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NEWSLETTER
#124
Blues & Gospel
Cousin Joe ->
Amos Milburn
| COUSIN JOE | Night Train 3001 | Complete Recordings, 1945-1955 | ● CD $25.98 |
| If you missed out on the three CDs of this fine artists' 40s
and 50s recordings on Blue Moon here's you chance to pick up the material
as a three CD set at a bargain price. 66 tracks featuring this talented
and whimsical singer and songwriter in a range of setting including sides
with The Mezzrow-Bechet Septet, Pete Brown's Brooklyn Blue Blowers, Earl
Bostic's Orchestra, Al Casey Quartet, Sam Price Trio, Dave Bartholomew's
Orch. and more. |
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| THE DELTA JUKES | Black Magic 9044 | Working For The Blues | ● CD $16.98 |
| Fine set of Mississippi juke joint blues featuring an
occasional group consisting of singer/ guitarist Dave Riley, singer/
harmonica player John Weston and legendary Delta drummer Sam Carr with
producer Fred James providing sterling backup on rhythm guitar, bass and
piano. All the musicians are fine, good if not exceptional singers,
Riley's guitar playing is gritty and funky and Weston plays good harmonica
including some nice chromatic work. Most of the songs are good original
compositions. It's a bit like a Fat Possum record but without the
"attitude". |
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| LITTLE ARTHUR DUNCAN | Random Chance 3 | Live In Chicago! | ● CD $14.98 |
| 9 tracks, 50 mins, recommended. Good set of down to earth
Chicago blues recorded live in 1999 featuring excellent singer and
harmonica player Duncan accompanied by solid no nonsense band featuring
guitarist Rockin' Johnny Burgin, basist Kar Meyer and Ashward Gates or
Twist Turner on drums. Duncan is no great original - most of his songs are
fairly familiar titles like Mama Talk to Your Daughter/ I Asked For
Water/ Forty Four Blues and other covers along with a few originals
but his performance is very appealing and this set makes for entertaining
listening. |
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| EASY BABY | Wolf 120.805 | If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another | ● CD $15.98 |
| Enjoyable new set of down home Chicago blues featuring
singer/ harmonica player Alex "Easy Baby" Randle - his first
recordings in many years. He is accompanied by a solid band including
Johnny B. Moore & Eddie Taylor Jr. on guitars and Allan Batts on
piano. Mostly original songs along with a couple of covers. Nothing
spectacular but some honest unpretentious blues. |
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| LOWELL FULSON | Fuel 2000 61082 | I've Got The Blues | ● CD $16.98 |
| 18 track compilation of Lowell's Jewel sides from the late
60s/early 70s. Includes several sides not originally issued. LOWELL FULSON: Baby/ Change Of Heart/ Crying Won't Help/ Don't Leave Me/ Every Second A Fool Is Born/ Fed Up/ How Do You Want Your Man/ Hurry Home/ I Started Out Wrong/ I've Got The Blues/ Please Let Me Go/ Searchin' Out/ Stoned To The Bone/ Teach Me/ The Last One To Know/ Thug/ Too Soon/ You're Going To Miss Me |
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| THE GOLDEN GATE QUARTET/ JOSH WHITE | Bridge 9114 | Freedom | ● CD $14.98 |
| 23 tracks, 60 mins, highly recommended. Delightful and
fascinating album featuring recordings made live at a concert at the
Library of Congress as part of a celebration of the 75th anniversary of
the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of The United States which
ended slavery. The first part of the concert is a selection of six
spirituals by The Golden Gate Quartet who are in fine form and are give a
brief introduction by the first black Rhodes scholar Alain Locke. The
second part features five blues and ballads by Josh White - also in fine
form - some with vocal backup from the Gates and including lengthy
introductions from poet Sterling Brown. The last features reels, work
songs and spirituals featuring both artists with introductions from
folklorist Alan Lomax. Includes 32 page booklet with several sets of notes
including a lengthy one from gospel expert Horace Clarence Boyer. (FS) |
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| BUDDY GUY | Silvertone 41751 | Sweet Tea | ● CD $17.98 |
| Buddy gives his own take on the Fat Possum sound with a more
stripped down sound than usual and tackling songs originally recorded by
Fat Possum artists like Junior Kimbrough, CeDell Davis,
"T-Model" Ford and Robert Cage. Also includes one Guy original -
the powerful It's A Jungle Out There. |
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| ERWIN HELFER | The Sirens 5001 | I'm Not Hungry But I Like to Eat Blues | ● CD $15.98 |
| 15 tracks, 55 mins, recommended First album in a long while
from veteran Chicago based blues, boogie and jazz pianist. Erwin is in
good form on a selection old favorites (Swanee River Boogie/ Dirty
Dozens/ Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans/ See See Rider/
After Hours, etc) along with some original compositions (Homage To
pete Johnson/ Stella/ Pooch Piddle/ Day Dreaming and the title tune).
It's mostly solo with a few tracks featuring slightly incongruous tenor
sax from John Brumbach. (FS) |
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| THE HOLLYWOOD FATS BAND | Crosscut 21069 | The Definitive Collection | ● CD $21.98 |
| Two CD set, 24 tracks, 100 mins, recommended Hollywood Fats
is a blues guitar legend, now gone but immortalized on a handful of
recordings with various Los Angeles pals like James Harman. This session
was originally issued on an 11 track LP in 1979. Black Top reissued it on
CD in the early 90s with 6 additional tracks from the session and now
Crosscut has gone one better and added 6 alternate takes from the session
along with the previously unissued tune Fred's Blues. This, the
only album under his name gives us something to remember him by - songs
with a tight and right band that recalls the 50's Chicago sound with scary
accuracy. These guys obviously spent many nights on the stand together,
and pianist Fred Kaplan and drummer Richard Innes keep things pumpin'.
But Fats is the star of the show, playing with dynamic flash when needed,
and unerring good taste and tone throughout. Most of these are covers (Rock
This House/ Okie Dokie Stomp/ Red Headed Woman/ Lonesome/ Caldonia,
etc) with average vocals by Al Blake, but the houserockin' ability of this
band, and Fats' solo work, put most bands to shame. This reissue also
features a reproduction of the comic book that came with the original LP
along with extensive liner notes. (MB/FS) |
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| JOHN LEE HOOKER | Chess 112 821 | Real Folk Blues/ More Real Folk Blues | ● CD $18.98 |
| JOHN LEE HOOKER: Catfish Blues/ Deep Blue Sea/ House Rent Blues/ I Can't Quit You Baby/ I Put My Trust In You/ I'll Never Trust Your Love Again/ I'm In The Mood/ Lead Me/ Let's Go Out Tonight/ Mustang Sally And Gto/ Nobody Knows/ One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer/ Peace Lovin' Man/ Stella Mae/ This Land Is Nobody's Land/ Want Ad Blues/ Waterfront/ You Know, I Know | |||
| BIG GEORGE JACKSON BLUES BAND | Black & Tan 009 | Big Shot | ● CD $14.98 |
| 11 tracks, 50 min, recommended. Tough South Side Chicago
Blues from North Minneapolis! This is the 3rd CD from this band led by the
harp playing "singer his style is more of a declamatory talking
style, somewhere between John Lee & Muddy. There's a couple Big Walter
covers, Jimmy Reed's seldom covered I Found A True Love, with the
rest by the Big Man himself, with titles like The Daddy (a fine
Little Walter-esque harp workout)/ Dirty Haints/ St. Paul Woman
& the title track. (GM) |
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| B.B. KING | Ace CDCHD2 835 | The Modern Recordings, 1950-51 | ● CD $23.98 |
| Two CD set with 33 tracks featuring an in depth look at the
first two years of B.B.'s stint at RPM Records featuring two or three
alternate takes of most of the songs including eight not previously
reissue. Tracks have been newly remastered from original 16" acetates
or master tapes for best ever sound. Most tracks were recorded at Sam
Phillips' studios in Memphis before he started Sun Records. |
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| FREDDY KING | Universal Special Products 831 815 | Burglar | ● CD $7.98 |
| Budget reissue of RSO 4803 from 1974. Freddie's final studio
LP isn't very good, full of an overblown group of studio musicians
includign Brian Auger, Bobby Tench, Pete Wingfield, Steve Ferrone, etc
plus a five piece horn section and produced by Mike Vernon. The best thing
on this LP is the only cut not from these sessions, a fine Sugar Sweet
done with Eric Clapton's group. Of the rest Pulp Paper is a pretty
good instrumental. (GM) |
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| JULIA LEE & HER BOYFRIENDS | JSP JSPCD 3405 | Kansas City's First Lady Of The Blues | ● CD $16.98 |
| Excellent two CD set at a budget price featuring 48 tracks
recorded by this fine vocalist and piano player between 1944 and 1947
accompanied by top jazz musicians like Jay McShann, Walter Page, Vernon
"Geechie" Smith, Dave Cavanaugh, Benny Carter, Vic Dickenson,
George "Red" Callendar and others. A fine mix of blues, jazz,
pop songs and some of Julia's trademark "risque" numbers.
Excellent sound and booklet has informative notes and discographical
details. |
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| FURRY LEWIS, BUKKA WHITE & FRIENDS | Arcola 1001 | Party! At Home | ● CD $14.98 |
| Fine set recorded informally, mostly at Furry's apartment,
in Memphis in 1968. Many of these tracks were issued on an obscure 1972 LP
on the Asp label. This CD reissue features four additional musical
performances plus various segments of chatter. Both artists are in good
form and the friends who turn up provide enthusiastic encouragement. |
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| GEORGE LEWIS/ JIMMY YANCEY | Collectables 6272 | Jazz At Preservation Hall/ Pure Blues | ● CD $13.98 |
| Two rare Atlantic LPs combined. The George Lewis album was
originally issued as Atlantic 1411 in 1963 and features the great New
Orleans clarinetist recorded in the early 60s with "Kid" Howard,
Jim Robinson and others. The Yancey sides were originally recorded in 1951
and released on Atlantic 1283 in 1958. The blues piano giant is in superb
form, accompanied on most sides by the discreet bass playing of Israel
Crosby and joined by Mama Yancey on four lovely vocals. |
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| HIP LINKCHAIN | Teardrop 1006 | Change My Blues | ● CD $14.98 |
| 10 tracks, 44 mins, very good. Hip Linkchain was a fine
Chicago singer and guitarist who recorded relatively infrequently. This is
a reissue of his first full length album recorded in 1981 with Pinetop Perkins/ piano, Rich Kirch/ guitar, Right Hand Frank/ bass and Fred Grady/
drums. The songs are half originals and half covers and Hip and the band
do a nice job. The main drawback of this album is the mediocre sound - the
overall sound is muddy and the balance isn't good - with contemporary
mastering techniques it would have been possible to brighten and enrich the
sound. The package is a straight reissue of the original LP with no
additional information - not even the fact that Hip died in 1989. (FS) |
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| JACK MCVEA | Delmark 756 | McVoutie's Central Avenue Blues | ● CD $14.98 |
| 23 tracks recorded for Apollo featuring fine Los Angeles sax
man McVea, usually in an accompanying role to blues singer Rabvon Tarrant,
Wynonie Harris and Duke Henderson but also including some hot
instrumentals. |
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