International Blues Music Day [Something Interesting #62]

Unlike jazz, blues is a genre I have a tougher time getting into but can appreciate under the right circumstances. While I'm still on sabbatical, it just so happens that today is International Blues Music Day. While I won't be as extensive as I was with International Jazz Day, I'd still like to mark it with five albums and a few primers for thos curious about it. My tastes are probably a little pedestrian but I hope you enjoy the albums today.

Reminder: I'm currently taking a blogging sabbatical and this was a pre-planned scheduled post. If there's typos or mishaps, I'll take care of them once I'm back. Thanks for understanding! - AB

The Albums

Father of the Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions by Son House (1992)

"After being rediscovered by the folk-blues community in the early '60s, Son House rose to the occasion and recorded this magnificent set of performances. Allowed to stretch out past the shorter running time of the original 78s, House turns in wonderful, steaming performances of some of his best-known material. On some tracks, House is supplemented by folk-blues researcher/musician Alan Wilson, who would later become a member of the blues-rock group Canned Heat and here plays some nice second guitar and harmonica on several cuts. This two-disc set features alternate takes, some unissued material and some studio chatter from producer John Hammond, Sr. that ocassionally hints at the chaotic nature inherent to some of these '60s "rediscovery" sessions. While not as overpowering as his earlier work (what could be?), all of these sides are so power packed with sheer emotional involvement from House, they're an indispensable part of his canonade." - Cub Koda

West Side Soul by Magic Sam (1967)

"To call West Side Soul one of the great blues albums, one of the key albums (if not the key album) of modern electric blues is all true, but it tends to diminish and academicize Magic Sam's debut album. This is the inevitable side effect of time, when an album that is decades old enters the history books, but this isn't an album that should be preserved in amber, seen only as an important record. Because this is a record that is exploding with life, a record with so much energy, it doesn't sound old. Of course, part of the reason it sounds so modern is because this is the template for most modern blues, whether it comes from Chicago or elsewhere." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Smokestack Lightning: The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 by Howlin' Wolf (2011)

"After issuing Complete sets dedicated to Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Walter, and Bo Diddley, Hip-O Select finally got around to the titanic Howlin’ Wolf in the fall of 2011, releasing Smokestack Lightning: The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960, a 97-track, four-disc limited-edition box set containing everything the Wolf cut in his first decade of recording. Although the first years of the ‘60s treated him exceptionally well -- many classic sessions arrived in the first few years of the decade, many showcased on 1962’s peerless “rocking chair” album -- this is where his legacy lies: with the spooky, primal howl that kicks off “Moanin’ at Midnight” and the scores of earthy boogies and down-and-dirty grinds that followed. Smokestack Lightning stacks up plenty of alternate takes, a good chunk of them never released in the U.S., but the repetition doesn’t slow the set down or turn it repetitive. Instead, the repeated alternate takes sit well with the treasures -- many justly celebrated, some unearthed -- all adding up to a testament to Howlin' Wolf’s unearthly, mighty force." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Basic Soul by Koko Taylor (1972)

Mostly known for the song "Wang Dang Doodle", Taylor had quite a voice on her and this is one of the fine albums she put out that covers some great blues-soul.

Showdown! by Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and Johnny Copeland (1985)

"[Robert] Cray found himself in some pretty intimidating company for this Grammy-winning blues guitar summit meeting, but he wasn't deterred, holding his own alongside his idol Albert Collins and Texas great Johnny Copeland. Cray's delivery of Muddy Waters' rhumba-rocking "She's into Something" was one of the set's many highlights." - Bill Dahl

Additional Resources