BLUES
& GOSPEL
Eddie Taylor ->
Johnnie Temple
EDDIE TAYLOR |
Blind Pig 5025 |
Long Way From Home |
● CD $15.98 |
Great Chicago bluesman recorded live in Japan in 1977 with
Louis & Dave Myers and Odie Payne Jr.
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EDDIE TAYLOR |
Evidence 26054 |
My Heart Is Bleeding |
● CD $12.98 |
14 tracks, 64 min., recommended
Recorded for L+R Records,
this 1980 Chicago session is supplemented with 5 unissued live European
recordings featuring quest vocalists Hubert Sumlin (Gamblin' Woman,I
Got A Little Thing They Call It Swing), and harmonicat Carey Bell (One
Day I Get Lucky). The 9 studio tracks include remakes of Wreck Of
83 Highway and There'll Be A Day and, as expected from Armand
'Jump' Jackson (who organized this session), the choice of Carey Bell,
Sunnyland Slim and Odie Payne could not have been better. Taylor's slide
guitar on My Heart Is Bleeding and the instrumental Lawndale
Blues is worth the price of admission. (EL)
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EDDIE TAYLOR |
Hightone HCD 8027 |
I Feel So Bad - The Blues Of Eddie Taylor |
● CD $13.98 |
Recorded in Hollywood and Glendale, CA. in the summer of
1972, this 12-tune set features Eddie and Phillip Walker on guitars, the
great George Smith, harmonica, David II, sax and percussion, Jimmy Sones,
piano, Chas Jones, bass, Johnny Tucker, drums, and Little H. Williams,
percussion. Produced by Roots & Rhythm owner Frank Scott with
assistance from Bruce Bromberg, this set has many glorious moments - Jackson
Town/ Stop Breaking Down/ 13 Highway, the country blues acoustic feel
of Stroll Out West, and Bullcow Blues/ 13 Year Old Boy/ Blues In
The Rain. This set demonstrates how well city blues can still be
played and recorded without having to resort to gimmicks, artifice, and
the latest dubbing techniques. Beautiful sound, great collection. (OLN)
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EDWARD TAYLOR |
Wolf 120.890 |
Lookin' For Trouble - A Tribute To Eddie
Taylor |
● CD $15.98 |
11 tracks, 53 mins, recommended
Edward Taylor is the 25 year
old son of the late, great Chicago bluesman Eddie Taylor. He has learned
well and has a vocal and guitar style very much influenced by his dad and
this album is mostly recreations of some of Eddie's best known songs - Bad
Boy/ Lookin' For Trouble/ Down In Virginia/ Big Town Playboy, etc
along with a couple of originals and a very nice version of Slim Harpo's I'm
Gonna Miss You. Edward is accompanied by fine Chicago sidemen like
Johnny B. Moore/gtr, Eddie Shaw/ sax, Willie Kent/ bass, brother Larry
Taylor/ drums and others. Eddie's wife Vera takes a vocal on Ain't
Gonna Cry. It will be interesting to see what edward comes up once he
steps out of his father's formidable shadow. The blues world could
certainly use another bluesman of the calibre of Eddie Taylor. (FS)
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EVA TAYLOR |
Diamond Cut 303 |
Edison Laterals 4 |
● CD $17.98 |
17 tracks from this vaudeville singer. Seven feature her
recordings for Edison in 1929. Five are with her husband Clraence Williams
on piano and two with a small group. Songs include Come On Home/ Oh
Baby, What Makes Me Love You So/ Have You Ever Felt That Way, etc. The
remaining tracks are from live concerts held in 1976 and '77 at the Edison
National Historic Site with unknown piano accompaniment and includes Baby
Wont You Please Come Home/ Mandy, Make Up Your Mind/ Everybody Loves My
Baby/ You Don't Understand and others.
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EVA TAYLOR |
Document DOCD 5410 |
In Chronological Order, Vol. 3 : 1928-1932 |
● CD $17.98 |
24 tracks, 73 min., very good
Continuing from Vol. 2, this
last set contains more material where Clarence Williams (or maybe herself)
was categorically moving away from recording blues, evidenced by the fact
that only one title (West End Blues) contains the term blues.
One moment she's recording Al Jolson's 1928 hit Back in Your Own Back
Yard (with splendid cornet solo by Ed Allen), and then the next
moment, the wonderful My Different Kind Of Man, originally recorded
by Lizzie Miles with King Oliver & Clarence Williams. During this
time, she also used her real name (Irene Gibbons), recording with
remarkable musicians like King Oliver and white guitarist Eddie Lang, with
whom she performs a near-duet on Jeannine I Dream Of Lilac Time.
The CD ends with her Edison recordings, and Bessie Smith's You Don't
Understand featuring the pianos of Clarence Williams & James P.
Johnson, the song's composers. (EL)
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HOUND
DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS |
Alligator 4707 |
Beware Of The Dog! |
● CD $15.98 |
Possibly Hound Dog's most exciting
album - recorded live in 1974 this atmospheric recording captures those
rare moments that can only be experienced in a live setting -
Give Me Back My Wig/ Kitchen Sink Boogie/ Comin' Around The Mountain, etc.
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HOUND
DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS |
Alligator 4727 |
Genuine Houserockin' Music |
● CD $11.98 |
10 previously unissued cuts from 1971/73 Alligator sessions find
`Dog' in typical form with his unique brand of hard driving blues and boogie often featuring his slashing slide guitar - includes one
vocal by guitarist Brewer Phillips.
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HOUND DOG TAYLOR |
Alligator 4896 |
Release The Hound |
● CD $15.98 |
14 tracks, 70 minutes, essential
Perhaps it's the reckless
abandon or the good-times atmosphere across the board, but if there's any
better party music than that of Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers, you'd
be hard-pressed to convince devoted fans. In a list that includes
countless Post-war slide players, few matched the careening style put
forth by Taylor. On a bad night (if he had one), the guy was hard to beat.
A combination of cheap and cheesy guitars paired with an amp on the verge
of implosion, along with the lead and rhythm playing of Brewer Phillips,
and Ted Harvey's clobbering drum work, "Release The Hound" is a goldmine
of previously unreleased tracks. Full of wrenching slide, some cuts will
be familiar (She's Gone/ See Me In The Evening/ Wild About You, Baby
and a couple others), but these are new versions that have sat hidden for
years. Things Didn't Work Out Right (10:40) and See Me In The
Evening/ It's Alright (9:00) are superb while a number of titles will
be new for even long-time devotees - Brewer Phillips tackles Sen-Sa-Shun
with the finesse of a linebacker, The Dog Meets The Wolf has an
irresistible groove, and Phillips Screwdriver is another bizarre
Brewer workout. Priceless. (CR)
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HOUND
DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS |
Alligator 5605 |
Deluxe Edition |
● CD $15.98 |
60 minute compilation of some of Hound Dog's best Alligator
sides including two previously unissued tracks and a bonus mini-poster.
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LITTLE JOHNNY TAYLOR |
Fantasy 4510 |
Greatest Hits |
● CD $11.98 |
Extremely strong collection of this blues-soulmaster's most
glorious moments. Born in Memphis in 1943, Johnny sang with The Mighty
Clouds Of Joy and The Stars Of Bethel. After two unsuccessful singles on
deejay Hunter Hancock's Swingin' label, Taylor was brought to Galaxy, and
under the musical direction of Ray Shanklin and Cliff Goldsmith cut a slew
of soul-drenched songs filled with anguish and torment. This
"down" approach might explain why Johnny never quite made it to
big time. Classics here include Clay Hammond's Part Time Love along
with I Smell Trouble/ Big Blue Diamonds/ Somebody's Got To Pay/ One
More Chance/ First Class Love/ My Heart Is Filled With Pain. Seventeen
tunes compiled and prepared for release by Kirk Roberts and Lee
Hildebrand, who presents us with first class sleeve notes. (OLN)
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KOKO TAYLOR |
Alligator 4706 |
I Got What It Takes |
● CD $11.98 |
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KOKO TAYLOR |
Alligator 4724 |
From the Heart of a Woman |
● CD $15.98 |
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KOKO TAYLOR |
Alligator 4740 |
Queen Of The Blues |
● CD $15.98 |
Special guests include Albert Collins, James Cotton and
Lonnie Brooks.
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KOKO TAYLOR |
Alligator 4754 |
An Audience With The Queen |
● CD $15.98 |
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KOKO TAYLOR |
Evidence 26007 |
South Side Lady |
● CD $12.98 |
15 tracks, 68 min., recommended. Koko sounds as tough as
ever on these 1973 recordings, with great backup by top Chicago musicians
Jimmy Rogers, Louis Myers, Willie Mabon, Dave Myers and Fred Below. Most
tracks are reissued from Black & Blue LP's, and reprise such Chess era
classics as I'm A Little Mixed Up/ Twenty Nine Ways/ Wang Dang Doodle/
I Got What It Takes/ What Kind Of Man Is This?. Reissued from Black
& Blue CD 59.542. (MB)
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MELVIN TAYLOR |
Evidence 26029 |
Plays The Blues For You |
● CD $12.98 |
9 tracks, 39 min., good. Melvin Taylor's second album (as
Isabel LP 900.520) is a bit disappointing and rather self-indulgent, with
Taylor trying to impress with blazing speed at the expense of feeling. He
is a fine singer and, when not going overboard, is an excellent guitarist.
There are some fine tracks here - T.V.Mama/ Born To Lose/ Cadillac
Assembly Line - and a couple of attempts at jazz which don't work. The
two part Talking To Anna Mae finds him at his most excessive. He is
accompanied by an unexciting rhythm section.
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MELVIN TAYLOR |
Evidence 26041 |
Blues On The Run |
● CD $12.98 |
Reissue of 1981 Isabel album.
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MELVIN
TAYLOR & THE SLACK BAND |
Evidence 26073 |
Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band |
● CD $15.98 |
10 tracks, 51 mins, fans only. I know I lot of people like
this style of blues but, personally, I loathe it. Taylor seems to belong
to the school that if one note on the guitar is good then 10 must be
better, if loud is exciting then louder must be more exciting. Doesn't
work that way for me. All that screeching, too facile, histrionic playing
just bores and depresses me. Maybe I'm too old to appreciate it but so be
it. Shame, 'cos Taylor is a damn fine singer and, I suspect, a good guitar
player. If you like Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy this may be
your cup of tea - it certainly isn't mine. (FS)
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MELVIN
TAYLOR & THE SLACK BAND |
Evidence 26123 |
Rendezvous With The Blues |
● CD $15.98 |
55 minutes, 10 tracks, recommended
While restraint isn't
quite Melvin Taylor's style, his selection of cover material is well-suited
to his careening lead guitar and he's grown into a seasoned vocalist.
Steering clear of patented shuffles during the cover-laden "Rendezvous With
The Blues" doesn't lessen his impact as a fine blues interpreter; his
blending of thick chords, searing fills, and tenacious leads show an artist
continuing to stretch the boundaries. Lucky Peterson helps out and Mato
Nanji from Indigenous falls in on Comin' Home Baby and a John Lee
Hooker tribute consisting of Chill Out and The Healer.
Prince's Five Women will have purists shuddering in horror, but it's
a high point as Melvin takes a pop-flavored flounder and transposes it into
a delicious cut. Blue Jean Blues delivers shattering guitar and
explosive dynamics. (CR)
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OTIS TAYLOR |
NorthernBlues 002 |
White African |
● CD $16.98 |
11 tracks, essential
Astounding album from immensely talented
singer, songwriter, guitarist and banjo player from Colorado. Taylor has
been around for a while and had previous releases but this is his first
nationally available release. He is a superb vocalist and an imaginative
instrumentalist - at times his guitar playing brings to mind John Lee
Hooker, at other times Ali Farka Toure but always with an individualistic
touch. His songs are some of the most powerful songs of the
African-American experience in the USA I have heard in a very long time -
I think of Mighty Mo Rodgers whose album of last year touched on some of
the same nerves but Taylor's songs are darker and grimmer. His songs deal
with such subjects as the lynching of his own grandfather and how his
grandmother coped with it, the kind a justice a black hobo in the 30s
received when he was convicted of a murder he didn't commit, a man who
cannot pay for medical help for his dying child and more - all sung with
conviction and lack of self pity. On most cuts Taylor plays acoustic
guitar with his long time associate Kenny Passarelli on bass. On a few
cuts electric guitarist Eddie Turner provides some suitably plangent
guitar licks. On Momma Don't You Do It about a man who is too proud
to cry when his mother is dying Taylor plays some amazing clawhammer banjo
and on the song of love gone wrong Round And Round he plays equally
fiery harmonica. A remarkable set of performances from a unique performer.
Thanks to Dave Marsh for alerting me to this astonishing talent. (FS)
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OTIS TAYLOR |
NorthernBlues 009 |
Respect The Dead |
● CD $16.98 |
Otis Taylor's second album for NorthernBlues is another
powerful evocation of the African-American experience in America through
the dark imagery of his intelligent lyrics, intense vocals and dazzling
instrumental work. I don't like this quite as much as "White
African" - this seems a little more self conscious but it is still a
wonderfully exciting release.
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OTIS TAYLOR |
Telarc 83587 |
Truth Is Not Fiction |
● CD $17.98 |
12 tracks, recommended
Powerful new album from this unique
bluesman. Except for an unusual version of the traditional Baby, Please
Don't Go it's all original songs which deal in a powerful way with topics
like civil rights, organ transplants, the death of a father in a slave
family and more. Much of the mood is dark and Otis's style is distinctive
with repetitive trance like rhythms underpinning his declamatory vocals. He
accompanies himself electric, acoustic, and lap steel guitars, electric
mandolin and banjo and is joined by his long time associates Eddie Turner on
lead guitar and Kenny Passarelli/ kayboards with occasional cello from Ben
Sollee. (FS)
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JOHNNY TEMPLE |
Document DOCD 5240 |
Complete Recorded Works, Vol 3 : 1940-49 |
● CD $15.98 |
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