The Blues

[lights.out.london]

Honestly, I've tried

Me brother used to love him, him and Robert bloody Cray, but I just couldn't get along with them, they jarred in my head.

I like RC live. On record he sounds bland and airbrushed/overproduced. One up from elevator music.

 

[Jazzz]

i've been listening to champion jack dupree a lot recently, great blues and boogie woogie pianist. Try his album 'Blues from the Gutter'

Gosh - that album had a massive effect on my piano playing. The first time I heard the first track, 'strollin', I just had to work out the main lick, and I've been playing blues piano ever since. I still can't quite play like CJD though.

 

[Voley]

A good album if you're just getting into blues is 'Hoochie Coochie Man' by Muddy Waters.

It's a 'Best Of' of his last few albums. Johnny Winter produced it, played on it and got what is probably the best Chicago Blues band ever together to record some blinding versions of Muddy's stuff.

Every track on it's absolutely fantastic. If you like slide guitar, you'll probably love the live version of '19 Years Old' on it.

 

[Voley]

If you like the rawer, slidey stuff, give Son House a listen, too.

'Death Letter Blues' is a real cracker by him. The White Stripes did a pretty good cover of it.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Try some of the girls too - Big Mama Thornton, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith

And give Victoria Spivey's "Dopehead Blues" a listen too.

As well as all the artistes that have already been mentioned, I'd also listen to some Blind Blake.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I like RC live. On record he sounds bland and airbrushed/overproduced. One up from elevator music.

Yes indeedy.

 

[Flavour]

nobody mentioned Magic Sam, despite a poster of that name making 2 posts on this thread

get 'west side soul' by Magic Sam. now. it's too much. honestly!

Mississippi John Hurt - he is a don, voice too sweet and gentle!
Skip James - for an even more haunting voice
Lightnin Hopkins - yes mate

 

[boing!]

jesus- there's a great deal of amazing blues artists to listen to. some of my favorites: son house, robert johnson, skip james, muddy waters, blind willie johnson...

 

[EddyBlack]

I'm a big blues fan. I recently bought this Robert Johnson CD. According to this guy this how its meant to be, that is slowed down by twenty%. It sounds much better which will surely excite any fellow Robert Johnson fans in here.

 

[Magic Sam]

nobody mentioned Magic Sam, despite a poster of that name making 2 posts on this thread

get 'west side soul' by Magic Sam. now. it's too much. honestly!

I thought that would be a little too obvious.

Live at Ann Arbour 1969 is incredible though despite being recorded from someone in the audience.

 

[Flavour]

nice to see you're still around Sam

- is it me or is howlin' wolf an acquired taste... i need me some son house

 

[Spion]

nice to see you're still around Sam

- is it me or is howlin' wolf an acquired taste... i need me some son house

I woulda thought Howlin Wolf was very easy for the modern ear. Well, the ear with a taste for raspy vocals and portentious rhythms, that is. Try Spoonful or Back Door Man

He's big on my list right now, along with SB Williamson II

 

[Looby]

Magic Sam posting (oops)

I'm a big blues fan. I recently bought this Robert Johnson CD. According to this guy this how its meant to be, that is slowed down by twenty%. It sounds much better which will surely excite any fellow Robert Johnson fans in here.

I had heard this before but 20% is too much IMO, Bob Brozman was on a guitar forum saying they were about 5-10% too fast.

Found a link http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004431-2.html

Interesting though, the thing that makes me think is that if Johnsons recordings have been widely available since the 1960 when his contemporaries like Son House, Johnny Shines and David "Honeyboy" Edwards were very much still alive, why none of them had ever said anything if they really were 20% faster? Every interview I have ever read with them is always quizzing them about all sorts of things to do with Johnson.

 

[Voley]

Captain Beefheart had a pretty good, skewed take on the blues.

Some of my favourite stuff by him are his more bluesy, less mental ones: 'Grow Fins', 'China Pig', 'Blabber N Smoke', 'Sure 'Nuff N Yes I Do' etc.

Fucking great harp player, too.

 

[EddyBlack]

I had heard this before but 20% is too much IMO, Bob Brozman was on a guitar forum saying they were about 5-10% too fast.

Found a link http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004431-2.html

Interesting though, the thing that makes me think is that if Johnsons recordings have been widely available since the 1960 when his contemporaries like Son House, Johnny Shines and David "Honeyboy" Edwards were very much still alive, why none of them had ever said anything if they really were 20% faster? Every interview I have ever read with them is always quizzing them about all sorts of things to do with Johnson.

There seems to be a lot of speculation. I was convinced by what the guy selling RJ CDs was saying, but there again I don't fully grasp it all.

Another mystery to add to the great bluesman it seems. Having heard the CD, they're only 4 quid btw, it sounds better, and more natural.

Going back to my original CDs, the guitar sounds rushed, so that you dont get to feel the music or appreciate all the phrases properly. And the voice sounds slightly strange and unnatural, on the slow version he sounds very similar in voice and groove to an early Son House, one of his contempories and major influences.

Perhaps 20% is too much, but it sounds closer to being right than the 'normal' version to me. I'm convinced by listening to it that it is more right than the existing version, (mine is from about 1990).

The only slight suspicion I have is that on 'Love In Vain', the bit where he is speaking before the song (" I think I'll go on with this one by myelf" ) is cut out, with only blank space remaining.
Perhaps hering this would have sounded too slow?