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Dave Specter -> Hubert Sumlin
| DAVE SPECTER | Delmark 664 | Blueplicity | ● CD $11.98 |
| Chicago blues session w. The Bluebirds featuring vocalist Tad Robinson. | |||
| DAVE SPECTER | Delmark 677 | Live In Europe | ● CD $14.98 |
| DAVE SPECTER | Delmark 693 | Left Turn On Blue | ● CD $14.98 |
| 13 Tracks, 62 min., recommended In his liner notes, Neil Tesser calls Dave Specter and the musicians who play with him on this CD The jazziest of blues bands. Using his guitar instead of a sewing needle, he brings jazz and blues together almost seamlessly. He plays tastefully and with gorgeous tone. While the CD is issued under Specter's name, it's really an ensemble piece. He gives his bandmates plenty of room to show their skills. Jazz organist Jack McDuff plays on 4 songs, Lynwood Slim adds vocals on 8 cuts and the horn section of John Brumbach and Rob Mazurek is stellar through out. The songs range from slow and soulful to swingin'. (RS) |
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| DAVE SPECTER | Delmark 744 | Speculatin' | ● CD $14.98 |
| DAVE SPECTER & BARKIN'BILL SMITH | Delmark 652 | Bluebird Blues | ● CD $11.98 |
| Nothin' but the blues here, dished up by young guitarist
Specter and Barkin' Bill, who claims that he's been singin' the blues since
he was thirteen (and that was fifty years ago). You gotta wonder about
someone who has to work for half a century before he can get his own record
out - Smith's voice is pretty ragged, with a heavy throatiness that reminds
me of Zuzu Bollin. So what's the attraction - mainly a razor sharp band that
includes the gourmet guitar of Ronnie Earl, plus a nice guest spot by female
singer Deitra Farr. Specter isn't a bad guitarist either, having twisted a
few strings with Hubert Sumlin, Son Seals and more. The material is mainly
retreads of Chicago favorites, T-Bone Walker cuts, etc - 10 in all. (MB) DAVE SPECTOR & BARKIN' BILL SMITH: Bluebird Blues/ Buzz Me/ Get Me While I'm Free/ Lie To Me/ Our Course Is Run/ Railroad Station Blues/ Take A Little Walk With Me./ Tell Me What's The Reason/ Things I'd Do For You/ Wind Chill |
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| SPIRIT OF MEMPHIS | Acrobat ADDCD 3007 | Happy In The Service Of The Lord | ● CD $13.98 |
| Two CDs, 47 tracks, 143 mins, essential In my humble opinion the 33 tracks recorded by the Spirit Of Memphis for King between 1949 and 1952, and included on this collection, features some of the greatest gospel quartet singing ever put on record. With the soaring tenor lead of Wilmer "Little Ax" Broadnax (a woman, living as man!), the powerful baritone/ tenor lead of Jethro "Jet" Bledsoe and the ferocious, thundering, baritone lead singing and preaching of the great Silas Steele they produced music of such visceral intensity that you will feel positively drained after hearing half a dozen songs. One can only imagine the effect it had a live audience at the time. Whether it's the interweaving of the lead voices or the exquisite harmonies of the rest of the group it's all just perfect. Listen to The Day Is Passed And Gone where Little Axe subtly intones the lyrics against the harmonies of the group oohing in the background with Silas Steele preaching at the same time - the effect is utterly spine chilling. And there's one classic after another On The Battlefield/ Blessed Are The Dead/ If Jesus Had To Pray/ Calvary/ I'll Go/ Everytime I Feel The Spirit/ That Awful Day/ Toll The Bell Easy and others. The group ended their King stay with the wonderful live two part Lord Jesus. After they left King they joined the major gospel label Peacock and this set includes their first dozen sides for that label which curiously lack the passion and fire of the King sides - fine performances on their own but they pale in comparison. Opening the set are the group's first recordings in 1949 for Deluxe and Hallelujah Spirituals which preasged what was to come on King. Sound is generally excellent, dubbed from mostly clean 78s, and booklet has informative notes by Opal Louis Nations. If you buy only one gospel CD this decade this is the one to get! (FS) |
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| THE SPIRIT OF MEMPHIS QUARTET | High Water/HMG 6507 | Traveling On | ● CD $14.98 |
| VICTORIA SPIVEY | Document DOCD 5316 | Complete Recorded Works, Vol 1 : 1926 - 1927 | ● CD $15.98 |
| 23 tracks, 73 mins, highly recommended Texas singer/ piano player Victoria Spivey was a truly superb performer. She was an earthy singer with an intense nasal moaning style and her repertoire often featured themes of sex, drugs, violence and illness. Her earliest sessions here from 1926 show that her vocal style had not full developed but by her fifth session it was fully mature. Her original songs like Black Snake Blues/ It's Evil Hearted Me and Santa Fe Blues were picked up by other singers. On her first couple of tracks she accompanied herself with lovely Texas barrelhouse piano but her subsequent recordings here find her in the company of more urban piano players like De Lloyd Barnes, John Erby and Porter Grainger. On her April 27, 1927 she was joined by Lonnie Johnson on guitar who was to perform on her subsequent half a dozen sessions and his guitar playing and occasional vocal was a perfect complement to Victoria's vocals. Except for a few cuts, sound is excellent and their are excellent notes by Chris Smith. (FS) VICTORIA SPIVEY: Arkansas Road Blues/ Big Houston Blues/ Black Snake Blues/ Blood Thirsty Blues/ Blue Valley Blues/ Christmas Morning Blues/ Dirty Woman's Blues/ Dope Head Blues/ Garter Snake Blues/ Got The Blues So Bad/ Hoodoo Man Blues/ Humored And Petted Blues/ Idle Hour Blues/ It's Evil Hearted Me/ Long Gone Blues/ No More Jelly Bean Blues/ No. 12 Let Me Roam/ Red Lantern Blues/ Santa Fe Blues/ Spider Web Blues/ Steady Grind/ T-B Blues/ The Alligator Pond Went Dry |
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| VICTORIA SPIVEY | Document DOCD 5317 | Complete Recorded Works, Vol 2 : 1927 - 1929 | ● CD $15.98 |
| 24 tracks, 74 mins, recommended More fine sides from Ms. Spivey including quite few with the great Lonnie Johnson including several risque two part vocal duets - New Black Snake Blues/ Furniture Man Blues, etc. These recordings find Victoria moving away from the intense blood-thirsty lyrics of earlier songs towards more hokum flavored risque songs though her ferocious vocals prevents them from becoming too trite. When she was not accompanied by Johnson she was backed by small groups including such musicians as King Oliver, Eddie Lang, Louis Armstrong, Zutty Singletone, Henry Allen, Albert Nicholas and others. There is more than one take featured of a number of songs. (FS) VICTORIA SPIVEY: A Good Man Is Hard To Find/ Funny Feathers/ Funny Feathers Blues (take 1)/ Funny Feathers Blues (take 2)/ Furniture Man Blues - Part 1 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ Furniture Man Blues - Part 2 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ How Do They Do It That Way (take 1)/ How Do They Do It That Way (take 2)/ How Do You Do It That Way?/ Jelly Look What You Done Done/ Mosquito, Fly and Flea/ Murder In The First Degree/ My Handy Man/ New Black Snake Blues - Part 1 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ New Black Snake Blues - Part 2 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ Nightmare Blues/ No, Papa, No!/ Organ Grinder Blues (take A)/ Organ Grinder Blues (take C)/ Toothache Blues - Part 1 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ Toothache Blues - Part 2 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now! - Part 1 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now! - Part 2 (Duet with Lonnie Johnson)/ Your Worries Ain't Like Mine |
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| VICTORIA SPIVEY | Document DOCD 5318 | Complete Recorded Works, Vol 3 : 1929 - 1936 | ● CD $15.98 |
| 23 tracks, 70 mins, highly recommended The third volume of sides by this superb singer opens with some incredibly intense performances from 1929 accompanied by a small group with great piano by Luis Russell. Blood Hound Blues/ Dirty T.B. Blues and Moaning The Blues are not only staggering performances but have great lyrics too. There are a couple of humorous, two part duets with porter Grainger, some country blues flavored items with accompaniments by J.T. "Funny Paper" Smith, some pop flavored songs and ends up with another version from 1936 of her classic T.B. Blues with a very different arrangement than the 1929 version earlier on the disc. (FS) VICTORIA SPIVEY: Baulin' Water Blues - Part 1 (Duet with Porter Grainger)/ Baulin' Water Blues - Part 2 (Duet with Porter Grainger)/ Black Snake Swing/ Blood Hound Blues/ Dirty T. B. Blues/ Don't Trust Nobody Blues/ Dreaming 'Bout My Man/ Haunted By The Blues/ He Wants Too Much/ I'll Never Fall In Love Again/ Lonesome With The Blues/ Low Down Man Blues/ Mama's Quittin' And Leavin' - Part 1 (Duet with Howling Smith)/ Mama's Quittin' And Leavin' - Part 2 (Duet with Howling Smith)/ Moaning The Blues/ Nebraska Blues/ New York Blues/ Showered With The Blues/ Sweet Pease/ T B's Got Me/ Telephoning The Blues/ You've Gotta Have What It Takes - Part 1 (Duet with Porter Grainger)/ You've Gotta Have What It Takes - Part 2 (Duet with Porter Grainger) |
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| VICTORIA SPIVEY | Document DOCD 5319 | Complete Recorded Works, Vol 4 : 1937 - 1937 | ● CD $15.98 |
| VICTORIA SPIVEY: Any-Kind-A-Man (take 1)/ Any-Kind-A-Man (take 2)/ Detroit Moan/ Don't Love No Married Man/ Down Hill Pull/ Dreaming Of You (take 1)/ Dreaming Of You (take 2)/ From 1 To 12 (Dirty Dozen)/ Give It To Him (take 1)/ Give It To Him (take 2)/ Good Cabbage/ Got The Blues So Bad/ Harlem Susie-Kue/ I Ain't Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus/ I Can't Last Long/ Mr. Freddie Blues (take 1)/ Mr. Freddie Blues (take 2)/ One Hour Mama/ Time Ain't Long (take 1)/ Time Ain't Long (take 2)/ Trouble In Mind /Hollywood Stomp | |||
| VICTORIA SPIVEY | Original Blues Classics OBCCD 566 | Woman Blues! | ● CD $11.98 |
| 10 songs, 34 mins, good This is a reissue of Bluesville 1054 from 1961. Victoria Spivey was one of the great singers of the 20s and 30s though she had a career that lasted until her death in 1976. She even ran her own record label Spivey in the 60s and 70s. By the time of these recordings in 1961, a lot of the bite and edge had gone out of her vocals though she was still an expressive singer. On the songs here she sings and plays piano and is joined by Lonnie Johnson on guitar and occasional second vocal. The performances are enjoyable enough with a nice sprinkling of risque material but with so much great material coming out these days it's hard to get excited over this disc. (FS) |
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| VICTORIA SPIVEY/ SWEET PEASE SPIVEY | Blues Collection 160 362 | Queen Victoria, 1927-1937 | ● CD $11.98 |
| 22 tracks, 71 mins, essential Victoria Spivey was a truly superb performer. She was an earthy singer with an intense nasal moaning style - she sounds very much like a country blues singer though she recorded in an urban environment. Her lyrics were often more imaginative than her contemporaries dealing in an interesting and witty way with themes of sex, drugs, violence and illness. This is a cross section of her recordings made between 1927 and 1937 and finds her in the company of stellar musiacians like Lonnie Johnson, King Oliver, Eddie Lang (dig his spellbinding use of guitar harmonics on Organ Grinder Blues), Louis Armstrong, Henry "Red" Allen, Georgia Tom Dorsey, Tampa Red and others who perfectly complement Victoria's gorgeous singing. Songs include Arkansas Road Blues/ Christmas Morning Blues/ New Black Snake Blues (an incredible two part song done as a duet with Lonnie Johnson)/How Do You Do I That Way/ Moaning The Blues/ Showerede With The Blues/ T.B.'s Got Me and others. This set also includes three tracks by Victoria's younger sister Addie "Sweet Pease" Spivey who is fine though her performances pale in comparison to those of her sister. Sound is excellent and there are notes and discographical information. After you've heard this you might want to investigate the four CDs of all of Victoria's early work on Document (5316 -> 5219 - $15.98 each). (FS) SWEET PEASE SPIVEY: Grievin' Me/ I Got A Man In The 'bama Mines/ Leaving You Baby/ VICTORIA SPIVEY: Arkansas Road Blues/ Christmas Morning Blues/ Detroit Moan/ Dirty T.b Blues/ Don't Trust Nobody Blues/ Down Hill Pull/ Funny Feathers/ Give It To Him/ Hollywood Stomp/ How Do You Do It That Way?/ I Can't Last Long/ Moaning The Blues/ New Black Snake Blues Pt. 1/ New Black Snake Blues Pt. 2/ Organ Grinder Blues/ Showered With The Blues/ Sweet Pease/ T.b.'s Got Me/ Telephoning The Blues/ The Alligator Pond Went Dry, The |
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| WILD JIMMY SPRUILL | Night Train 7150 | Scratch 'n Twist | ● CD $15.98 |
| 20 tracks, 57 mins, highly recommended Firstly, the bad news - this disc is too short - they should have put half a dozen more tracks on it. Also, the lack of discographical info is shameful. Now the good news - this disc features some of the hottest and wildest blues guitar recorded in the 50s and early 60s. Jimmy Spruill was a staple of many New York blues and R&B sessions in the 50s and 60s (he claims over 3,000!), mostly confined to the rhythm section, but when he took a solo - watch out! His high pitched intense fretwork is a little like Ike Turner at his wildest but without the whammy bar though his playing is far from one dimensional as this collection admirably shows. His best known performance is his stunning solo on Wilbert Harrison's hit Kansas City. Half the tracks here feature him lending his guitar expertise to songs by Little Danny, Walkin' Willie & His Orchestra, June Bateman and others. The rest of the set is all instrumental and includes some stunning performances including my all time favorite Hard Grind - a simple tune that Jimmy turns into a masterpiece with his endlessly inventive licks. Other fine instrumental tracks include Memphis/ Kansas City March/ Cut & Dried/ Scratch 'n' Twist |
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| HOUSTON STACKHOUSE | Genes 9904 | Cryin' Won't Help You | ● CD $14.98 |
| 13 tracks, 49 mins, recommended Houston Stackhouse was a fine Mississippi bluesmen with a tremendouly appealing vocal style and a fine guitarist. His guitar style was an amplified version of the approach he'd learned in his youth when he ran with the likes of Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson. He later worked with Robert Nighthawk who he taught to play guitar - some years later Nighthawk returned the favor by teaching Stackhouse how to play with a slide. These recordings are from 1972 and are mostly solo. The material is mostly Mississippi blues standards like Kind Hearted Woman/ Bye Bye Blues/ Sweet Black Angel/ Sweet Home Chicago and Big Road Blues along with a couple of nice originals (Cry On!, Cry On!/ I Got Something and an uexpected but very effective version of My Babe. 12 page booklet has detailed notes by Steve LaVere. These tracks are a nice complement to his recordings on Testament 5010 from 1967 where he plays with a small juke joint band. (FS) |
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| HOUSTON STACKHOUSE | Wolf 120.915 | Big Road Blues | ● CD $14.98 |
| GEORGE STANCELL | JSP 2133 | Gorgeous George | ● CD $15.98 |
| 11 tracks, 43 mins, recommended George Stancell is a new
name to recordings but he has been plying his craft in clubs in New York and
Milwaukee since 1959 and has honed it to perfection. He is an excellent and
soulful singer with a voice reminiscent of Little Johnny Taylor and an
excellent guitarist - no pyrotechnics just a perfect complement to his
voice, underscoring the lyrics at the appropriate time. On this debut album,
produced by Johnny Rawls, he is accompanied by a solid band including the
fine Nutmeg Horns. Most of the songs are from the pens of Rawls, tenor
saxman Bruce Reiner or Stancell himself and are forthright evocations of the
bluesman's life - I particularly like the beautifully melodic Singing The
Blues. I look forward to hearing more from this talented performer. (FS)
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| THE STAPLE SINGERS | Columbia 47334 | Freedom Highway | ● CD $11.98 |
| The Staple family came to Columbia/ Epic in the mid sixties
after three fine album collections on Riverside. The style on the Epic sides
was very much an updated Vee-Jay one, which speaks praise, but the choice of
material leant a little over into the "Dylan" folk type direction. This was
due to the changing trends in popular music at the time. In among folk-based
sides were impassioned recordings of the first order like Move Along
Train/ The Lord's Prayer/ Why/ Praying Time and What You Gonna Do?
(from their excellent live album), all included on this 18-song selection.
Mavis wails and Daddy Roebuck picks like a fine Mississippi Delta Blues pro.
Gospel-soul at its best, circa 1966-67. (OLN) |
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| THE STAPLE SINGERS | Milestone 47028 | Great Day | ● CD $16.98 |
| Two LP set reissued as 27 track, 78 minute CD featuring
solid folk-gospel recordings from the 1962-64 time period, originally issued
on Riverside. The whole family is in fine form here, with Papa Roebuck's
bluesy guitar work setting the mood and daughter Mavis's soulful voice
usually occupying center stage. Tracks include Gloryland/ Nobody Knows
The Trouble I've Seen/ What Are They Doing (In Heaven Today)/ My Dying Bed
and their stunning version of Bob Dylan's Masters of War. Great
material from a unique group of artists. Fine stereo sound, good photos and
notes. (DH) |
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| THE STAPLE SINGERS | Recall 431 | Glory It's The .. | ● CD $16.98 |
| Two CDs, 32 tracks, 91 mins, essential Well it may not be perfect but it's certainly the best and most complete collection of the Staple Singers great recordings made for Vee-Jay beteen 1955 and 1961. This family group recorded some incredibly moving and powerful gospel music in this period. Lead vocals are taken by dad Roebuck Staples or daughter Mavis with her magnificent spine chilling emotion charged contralto with glorious harmonies from Cleotha and Pervis. Instrumental accompaniment is mostly just Roebuck playing spine-chilling Delta blues riffs on vibrato laden electric guitar and occasional discreet drums. Performances include the hymn Uncloudy Day, the Alex Bradford classic Too Close, the incredible I Had A Dream with both Roebuck and Mavis doing lead, the spellbinding two part I'm Coming Home, This May Be The Last Time which was reworked as a rock song by The Rolling Stones, Help Me Jesus/ God's Wonderful Love/ Ain't That Good News and others. Every track is a gem and belongs in evry gospel lover's collection. The Staples recorded 37 sides for Vee-Jay plus a few unissued so it's a shame that Recall couldn't have include them all. Sound is generally very good if not quite state of the art. Set comes with booklet with brief notes. In spite of my minor reservations this is an absolute must! (FS) THE STAPLE SINGERS: Born In Bethlehem/ Calling Me/ Come On Up In Glory/ Don't Drive Me Away/ Don't Knock/ Downward Road/ Each Day/ God's Wonderful Love/ Going Away/ Good News/ Help Me Jesus/ I Had A Dream/ I Know I've Got Religion/ I'm Coming Home (part 1)/ I'm Coming Home (part 2)/ I'm Leaning/ I'm So Glad/ If I Could Hear My Mother Pray/ Let's Go Home/ Low Is The Way/ Old Landmark/ On My Way To Heaven/ Pray On/ So Soon/ Somebody Saved Me/ Stand By Me/ Swing Down Chariot (let Me Ride)/ This May Be The Last Time/ Too Close/ Two Wings/ Uncloudy Day/ Will The Circle Be Unbroken |
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| POPS STAPLES | EMI 86286 | Peace To The Neighborhood | ● CD $11.98 |
| Born in 1914 and raised on the same plantation as Charley
Patton, Roebuck "Pop" Staples has been making music for a while now. As
socially conscious as ever, Pops has filled his first solo effort with songs
about the homeless (World In Motion), the drug problem (Miss
Cocaine), and poverty (Neighborhood). Which is not to say the
album is secular, it isn't. Pray is a bright light, as is the cover
of I Shall Not Be Moved, with Pops' airy whisper complementing Ry
Cooder's slide guitar work nicely. But the undeniable highlight is Pop's
Pray On My Child, which features the awe-inspiring vocal force known as
Mavis Staples, with sisters Yvonne and Cleotha backing. Other contributing
admirers include Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Willie Mitchell, and Jim
Keltner. (JC) |
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| COOTIE STARK | Cello-Music Maker 91002 | Sugar Man | ● CD |
| 12 tracks recorded in 1997 by down home South Carolina
bluesman. A mix of traditional and original songs with varying
accompaniments ranging from two acoustic guitars to small groups with
guitar, piano, harmonica and drums. Includes a version of Worried Life
Blues with two acoustic guitars, slide guitar and jazz saxophonist Lee
Konitz. |
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| THE STARS OF BETHLEHEM/ STARS OF BETHEL | Gospel Treasures 2000 | Above My Head | ● CD $15.98 |
| 12 tracks from 1960 by the Stars Of Bethlehem
and two from 1954 by The Stars Of Bethel - two fine Los Angeles gospel
groups who shared some of the same members. The latter group featured the
first recordings of Johnny Lamar Young who later became better known as
Little Johnny Taylor. |
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| THE STATE STREET SWINGERS, ETC | RST Records JPCD 1507 | Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order, 1936-37 | ● CD $15.98 |
| 25 tracks, 76 mins, recommended The State Street Swingers, who recorded 14 sides in 1936 &'37 (2 issued as by The Chicago Black Swans) were a fine jazzy, bluesy, hokum group featuring the vocals of Leonard Scott, Washboard Sam, Bob Robinson, Mary Mack or Big Bill Broonzy with trumpet by Herb Morand or Alfred Bell, clarinet by Arnett Nelson and piano by the superb Black Bob or Myrtle Jenkins with various other musicians on bass & guitar. Their music covers the same sort of territory as The Harlem Hamfats. This set also features 4 nice solo sides by Mary Mack with (probably) Aletha Dickson/ piano and Big Bill/ guitar and 7 sides by the rather unexciting Leonard Scott with a similar line up to the Swingers. Good sound and informative notes from David Evans. (FS) |
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| THE STATE STREET RAMBLERS | RST Records JPCD 1512 | The State Street Ramblers, Vol. 1 | ● CD $15.98 |
| THE STATE STREET RAMBLERS: Barrel House Stomp/ Brown-Skin Mama/ Cootie Stomp/ Do Right Blues/ Endurance Stomp/ Georgia Grind/ How Would You Like To Be Me?/ My Baby/ Oriental Man/ Pleasure Mad/ Road House Blues/ Shanghai Honeymoon/ Some Do And Som Don't/ Someday You'll Know/ St. Louis Man/ St. Louis Nightmare/ Tack It Down/ Tell Me, Cutie/ The Weary Way Blues/ There'll Come A Day/ Tiger Moan/ Tuxedo Stomp/ Yearning And Blue | |||
| THE STATE STREET RAMBLERS | RST Records JPCD 1513 | The State Street Ramblers, Vol. 2 | ● CD $15.98 |
| CANDI STATON | Image 2326 | Classic Candi, Vol. 1 | ● CD $16.98 |
| 16 tracks, 70 mins, recommended Candi Staton is best known as one of the greatest deep soul singers of the early 70s though she got her start as a gospel singer recording with the Jewel Gospel Trio in the 50s and 60s. In the mid and late 70s she turned to a slicker and more disco flavored soul. Then in the early 80s she was born again and for a time was only willing to record gospel and this CD features two of her gospel LPs from the 80s - "make Me A Instrument" from 1982 and "The Annointing" from 1985. Although the arrangements are, at times, overly slick and sometimes made me wince Candi's gorgeous vulnerable and soulful voice conquers all. The second album is particularly strong with varied arrangements including the rocking He Set Me Free, a spellbinding rendition rendition of the gospel standard Blessed Assurance, the country flavored He Cares For You, the hard driving now Jesus Is My Song and the glorious I Will Praise which sounds almost like a Yiddish tune grafted onto a reggae rhythm. Well worth checking out. (FS) |
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| PRISCILLA STEWART | Document DOCD 5476 | Complete Record Works, 1924-28 | ● CD $15.98 |
| 25 tracks - most with Jimmy Blythe/ piano plus occasional
other musicians - Stump Evans/ as, Jimmy O'Bryant/ cl, Shirley Clay/ cnt and
others. PRISCILLA STEWART: A Little Bit Closer/ Biscuit Roller/ Charleston Mad (take 1)/ Charleston Mad (take 2)/ Charleston, South Carolina/ Delta Bottom Blues (9030)/ Going To The Nation/ I Never Call My Man's Name/ I Want To See My Baby/ I Was Born A Brownskin And You Can't Make Me Blue (take 1)/ It Must Be Hard/ Jefferson County/ Lonesome Hour Blues/ Mecca Flat Blues (take 2)/ Mr. Freddie Blues/ New Mr. Freddie Blues/ P. D. Q. Blues/ Priscilla Blues (take 1)/ Somebody's Chewin' You Too/ Someday, Sweetheart/ Switch It Miss Mitchell/ Tall Brown Blues/ The Woman Ain't Born/ True Blues/ You Ain't Foolin' Me |
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| ARBEE STIDHAM | Blue Moon BMCD 6038 | The Complete Recordings, Vol. 1: 1947-1951 | ● CD $14.98 |
| 20 tracks, good In my early days as a blues collector, I like many other young fans, took a dislike to the singing of Arbee Stidham and he was rarely spoken of among blues cognoscenti except in a tone of disdain. Nevertheless he was quite popular with the African-American audience his recordings were originally aimed at and his ballad My Heart Belongs To You reached #1 in the R&B charts in 1948 - his only hit. Now that Blue Moon has reissued his complete recordings (not counting later LP sessions) I was hoping that my growing musical maturity would enable me to finally appreciate Stidham. I must admit that I still find Stidham's voice hard to listen to - it's deep and expressionless and I find listening to more than a few tracks at a time gets pretty wearing. Still, there are some good songs and he is accompanied by fine bands including sidemen like Sax Mallard, Lucky Millinder, Hal Singers, Tab Smith, Bob Call, Tampa Red and others. Sound quality is excellent and there are detailed notes and discographical info. (FS) |
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| ARBEE STIDHAM | Blue Moon BMCD 6039 | The Complete Recordings, Vol. 2: 1951-1957 | ● CD $14.98 |
| 22 tracks, good The second volume is a little more interesting than they first though you still have to contend with Stidham's droning voice and three of the songs are featured in more than one take which is real overkill. The first six sides recorded in Atlanta find Arbee sounding a lot more energetic than usual and are quite a change from his usual dreary performances. Mr. Commisioner from 1952 is an interesting topical song and on When I Find My Baby he is accompanied by a fine band including a double tracked Walter Horton, Wayne Bennet, Odie Payne and others. His final session from 1957 finds him accompanied by the likes of Earl Hooker, Lefty Bates, Red Holloway and others and it's mostly the accompaniment that appeals. (FS) |
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| ARBEE STIDHAM | Original Blues Classics OBCCD 593 | Tired Of Wandering - The Blues Of Arbee Stidham | ● CD $11.98 |
| 10 tracks, 37 min, recommended The late 50s seems to be a strange time for the blues - the folk revival hadn't really given rise to older artists (the 60s blues revival was far away). Some of the younger artists like Muddy & Wolf were still having R&B hits, so the more traditional artists seemed to be "lumped" more with jazz. More well as part of the post-war Bluebird style of Chicago blues, Stidham here is recorded in a number of different styles, from city to country to jazz, even doing something called Teenage Kiss - & it all works! Recorded 11/60 with a "modern" band including King Curtis on tenor & bassist Leonard Gaskin who had just left Eddie Condon's Dixieland band, Stidham does mostly original material along with a couple Joe Turner tunes (Wee Baby Blues), Pawn Shop by Brownie McGhee, even Jump Jackson's teen number! (GM) |
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| FRANK STOKES | Document DOCD 5013 | The Victor Recordings In Chronological Order 1928-1929 | ● CD $15.98 |
| Essential. A superb, powerful singer and fine guitarist,
Frank Stokes is one of the most important figures in the first generation of
blues singers. His repertoire is also one of the most interesting,
encompassing pre Civil War songs and medicine show tunes as well as original
and compelling blues. Here he is accompanied by violinist Will Batts on four
titles, including the achingly lovely Right Now Blues. Document have
remastered their original version of this CD and achieved some further
reduction in surface noise, but a few tracks are still pretty rough. No
matter, the consistent excellence of the music shines through. Brief but
informative notes by Chris Smith. (The two titles shown as undiscovered in
the discographical notes have been located in good condition and issued by
Document on DOCD 5411- Too Late, Too Late Vol 5.) (DPR) FRANK STOKES: 'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do - Part 1/ 'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do - Part 2 (take 1)/ 'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do - Part 2 (take 2)/ Bedtime Blues/ Bunker Hill Blues/ Downtown Blues (take 1)/ Downtown Blues (take 2)/ Frank Stokes' Dream/ How Long/ I Got Mine/ It Won't Be Long Now (take 1)/ It Won't Be Long Now (take 2)/ Memphis Rounders Blues/ Mistreatin' Blues/ Nehi Mamma Blues/ Right Now Blues/ Shiney Town Blue/ South Memphis Blues/ Stomp That Thing/ Take Me Back/ What's The Matter Blues |
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| FRANK STOKES | Yazoo 2072 | The Best Of Frank Stokes | ● CD $16.98 |
| FRANK STOKES: Bedtime Blues/ Blues in “D”/ Downtown Blues/ Frank Stokes’ Dream/ How Long/ I Got Mine/ It Won’t Be Long Now/ It’s a Good Thing (Take One)/ I’m Going Away Blues/ Jumpin on the Hill (Unissued)/ Memphis Rounders Blues/ Mistreatin’ Blues/ Mr. Crump Don’t Like It/ Nehi Mama/ Old Sometime Blues/ Right Now Blues/ South Memphis Blues/ Sweet to Mama/ Tain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do – Part Two (Take One Unissued)/ Take Me Back/ What’s the Matter Blues/ You Shall | |||
| WARREN STORM & THE BLUES ROCKERS | St. George 7709 | Dust My Blues | ● CD $14.98 |
| 14 tracks, 43 min., recommended Born Warren Schexnider, Mr. Storm established himself as a leading progenitor of Louisiana swamp pop in the 1950s and '60s. In LA where he soaked up his eclectic musical approach, Storm paid the rent as an in-demand session drummer. "Dust My Blues" features Cajun and rockabilly tunes but is decidedly blues heavy. Storm drums and sings his way back in time, covering such favorites as Honey Hush, If You Need Me, Slim Harpo's Rainin' In My Heart, and others. Yet for all that it doesn't sound like a man trying to recapture his musical youth so much as a man who is still genuinely in love with the music. Storm and the aptly named Blues Rockers know how to create a disturbance in the atmosphere, thanks in part to the spirited guitar work of Studebaker John and Rockin' Billy Harnden. Pull up a dance floor. (JC) |
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| BABE STOVALL | Arcola 1005 | The Old Ace - Mississippi Blues & Religious Songs | ● CD $15.98 |
| 15 tracks, 50 mins, essential A most welcome release - the first ever CD release of fine New Orleans singer/ guitarist Babe Stovall. Babe was originally from Mississippi where he was born in 1907 and started playing music when 8 years old. He performed with his eight older brothers - all of whom played music. In his 20s he met legendary Mississippi bluesman Tommy Johnson and learned from him. He never become a full time musician though by the time he moved to New Orleans in the early 60s it became his primary source of income. Babe was more of a songster than a straight bluesman and played a wide variety of material drawing on both black and white musical traditions. He was a powerful singer with gruff voice and played some fine guitar usually on a steel bodied National. The recordings here were made by Bob West in 1968 and find Babe in fine form on a collection of mostly traditional blues and gospel songs including Good Morning Blues/ Going To Wear You Off My Mind/ Baby let Me Follow You Down/ Will The Circle Be Unbroken?/ Dirty Mistreater/ God's Word Shall Never Pass Away and others including a particularly nice version of Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues which he neatly segues into a superb version of Careless Love. The disc ends with a couple of spoken word tracks where Babe talks about his family and playing music in New Orleans. Babe was recorded quite often between the late 50s and late 60s and it would sure be nice if some of those recordings were also to find their way on to CD. Includes 12 page booklet wqith some great photos and informative notes by David Evans who knew Babe well. An exemplarary and important release. (FS) |
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| ANGELA STREHLI BAND | Texas Music Group 6 | Soul Shake | ● CD $12.98 |
| BOB STROGER & HIS CHICAGO LEGENDS | Crosscut CCR 11065 | In The House - Live At Lucerne, Vol. 2 | ● CD $16.98 |
| 10 tracks, 68 mins, recommended While Bob Stroger is actually the only figure here deserving regard as a legend, there's little question that his sidemen are certainly contributors to the long history of blues. Joined by James Wheeler and Billy Flynn on guitar and vocals, Ken Saydak's piano, Ron Sorin's harp, and Marty Binder's backbeats, Stroger takes the vocals for a few tracks and even though his voice is less than riveting, his conviction is apparent. Flynn steps up for a rumbling version of Muddy Waters' Lovin' Man and the microphone goes to Wheeler for his own Extension 309 before stepping forward to offer the disc's best singing and excellent guitar. Stroger rolls back out front for a stumbling Loan Me Train Fare before the gloves come off on Heads Up, an instrumental example of a unit working remarkably well together. Recorded at the 1999 Lucerne Blues Festival. (CR) |
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| PERCY STROTHER | Black & Tan 002 | Home At Last | ● CD $15.98 |
| 14 tracks, 44 mins, recommended Percy Strother is a fine contemporary blues singer and guitarist in the soul-blues vein but on this collection he pays tribute to the music that inspired him when he was growing up in Mississippi in particular the music that was coming out of the Chess studios by Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters and Litte Walter. Strother does songs like Poor Boy/ I Ain't Superstitious/ Blow Wind Blow/ Last Night/ Howlin' For My Baby and others as well as Slim Harpo's I'm A King Bee and Little Willie John's Home At Last. Strother doesn't try to emulate the arrangements of the originals but instead performs them in his own style and the result is very satisfying. The set was recorded in Holland with a group of (I think) Dutch musicians who do an excellent job. (FS) |
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| PERCY STROTHER | Black Magic 9030 | Highway Is My Home | ● CD $16.98 |
| Good, solid contemporary blues from Minneapolis based
bluesman Strother. Mostly original songs along with a few nice and not
overly familiar covers (Easy Baby/ Forty days And Forty Nights).
Tracks come from a variety of sessions with varied accompaniments and
arrangements. |
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| STUDEBAKER JOHN AND THE HAWKS | Blind Pig 5010 | Too Tough | ● CD $15.98 |
| Chicago based blues band led by singer/songwriter John
Grimaldi - harmonica. |
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| LITTLE GEORGE SUEREF | Pussycat 001 | And The Blue Stars | |
| Debut album from acclaimed young British blues performer.
George sings and plays guitar and harmonica and wrote most of the songs
here. He has a distinctive high voice which may not be to everybody's taste
and is given a raw down home backing by his group The Blue Stars (guitar,
bass & drums). He wrote most of the songs here sprinkled with a handful of
covers. Legendary Louisiana bluesman Lazy Lester guests on a number of cuts
contributing harp, rhythm guitar and rhythm board. | |||