Electric Blues Recomendations (Old School Chicago)

not_the_dj

My birthday's coming up, so I'm updating my amazon wishlist, and it's clear I need to improve the blues section of my record collection. I've got a lot of the 60s london blues scene (Mayall and all that) but not a lot of the records that those guys were getting into.

So I'm thinking Freddie King, Otis Rush, that sort of fella (Chicago electric blues not the acoistic delta blues stuff...we'll get to that later).

So what are the essential CDs I should be getting....bonus wisdom points will be awared if you include Amazon links ;-)

Phil_aka_Pip

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Aristocrat-Chess-Singles-1947-62/dp/B00HV3MC3M/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539701&sr=1-4&keywords=muddy+waters

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-RPM-Chess-Singles-1951-62/dp/B00IYLWVMW/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539754&sr=1-4&keywords=howlin+wolf

http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Slide-Guitar-Complete-Sessions/dp/B00008IUX8/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539806&sr=1-3&keywords=elmore+james

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Best-Sonny-Boy-Williamson/dp/B00004TA8Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_h__5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H6K4HAN6BZBYEV6E44V

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Albums-John-Lee-Hooker/dp/B00IOAY32Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539997&sr=1-3&keywords=john+lee+hooker

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Collection-Freddie-King/dp/B00005B2XZ/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399540103&sr=1-7&keywords=freddie+king

not_the_dj

Ta, have a wisdon.

The Freddie King one's on my list for sure (I was listening to the Beano album last night so that's what got me thinking...I really should check out the originals of these).

Phil_aka_Pip

have a wisdom yourself for (a) listening to the Beano album (b) checking out the original stuff

btw The Sonny Boy Williamson stuff is exactly the genre you're looking for but he wasn't a guitarist, he was the singer & harp player. IIRC Hubert Sumlin played on a lot of the SBW stuff and while he didn't take a lot of flashy solos he was brilliant at playing interesting "backing" stuff. 

Panama_Jack666

Phil_aka_Pip said:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Aristocrat-Chess-Singles-1947-62/dp/B00HV3MC3M/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539701&sr=1-4&keywords=muddy+waters

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-RPM-Chess-Singles-1951-62/dp/B00IYLWVMW/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539754&sr=1-4&keywords=howlin+wolf

http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Slide-Guitar-Complete-Sessions/dp/B00008IUX8/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539806&sr=1-3&keywords=elmore+james

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Best-Sonny-Boy-Williamson/dp/B00004TA8Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_h__5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H6K4HAN6BZBYEV6E44V

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Albums-John-Lee-Hooker/dp/B00IOAY32Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399539997&sr=1-3&keywords=john+lee+hooker

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Collection-Freddie-King/dp/B00005B2XZ/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399540103&sr=1-7&keywords=freddie+king

Have a wow for the effort, good work Pip!

IanSavage

Excellent list Pip - may I add http://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-The-Regal-B-B-King/dp/B000002P72

EricTheWeary

Yes well done Pip!


we are talking people whose best work was singles really so Chess period compilations are the ones to go for as per Pip's list. Whilst Wolf and Waters were recording up to the 1970 it wasn't all exactly great. However, you could try Hard Again for Waters, this was the 1977 Johnny Winters produced album. In a an old school style but with a clearer production.

A lot of the Sonny Boy songs have been covered ( Green Onions is a version of his song Help Me for a starter)so you might recognise some and he is a lesson in the call and response approach to blues.   

The routes of the Beano album are definitely Let's Hideaway and Danceaway by Freddie King. As a listening experience a whole album of instrumental blues can be hard going but if you want to know  what Clapton, Green and Stan Webb were ripping off that is the source. Freddie King's 1970 albums for the Shelter label are a different kettle of fish really but more song based and highly produced you might find them much more listenable.

Otis Rush had a much longer recording career than some of the other guys but , again a good compilation of the early stuff is probably what you want - the Cobra singles. 

Couple of less obvious names:

Magic Sam - his album West Side Soul is usually in the top ten any great blues album list. when you hear the 100th cover version of Sweet Home Chicago or Talk To Your Daughter this is the source of those, no one was going back to JB Lenoir or Robert Johnson for these.

Hound Dog Taylor - fairly obscure old school Chicago blues guy very influenced by Elmore James. He wasn't recorded much but a whole record label was formed in the early 70's just to capture him so any of his Alligator label recordings. Actually quite influential on the Nu blues - this might not be where the Beano album came from but its where Jack White nicked a lot of stuff. Great fun and should be mentioned in any discussion about guitar tone, sounded f*****g marvelous on a Teisco guitar and a Sears Silvertone on the edge of blowing up.

not_the_dj

Despite the lack of amazon links @EricTheWeary get's a wisdom, I guess I'll just have to bloody well use the search function there myself!

Jalapeno

Get you some Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon (who wrote most of the Blues standards)

EricTheWeary

not_the_dj said:

Despite the lack of amazon links @EricTheWeary get's a wisdom, I guess I'll just have to bloody well use the search function there myself!

  IIRC amazon have the Complete Shelter Sessions by Freddie King for about £150 so at least I didn't send you that as a link...
:-B

close2u

BB King  - Spotlight On Lucille

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=spotlight+on+lucille&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=29165725693&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17308479490681314395&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7jhsruubr7_b

 

mudslide73

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blues-Guitar-Hero-Influential-Sessions/dp/B0000009HV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399558038&sr=8-1&keywords=freddie+king+influential+early+sessions

Essential for my Bluesbreaker obsession phase. It shares many of the tunes on Pip's recommendation but more of the early Sonny Thompson co written stuff. The later stuff is great too but start with those two.

You'll be playing with upstrokes only once you get into Freddie!

Live at the Regal is required listening too - I recommend BBs Live at Cook County Jail too.. 

thermionic

The London Sessions by Muddy Waters is a great album. Apparently he came to London and got all the British (and Rory Gallagher I think) blues guys to play on various tracks.

I also rate Buddy's Blues - very early Buddy Guy, sounds not very like he does now!