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Johnny "Guitar" Watson -> Junior Wells
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JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON ALABAMA WATSON/ GUITAR NUBITT KENNY "BLUES BOSS" WAYNE CARL WEATHERSBY SYLVESTER WEAVER |
BOOGIE BILL WEBB GARTH WEBBER KATIE WEBSTER CASEY BILL WELDON JUNIOR WELLS |
| JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON | Ace CDCHD 621 | Hot Just Like TNT | $18.98 |
| 28 tracks, 74 min., recommended. An upgrade to Aces original
Johnny "Guitar" Watson CD (Ace 909 available in the US as Flair
86233) this expands the original 14 tracks to 28 featuring West Coast
recordings for Modern/RPM ('55/56), Dig ('57), Keen ('57/58) and Eldo
('60) Labels. Those of you who have the 1992 P-Vine (Japanese) set (PCD
3026/27) of his Modern/RPM sides will be familiar with these master takes
which differ ever so slightly from the alternate takes used on Ace 909.
Included in this new CD is a previously unknown take of Don't Touch Me
(I'm Gonna Hit The Highway). The rest of the set is made up of 4 Bumps
Blackwell productions for Keen Records, which includes the original
version of Gangster Of Love ('58); and 7 Johnny Otis produced
sides, 4 taken from a 1960 unissued session where he's assisted by a vocal
group & sings very much like Ray Charles. Highlights include Hot
Little Mama ('55, with Maxwell Davis Orchestra), Those Lonely,
Lonely Nights ('55, #10 R&B hit), Love Bandit (vocal-piano
demo) and I Got A Girl ('57). (EL) JOHNNY 'GUITAR' WATSON: Ain't Gonna Hush/ Come On Baby/ Deana Baby/ Dee's Boogie/ Don't Touch Me (i'm Gonna Hit The Highway)/ Gangster Of Love/ Give A Little/ Honey/ Hot Little Mama/ I Got A Girl (that Lives Over Yonder)/ I Love To Love You/ Lonely Girl/ Love Bandit (gangster Of Love)/ Love Me Baby/ My Baby And Me/ Next Disc/ Oh Baby/ One Room Country Shack/ Ruben/ She Moves Me/ Someone Cares For Me/ Telephone Boogie/ Those Lonely, Lonely Nights/ Three Hours Past Midnight/ Too Tired/ You've Been Gone Too Long |
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| JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON | Flair 86233 | Three Hours Past Midnight | $12.98 |
| Excellent sounding CD, mostly of Johnny's mid 50's Modern
material. There are 14 Modern sides including his biggest hit, a cover of
Earl King's Those Lonely Lonely Nights, as well as classic rockers Hot
Little Mama/ Too Tired/ She Moves Me and the high-voltage slow blues
title track. Also included is Chuck Higgins' hit Motor Head Baby
with Johnny on guitar, Johnny backing up singer Cordello de Milo on Ain't
Gonna Hush and his rare 1959 Class single The Bear/ One Kiss.
Same selection and packaging as Ace 909. (GM) |
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| JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON | Rhino 75702 | The Very Best Of | $12.98 |
| Retrospective featuring some of the best of Johnny's early
sides covering the period 1953 to '63 and including recordings from
Federal, RPM, Escort and King along with a rare 1962 recordings by Floyd
Dixon with Johnny playing guitar. |
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| ALABAMA WATSON/ GUITAR NUBITT | Wolf WBJ 013 | Bluestown Story Vol. 1 | $14.98 |
| 21 tracks, recommended. Some time ago I was raving about a
Matchbox mini LP featuring 7 tracks by the amazing country bluesman Guitar
Nubbit (Alvin Hankerson) recorded in 1962 and '65 for the Boston based
Bluestown label. I was bemoaning the fact that the rumored tapes of
unissued songs had never surfaced. Well guess what? They surfaced. This
disc features all 8 issued songs plus two previously unissued songs. The
issued tracks include his masterpiece Georgia Chain Gang which is
surely one of the greatest country blues recorded in the post war era. A
story song full of weird almost surrealistic images ("I whistled to
my shotgun/ It crawled down from the wall/ I pulled its tongue and it
bellowed and barked") sung with a passion and conviction in a
distinctive and unique voice which is propelled along by his energetic and
percussive guitar. By comparison the rest of the songs are almost mundane
but by any other standards are exceptional with great singing and guitar.
The two unissued tracks Meletonia and I Feel So Relaxed are
not among his better songs but are still very fine. The rest of the CD
features 11 tracks by the unexceptional Alabama Watson whose four issued
sides are good but the unissued material featuring alternates takes of the
issued songs and versions of Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters songs are
mundane indeed. The sound is good and the booklet has extensive notes by
Ron Bartolucci. Unfortunately the notes are almost unreadable due to the
small size of the type and the appalling proof reading with misspellings,
unexpected case changes and lack of paragraphs. Still forget all that and
listen to the incredible music of Guitar Nubbit. (FS) |
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| KENNY "BLUES BOSS" WAYNE | Real Blues 1201 | Blues Boss Boogie | $15.98 |
| 16 tracks, 63 minutes, Highly Recommended Born in Spokane in
1944, Kenneth Wayne Spruell is a new force to contend with when it comes
to piano playing bluesmen. All 16 tracks are originals (no covers here),
his boogie woogie playing reminds me of Joe Liggins & Floyd Dixon. As
he was raised in Los Angeles & San Francisco, this doesn't surprise
me. The producers here have added variety by including 3 instruments
(accompanied by the wonderful Shuggie Otis), Johnny Ferreira (saxophone),
and Canada's major swing-jump group, The Twisters. Highlights include West
Coast Blues (where he plays organ, along with Shuggie), True Blue
(with Junior Demchuk on guitar). (EL) |
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| CARL WEATHERSBY | Evidence 26075 | Don't Lay Your Blues On Me | $15.98 |
| 10 Tracks, 54 min., recommended. A long-time member--14
years!--of Billy Branch's Sons Of Blues (a.k.a. SOBs), Weathersby and his
guitar have finally released their own album, a mix of blues standards
(Buster Brown's Fannie Mae, Willie Dixon's Same Thing) and
originals (Rock Your Town, The Things The Blues Will Make You Do).
When Weathersby lets the song tell his strings what to do (Your Love Is
Everything, Poverty), things are fine. But when he forces those
fiery solos--and he certainly can heat up a track--they sound, well,
forced. And his version of Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor is a
mistake. Still, don't be surprised if he's the next big blues thing. (JC) |
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| CARL WEATHERSBY | Evidence 26099 | Restless Feeling | $15.98 |
| Long time guitarist with Billy Branch's Sons Of The Blues,
the Chicago guitarist's father was friends with Albert King, who was a
prime influence, in vocals as well as guitar. In fact, the opening title
tune is a cover of the King tune; another cover, Allen Toussaint's We
All Wanna Boogie, was also 1st done by King. Soulful as well as
bluesy, this, his 3rd for Evidence, is mostly original tunes by Weathersby
or guitarist Rico McFarland, with some fine covers including Lightnin'
Hopkins' Glory Be, Al Green's Rhymes, even Johnny
"Guitar" Watson's A Real Mutha Fuh Ya. (GM) |
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| SYLVESTER WEAVER | Document DOCD 5113 | Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order, Vol 2 | $15.98 |
| The second volume is equally good featuring 21 recordings
made between August and November 1927 and most of the sides have better
sound. Most of the cuts feature Weaver with guitarist Walter Beasley and
the empathy between the two guitarists is stunning. There are several
instrumental duets including the masterful Bottleneck Blues where
both play slide. There are a number of exceptional songs from Weaver which
display a high level of creativity including the incredibly bizarre Tapeworm
Blues, the fascinating Devil Blues which is one the few blues songs to use the image of a "hellhound" which figures so
prominently in Robert Johnson's Hellhound On My Trail. There are a
number of accompaniments to fine singer Helen Humes including the delightful
Garlic Blues and several songs feature the vocals of
Beasley - a decent, if unexceptional, singer. Another essential release.
(FS) |
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| BOOGIE BILL WEBB | Flying Fish 70506 | Drinkin' & Stinkin' | $14.98 |
| This one has been out for quite a while. This collection
features 13 tracks by Mississippi bluesman based in New Orleans. Webb was
an associate of the great Tommy Johnson and many of his previous
recordings focussed on Johnson's influence on him. This release draws on a
more diverse repertoire - there is the obligatory Johnson song Canned
Heat but this collection also features Bill doing Leadbelly's Red
Cross Store, Lowell Fulson's Black Nights, an unexpected Cuttin
Out Baby which Bill learned from Professor Longhair who he played with
in the 50s. Plus there are several originals including the humorous title
songs, the instrumental Bill's Boogie Woogie and others. Bill's
sings and plays electric guitar and is given sympathetic backup by Ben
Sandmel on drums and Reggie Scanlan on bass. Album comes with detailed 8
page boklet by Nick Spitzer. (FS) |
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| GARTH WEBBER | Blue Rock'It 112 | Get A Grip On The Blues | $14.98 |
| GARTH WEBBER & MARK FORD | Blue Rock'It 119 | On The Edge | $14.98 |
| KATIE WEBSTER | Alligator 4766 | The Swamp Boogie Queen | $15.98 |
| Excellent album by Louisiana's Queen of blues, boogie
and soul. Accompaniment by her band - the fine 3 piece Silent Partners she
performs a selection of blues, soul, swamp pop and boogie. The emphasis is
on a 60s soul sounds with driving versions of Johnny Taylor's Who's
Making Love, her former boss Otis Reddings Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa and Try
A Little Tenderness (the latter with a nice up tempo ending) and Joe
Tex's Hold On To What You've Got with new and witty spoken section
by Katie. She also does a fine version of the old swamp pop hit Sea Of
Love and gets in a splendid boogie workout on her own Black Satin
with a whimsical intro from Clare De Lune. Several guest musicians
appear including Robert Cray adding some trademark licks on Whose
Making Love and the splendid Memphis Horns round out the sound on a
couple of tracks. Other guests include Bonnie Raitt and Kim Wilson whose contributions
are fairly expendable. Still a most worthwhile album from a
major talent. (FS) |
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| KATIE WEBSTER | Alligator 4777 | Two-Fisted Mama! | $15.98 |
| New album with her new road band and guest appearance by The
Memphis Horns on 3 cuts. |
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| KATIE WEBSTER | Alligator 4803 | No Foolin' | $12.98 |
| KATIE WEBSTER | Arhoolie 393 | I Know That's Right - Solo And With Hot Links | $12.98 |
| 12 tracks, 72 min., recommended. This expands on Arhoolie LP
1094; basically a 1985 studio collaboration with Katie and the local band
Hot Links. That album got good reviews, and helped Katie get her present
career on track. Its strengths are all here - the catchy rocker I Know
That's Right, swamp pop of Don't Accuse Me, the blues grinders I
Want You To Love Me/ Snatch It And Grab It, a boogie woogie solo and
more. Unreleased additions include an ultra-soulful solo When Something
Is Wrong With My Baby, a moving Jesus Loves Me, and a live cut
from the Arhoolie 25th-year party. Hot Links adds solid horn charts and
solo support to Katie's good time swamp-rockin' sound. (MB) KATIE WEBSTER: Don't Accuse Me/ I Know That's Right/ I Want You To Love Me/ Jesus Loves Me / Only A Look (*)/ Jimmy Jimmy/ Katie's Boogie Woogie/ Million Dollar Secret/Shake, Rattle, And Roll (*)/ Misty Blue (*)/ Snatch And Grab It/ Voodoo BlissBo Jenkins (*)/ When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (*) |
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| CASEY BILL WELDON | Document DOCD 5217 | Complete Recorded Works 1935-38, Vol 1 | $15.98 |
| 25 tracks, 78 min., recommended Very little is known about
Casey Bill Weldon. There may even be 2 Weldons as the William Weldon who
recorded for Victor Records (with Vol Stevens, & with The Memphis Jug
Band) sure doesn't sound like the Weldon on this CD. Even his age &
place of birth are suspect, which Dave Moore points out in his CD notes.
The tracks on this CD (Vol. 1 of 3) were issued as Kansas City Bill Weldon
(Vocalion Records, 4 tracks with Peetie Wheatstraw), but most were issued
as just Casey Bill. A few of his 1935 sides are sub-credited as "The
Hawaiian Guitar Wizard", which is a hint to you slide guitar fans!
His original composition (now a standard) Somebody Changed The Lock On
That Door is represented in 2 versions along with other highlights
like I'm A Stranger In Your Town, Flood Water and W.P.A.
Blues. A casual listen will even convince you that he may have been an
influence on Robert Johnson, especially on What's The Matter With My
Milk Cow?, recorded less than 2 years before Johnson entered a studio.
Note that Casey Bill Weldon's 1935 recordings as a member of The Hokum
Boys will be found on Document 5237. (EL) |
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| CASEY BILL WELDON | Document DOCD 5218 | Complete Recorded Works, 1935-38 : Vol 2 | $15.98 |
| 25 tracks, 77 min., recommended Continuing from volume 1
(Document 5217), this set begins with Casey Blues, a deep slide
guitar blues, accompanied by pianist Black Bob Hudson. The rest of the CD
contains 23 Vocalion sides, all featuring a rhythm guitarist (Big Bill
Broonzy or Tampa Red), and four examples of his playing with clarinetist
Albert Nelson. Billed as the "Hawaiian Guitar Wizard", his
playing is outstanding, especially on the 3 titles that were covered by
Washboard Sam : Back Door, The Big Boat, and his own
composition, the blues standard We Gonna Move (To The Outskirts Of
Town). Volume 3 (1937-1938) contains the rest of his Vocalion sides
and his 1938 Bluebird session. (EL) |
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| CASEY BILL WELDON | Document DOCD 5219 | Complete Recorded Works, 1935-38 : Vol 3 | $15.98 |
| CASEY BILL WELDON/ KOKOMO ARNOLD | Yazoo 1049 | Bottleneck Guitar Trendsetters Of The 1930's | $15.98 |
| The pairing of music by Weldon and Arnold works well not
simply because the two were "trendsetters," but also because of
their wildly unconventional slide guitar styles, styles that made them
more popular than, say, Robert Johnson. Weldon shines on You Just As
Well Let Her Go/ You Should't Do That(i.e., kill your cheating woman
or yourself), Back Door Blues, and the amusing Western Swing
standard Go Ahead, Buddy. But as entertaining and unusual as
Weldon's approach is, it doesn't even tread water next to the frantic
abandon of Kokomo Arnold on The Twelves (The Dirty Dozens), a song
that is not merely played, but attacked, conquered, and possessed. The
rest of his tracks, including the risque Busy Bootin'/ Feels So Good,
display his varied guitar technique - something some collections fail to
do adequately. The Stephen Calt/John Miller liner notes are informative,
to be sure, but written in the absolute key of Dull. Sound is just fine.
(Reissues Yazoo LP 1049.) Recommended. (JC) |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Delmark 612 | Hoodoo Man Blues | $11.98 |
| CD reissue of Junior Wells' first LP, with Buddy Guy. Snatch
It Back And Hold It/Good Morning Schoolgirl/You Don't Love Me Baby/title
cut, 14 in all including bonus alternate takes of Hoodoo Man Blues/Chitlin
Con Carne. Great! |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Delmark 628 | Southside Blues Jam | $11.98 |
| 8 tracks, 40 min., recommended. Straight CD reissue of the
1970 LP. It's no Hoodoo Man Blues, but it's hard to knock. After
all, not only does it have Buddy Guy playing guitar all over the place
(sometimes with Louis Myers), but Buddy even sings on Trouble Don't
Last Always. And how can you not like the last studio recording of
blues piano great Otis Spann? For his part, Jr. plays some fine harp and
sings up a storm, even if he is occasionally tempted into doing his James
Brown, Jr. impression. Includes Stop Breaking Down/ Blues For Mayor
Daley/ You Say You Love Me and more. It's over too soon. (JC) JUNIOR WELLS: Baby, Please Lend Me Your Love/ Blues For Mayor Daley/ I Could Have Had Religion/ I Just Want To Make Love To You/ I Wish I Knew What I Know Now/ Stop Breaking Down/ You Say You Love Me |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Delmark 635 | On Tap | $11.98 |
| Mid-70's studio recording, right up there with Junior's
other Delmark treasures Hoodoo Man Blues/ South Side Blues Jam.
Buddy Guy is conspicuously absent here, but guitarists Sammy Lawhorn and
Phil Guy fill the gap, along with pianist Big Moose Walker and saxman A.C.
Reed. 9 cuts, including the unissued Goin' Down Slow and Key to
The Highway/ Love Her With A Feeling/ What My Mama Told Me. (MB) JUNIOR WELLS: Goin' Down Slow./ Junior's Thing/ Key To The Highway/ So Long/ Someday Baby/ The Train I Ride/ Watch Me Move/ What My Mama Told Me/ You Gotta Love Her With A Feeling |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Delmark 640 | Blues Hit Big Town | $11.98 |
| Essential sides recorded for States in 1953 & '54 with
Junior accompanied by incredible musicians like Elmore James, Muddy
Waters, Louis Myers, Johnnie Jones, Otis Spann and others. Includes
several great tracks not originally issued. JUNIOR WELLS: Blues Hit Big Town/ Blues Hit Big Town (alternate)./ Bout The Break Of Day/ Can't Find My Baby/ Cut That Out/ Eagle Rock/ Eagle Rock (alternate)/ Hoodoo Man/ Junior's Wail/ Junior's Wail (alternate)/ Lord Lord/ Lord Lord (alternate)/ Please Throw This Poor Dog A Bone/ Please Throw This Poor Dog A Bone (alternate)/ So All Alone/ Tomorrow Night/ Ways Like An Angel |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Telarc 83354 | Better Off With The Blues | $15.98 |
| JUNIOR WELLS | Vanguard VMD 73120 | It's My Life Baby | $13.98 |
| A blues classic, recorded live and in the studio with Buddy
Guy, Fred Below and more. 12 cuts. |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Vanguard VMD 79262 | Coming At You | $13.98 |
| JUNIOR WELLS | Vanguard 79508 | Best Of The Vanguard Years | $15.98 |
| 20 track compilation featuring most of Junior's Vanguard
recordings drawn from his contribution to the classic "Chicago - The
Blues Today" series (1965) and his 1966 album which was partly live -
all featuring Buddy Guy on guitar plus two previously unissued tracks - Help
Me (A Tribute To Sonny Boy Williamson)/ Messin' With The Kid/ All Night
Long/ It's So Sad To be Lonely/ Stormy Monday Blues/ Checking On My baby/
(I Got A) Stomach Ache/ I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man/ Shotgun Blues,
etc. |
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| JUNIOR WELLS | Westside 866 | Calling All Blues | $18.98 |
| 24 tracks, 61 mins, highly recommended Excellent compilation
featuring all of Junior's recordings between 1957 and 1963 for Chief,
Profile and USA as well as cuts acompanying Earl Hooker. Although Junior's
superb harmonica work is present on only a few cuts there is stunning
instrumental work from his accompanying musicicians which includes such
great guitarists as Hooker, Syl Johnson, Dave Myers and Lacey Gibson,
pianists Lafayette Leake, Big Moose Walker and Otis Spann ,bassist Willie
Dixon, drummer Fred Below and other stalwarts. There are some great songs
here including two very different versions of the great minor key blues I
Could Cry, the wonderful Prison Bars All Around Me - a
reworking of So All Alone which he originally recorded for States
and features some stunning piano from Spann and guitar by Hooker, his only
R&B chart hit Little By Little and his most famous song Messin'
With The Kid which has been covered by numerous artists. There are
three fine instrumentals originally issued under Earl Hooker's name
including the slow Little Walter inspired Calling All Blues and the
lively Galloping Horses A Lazy With with Junior providing humorous
commentary behind Hooker's stinging guitar and Big Moose Walker's churning
organ playing. Weakest tracks are the last four recorded for USA in 1963
but the rest is all top notch Chicago blues. Sound quality is superb and
there are informative notes by Neil Slaven but, no discographical info -
why not? (FS) |
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