Greetings again... I am keeping it simple today because absolutely nothing could possibly be added to what Blues-niks & music lovers already know about my artist of choice today.... My original Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings 3LP box set... What prompted me to play RJ was I was reading my copy of the essential Alan Lomax book The Place Where The Blues Began for the umpteenth time & like always it prompted me to play some real Delta Blues... So who better to begin with than RJ & after Robert Johnson I will play Son House - The Man Who Taught Robert Johnson LP... After the records I have planned to view my RJ docs again Can't You Hear The Wind Howl & The Hunt For Robert Johnson... In the event anyone is interested the Alan Lomax text & 2 RJ docs & box set are more than essential to any comprehensive blues collection
Steve Freund - Romance Without Finance A great album that came out in 1987 & hard to get hold of. A very understated guitarist who plays with a great deal of taste. The band includes Sunnyland Slim on piano. Steve Freund was a member of Sunnyland's band for a number of years.
What's going blues folk... Its Friday Oct 12 & time for my weekly post... Magic Sam Blues Band - Black Magic (1968)... I have this in LP & CD today its the 2015 Delmark disc because the bonus stuff is just as good as the standard album... No long history except MS started recording singles in Chicago in the 1950s & he was cut from the same cloth as Otis Rush & Freddie King... IMO the 1960s saw the release of 5 essential Chicago Blues albums recorded specifically for LP format... 1.Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill Broonzy (1960) 2.Muddy Waters - Folk Singer (1964) 3.Junior Wells - Hoo Doo Blues (1965) 4.Magic Sam - West Side Soul (1967) 5.Magic Sam - Black Magic (1968) While WSS is the acknowledged classic & rightly so still BM seals the deal for me , Eddie Shaws sax is downright raunchy throughout & when the band lock in to a groove and head for outer space with MS at the controls its at times a devastating experience... Magic Sam's influences are evident but never once do they sound like imitation...the whole record is pure Chicago blues but at the time it was released it brought a wonderful contemporary sound to the music... And sounds as if it could have been recorded today.... The musicians are so tight that they sound akin to great jazz ensembles... The weaving & interplay is just damn near perfect & it shows throughout... The sound on the 2015 remaster is damn good... Had Magic Sam not died the year after BM was released & continued recording he would assuredly historically been known as a Blues Master like the 3 Kings , Muddy etc... Sadly that was not in the Tarot reading for Magic Sam but as for me I will always call him a Blues Master because he was & West Side Soul & Black Magic are proof of that.
Magic Sam had all the qualities to have been big. Although fairly close in age, stylistically Magic Sam & Freddie King are not really that similar A tragedy that they both died so young.
One of my favorites from Jimmy,with a great band here including Sonny Thompson,Big Voice Odum and the late Otis Rush,all over this great record.Jimmy had many on Delmark,just some good old West Side Chicago blues..A smokin little tune here
It needn't be said, but still... My 'Like' has nothing to do with mention of both Magic Sam & Freddie King; the tragedy of their abbreviated lives. I agree although I hold both in reverence their styles were not from the same bag. Freddie I believe was more aggressive and assertive and Sam to my ear was one of the purist, cleanest of bluesmen. In both his playing and vocals. An unrelated out of left field comment... as different stylistically as Sam & Freddie were, Sam and Howard Tate were. From a different side of town, but the same town. When I hear Sam I'm often reminded of Howard Tate, also pure and clean. Sometimes things don't have to make sense. Magic Sam was big... it was the "powers that be", the has beens that were small.
Suspend disbelief momentarily and imagine you’ve never heard (of) The Rolling Stones and you put on Blue and Lonesome. You may well consider it the best blues album you’ve heard in a long time.
I listen to a lot of blues albums Sorry. As a blues album the Rolling Stones Blue & Lonesome at best rates as OK. It is a long long way behind what I consider is the best blues album I’ve heard in a long time.. Rated as a blues album against other blues albums by a rock band it fairs better than most .
Freddie's style was Texas blues to the point. Magic Sam helped create & define West Side Soul. Regardless of reasons Magic Sam has never reached the wide acclaim he deserve. He could easly have been (a better) Robert Cray a few decades earlier. Howard Tate is somebody that I have never of before. I shall make immediate amends. Maybe he will also make sense to me.
The Stones have never really gotten away from the blues they started with in the early 60's.All through the years they have done blues songs as b-sides,a stray album cut or out-takes. I would have loved to see them release a blues record of all original songs,like this great one from 1989,B-side of Mixed Emotions..Nice harp from Mick and great piano from Chuck Leavell ..good stuff!
It's 60s RnB, but it's GREAT RnB. Here probably best known for singing the original "Get It While You Can" that Janis Joplin covered. One of my favorites: If you only get 1 album, the Get It While You Can LP is the one to get!
The Magic Sam / Robert Cray comparison is a good one. One that never occurred to me. And yes; Magic a much better one, but yes I hear it. The Howard Tate you want to listen to is The Legendary Sessions: Get It While You Can. It’s an absolutely stunner as far as I’m concerned. It was also his only recording for decades and he never even remotely approached it’s greatness again. If and when you’re able to give it a listen, if possible, I would love to get your thoughts on it.
Kingsley; the 2 cuts other forum members posted are not the best blusy comparisons, the numbers that most put me in the mind of Magic Sam. Still in my view the 2 are exceptional as is the entire record. I would strongly suggest, please listen to the album in it’s entirety.
Yes a fine player and a fine record. When I first came upon it in a bin on 8th St. in the East Village, NYC I picked it up and read quicker then my mind was processing at that moment and read the title as Romance Without Finesse. When I realized my mistake; before I brought it over the cashier I remember thinking Romance Without Finesse was a better title. I still do; play it often and think it's a better title. I agree with Kingsley; tasty is an apt description of Freund's playing.
Not a record per se, but I just got back from the three day (free) Crescent City Blues and Barbeque festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. All three days are currently streaming on local radio station WWOZ's website. It ranges from local folks to "big" artists like Samantha Fish, Shemekia Copeland and Jimmy Vaughn. Friday 12-Oct-2018: Video: Little Freddie King, Samantha Fish from Day 1 of Blues & BBQ Fest 2018 Saturday 13-Oct-2018: Video from Day 2 of Blues & BBQ Fest 2018 Sunday 14-Oct-2o18: Video from Day 3 of Blues & BBQ Fest I guess Jimmy Vaughn would't allow his set to be streamed as it's not in the Day 2 blog (it ends with the penultimate performer, Walter "Wolfman" Washington). Here's Shemekia Copeland's set (I always enjoy her): WWOZ - from Shemekia Copeland
