Can you recommend some audiophile great sounding blues albums?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Phono Groove, Oct 3, 2011.

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  1. Phono Groove

    Phono Groove Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Montreal, Quebec
    I'm on the lookout for some best sounding blues albums either on vinyl or cd but preferably on vinyl. So far I found and am enjoying the following:

    Muddy Waters - folk singer
    John Lee Hooker - the healer
    Willie Dixon - I am the blues
    Buddy Guy Junior Wells - alone & acoustic
    Buddy Guy - blues singer

    I especially enjoy alone & acoustic from Buddy Guy and Junior Wells as well as Muddy Waters' folk singer. Anything similar to these albums in terms of sonics and music?
     
  2. Gary C

    Gary C Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    Since you like the buddy and junior album, both of Junior Wells albums on Delmark (the original issues) sound great (Hoodoo Man Blues and Southside Blues Jam). Buddy Guy's debut on chess sounds pretty good (I left my blues in SF). As a matter of fact, a lot of the chess stuff from the late 60's sounds great. Oh, and also, I love the recordings vanguard did in the 60's: skip james and mississippi john hurt in particular.
     
  3. Ramos Pinto

    Ramos Pinto New Member

    Location:
    Southeast US
    I can't recommend Robert Cray's catalog enough, each title I've heard was stereo-demo quality. Hopefully his take on the blues is not too modern for you. I think he's great.
     
  4. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    the analogue productions version of Hoodoo Man Blues is fantastic!
     
  5. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    I really like the sound of the songs on "I'm John Lee Hooker" not so much the band performances, but the songs that feature that feature him (and perhaps Eddie Taylor) alone with a guitar, stomping on a piece of plywood for percussion. The original Vee Jay I've got sounds like he's in the room with you on those tracks.
     
  6. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Albert King: Born Under A Bad Sign (Mobile Fidelity)
    B.B. King: Live At The Regal (Mobile Fidelity)
    Freddie King: Gettin' Ready (DCC)
    Freddie King: Texas Cannonball (DCC)
    Freddie King: Woman Across The River (DCC)
     
  7. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    The Analogue Productions Hoodoo Man Blues is fantastic as posted. I have it on 45 rpm and it's four sides of pure greatness coming out of your speakers.
     
  8. Izozeles

    Izozeles Pushing my limits

    Analogue Productions SRV and Albert King In Session. Get the 45 version.
     
  9. Craig

    Craig (unspecified) Staff

    Location:
    North of Seattle
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  10. GT40sc

    GT40sc Senior Member

    Location:
    Eugene, Oregon
    if you like that "in the room" sound, you need
    "Dirt Floor" by Chris Whitley.
     
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  11. Randy W

    Randy W Original Member

    Great album. Classic did a DAD version that is killer, tough to find their vinyl release though.

    Phono Groove, Doug MacLeod's Come To Find is exceptional as well. I would call Acoustic Sounds and talk to Chad Kassem. He will give you lots of ideas... ;)
     
  12. BlackPearl

    BlackPearl Forum Resident

    John Campbell - 'One Believer' and 'Howlin' Mercy'. Two excellent albums. I have both on CD but would love them on vinyl.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Campbell_(blues_guitarist)
    (I can't seem to get this link to work properly. Just click on "John Campbell (Blues Guitarist)" and it should work.)
     
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  13. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    A lot of blues albums sound really good.

    Here are a few that have not been mentioned.

    J.B. Lenoir - Alabama Blues (180g Pure Pleasure) (If you have to pick one out of the lot, then this is it!)

    John Lee Hooker - It Serves You Right to Suffer (45rpm Analogue Productions)

    John Lee Hooker - Burning Hell (45rpm Analogue Productions)

    Marquise Knox - Man Child (180g APO)

    Buddy Guy - I Was Walking Through the Woods (180g MCA)

    Otis Spann - Otis Spann is the Blues (180g Pure Pleasure)

    Lightnin' Hopkins - Lightnin' In New York (180g Pure Pleasure)

    Also, if you can find the Japanese pressing of Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live, then that's an album you put on for people for know nothing about the blues. They'll be converts in no time. Sounds phenomenal too.

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
  15. DCC "Blues Hoot" vinyl mastered by our host.
     
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  16. ellingtonic

    ellingtonic Forum Resident

    I like the Speakers Corner reissue of The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions. The Pure Pleasure reissue of Fleetwood Mac Blues Jam at Chess is one of my favorite albums. There are a number of good APO original blues vinyl releases; Jimmy D. Lane's Legacy would be a great starting point.
     
  17. stef1205

    stef1205 Forum Resident

    RL Burnside - First Recordings (MFSL)
    Muddy Waters - Folk Singer (DVD-A)
    Junior Kimbrough - Most Things Haven't Worked Out
    Big Bill Broonzie - 1965 Sessions (DVD-A)
     
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  18. Matty

    Matty Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
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  19. bluesfan

    bluesfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    For "I Was Walking Through the Woods" my Chess original sounds better IMHO.
     
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  20. bluesfan

    bluesfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    +1
     
  21. Todd W.

    Todd W. It's a Puggle

    Location:
    Maryland
    Johnny Winter - Second Winter Deluxe Edition
    Mississippi Muddy Waters Live Deluxe Edition
    Muddy Waters - Fathers and Sons
    Willie Dixon - I Am The Blues
    Little Walter - Chess 50th Anniversary - His Best
    Albert King and Steve Ray Vaughn - In Session
    Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland - Showdown
     
  22. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    Well depends on what "audiophile" means to you - I don't necessarily think it has to mean pristine, perfect recording, just amazing presence and life (in fact where blues is concerned, I don't want things to sound too clean). These CD issues of older blues recordings, though the original recordings have technical limitations, give me goose bumps both musically and sonically:

    T-BONE BLUES - T-Bone Walker (Atlantic) - mastered by Zal Schreiber
    GETTING READY - Freddie King (DCC) - originally released on Shelter, mastered by Steve Hoffman
    DON'T TURN ME FROM YOUR DOOR- John Lee Hooker (Rhino Atlantic) - mastered by Stephen Innocenzi
    GOIN' AWAY - Lightnin' Hopkins (JVC XRCD) - mastered by Alan Yoshida

    And finally a modern acoustic blues recording that I think sounds phenomenal and just love musically too:

    BLUE COUNTRY HEART - Jorma Kaukonen (Columbia) - SACD is the best for this one but if you don't want to lay out the cash, rest assured the plain old redbook CD sounds superb too
     
  23. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    Let me now add Otis Spann's WALKING THE BLUES (Candid) to this list - uncredited CD mastering, but original recording was done at Fine Studios in NYC, and George Piros is credited as "engineer" (not sure if that means he mastered the original vinyl or was the recording engineer or both). Anyway, it sounds just terrific and is one killer blues album.
     
  24. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    As a sampler - try the Audioquest CD, "Bluesquest"

    Some good blues and the disc is sonically clean, clear, and balanced.
     
  25. JA Fant

    JA Fant Well-Known Member

    Robert Cray- Strong Persuader.
     
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