Absolute royalty

April 30 is traditionally the day the Dutch celebrate their connection with the royal family. That makes this a perfect day to share this album.
In September 1981 The Crusaders gave a concert in London. Now, normally the music of The Crusaders is 'not my cup of tea'. But in this case it's something different. This particular concert was held in The Royal festival Hall together with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. But that's not the reason why I treasure this album. I treasure this album because halfway through the concert B.B. King walks in. For me that saves the day (or in this case the album). Suddenly the chemistry is there. Specially between B.B. King and Joe Sample. And it is fun hearing the Crusaders with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on The thrill is gone, or B.B. King singing Street life. All and all an album that deserves her title.

1982 - Royal Jam

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Bluzman

Otis Redding was not only accompanied by Booker T and the MG's. They had a career of their own. At those times Sam Taylor was his band leader.

Sam Taylor has been a professional musician ever since 1950 and all this time he has been "keepin' the blues alive". He is a talented songwriter, a gifted guitar player, but when he starts to sing.......He has one of the most beautiful (male) voices I ever heard perform. No wonder that Sam has been playing / recording with people like Otis, but also T-bone Walker, Albert Collins, Big Joe Turner, Sam & Dave. He sang a.o with The Drifters and Maxime Brown. In short: Sam has lived the blues for over 50 years now.

I've had the privilege to meet Mr. Taylor three times now. And I can tell you that apart from his obvious talents he is a sympathetic and warm person who is genuinely interested is his audience.

On this album from 2003 Sam wrote: This CD is dedicated to the memory of two of the finest tenors that ever sang. My son Bobby Taylor who passed over on July 1997 and my ex-partner Mr. Bennie Earl, who passed in 2002. Thank God for the music I was able to make with both of them.
Mr Taylor, thank God for all your music!

2003 - Blue Tears

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OTIS! Live........

The last volume from this magnificent box is the only disc with a title: The Ultimate Live Otis Redding Show. And ultimate it is. They took a bunch of life recordings from different dates and locations and mixed them up in a way that the outcome sounds like one life concert. Somebody has been very smart here! And the result is wonderful. Beautiful ballads like Pain In My Heart and These Arms Of Mine, Beatles covers like A Hard Day's Night and of course............Try A Little Tenderness. For this closing song they took the recording from June 17 1969, the earlier mentioned Monterey International Pop Festival. This recording shows a Otis so vibrant, so alive. Otis at a point that we later came to know as the highlight of his career!
Fortunately from this Festival there is a wonderful film (I don't know if it's available on DVD). But whenever you get a change, watch the performance of Otis. See this particular version of Try A Little Tenderness. Tel you what, don't wait for this change. Make sure you see these recordings. Its well worth the effort.

1993 - Otis - disc 4: The Ultimate Live Ottis Redding Show pt 1 & pt 2

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OTIS! The tragedy

Disc # 3 covers the time period from February 1967 up to the end. Actually beyond the end. The first track is another rarity. It is an announcement from a promo only album from various artist to get kids to stay in school: Stay in school. Don't be a dropout.
Otis made an appearance during the Monterey International Pop Festival on June 17 that year. Together with Jimi Hendrix he was the sensation of the festival. His performance here is generally considered an important breakthrough to a wider (white) audience. Otis had never been more popular than in the months following the festival. And during those months Otis was really productive. He toured and recorded like a mad man.
On November 22 1967 Otis came to the STAX-studio and told Steve Cropper that he wrote something completely different. He sat down and recorded an demo of.....(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay. Everybody in the studio was stunned. With this song Otis took Soul into a completely new direction. But before they could talk this thing over Otis left already. He had to make it to the airplane that would take him to the next gig.
On December 10 1967 Otis his airplane crashed and the king of Soul died. He never made it back to the STAX-studio. Steve Cropper took the demo and finished it as a tribute to Otis. It was released on January 8 1968 to become Otis his biggest hit. It ranked #1 both in the pop and the R&B charts.
As far as I know this was to be Otis his only #1 hit. A recording he never heard himself!
Now you know why there are no live recordings of (Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay. Otis only sang it only once in public. And there were only 4 man witnessing this turning point in the history of soul.

1993 - OTIS! Disc 3

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Some more OTIS!

Today volume two of OTIS! The definitive Otis Redding Box Set.
This volume picks up where volume 1 left off. We're somewhere in 1965. The disc opens with Respect, an Otis original that later became the breakthrough hit for Aretha Franklin. The disc contains beautiful Otis originals, but quite a few remarkable recordings where Otis covers songs of other superstars: Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones), Chain Gang (Sam Cooke) and Day Tripper (Beatles).
Furthermore this disc holds a beautiful recording of Steve Croppers Knock On Wood. I never figured out if Steve wrote this song specially for Otis. Anyway, as far as I can tell this is the oldest recording of this legendary song. And recorded and produced by the composer himself!
The most remarkable song on this disc is Things Go Better With Coke, a radio advertisement for Coca Cola that, according to the liner notes, has never been issued before or even aired! Even the recording date of this commercial is unknown.
The disc leaves us with Otis in February 1967.

1993 - Otis - disc 2 pt 1 & pt 2

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OTIS!

It's time for some soul. Some serious soul! Let's get to the absolute king of soul: Otis Redding.
Today I'm offering the first disc of a 4 disc luxury box set called "Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding". This box is an absolute gem. Anyone who's into soul should get hold of this box. 4 CD's and a 100 pages book with a biography, testimonials by people like Al Green, Steve Cropper, Youssou N'Dour and many more, pictures, etc. Really wonderful.
On this first disc there 24 songs from the period '60 till '65. Otis originals, but also compositions of Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke. Even a recording of the Shooters (featuring Otis) from 1960 and a recording of Otis Redding & the Pinetoppers.
Listen to his voice, his songs, his interpretations.
Listen to Otis!

1993 - OTIS! Disc 1

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Playing with his friends

In 1990 U2 released their famous live album "Rattle and Hum" on which they did a song with B.B. King: When Love Come To Town. Not only was this a big hit for U2, but it introduced B.B. King to a whole new generation of music lovers. I for one know for sure that after "Rattle and Hum" it began twice as hard to get ticket to his concerts, and the average age of the audience was cut by half. B.B. King used this renewed attention for his work not only to make a few well received (and sold) albums, but also to bring the blues, in a wider perspective to the attention of this audience. This album from 1993 is a beautiful example of this.
On Blues Summit B.B. King truly plays with his friends! The album is recorded in two weeks on two locations (Memphis, Tn - B.B.'s hometown, and Berkeley, Ca) and contains duets with Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Koko Taylor, etc, and the playlist contains both very famous blues classics as new, specially written, material.
The album proved to be an 'instant hit' and is one of B.B.'s best sold original albums ever. Perhaps only beaten by "Deuces Wild".

1993 - Blues summit

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But.....it's Ella (part 10)

Today the final volume (#10) of the Ella wallet.
After uploading 10 discs as 10 RAR-files, containing 196 MP3 songs, there is all togther almost 820 MB to download!

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 10

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And then the truth came out

Yes, All these innovations and re-inventions during the (mainly second half of the) 80's let to a renewed interest in the blues. Life long blues fans suddenly had a lot more music to select from and a whole new generation of blues lovers was created. To my opinion it can't be coincidence that 1991 and old legend resurfaced. With his album "Closer to the truth" Tony Joe White was back as a performer in the international scene.
Tony already had a successful career as a performer between, roughly, 1968 and 1975. During this time he was also a successful songwriter with people like Elvis Presley (Polk Salad Annie) and Brook Benton (Rainy night in Georgia) recording his songs. Although he regularly toured between '75 and '90, he was during this period mainly a songwriter recorded by artists like Joe Cocker, Etta James, Ray Charles and Tina Turner, but also wrote music for movies and commercials (a.o. Levis). In this period he only recorded 2 albums himself.
Then, suddenly, in 1991 there is "Closer to the truth". A remarkable album that brings Tony back on the road again. For the next two years he be climbing every stair to every podium, of which quite a few in Europe.
Ever since Tony Joe White has been very productive as a recording artist and a performer. And still with the same distinguishable style that made him stand out in 1968. If ever get a change to see this man play live, don't hesitate and go!

1991 - Closer to the truth

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But....it's Ella (part 9)

And here we have disc 9 of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 9

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John Lee

Yes, there was a lot of exiting stuff happening to the Blues during the 80's. There was a whole generation of experienced artist still going strong, a new generation of innovators like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, old heroes resurfacing, people rediscovered, etc. But....the most remarkable, at least for me, was an old guitar player who had been at it for close to 50 years. John Lee Hooker re-invented......himself! John Lee had been playing Blues recording under at least 8 different names. Although widely recognized within Blues circles, he never got the recognition her deserved from a wider audience. This is even displayed in a commercial successful film like "The Blues Brothers". In this film there is wide variety of well known artists. Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, James Brown all got a (small) part to play in the film. John Lee Hooker is in this film as well. But he is just a street musician they pass along the way to meet with Aretha! This album from 1989 would change all that. With this album John Lee Hooker became a household name within the complete pop scene. The album contains recordings with Carlos Santana, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Roy Rogers, etc. The combination between Carlos and John Lee was even good for a worldwide hit single: The Healer. And for good reason. John Lee Hooker demonstrates that he can adept to his guest and still remain who he has been for so many decades.

1989 - The Healer

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But.....it's Ella (part 8)

Voila! Number 8 of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 8

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Slow blues at sunrise

One of the key figures of this innovation wave of the 80's was Stevie Ray Vaughan. This brilliant guitar player from Austin, Texas did not just create a new sound for his own. There have been a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of people who have been trying to copy his style ever since he so tragically died in a helicopter crash in August 1990. The album I choose to share today is a special one. It has been released in 2000 (ten years after Stevie Ray died) and is a compilation of 'slow' Blues. It is from these tracks that you can hear SRV's respect for the old masters. He listened to them and interpreted their work with his very recognizable style. The album holds not only SRV compositions, but also work from Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf and Albert King. With Albert King he recorded (live) Albert's song Blues at Sunrise, which gave this album it's title. Furthermore you will find a duet with Johnny Copeland on this album. To be short: A wonderful album of one of the biggest ever!

2000 - Blues at sunrise

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But.....it's Ella (part7)

And here is # 7 of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 7

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Don't be afraid

During the 80's there was a wave of innovation going through the Blues. A relatively small group of (then) young men, each with his own style, influenced the Blues in a way it had not been for two decades. And people noticed. These few man got more attention of the media than the generation prior to them. I'm talking about, of course, people like Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Thorogood, Jeff Healy and...Robert Cray. Robert was noticed not only for his very recognizable guitar playing. His compositions had a different drive than the other three gentleman I mentioned and.........Robert Cray has a beautiful, soft toned, warm soul voice. And the combination of these three worked. Robert even has a series of modest hits to his name. One of those hits, perhaps the biggest, comes from this album.
'Don't be afraid of the dark' is the fifth album of Robert and was recorded and released in 1988. This was two years after 'Strong Persuader', the album that gained Robert the attention of a wide audience. This album did well in the charts as well.
If you do not know the album.......Here's your change to find out why.

1988 - Don't be afraid of the dark

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But.....it's Ella (part 6)

After 5 comes disc # 6 of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 6

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Still got the blues

Eric Clapton has been one of the driving forces behind the blues revival during the early 60's in the UK. This revival wasn't only the survival of blues in general but was also a very important influence on pop-music as we know it today.
Clapton career took him through The Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Cream to Derek and the Dominos. By that time Eric had gained 'God' status and a lot of Blues fans thought he couldn't play the Blues anymore. He had lost it!
After several solo albums (some succesful and some not so) Clapton proofed his Blues critics wrong with this 1994 album: From The Cradle.
This album contains 16 straight forward Blues songs and brings Clapton back to the cradle: the Blues.

1994 - From The Cradle

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But.....it's Ella (part 5)

Here is disc # 5 of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 5

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William Lee Conley

Big Bill Broonzy (born as William Lee Conley Broonzy) is one of those man who mastered several instruments and several styles. Big Bill was either born in 1893 or 1898. Again different sources have different dates. Big Bill was born in the country but moved in 1924 to Chicago. With this move he changed instruments (from fiddle to guitar) and style (country-folk-blues to Chicago blues).
Chicago blues in 1924? Yes, Big Bill was one of the pioneers of Chicago blues. Big Bill was a pioneer. Period. He was one of the first to record with a little band (bass and drums) instead of just a single guitar. Big Bill used electric instruments as early as 1942! And he toured and recorded in Europe about 10 years prior to some of the other legends.

This album (again from the "Roots 'n' Blues" series) is a compilation that roughly covers the 1930's. Fortunately Big Bill left a lot of recordings. That made it possible to release this album in 1990 with 14(!) previous unissued recordings. And the other 6 tracks are worth listening as well.

1990 - Big Bill Broonzy: Good Time Tonight

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But.....it's Ella (part 4)

Here is the fourth volume of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 4

The password = "scrooge".

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News

In 1990 this album was released in the famous "Roots 'n' Blues" series. It is a wonderful compilation that focuses on one of the important original functions of the blues: Tell people the news! Hence the title of the album:
"News & The Blues: Telling Like It Is".
The album holds 20 recordings by legends as Bessie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Memphis Minnie, Big Bill Broonzy, Charlie Patton, Bukka White, etc. All the recordings are originals and date between 1927 and 1953. Tracks 19 (Homer Harris - 1946) and 20 (Willie "Long Time" Smith" - 1947) are previously unissued recordings. An absolute 'must have' for anyone who is into old original blues!

1990 - News & the Blues: Telling It Like It Is

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Possible solution to the RAR problem

As promised I looked into the RAR problem on the MAC. After asking around I got a tip from Caesar Tjalbo. So far I've been using WINACE to package. Caesar has been using WINRAR and has had no complaints so far. So time for me to try something new. The next few postings will be made with WINRAR. Unfortunately I do not have a MAC (I'm using computers....lol), so I can't test it myself. Dear MAC-users: Please be so kind to test one (or more) of the next few downloads and let me know if this solved the problem. regards, Scrooge

But.....it's Ella (part 3)

Here is the third volume of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 3

The password = "scrooge".

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New looks

Please do not worry. It is still the same Blog. I just changed the looks by choosing a different template.
If you have a preference for the 'old' feeling of the Blog. Please let me know. (I'm also interested in what you think of the new look-and-feel).

Scrooge.

The Poet

The title of this posting is stolen from an other album. "Willie Dixon, poet of the blues". But I like it so much that I'll re-use this honorary title here.
Willie Dixon is probably one of the most influential man in Blues (and that means in pop in general) ever. First of all he was a great performer. Willie had a beautiful voice and was a gifted bass player. More important he was a talented composer / songwriter with a productivity you wouldn't believe. I think he has over 1000 (THOUSAND) songs to his name. There is hardly any band in the world which hasn't covered Willie Dixon songs. And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, He was the main recording man with Chess. During those famous Chess years (50's and 60's) Willie more or less ran the studio and was the bass player on all the recordings of Howlin' Wolf, Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, etc.
It is for that reason that this 2 CD box with 36 recordings only holds 5 songs where Willie was the recording artist. For the remaining 31 songs he was the bass player, the producer and sometimes the composer.
Of all the Chess boxes, that I know of, this is one of my favorites.

1990 - Willie Dixon : The Chess Box - Disc 1

1990 - Willie Dixon : The Chess Box - Disc 2 (part 1)

1990 - Willie Dixon : The Chess Box - Disc 2 (part 2)

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But.....it's Ella (part 2)

Here is the second volume of the Ella wallet.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 2

The password = "scrooge".

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Problems with RAR files

I have been getting some 'complaints' from MAC-users about the RAR-files I've been posting. So it's obvious I'm doing something wrong here.

I'm trying to figure out what it is I have to change. I'll get back to you the moment I've got a possible solution. Then, after some test, we can see if I can re-load some of my posts.

For the time being: thank you for you're consideration.

Scrooge

(Re)discovered

Howard Tate's story is a sad but famous story. Somebody makes a record, scores some hits, don't get the royalties, is screwed by his manager. Disappointed as he is starts drinking, doing drugs and winds up as a bump in the gutters.
So far you've heard the story probably a thousand times. But then....Two people can't forget about this truly unique voice. His former producer and a DJ from Philidelphia start a real man hunt to find Howard. And they succeed . Some twenty-five years after Tate left 'the business' they find him. By that time he is a preacher. In 1994, after numerous failures in whatever he tried, he found God and started his own church. Shortly after Howard reunion with the man who produced his first record ( Jerry Ragavoy) they started working on a new album. And a miracle happened. All the years of suffering had no ill effects on Howard's voice. On the contrary. It had matured, softened a bit, but still had the same expression.
This album is the result of that reunion. When I saw Howard Tate perform at the 'Blues Estafette' in Utrecht (Netherlands) in 2003 I really must have looked silly. Tears in my eyes and an open mouth!

2003 - Rediscovered

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But....it's Ella

Today I've got an extra. Recently I acquired a 10 disc box with 196 Ella Fitzgerald recordings! That's about all I can say about it. I've never seen a box with less information than this one. No information on recordings, no information on orchestra's, no information on composers, no....nothing! The recordings are (sometimes) not that great. But.......it still is Ella! So I will be posting these discs over the next few days for those of you who have the same soft spot for any Ella recording.

2005 - Everyone's wrong but me - Disc 1

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London sessions

By the late 50's the blues almost died in the US. Fortunately the British Pop Explosion of the early 60's regenerated new interest in the blues. As a matter of fact, I think it is safe to say that without British groups / people like the Stones, The yardbirds / Clapton, Winwood, but also Van Morrison, etc. the blues would not have survived!
So it is not surprising that a lot of blues musicians during the 60's came to Europe to play, jam and record. Some stayed for years or didn't even return at all.
The Album I'm offering today is the 'mixed' result of one of these endeavors. In may 1970 Howlin' Wolf came to London only to record with the, at that time already, famous Eric Clapton, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman. And....It didn't work from the start. So in order to salvage the project, there was later a keyboard (Steve Winwood) mixed in and even some horns. So what we got here is a collection of legends and no chemistry. Strangely enough it is of this album that in 2003 a 'deluxe edition' was released with a second disc. This disc is filled with alternate takes, alternate mixes and even more overdubbing.
I always listen to this album with mixed feelings. The line up is impressive, I really like Howlin' Wolf, etc. But still......
Make sure that you listen to track 9 on disc 1. This track is a 'false start' of the song 'Red Rooster' with some studio discussion between Howlin' Wolf and Clapton (already on the original album).

2003 - The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (DeLuxe Edition) Disc 1

2003 - The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (DeLuxe Edition) Disc 2

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I wish I could play like.....

It was Bob Dylan who wrote / sang "I Wish I could play like Blind Willie Mctell". Well, if you never heard Eddie McTier (as his real name happened to be) here is your change to find out why Bob wrote this. Blind Willie McTell was indeed blind. He was probably born in 1898 (different sources have different dates) in Georgia. Although blind from his birth he was a very independent man. There are plenty stories of him guiding people through big cities on the East coast. And he knew the East coast like the back of his hand! All his life he has been traveling and playing in the streets of every city between New York and Atlanta. Eddie played both the 6-string and the 12-string guitar. He died in August 1959 very much still the street musician he had been al of his live.
This 2 disc album is one from the famous Columbia 'Roots n' Blues' series and is accompanied by a nice booklet with good liner notes and beautiful pictures. The casing says that this collection features McTell's complete recordings. This however is not true. First of all, there is the problem that Eddie recorded under at least 7 different names (that we know of). Secondly he was pretty successful with accompanying other artists. These two ingredients make it impossible to collect all his recordings (same goes for somebody like John Lee Hooker). And the proof is there! The Allman Brothers band have been playing Statesboro Blues ever since the early 70's. Yes, that's a Blind Willie Mctell composition. And it is not on this album!
Anyway, sit back and find out why Bob Dylan is still practicing.

1994 - The definitive Blind Willie McTell Disc 1

1994 - The definitive Blind Willie McTell Disc 2

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The Soul of a Lady

In the late 70's early 80's Laura Lee was a rising soul star in the US. By that time soul was loosing ground fast and a lot of artists were making the move to the commercially much more successful disco. So did Laura. At least she started to make this move. Then she was diagnosed with cancer, so she struck a deal with God. If she was to survive this she would put all her talents in his service. As so happened. For 20 years you could only hear Laura Lee sing in church. Just a few years back Laura had a revelation. The Lord wanted her to put her talents to a wider use. Ever since Laura made a few 'public appearances'.
The CD that I'm holding is obviously a PC-burned copy, which makes it an illegal copy. Since I've never found an original album with this track list it is also a home compilation. But......since I got the album of Laura Lee personally (thanks Glen) it is.....An unique collectors item (yes she signed it as well).
The songs on the album differ quite a bit in quality (composition, recording technique and dynamics) but happen to be one of the best collections of tearjerkers I've ever heard. Listen to track 11 - Two Pillows (my favorite) and than tell me it didn't bring tears to your eyes.

2004 - The Soul of Lady Laura Lee

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Chicago - Amstelveen

Moving back to the blues. Moving back to Chicago. But sticking with the ladies. A queen to be precise.

In 2002 I was in Chicago and guess what. I had to visit some clubs, although I was there for work. Buddy Guy's club, the infamous Kingstons Mines and of course Koko Taylor's club. I was lucky because I went there just a few days before the club closed it's doors permanently. The club was run by a daughter of Koko and apparently she was asthmatic. So she couldn't continue to work in such a smoky atmosphere. And Koko herself was getting on (in age that is). So.....
This album is the first album Koko recorded after leaving Chess in 1973. The album contains some re-recordings of 'Chess stuff', some new songs and 5 songs recorded live. The guitar on this album was handled by Jimmy Rogers (of whom we will come to speak later). The live songs are recorded in Amstelveen (Holland), just a few hunderd yards from my high school. At the time I didn't know about the concert, never heard of Koko Taylor or was even aware of the blues.
luckily I was in the opportunity to make up for this in 2002.

1973 - South Side Lady

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Credits due

For the last 9 days Caesar Tjalbo has been spoiling us with the wonderful Quintessential collection of Billie Holiday. A real treat. When I mentioned this 'last recordings' album to him he asked me to 'put it up'. So as a musical 'thank you': here it is.
The recordings on this album are from March 3, 4 and 11 1959 and made in New York. As far as I can tell these are indeed the last recordings. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a little mystery. All the database say that the official name of this album is "Last Recordings", but the picture says "Last Recording". Can anybody help me out here?
I found this album a while ago on the internet. The only problem is that I forget where and when I found it. So there is a person (or persons) unknown to whom we owe some gratitude. So Mr. or Mrs. Unknown: Thank you for sharing this with us.

1959 - Last Recordings

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Introducing (with a warm recommendation)

I came to think of this fabulous duo because of the 'slide streak' I'm in. Danny Krieger is one of the best guitar/slide players I've ever seen perform. But I do understand if you've never heard of them. These guys are one of the best kept secrets of today's music scene. When you read the bio's of these sympathetic men it reads like a "Who is who". Danny Krieger (guitar/slide) has recorded with Stephen Stills, Andy Gibb, played with people like Big Joe Turner, Smokey Wilson, Sam Taylor and Eric Burdon. Steve Grams plays the bass. Since the early 80's he's has been involved in over 70 albums (playing, producing or both). He was a sideman for, among others, Bo Didley. Over the last ten years Steve has won twice the 'Tucson Area Music Awards as bass player of the year'. Both gentleman are members of the Arizona Blues Hall Of Fame! Some odd 14 years ago the two met at a gig, and they have been musical companions ever since. This is there second album (2003). Please listen to it and let me know what you think of it.

2003 - That's The Way We Work

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...on the (w)hole.....

Imagine you just posted a overview of slide with 78 songs and.....In the middle of the night you wake up, almost screaming! There are so many more really good slide players. And the compilations doesn't really show you where slide is today. Again I've something to make up to you. Therefore this post with an album from 1991. Dave Hole is an Australian blues guitarist who plays a mean slide guitar. As a matter of fact: he only plays slide. And how......... Not only does it sound good, it looks strange. Just for your benefit I included an extra picture showing you how Dave plays. This isn't just for the picture. This is the way this guy holds his guitar!
Dave recorded and released 9 albums over a period of 12 years. This is just # 1. Enjoy!

1991 - Short Fuse Blues

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Let it slide

After a few days of beautiful voices and perfect timing it's time to move on to perfect timing, rough voices and mean guitar playing. A few days ago I posted some stuff of Elmore James and claimed that it was Elmore who made the slide guitar to what it is today. But.....one should always be ready to substantiate such claims. So, therefore a slide guitar posting. This compilation from 2004 offers 78 wonderful recordings which, together, give you a pretty nice idea of how slide evaluated. All the way from guys as Blind Willie McTell, Leadbelly, Son House through Muddy Waters and Elmore James up to Clapton, Beck and Page. I know it is a lot of downloading (over 410 MB) but I think you'll find the effort rewarding.

2004 - Roll & Tumble Blues: A History Of Slide Guitar disc 1 pt 1 & pt 2

2004 - Roll & Tumble Blues: A History Of Slide Guitar disc 2 pt 1 & pt 2

2004 - Roll & Tumble Blues: A History Of Slide Guitar disc 3 pt 1 & pt 2

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Respect

Today we move from the 'First Lady Of Jazz' to the 'Queen Of Soul': Aretha Franklin. Don't worry I've got more Ella in stock and will probably post some more a little later.
This compilation of Aretha's work is named after her first big hit: Respect. This song was written (and already recorded) by Otis Redding for the infamous STAX label a few year before Aretha recorded it for Atlantic Records. In 1968 this recording earned her a grammy for "Best Rhythm And Blues Recording". Nice detail here is that the original version of Otis was produced by Steve Cropper, the guitar player from Booker T & the MG's and house producer of STAX. Many years later Steve and Aretha would both appear in the box-office film hit "The Blues Brothers". Aretha as the wife of one of the band members and Steve as the guitar player of the band.
The two disc album I'm offering you here holds 43 songs, some of the older Aretha recording (personally my favorites) all the way up to duets with Elton John and George Michael. All and All a nice introduction into Aretha's world and well worth listening to.

2003 - Respect: The very best of - disc 1 part 1 & part 2

2003 - Respect: The very best of - disc 2 part 1 & part 2

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Berlin

There she is. As promised yesterday. The Irving Berlin Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald (yes 1958!). The producer of this album (recorded in 4 days) is the same as the producer from the two volumes of the Cole Porter songbook: Norman Granz, but strangely enough the booklet inside doesn't say anything about the orchestra. Although of the same high quality as the previous two albums, there is something new here. This one is in stereo!
Yes, again the Vol. 1 suggests there is a vol. 2. And there is. Unfortunately I do not have this in my possession. But..... Please let me know if you would be interested. If so, I'll give it another try.

1958 - The Irving Berlin Songbook volume 1

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Mea Culpa

I owe you a big apology. In the previous blog I made a huge mistake. That's what you get when you write those things by heart. The Cole Porter Songbook Vol 2 is from the same year as Vol 1: 1956. It's the Irving Berlin Songbook that was released in 1958! So, to make it up to you I promise that from this day on I will check the facts before posting them.
And.... I'll post the Irvin Berlin Songbook Vol 1 tomorrow.

Volume 2

Yeah, lets continue! You are absolutely right. If there is a Cole Porter Songbook volume 1 there must be at least a volume 2 as well. And there is! This album is released two years after volume 1 in 1958. The same cover and....the same quality as volume 1. Because: again it is a beautifully album with wonderful songs, a great orchestra and of course.........Ella herself. Yep, she is the First Lady Of Jazz.

1958 - The Cole Porter Songbook volume 2

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Ella & Cole

I'm a regular visitor of the weblog of Ceasar Tjalbo (check it out!). I really love some of the stuff he puts up there. At the moment he is busy posting an extensive collection of Billie Holiday recordings.
When he announced these postings I accidentally got in a discussion with some other visitors about who was better: Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald. Personally I favor Ella, but apparently some people think otherwise. I then decided I should put some great Ella recordings up here in order to let people make up there own mind. So here we are....
This album was recorded in 1956 (don't worry, it is digitally remastered). The album was such a success that there was going to be a second volume in 1958 and some other albums focusing on particular composers. This album doesn't only shows Ella at her best but will also leave you impressed by the Cole Porter compositions.

1956 - The Cole Porter Songbook volume 1

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I believe I'll .......

Most Blues lovers will have this album in their collection. And no wonder: The complete recordings of a legend who definitely is one of the five performers who had the most influence on pop as we know it today!
If you do not know Robert Johnson (or this unique collection of all his known recordings) please listing to it and find out why men as B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, etc claim this man had the most influence on the way they still play today.
The reason I put the album up here is because of the 'I believe I'll dust my broom' mystery. Remember the Elmore James album with 'Dust my broom' ? Listen to it one more time and then listen to 'I believe I'll dust my broom' (track #3, disc 1). It is the same song! Still a lot of sources claim this to be a Robert Johnson song and quite a few sources pinpoint Elmore James as the composer. Listening will not unravel this mystery. When you listen to Robert it is a typical Johnson song and when you listen to Elmore it is a typical James song.
With just a little bit of extra information you can figure this one out. Elmore James was Robert Johnson's son in law! So they probably wrote this song together.
Imagine.....Robert and Elmore...... on a sunny sunday.........just after dinner..........on the porch.....sitting in a rocking chair....smoking a cigarette...... both a guitar.........
Enjoy!

1990 - The Complete recordings - disc 1

1990 - The Complete recordings - disc 2

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Skip

In 1931 Nehemia James (Skip) won a talent contest and the prize was.... a train ticket to Grafton Wisconsin where the Paramount record company would do a two days recording session with him. Skip went and spent two days in the attack where the recording studio was. After these days Skip got $40 for his expenses and they would be in touch. Skip went home and never heard anything from Paramount again. As a matter of fact.....Nobody heard anything from Skip for 33 years.
By the time we get to the early 60's the recording session of 1931 was legendary. And so was Skip. But nobody had ever seen him, knew where he was, or even if he was still alive. Until 1964. A blues fan tracked Skip down and brought him to the Newport Festival, where Skip was, together with Mississippi John Hurt, the sensation of the festival. Finally Skip got the recognition he deserved. Unfortunately by that time Skip was already terminally ill. From the long overdue royalties (other performers used his material a lot, for instance The Cream) Skip was able to pay his hospital bills and spent the last year of his live in reasonable comfort.

2005 - The Complete 1931 Recordings

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