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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.

 
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) 

 
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)

 
EDDIE TAYLOR Wolf 120.711 Eddie Taylor ● CD $15.98

 
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)

 
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.

 
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) 

 
HOUND DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS Alligator 4701 Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers ● CD $15.98

 
HOUND DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS Alligator 4704 Natural Boogie ● CD $11.98

 
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.

 
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. 

 
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)

 
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.

 
HOUND DOG TAYLOR & THE HOUSEROCKERS Wolf 120 600 Freddie's Blues ● CD $15.98

   
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)

   
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4706 I Got What It Takes ● CD $11.98

 
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4711 The Earthshaker ● CD $15.98

 
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4724 From the Heart of a Woman ● CD $15.98

 
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4740 Queen Of The Blues ● CD $15.98
Special guests include Albert Collins, James Cotton and Lonnie Brooks.

 
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4754 An Audience With The Queen ● CD $15.98

 
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4784 Jump For Joy ● CD $11.98

 
KOKO TAYLOR Alligator 4817 Force Of Nature ● CD $15.98

 
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)

 
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.

 
MELVIN TAYLOR Evidence 26041 Blues On The Run ● CD $12.98
Reissue of 1981 Isabel album.

 
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)

 
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)

 
MONTANA TAYLOR Southland 30 Circle Recordings ● CD $13.98

 
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)

 
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.

 
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)

 
JOHNNY TEMPLE Document DOCD 5240 Complete Recorded Works, Vol 3 : 1940-49 ● CD $15.98

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