She's Alright," this isn't a bad album. It certainly isn't the Holy Grail of blues, but it isn't as bad as Waters or the critics say it is.

In case you don't know, Muddy Waters, in 1968, wasn't making any more hits. In a desperate attempt, Chess Records decided to put him with some avant-garde jazz musicians and make a Jimi Hendrix like album.

It's not that bad. I Just Want To Make Love To You fits in perfectly with Are You Experienced, and I really like Mannish Boy. Let's Spend The Night Together is quite good, even though everyone disagrees with me. The only song I hated was She's Alright, which went on and on with pointless soloing, and an instrumental version of "My Girl."

I'm sure Muddy was really pissed off that he couldn't make a real blues album, but this is ok. Then again, I always liked the electric blues of the 60s. Listen first, then buy it if you like it. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

This four-CD box set remains the absolutely definitive B.B. King collection, with 77 recordings and a biographical book that contains the great singer-guitarist's own remembrances of his decades-long career. It samples every stage of his development, from his days struggling to craft his music in the shadow of influences like T-Bone Walker and Lonnie Johnson to his latter-day pairings with rockers like Bonnie Raitt and Gary Moore. The one constant is his open-hearted singing and the soulful, contemplative solos he squeezes from his beloved guitar Lucille. These discs, of course, embrace all his essential hits, from his first--1951's "Three O'Clock Blues"--to his 1970 smash "The Thrill Is Gone," which took King to the pop charts and made him a household name. If this package is too lavish for the budget, try the excellent Best of B.B. King, Volume 1, which collects many of King's great early works. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (13)

You Need This Set
I was on the line of whether I just liked B.B. or really liked B.B. After I bought this box set I upgraded to loving B.B. This is one of the greatest collections of tunes I have ever heard. Muddy is still the king of blues in my book but B.B. definitely deserves to wear a crown too.

A Box Set fit for a King
I grew up on His Music thanks to My Family I became aware of Blues Music&also B.B King.this Box Set Highlights His Career Between Him&Lucille.His Voice&Playing are something else no matter what time period.on Guitar for me B.B. King has always had a Sound that no matter where you are in the World you know that it is Him.B.B. King is One of the Baddest Cats Ever to Make Music.His Story telling&VIbe is very Addictive.

"He paid the Cost , To be the Boss"!
I just bought this box set last week and have been enjoying it like no tomorrow. I have many records of the top Blues singers going back to Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith, but I do believe that this is the best "complete" set on one artist! Man can them songs take you back. If I knew that this collection was this good I would of bought it years ago when it first came out (1992). No matter what your Budget is ,if you are really into the Blues you should buy this set - even if it means eating half lunches for a week or two, you won't be sorry. After hearing these tunes "The Thrill is Back"!

A really like it but...
Due to some unfathomable screw-up, the 90 second guitar intro was cut off of Gambler's Blues! This is a great intro and you can find the whole song on the 2-CD Anthology or Classic Live Performances.

This set needs to be remastered and songs added to fill-er-up to near 80 minutes per CD. Though there is already 72-74 minutes per CD, there is enough other good BB to easily add 20 minutes more of music for the 4 CDs.

Fantastic!
BB King is an amazing artist and this box set is a must for whoever can get their hands on it. Now I know where the title Lucille came from for his guitar, which he so eloquently describes for us in the song, just great storytelling. The second disc is simply awesome with a great start with "Going Down Slow," an extremely well done live performance! You can completely imagine exactly what BB is talking about thinking about a young man coming up to Chicago and blowing all of his hard earned money on a good time, and being abandoned by all his "friends" when the money runs out. BB knows the blues, and he sings like he was right next to you during the hardest of those times, and somehow you don't feel so all alone and your problems don't seem as miserable. I can't imagine a more talented performer, he really captures your whole undivided attention. There are simply too many highlights to name, but get this set and find out a great artists' work! And this box set doesn't just take it slow, there are rockers (She's Dynamite), jazzy ballads (try "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"), smokey blues, blazing guitar, cool guitar, the whole gamut. This is entertainment as fine as can be found. Take your time with this set and really get to know it, you'll be really glad you did. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

OOOOOOOTTTTIIIS RRRUUUUSSSHHHH !!!!!!
This album is a must have for fans of blues guitar, or just great blues music. Otis Rush is a force to reckoned with on this album, his guitar is alive in his hands and sings, squeals and grunts at times. His singing is powerful, and always tasteful.
Right from the opening track his 'blue guitar' hits the mark and never waivers. All Your Love is well done, and I also loved that he did a version of Kenny Burrell's Chitlin's Con Carne !!! very cool !
Otis Rush is awesome and certainly lives up to his nick-name as 'King of Singing String.'

Awesome Blues Power
Here is some of the most perfect blues guitar playing you will ever hear. There's even a smokin' version of Kenny Burrell's Chitlins Con Carne. You can hear the warmth & slight crackle of the tubes in Otis'amp. Tone to the bone. Majestic vibrato. Spine tingling singing. Otis' only living equal in this music (that I can think of right now) is Buddy Guy. I have several Otis Rush CD's. Highest recommendation to this one, Right Place, Wrong Time, and Cold Day in Hell (if it's still in print, I'm not sure). Blues Power.

Buy this CD. The sound is superb. There are no clunkers here
You can feel his guitar sing beautifuly on every track. His vibrato is second to none. If you like it, get "Right Place Wrong Time".

You can almost hear Otis breath through the speakers!
This is one of the most Raw in your face Blues recordings I have ever heard! Otis sings with deep conviction and plays with a passion and makes every note count! The crowd is very enthusiastic and this adds to the excitement! One of my all time favorites at The Crazy Coyote Blues Power Show at 1490 KOTY AM (1490koty.com) Yakima Nation Reservation station in southcentral Washington state.

Otis Rush is the Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Otis Rush is just sometimes with me another dimension. Otis has influenced every major Blues artist playing guitar since the 60's. This is easily one of his best listening Cd's with the performance and selection of songs here. He is one of the VERY few who are still alive from the 50's cutting edge consisting of Otis,Freddie King,Magic Sam,Luther Allison,Buddy Guy and Eddy Clearwater of the West Side Chicago sound. He is in Japan here where some of his best performances have been recorded. He is scheduled to go back to Japan to tour in May 2001. Hopefully someone will have the foresight to record him on audio and video. I rank this CD in my Top Ten of alltime Blues CD's. Its a must for any lover of the blues! ... Read more

Amazon.com

As the first artist on Chicago's esteemed Alligator imprint (and the reason owner Bruce Iglauer started the company), wild-man slide guitarist Hound Dog Taylor has attained legendary status. His crude, propulsive sound even inspired the label's "Genuine Houserockin' Music" motto. Taylor left behind only two studio releases and a live disc when he died in 1975, but Iglauer has now unearthed more previously unreleased material. Recorded between 1971 and 1975, Release the Hound contains a mix of studio and live material that is every bit the equal of Taylor's existing catalog--and even more raw and primitive. The six-fingered six-stringer explodes through a volatile collection of boogie, blues, and good-time shuffles that makes Elmore James sound like Keb' Mo' in comparison. Hound Dog and his riotous bass-free backing duo of guitar and near-tribal drums were not technical perfectionists, but they could sure fire up a party thanks to Taylor's combustive mix of scorching slide playing and magnetic personality. --Hal Horowitz ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Unreleased and raucous!
I was chomping at the bit when I heard this was going to be released. This new release of vault material contains 3 studio recordings and 11 live tracks. My appetite was whetted by the 2 unissued live tracks from these concerts included on the Hound Dog Taylor Deluxe Edition. For the uninitiated Taylor's band which featured Brewer Phillips on second guitar and Ted Harvey on drums (Levi Warren deputizes for Harvey on 3 tracks)is the blues equivalent of a garage rock band. Hound Dog's combination of a cheap Japanese guitar and his frenetic slide playing is unforgettable. Most of the tracks are live and although the sound may not be up to current standards, it sounds as good as most bootlegs and the energy of the performances makes up for any sound deficiencies. The live tracks are a mixture of outtakes from the live "Beware Of The Dog" album and various radio broadcasts. Among the unissued tracks is the energetic studio instrumental "Phillip's Screwdriver", a cover of Freddie King's "Sen-Sa-Shun" and the Howlin' Wolf tribute "The Dog Meets The Wolf". Taylor wrenches emotion from his cover of Elmore James' "It Hurts Me Too" and Taylor's autobiographical slow blues "Things Don't Work Out Right". Strong versions of Taylor classics like "She's Gone", "Sadie" , "Walking The Ceiling" and "See Me In The Evening/It's Alright" are among the other highlights. Every track whether an original or cover contains the distinctive stamp of the Houserockers. Taylor's slashing slide guitar and infectious sense of humor shine through making this one of the best vault reissues of the year. Highly recommended!

god damn!!! this is raw and furious!!! god bless hound dog..
god bless hound dog taylor. that's all. just god bless his guitar, his voice, his soul and his blues...
I'm a younger blues fan(25) from Chicagoland, and while I'd heard OF Hound Dog Taylor for the longest time, I'd never HEARD Hound Dog Taylor, y'know what I mean?
I read a review in the Illinois Entertainer about this album coming out and they described him as a cross between the blues and punk. That got my attention real quick, as I've also dug on punk rock my whole life...
went out to my local record shop, they had the promo, listened...and holy f&*^% s*^&^!!!! I immediately fell in love!!! It moved me in ways I love to be moved. it touched my heart. I wished to god I had been at the shows on the record. I wished I had gotten to see him play!! why hadn't I known earlier how INCREDIBLE Hound Dog was/is?
Hound Dog's slide is absolutely BLISTERING. his voice is raw and strained. the band(the houserockers), comprised of a drum kit and another guitar(yes, a 3 piece) is unreal. The album cover is a great painting by another favorite musician of mine and Chicago-via-Wales local Jon Langford(ex-Mekons). Inside the album tells some great anecdotal info on Hound Dog and the band and how they played for practically nothing and Hound Dog on a cheap Japanese guitar with a slide made from a brass kitchen table leg! hell yes! Hound Dog is raw and vicious and touxhes your heart all at once. If you dig slide, boogie, roadhouse-juke joint, punk and or blues...hell...just get it and be done with it. get bit by the hound dog and you'll never be the same again...
cheers hound dog

More fun than any of his previous albums...
I was turned on to Hound Dog Taylor by a friend in college. I always liked 'Beware of the Dog' but this album is even more exciting. There are some recording imperfections but chances are , if you're a Hound Dog fan, you're already used to this. Regardless, these performances are riveting and loads of fun. Don't wait on this one!

Another Great Live Album for Hound Dog Fans!
The one thing those who were lucky enough to see Hound Dog Taylor play live all agree with, is that he always put on the best of shows. Like the first live Hound Dog album, "Beware Of The Dog", on this 2004 release, Release the Dog, we can hear Taylor living it up with the audience both before and after he would get into a number, and like on his first live album, you can feel right down to your bones, just how grand he did play live.

If it wasn't for new technology, chances are we never would have gotten to hear this album, as the recordings were all very raw, with lots of tape hiss, etc. But most of that has been cleaned up, and we now get to hear a bunch of his songs live that we never before have, and if your a fan, you will be delighted at what you will hear.

The album, like so many of his past studio LPs, blasts off with an explosion from the Dog's guitar, with the Elmore James cover "Wild About You Babe". This live take is better than the one we hear him play on his debut album, and it's the best song on the album. But every live song on here is excellent, the man just had a knack for playing to a crowd! We get to hear him play "Sadie" with fine results, and another James cover, "It Hurts Me Too", is also tops. Then there is the slower number, "Things Don't Work Out Right", which sounds like a rework of his song "Freddie's Blues". It contains different lyrics - with drummer Ted Harvey adding background talk just like he does on "Freddie's Blues", but the music here is a bit more up tempo, with more of Hound Dog's guitar here than what is heard on "Freddie's Blues".

We also get to hear the original drummer for the Houserockers, Levi Warren on three songs, "She's Gone", "It Hurts Me Too", and " The Dog Meets The Wolf" (a tribute to Howling Wolf), which comes from the first live gig that the Hound and his band ever played outside of the Chicago area.

In addition to the live stuff, this LP also contains three studio recordings. Two are alternative takes of "Walking On The Ceiling" - which contains a nice drum solo by Harvey, and "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia", the song that would later metamorphous into "Give Me Back My Wig". The third studio cut is something that was never released before, "Phillips Screwdriver", an instrumental featuring Brewer Phillips playing a fine lead guitar, as Hound Dog lays down a heavy bass line.

The album closes off with an untitled little rap between the Dog and Harvey, which is priceless. What I reviewed here is the pre-released promo album, I only hope that they include this little gem on the official release.

Hound Hog has been gone for almost 30 years now, so hearing anything unreleased from him is cool. But don't expect something along the lines of the compilation, posthumous album "Genuine Houserocking Music", which was an okay album, but not anywhere as good as this one, which is great! What a true joy for all Hound Dog fans! ... Read more