|
|
|
| Every month Bad Dog
Blues reviews the best new blues releases. We'll also take a look
at noteworthy reissues and blues related books. In addition you'll
find a real audio clip from each record we review located on the
bottom left. Now on to this months reviews: |
|
 Johnnie
Taylor: Lifetime (Stax) 
Johnnie Taylor passed away in May of
this year and it didn't take long for a career retrospective
to be assembled. Lifetime is a smartly compiled 65
track, 3-CD overview that spans Taylor's diverse career including
all the important hits as well a mother lode of lesser known
gems.
Released on the Stax label, the collection
is not surprisingly biased towards that era but since that
was arguably his most fruitful period it likely makes for
better listening than a truly representative collection.
After his stint at Stax ended he landed at Columbia and finally
at Malaco and the collection includes four selections apiece
from those labels. More interesting is the gospel material
included with his stay in The Highway Q.C.'s, sort of farm
team for the more famous Soul Stirrers, and then a stay in
the Soul Stirrers themselves both represented.
Disc 1 is perhaps the
most interesting as we listen to Taylor's evolution from gospel
singer to soul superstar. Taylor's story has strong parallel's
to Sam Cooke who was also a close friend. Taylor's got his
gospel start with the Highway Q.C.'s represented by the magnificent
lead off track, "I Dreamed That Heaven Was Like This."
Following in Sam's footsteps, Taylor joined The Soul Stirrers
and five of those wonderful tracks are included. After leaving
The Soul Stirrers Taylor crossed over into the secular world
not surprisingly landing at Sam's own SAR record label.
A few of those sides are included and have a more decidedly
pop flavour. After Sam's tragic death the company quickly
fell apart and Taylor soon found himself at Stax.
It's at Stax that Taylor
really came ino his own. Backed by bands like Booker T. &
The MG's, The Memphis Horns and
with first rate material provided by house writers Isaac Hayes
and David Porter, Taylor produced a remarkably consistent
body of work. Adopting a grittier, bluesier style Taylor absolutely
burned on tracks like "I Had A Dream", "Somebody's
Been Sleeping In My Bed", "Little Bluebird",
"Toehold" and of course chart toppers like "Who's
Making Love", "Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone"
and "Cheaper To Keep Her."
After Stax fell apart in 1975 Taylor
wound up at Columbia and his sound underwent a smoothing over
which ironically led to his biggest
hit, "Disco Lady" which appears on disc three. After
leaving Columbia Taylor landed at Malaco in 1984 and the disc
wraps up with the tough "Last Two Dollars", one
of his best latter day efforts, and closes appropriately with
1999's "Soul Heaven" a place Taylor certainly resides
in now.
Lifetime is a treasure trove
for fans of prime soul and R&B and will also please collectors
with a slew of previously unreleased performances. Rounding
out the package is a fifty page booklet offering a thoughtful
look at a complicated man. It may be too early to sum up Johnnnie
Taylor's contributions but judging from this stellar document
he will certainly find his place among the soul legends.
(Jeff Harris)
|
 Stevie
Ray Vaughan: SRV (Sony)
The many fans
of Stevie Ray Vaughan will no doubt rejoice over the lavish
4-CD box set containing a motherlode of rare and previously
unreleased nuggets spanning Vaughn's entire career. SRV
accomplishes what a box set should providing a deeper portrait
of an artist that will assuredly please even the most devoted
fans. Containing 54 tracks, two-thirds of which are previously
unreleased, plus a fourth DVD of live performances this
may very well be the definitive portrait of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
SRV is a chronological
survey spanning from 1977, five years before his official
debut, to a 1990 concert recorded just days before his tragic
death. Each of the first three discs clock in at more than
75 minutes emphasizing live material, from soundchecks,
radio programs and concert shows. The fourth disc is a DVD
with five never-aired and never-issued performances from
an episode of the television program Austin City Limits,
recorded in 1989. The accompanying 72 page is equally impressive
with rare photos, essays, a complete discography and dozens
of testimonials from his musical peers.
The first disc provides
a valuable look at Vaughan before he went out on his own.
Highlights include "Thunderbird" from 1977 when
he was with Paul Ray & The Cobras, a cover of Guitar
Slim's "Letter To My Girlfriend" cut on Austin's
KNUT radio in 1981 and the staple "Texas Flood"
from the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival. Other highlights include
a trio of acoustic tunes from MTV's "Unplugged"
from 1990 and a guitar duel with Jeff Beck on "Goin'
Down" from 1989. There's also a bunch of well known
tracks from his studio records plus five cuts whith Vaughan
as asideman or partner playing with Johnny Copeland, Albert
King, Lonnie Mack and A.C. Reed, cuts which some fans may
have overlooked.
For rabid Vaughan
fans this will certainly be a welcome release. While the
box set may be overwhelming for more casual fans it does
provide a good overview of Vaughan's career. Like Jimi Hendrix,
whose shadow looms large over this collection, I suspect
this will be far from the final word we hear on Stevie Ray
Vaughan who if you judge from his countless imitators, was
likely the most influential guitarist of his generation.
(Jeff Harris) |
 Various
Artists: The Stax Story (Stax)
What was it that made
the Stax sound so special? After countless reissues and
thousands of words written about the magical Memphis label
the answer eloquently lies within this 98 track, 4-CD set
which may be the most balanced overview we've had of the
label.
In Rob Bowman's incisive
22 page essay he dissects the elements that went into creating
the distinctive Stax sound and provides a concise history
of the rise and fall of the label. Bowman's anaylsis of
the Stax sound is very logical but I'd have to go with a
less scientific approach and say there was some true magic
going on. Simply put the music is simple, direct and particularly
on the earlier sides, strikes a deep emotional chord.
There have been more
comprehensive sets of the Stax material- In the early 90's
Atlantic unleashed 3 mammoth box sets totaling a whopping
28 CD's which reissued every single (both A and B sides)
the label put out. The Stax Story is much more manageable
for the average fan and provides a balance between the hits
and less familiar material.
The first
disc subtitled "The Hits" neatly takes care of
classics most listeners would expect such as Booker T. &
The MG's "Green Onions", Otis Redding's "Respect"
and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay", Albert
King's "Born Under A Bad Sign", Sam & Dave's
"Soul Man" and "Hold On I'm Coming",
Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood", Rufus Thomas' "Walkin'
The Dog" plus others by Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor,
The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes and many others.
Disc
two and three chronologically survey lower-profile chart
hits and non-hits. These two discs are studded with familiar
gems like William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water",
Otis Redding's "Mr. Pitiful", Albert King's "Crosscut
Saw", Eddie Floyd's "Never Found A Girl",
Sam & Dave's "I Thank You" among others. Digging
a little deeper are less well known soul nuggets such as
soul divas Ruby Johnson on "I'll Run Your Hurt away"
and Mable John on "Your
Good Thing Is About To End", The Mad Lads' "Patch
My Heart", The T.S.U. Toronados on the sultry funk
workout "Play The Music Toronados" and the bluesy
"Big Party" by Barbara & The Browns are just
a few of the lower profile standouts.
Disc
four is devoted exclusively to live recordings and has a
decidedly rawer edge than the studio tracks. Although it's
not clear in the booklet notes I suspect most of this material
was recorded from the Stax tours that took Europe by storm.
It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement on cuts
like Eddie Floyd's "Raise Your Hand", the always
over the top Rufus Thomas, incendiary performances by Sam
& Dave and a mighty display of blues power from Albert
King.
In all
regards The Stax Story is a handsomely put together
overview of that small Memphis label with the big sound.
This set makes the perfect introduction to the timeless
magic of Stax Records.
(Jeff Harris)
|
 Big
Joe & The Dynaflows: All Night Long (Severn)
The swing fad may have
come and gone but that doesn't seem to phase Big Joe &
The Dynaflows who've been laying down their swinging brand
of blues well before recent fads and hopefully will long
after.
All Night Long,
like Big Joe's previous four records, swings mightily and
his love for vintage blues and R&B is evident in every
track. It's good too see someone keeping the flame alive
for classic R&B but don't mistake the music for a nostalgia
act as the music remains fresh and alive.
As a drummer, singer
and bandleader Big Joe Maher is like a latter day Roy Milton
who shared the same duties for his band The Solid Senders-
one of the hottest West Coast jump bands of the 40's and
50's. For Big Joe it's the Dynaflows, a tight swinging unit
that keep things jumping. Lending a helping hand are numerous
guest stars including label mate Benjie Porecki on Hammond
Organ and Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, who's played with
just about everybody, on tenor and Baritone sax. "All
Night Long" kicks things off in classic jump blues
mode, "It Really Breaks My Heart" is a mid-tempo
number in the same mode and the instrumental "Big Nick"
is solidly in the pocket featuring fine piano from John
Cocuzzi. Big Joe and the band aren't locked into one style
and take some interesting twists and turns on the New Orleans
flavored shuffle of "Down In Louisiana", the 50's
stylings of "My Baby's Tops", the late night groove
on "Ham Hocks" featuring some smoky organ and
the humorous Louie Jordan influenced "Third Class Citizen."
All Night Long
is a sure fired party starter that'll keep your party swinging
from dusk til' dawn.
(Jeff Harris)
|
|
 Johnny
Jenkins: Handle With Care
(Mean Old World Records)
Johnny
Jenkins name may not be well known but he's crossed paths
with more than his share of legendary artists. Frustrated
with the music business, Jenkins quit music for nearly twenty
years before resurfacing in the 90's with a critically acclaimed
record. Handle with Care, his latest record, can only
further Jenkins reputation and will hopefully launch Jenkins
to a wider audience.
In the
late 50's and early 60's, Jenkins group The Pinetoppers was
the stuff of local legend. Playing left handed guitar upside
down his theatrics caused pandemonium nightly. The group's
vocals were handled by a young singer called Otis Redding.
The band cut a 45 with two instrumentals- the A side was "Love
Twist" with "Pinetop" on the flip. The record
did well enough to land the group a session at Stax who had
had good success with instrumental records. The session was
strictly supposed to be a vehicle for Jenkins but things didn't
go very well although two songs "Spunky/Bashful Guitar"
(redone on this new record) were eventually issued on the
Volt subsidiary two years later. Things however turned out
very well for Otis Redding who took an opportunity to cut
"These Arms Of Mine" with Jenkins on guitar and
the rest as they say is history.
Jenkins
didn't stick around at Stax but his guitar showmanship was
a big inspiration on many including Jimi Hendrix who caught
his act in Macon, Georgia. Jenkins went on to cut the critically
acclaimed Ton Ton Macoute with members of the Allman
Brothers and he did another session in 1975 which went unreleased
at the time. Handle with Care contains a number of
songs from that aborted 1975 session along side some very
good new material.
Handle
with Care is a masterful blend of soul and blues showcasing
Jenkins' still impressive guitar chops and heartfelt vocals.
Handle with Care is an emotional record with Jenkins
pouring his soul out about his trials and tribulations. No
where is this more apparent than on the autobiographical "Reach
Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" a moving spoken word
number recounting not only the tough times but the people
in his life who've reached out to lend him a helping hand.
In a similar vain are wonderful ballads like "Come On
In Out Of The Rain" and "A Woman's Love In Vain."
Other highlights include the horn propelled soul gem "Cry
Like A Man" and the straight blues of "Johnny's
Blues." Backing Jenkins is a first rate band featuring
some knockout horns and some excellent production work that
complements Jenkins' style perfectly.
Handle
with Care is an impressive outing and will hopefully propel
Jenkins to the kind of stardom that he once was so close to
attaining.
(Find out more
about the Johnny Jenkins at the Mean
Old World Records website)
(Jeff Harris)
|
Various
Artists: Stony Plain's Christmas Blues (Stony Plain)
Various Artists: Christmas With Miss Butch Records
(Miss Butch)
Various Artists:
Blue Christmas (Dialtone)
Once
again it's that time of year when the Christmas CD's start
rolling in. I'll have to admit that I'm a sucker for a good
Christmas blues tune and this year I wasn't disappointed.
This year Stony Plain, Miss Butch and Dialtone Records all
delivered some great Christmas cheer.
Stony
Plain is probably the best known label with a track record
of over twenty years of putting out quality blues. Stony
Plain's Christmas Blues is a mix of previously released
Christmas tunes plus some fine new ones. The main ingredient
in this collection is Duke Robillard's band who appear on
six of the fourteen cuts. Duke and the band add just the
right tasteful touch to a cover of Jimmy McCracklin's "Christmas
Time Part 1" featuring the ageless Billy Boy Arnold
on vocals and displaying his still formidable harmonica
chops, the wonderful retro flavor of "No Money, No
Honey" with Maria Muldaur and Duke on acoustic guitar
and the lowdown "Christmas
Blues" with the great Jimmy Witherspoon on vocals.
Other highlights include the swinging "Switchin' In
The Kitchen" from Asleep At The Wheel backed by the
Roomful Of Blues Horns and Sonny Rhodes' mellow "Christmas
9-1-1" spotlighting his mastery of the lap steel guitar.
Miss
Butch Records is not exactly a high profile label but they
can always be counted on to to put out some first rate southern
soul and blues. Christmas
With Miss Butch Records features some of the label's
best talent including Peggy-Scott Adams, Billy Ray Charles
and Jimmy Lewis. Not everything clicks on this collection
but there's a few tunes that are destined to become holiday
classics. Check out Billy Ray Charles & Jimmy Lewis
on "Wild Horses Two Mules And A Tractor" a jailhouse
Christmas song where
we here what it means to get pulled over for a "DWB"
(driving while black!)- there's also some advice about prison
showers but we won't get into that. "I Been Double
Crossed Santa Claus" is a sure fire classic by Billy
Ray Charles and on a more serious note Peggy-Scott Adams
lends her fabulous pipes to a knockout version of "Silent
Night" and the sultry "Light You Up Like A Christmas
Tree" a duet with Jimmy Lewis.
Saving
the best for the last is Blue Christmas
from Dialtone Records a small Texas label that just happens
to have put out the best Christmas
collection I've heard in a long time. Most of the names
are not familiar to me but that says nothing about the talent
on display. Vocalist Richard Earl and band rip into a storming
version of Freddie King's classic "I Hear Jingle Bells"
and the shuffling party song "X-Mas Comes But Once
A Year." Speaking of vocalists check out Ernestine
Fuller whose powerful nasal tinged vocals bear a strong
resemblance to Esther Phillips as she delivers a tour de
force on the lowdown "How I Hate To See Christmas"
and a rocking cover of Mabel Scott's "Boogie Woogie
Santa Claus." Other highlights go to the rousing "Merry
Christmas To Everyone"
by gospel legends the Bells Of Joy and Matthew Robinson
on the funky "Santa Claus Needs some Lovin'."
If you're
tired of the same old Christmas
tunes these three CD's may be the antidote you're looking
for to get the holiday party off to a rocking good start.
Make sure tp pick these up early for next year's festivities.
[The Dialtone
Christmas CD is only available at their website. Check them
out on the web at:http://dialtone.home.texas.net/home.html]
(Jeff Harris)
|
|
|
|
