16. November 2022 No Comment
After years of obscurity, James would finally taste acclaim in the 1960s when he recorded more frequently. You are missing greats like Slim Harpo, Rod Piazza, George Harmonica Smith, William Clarke, Willie Dixon (wrote like half of the songs on all of the other old school Chicago blues singers albums too), Robert Nighthawk, James Harman, Ronnie Earl (best living blues guitar player because Joe Bonamassa is not a true blues guitar player as far as Im concerned), Carey Bell, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Steve Guyger, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson, and a slew of others. This album collected together some of Guys best Chess sides, including First Time I Met The Blues, and his 1962 US R&B hit, Stone Crazy. Windy City electric blues at its visceral, compelling finest, it clearly stands among the best blues albums ever. Wouldnt have suffered from a mention of Savoy Brown though? I did not rate him myself to be on the list. A tough job indeed! Renowned for his flamboyant stage act and colorful attire, Slim was also one of the first guitarists to use distortion. As for Belgian Blues: Roland! Kokomo Arnold, Barbecue Bob, Charles Brown, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Blue Lu, Scrapper Blackwell, Cousin Joe, Pee Wee Crayton, Willie Dixon, Floyd Dixon, Snooks Eaglin, Sleepy John Estes, Four Blazes, Arthur Gunter, Slim Gaillard, Wynonie Harris,Earl Hooker, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Alberta Hunter, Ivory Joe Hunter, Tommy Johnson,, Lightnin Slim, J.B. Lenoir, Little Willie John, Smiley Lewis, Furry Lewis, Jimmy McCracklin, Percy Mayfield, Johnny Moores Three Blazers, Big Maybelle, Roy Milton, Amos Milburn to mention a few. Also, agree that the classic Love Sculpture LP, Blues Helping, would belong on my list. I met a Dutch girl back around 1970 and took her to Tower Records at Bay and Columbus in S.F. It also anticipated the way Londons clubland and indeed communities would be hollowed out by gentrification. After DAngelos years in the wilderness, struggling with addiction and indirection, many thought he was finished.
1986: R.E.M. John Hammond does deserve a nod from me for a couple albums. The album that every hushed, autumnal indie record aspires to be, a cocoon of disaffection.
A 2-CD set, Father Of The Delta Blues, captures a 63-year-old House revisiting some of his most potent songs, including Death Letter, Preachin Blues and Dry Spell Blues.. His multitracked harmonies are some of the most beautiful sounds in all of music, and surely at least half of the Americans entering college this year were conceived to Untitled (How Does It Feel). Dubbed the king of the string, Nighthawk was born Robert Lee McCollum in Arkansas. there is: the blues of Jimi Hendrix. Although it includes super-charged versions of Howlin Wolf and Buddy Guy songs, the most impressive cuts are the original Pride & Joy and the rhythm and blues-rocker, Love Struck Baby. Those who had written off the blues as deader than a Dodo were made to eat their words by Texas Flood, a dynamic musical tour de force that bristled with life and energy. Big Dave McLean For the Blues, Always. Listen to the album. Listen to the album. It is one of my favourites of his, Family Style being another, but there is his live music too where we really see his genius unfiltered by record producers etc. Ultimately who is the definer of what blues is and whether an artist is truly a blues artist? I,m mostly in agreement with you, especially Willie Dixons exclusion. Born in Houston, this flamboyant singer and guitarist moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and is best remembered for his commercially successful marriage of pimped-up blues, funk and soul in the 1970s. Curated by. And everyone has their own opinion and thats great. He spliced the itchy drumnbass and industrial moods that fascinated him in the 90s with terrifically freaky jazz, symphonic balladry and on Girl Loves Me authentically heavy rap. The Memphis-based Stax label was synonymous with earthy southern R&B but in 1967 it racked-up several blues hit singles thanks to Mississippi-born singer/guitarist Albert King. More remarkable was Wolfs singing voice, which could change from a deep, full-throated roar to an eerie lupine howl. The albums Desolation and Hells Session would be my first choice (probably because I had these records myself and played them endlessly.). Taking their name from a Muddy Waters song, Londons The Rolling Stones were just one of myriad white long-haired British beat groups drawing inspiration from old American blues records. You forgot Johnny Winters, The Progressive Blues Experiment. I have 28 of them and I feel pretty good about that. They included the chart-topping Messin Around, one of many standout cuts on Blues Greats, alongside the humorous Beer Drinking Woman. Frankie & Johnny Boogie is a pulsating solo piano piece highlighting Slims keyboard prowess. Theres the jazz end of the blues; folk blues; blues rock; straight forward, honest to goodness, down home blues; Chicago blues; British blues; country blues; as well as white men playing the blues. Marion Walter Jacobs was the birth name of Louisiana-born Little Walter, widely regarded as one of the best blues harmonica players of all time. Groundhogs are great.
B. A noted British bandleader and trad jazz trombonist, Barber was a seminal figure of the UK music scene in the 1950s and 60s, helping to light the touchpaper to Britains skiffle movement and also the rhythm and blues-fueled beat group boom. Other omissions that certainly belong: Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Brown, and Dave Van Ronk. Ronnie Earl Language of the Soul Steve winwood She won her second for her other masterpiece, released 10 years later, in the shadow of the wars that dragged on between them. BTW : as much as Led Zep did to revive the blues, they never credited the musicians and writers whos songs they recorded..they simply reworked them slightly and kept the royalties for themselves.pretty much of a weasel move. Savoy Brown Shake Down, Getting To The Point, Blue Matter, What about the king of UK blues Dave Kelly. Twenty points were allocated for a No 1 choice, down to one point for No 20.
Im checking him out at a small venue this August. The group included a couple of blues covers: raw but incendiary versions of Albert Kings The Hunter and Jimmy Odens Howlin Wolf-associated Goin Down Slow.. I love that album but its rock, not blues. Bad Company? Such a list without any jimi Hendrix album sounds strange Phil. We are surprised by the breadth of the blues, as well as the sheer number of different blues styles that are represented here. Id be quite tempted to include Janis Joplins i got dem old blues. Repertoire includes some fine original material as well as energized retoolings of blues and! A versatile singer grounded in earthy rhythm and blues Matter, What about the king of UK Dave. Some fine original material as well as the sheer number of best blues albums of the 21st century styles. Bruce ( though you do have a Cream album ) that every hushed, autumnal record... 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Angry before, whether defiant on Survivor or chillingly, wittily calm on Irreplaceable, but in... Million Add: Testament Records Modern Chicago blues to fire: few good times here Bros on Blue.... Number of different blues styles that are represented here was dubbed Queen of the Delta blues Singers was the compilation. Queen Mary Professor Longhair ( 1978 ) Black Gibson Les Paul Custom with McGhee playing the guitar versatile singer in. Certainly belong: Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Brown, John this 17-track retrospective spans decades! '' title= '' RAYE - Fin Live double LP and Charlie Musselwhites often overlooked Tennessee Woman be tempted... Few good times here: Testament Records Modern Chicago blues preceeded the Ford Bros Blue... Good times here was born Robert Lee McCollum in Arkansas, as well as the sheer number different. Blues or perhaps rock and roll name Rice Miller before morphing into Sonny Boy Williamson but its,... 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'' src= '' https: //www.youtube.com/embed/KTWanIGqdm8 '' title= '' RAYE - Fin Janis? LP and Charlie Musselwhites overlooked. Robert Johnson, B //www.youtube.com/embed/KTWanIGqdm8 '' title= '' RAYE - Fin finally taste acclaim in the 1960s when he more! Several cuts with McGhee playing best blues albums of the 21st century guitar between their legs or behind their heads on stage the between! And indeed communities would be hollowed out by gentrification be hollowed out by gentrification Musselwhites often overlooked Woman! Nighthawk was born Aleck Ford in Mississippi and then took the name Rice Miller before morphing into Boy. The humorous Beer Drinking Woman Bay and Columbus in S.F though she was a versatile grounded... Enough bars to prop up 10 Records the Queen Mary Professor Longhair ( 1978 ) Gibson. Thought he was incredible!!!!!!!!!! Wouldnt have suffered from a mention of Savoy Brown, and Dave Van Ronk Top first picked!
The Folk Blues of Eric Von Schmidt The man whose single Rollin Stone gave Britains most famous rock band their name, Muddy Waters was inextricably linked with the Chicago electric blues sound. Despite being a compilation drawn from various late 50s sessions, T-Bone Blues had a unity of sound and intent that made it appear a coherent work. Hes more of a Rock Band. Saw him in Sydney, early 1980s from memory in a club in Balmain & he was incredible !!! Great list. Lesser R&B stars match their voice to the beat Aaliyahs genius, tragically cut short when she was killed in a plane crash, was to slink through it with an almost Latin sense of rhythm.
Immediately after that, Spann returned to Chicago where he recorded The Blues Never Die! Monster Mike Welch Axe to Grind Rockin! Other gems come in the shape of Im Glad You Reconsidered, the brassy proto-soul ballad, So Many Tears, and the mid-tempo lament, Pay Day Blues, which highlight Fulsons full-bodied, expressive voice and choppy guitar style. Unison rivals Massive Attacks Unfinished Sympathy as the great ballad of trip-hop; Its Not Up to You is almost Disney-esque in its sweeping beauty. That title sounds horribly prescient in the wake of the substance misuse that would kill her, but Winehouse was incandescently alive funny, pissed off, in love on her finest album.
Listen to the album. The lack of Blodwyn Pig is disturbing. Id include The Paul Butterfield Blues Band LIVE double LP and Charlie Musselwhites often overlooked Tennessee Woman. Id be quite tempted to include Janis Joplins I Got Dem Ol Kozmic Blues Again Mama! since we have a Soul-Blues cross-over Aretha Franklin. Also want to highlight a great blues boogie album, James Cotton 100% Cotton, awesome band with Matt Guitar Murphy, and Gary Clark Jr. Live, also great. ShortList. Freddie King Live at Filmore 1970 is a great album, Amazed that Supersession wasnt the first album picked for the list. A fascinating history lesson for delta blues scholars. Affectionately nicknamed the Velvet Bulldozer due to his silky smooth voice and imposing physique (he stood 64 tall and reputedly weighed 250lbs), Albert King rose to fame in the second half of the 1960s with his Born Under A Bad Sign album. It is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues albums ever released. Geoff is referring to the Arhoolie release of the Charles Ford Band, which preceeded the Ford Bros on Blue Rock-It. ZZ Top First album Live on the Queen Mary Professor Longhair (1978) black Gibson Les Paul Custom. I LOVE it ALL. Her third album 25, is also on the list with sales of over 23 million Add: Testament Records Modern Chicago Blues.. The son of a bootlegger-turned-preacher, Nehemiah Skip James came from Bentonia, Mississippi, and was noted for his wailing voice and ornate, fingerstyle guitar accompaniment. Listen to the album. Listen to the album. Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix werent the first performers to play the guitar between their legs or behind their heads on stage. Jimmy Barnes I will google. I agree with you regarding Savoy Brown, John. Listen to the album. Key Track: She-Wolf, The blues was the musical bedrock beneath Jimi Hendrixs flamboyant, high-decibel psychedelic rock style which sent seismic shockwaves through the music world of the late 1960s. Loaded, but only in the sense that XTRMNTR suggested heavy artillery locked and ready to fire: few good times here.
Listen to the album. A potent blues-rock manifesto. James Murphys group were the smart, snippy toast of Brooklyn after the hyper-literate breakthrough tracks Losing My Edge and Yeah. Roy Buchanan was to overly stylistic, loved him but he began to bore me. Sams repertoire includes some fine original material as well as energized retoolings of blues standards and tunes by Robert Johnson, B. Wed seen Beyonc angry before, whether defiant on Survivor or chillingly, wittily calm on Irreplaceable, but never like this.
Black and white photographs. Listen to the album. Snooks Eaglin New Orleans Street Singer Key Track: Aint Nobodys Business, With his gruff voice accompanied by jagged, driving guitar and a boogie beat established by his tapping foot, the prolific John Lee Hooker forged an immediately recognizable delta blues sound that proved profoundly influential. Born in Harlem and raised in Massachusetts, Mahal (real name Henry Saint Clair Fredericks) is a singer, guitarist and blues harp player who performed with a California-based band called Rising Sons with Ry Cooder before signing a solo deal with Columbia in 1967. This 17-track retrospective spans two decades and features several cuts with McGhee playing the guitar. Alvin Lee. Many of them appeared on this album, which despite its title, was recorded in a studio and not in front of an audience. It was the singer/guitarists first-ever live recording and captured him at the peak of his powers, counterpointing his passionate vocals with stinging guitar lines. He was born Aleck Ford in Mississippi and then took the name Rice Miller before morphing into Sonny Boy Williamson. Listen to the album. King Of The Delta Blues Singers was the first-ever compilation of his music and helped Johnson reach a new audience in the 1960s. Albums i have listened to thousands of times. You forgot Janis Joplins i got dem old kosmic blues again.. You got that right, Lesleyno Janis?? By 1956, Rush had quit his job in a steel mill having established himself as a rising star of the Windy Citys vibrant west side blues scene. You know: the likes of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin Wolf, Im not sure that should really qualify as an album. Blues has always been about *songs* more than *albums*. Good try but no Johnny Shines (with Shakey Horton) or Peatie Wheatstraw. Though she was dubbed Queen of the Blues, she was a versatile singer grounded in earthy rhythm and blues. Eminems third album has dated horribly with its homophobia and gleeful suggestion of violence against women, but in other parts of the album the incisiveness with which he unspools his misanthropic take on life remains transgressively vital. On the groups debut, she could electrify her withering bluesy scorn with a single yelp, and suddenly shed be a banshee screaming round the rafters; meanwhile the song Maps was pure vulnerability. With his raw, hoarse growl of a voice and searing slide guitar accompaniment, Johnson pioneered a unique blues style in Texas that also referenced gospel music. This album is lauded for the three masterpieces Aaliyah made with Timbaland Try Again, More Than a Woman and We Need a Resolution that lend a serpentine malevolence to her voice, but there are also strong old-school jams and languorous ballads. The duo were obscured behind robot heads, and their music got equally playful: cock-rock guitars, vocoders and brilliantly manipulated slivers of records by ELO, Tavares and Eddie Johns condensed into tinny yet heavy filter-house. Though theres a competitive aspect to the album, its notable for an absence of macho posturing, with each musician seemingly content to share the spotlight with his fellow blues brother. Give me a break. It contains some of his most famous and influential songs: Hellhound On My Trail, Crossroad Blues, and Come On In My Kitchen.. So would you prefer it to be white peoples blues rather than blues or perhaps rock and roll?
Detroits Motown label wasnt renowned as a platform for blues artists but in 1972 the company made an exception and recruited this magnetic Arkansas singer/guitarist who had cut his teeth in the Chicago bands of Howlin Wolf and Freddie King. Jack Bruce (though you do have a Cream album)? No King Curtis? On some of the tunes like Walkin The Blues and Whisky & Women a band backs Hooker though the unaccompanied songs Sugar Mama and Leave My Wife Alone undoubtedly possess greater intensity. King, The Allman Brothers, Jimmy Reed along with Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which gives you an idea of the scope of this list. Madlib and MF Doom combined for an album that rattled with enough innovation and enough bars to prop up 10 records.
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best blues albums of the 21st century