Blues. Anyone?

Try John Mayall's Bluesbreakers... classic 1965 album... with ERIC CLAPTON !!!
(How's that for a suggestion, Joel?)
 
If you can find it, there is quite a good blues collection called 'The Blues Makers Natural Blues ll: A Journey through African and American Blues'. An excellent 2 cd set, which includes tracks from the greatest living African bluesman, AFT, and also Taj Mahal in collaboration with Toumani Diabate [taken from the album 'Kalunjan']. Anything by AFT is recommended, but, 'Talking Timbuktu' really is superb.

Speaking of Robert Cray, his album 'Fatal Attraction', remains one of my favourites, if you haven't already heard it.
 
bat said:
Try John Mayall's Bluesbreakers... classic 1965 album... with ERIC CLAPTON !!!
(How's that for a suggestion, Joel?)
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He's Elic Crapton all right. The only memorable thing the bluesbreakers did was take heroic quanitites of class A drugs. And yes I am familiar with this album.
I suggest Bat buys a copy of each of my original suggestions above, and thus aquaints himself with the real blues :D
My next suggestion is BB King "Live at Cook County Jail". This is my fave of the three great BB albums: Live at Cook County Jail, Live at the Regal and Live at the ABC (Maybe even Bat will be able to spot the connection).
Of course dear Bat can buy as many copies of BB's collaboration with Crapton as he likes. The idea of that album (as it was with the Howlin' Wolf London sessions, and Santana's "Healer" effort with JLH) is to make, in this case, BB as much money as possible. Wholly laudable IMO. Music is pure Crapton, though.
 
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bloatfish said:
Speaking of Robert Cray, his album 'Fatal Attraction', remains one of my favourites, if you haven't already heard it.
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I particularly like "Showdown", with Cray, Albert Collins and someone else I can't remember.. Instead of just the one grand guitar solo you get 3!
Can also recommend Jimmie Vaughan - who funnily enough is the spitting image of Robert de Niro; and Johny Winter is definitely worth a punt...
 
leonard smalls said:
I particularly like "Showdown", with Cray, Albert Collins and someone else I can't remember.. Instead of just the one grand guitar solo you get 3!
Can also recommend Jimmie Vaughan - who funnily enough is the spitting image of Robert de Niro; and Johny Winter is definitely worth a punt...
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It was Johnny Copeland. Showdown is a fine album.

also check out Albert Collins 'Ice pickin'. He was the master of the Telecaster.

SCIDB
 
SCIDB said:
also check out Albert Collins 'Ice pickin'. He was the master of the Telecaster.
SCIDB
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Don't forget the grandaddy of the "Ice Pickers", Albert King. For starters, I would recommend: Years Gone By, Born Under a Bad Sign, and Live Wire - superb stuff!

Joel, I agree with you about EC. IMHO, J.J. Cale is a more original slow-hand player;)
 
Quess who's ice picking?

This picture was taken one-month ago of a blues player ice picking his tele.
 

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joel said:
I suggest Bat buys a copy of each of my original suggestions above, and thus aquaints himself with the real blues :D
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I didn't find those ones but I bought some JLHooker vee-jay and 50's H-Wolf vinyls, and Elmore James on CD. Good stuff indeed, especially Hooker. I also tried EC's From the Crap- I mean From the cradle record. OK, it is sterile Las Vegas blues, but some of his earlier stuff is good blues-influenced music.
 
For a more left-field suggestion, you should get a listen to R L Burnside (who died a month ago...), a Delta bluesman. I particularly enjoy his collaboration with Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion) - A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey. He certainly saw some hard times in his life. RL's Story on Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down gives you a taste. Cheery old bugger!
 
Check out also Slim Harpo and perhaps Taj Mahal's first album "Taj Mahal".
 
I last saw Buddy Guy live when he wasn't much older than I am now. Disturbing.
 
One album I love and also use as a test record for its acoustic is "Lead me On" by Kelly Joe Phelps. It's an excellent recording artistically and hi-fi-wise.
 
If its already been mentioned apologies, but

Chris Thomas King's "Red Mud" is absolutely wonderful, real laid back playing, great lyrics. Its contemporary, but he's in the true spirit of the blues.

Also I did notice R L Burnside get a mention, but would highly recomend his "First Recordings" on Mo-Fi Sacd.

Cheers
 
If we're talking about contemporary blues, definitely have a listen to the White Stripes album "De Stijl"

The recordings not great, but it's a great album (also scope out some of Bessie Smith's stuff).
 
Freddie King's live album at Electric ballroom 1974. Great singer and player.
Freddie's "Burglar" album - worth a look.
"Burnside on burnside" - another hot live album.
Muddy Waters's late 1950s singles.
Sonny Boy Williamson - some great harmonica.
Albert King's Tomato stuff - only Albert King I have, but good.
John Lee Hooker's "Alternative boogie" - although boogie, not exactly blues.
Cream's remastered Goodbye album - just fantastic - EC plays superb licks - very loud bass!
 
magoo said:
Also I did notice R L Burnside get a mention, but would highly recomend his "First Recordings" on Mo-Fi Sacd.
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AFAIK R.L Burside was first recorded by Alan Lomax in the 1960s. You will find a fairly non-descript track from this session (which suffers from being sandwiched between early Muddy Waters and Leadbelly tracks) on "The Alan Lomax Blues Songbook" available from Rounder records. It's a superb double CD.
The "Prison Songs - Historical Recordings from Parchman Farm" series are records every blues (and soul and gospel) listener should have, too.
http://www.rounder.com/series/lomax_alan/
 


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