I've been thinking about really listening to some of these all time greats and I thought it would be interesting to see what the folks on the forums are the best albums for these all time greats as listed by our dear leader. Which ONE album would you point someone towards for each of these guys.
1) Little Walter (Jacobs) 2) Big Walter (Horton) 3) James Cotton 4) John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson (aka, Sonny Boy I) 5) Rice Miller (aka Sonny Boy Williamson, Sonny Boy II) 6) Sonny Terry 7) Junior Wells 8) Jason Ricci 9) Paul Butterfield 10) George “Harmonica” Smith
Obviously, if you don't know one of the guys, feel free to skip him. And if your favorite album is out of print and really expensive, feel free to list a second album thatis relatively easy to obtain (ie through digital downloads or just not overpriced in the secondary market). Cheers!
Last Edited by on Aug 06, 2012 12:58 PM
For Sonny Boy Williamson II / Rice Miller, my favorite CD is "Keep It to Ourselves."
Here's an example (check out the brilliant fill from 2:02-2:09):
Here's an excerpt of a review from Chicago Reader (http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/sonny-boy-williamson--keep-it-to-ourselves/Content?oid=876462):
'Keep It to Ourselves' is a reissue of some sides Miller cut in Copenhagen in 1963. Originally released on the Danish Storyville label, they've been unavailable for years. By putting him in an intimate acoustic setting with guitarist Matt Murphy and pianist Memphis Slim, they provide a rare and penetrating glimpse into Miller's musical personality. The gentle spirit that seemed to lurk beneath his curmudgeonly persona is revealed here with unusual directness.
"The Sky Is Crying," the opener, sets the mood for the entire endeavor: soft and mournful, it bears little resemblance to Elmore James's original version, as Murphy picks gently in the background and Miller's harp blowing achieves a sweetness it didn't often attain when he played with a band. His musical communication with Murphy is exquisite; throughout this recording, Miller addresses his sidemen by name, making the listener feel privy to an intimate conversation among friends.
Even in a setting this low-key, however, Miller could summon intensity. "Once Upon a Time" features his trademark harsh harmonica warble, and his voice achieves that distinctive fusion of fierceness and warmth. The lyrics are outrageous in the grand Rice Miller tradition: the song starts out as if it were going to be a bluesy, autobiographical tale of hard times: "Once upon a time I was broke and hungry / And I didn't have a lousy dime." But when a young lady takes him in, they set up a typically improbable household: "She wasn't but 11 years old but I kept on, kept on sending the little girl to school / Steady teaching her and training her to learn her daddy's rules . . ."
This recording highlights Miller's metronomic feel for timing and rhythm. Several of the most impressive cuts are unaccompanied, with only Miller's tapping feet and snapping fingers to provide percussion, yet you rarely miss the presence of a drummer. An especially impressive example is "Don't Let Your Right Hand Know," a reprise of a theme Miller used several times on record. In a spoken introduction he claims that the idea for the lyrics was given to him by a lady friend. The song features Miller in his country-philosopher role, as he lectures both the lady and the listener on the finer points of how to maintain an illicit love relationship; interspersed with the verses are trainlike harmonica chug-chug-chugging and broad-toned single-note phrases. At one point he manipulates the tone so it sounds uncannily like a Jew's harp. It's all punctuated with finger snaps and tongue stops, a tour de force in a style that relies on subtle tonal shadings and an unerring sense of time rather than flamboyant flourishes.
(I would post the whole review, but it exceeds the Maximum of 4096 characters.)
No No No. "Keeping it to Ourselves" is really nice - Every breath on the harp is golden where SBII is concerned - but it's not where you'd start - and it's certainly not 'the one' if you where going to get just one.
The Real Folk Blues - is where it's at. That or "the Essential Sonny Boy Williamson" Chess collection - which has a lot of Real Folk Blues on it.
The mellow European seesions are nice - but you want to start in Chicagao - at Chess. Fill in you're collection after that.
Last Edited by on Aug 06, 2012 8:54 PM
That little Walter collection timeistight linked to was very cheap when I bought it. Not really a single album so I am not sure if it meets the criterion, but hard to pass up at $16. His Best is probably still the "single album" of little Walter to have in the sense of a collection of a dozen or so cuts to listen to. But of course you could just edit together your own playlist from a bigger set. Big Walter is kinda hard to find analbum to recommend maybe because he did so much really excellent work on recordings under others names. I have the set time is tight mentioned and it's good, but it's 3 CDs. I like 'live at the knickerbocker" aka "little boy blue". But I love so many records he plays on and there's so much I haven't heard. Blues Harmonica Giant is really good though. Includes The Deep Blues of... too Rice Miller; I'm a fan of The Real Folk Blues as a package too. That's probably the main record I have to blame for my 30 year harmonica habit. Sonny Boy, almost any compilation will have the good stuff. I have a couple. Blue Bird Blues is a good one, but there may be a standout set I don't know. TIT's link looks good. Actually all those links are good. The big Walter is kinda pricey tho. I bought that set hard for $25 I think, from a b&m shop, new. Cotton: lots of people name 'best of the verve years' but it's hard to get. Most of it is 'the James cotton band' though. You wouldn't go far wrong with that. I like The Blues Never Die. Great examples of accompaniment playing on that record. Sonny Terry; yeah I dunno. The main thing of his I used to listen to was Sonny's Whooping' The Doop' which I think is a good record but you may prefer something he did with Brownie. There's a few and I have the impression they are broadly similiar, but I'm not the guy to be recommending sonny terry records to anyone. Junior Wells: it's hard to go past hoodoo man blues, but if you'd like an example of earlier work check out " blues hit big town". Hoodoo Man Blues though, if you can only have one I think that's it. A classic album. It is a special record, a real standout IMHO. Jason , I don't know any of his records Butterfield, there is a 5 cd set of his earliest stuff for a single album price. Dunno if that golden butter album is still about, suspect not. Again the iTunes set above looks great and not too dear at $17 George smith, dunno. I have a blue horizon album with a lot of live stuff, probably not his best. Thing with Big Walter I think is that trying to pin him down to an album will mean one doesn't hear lots of marvellous records he made. I think his best work is scattered across many sides and it's fun to collect it and hear all the folk he worked with in the process. Maybe I should make my own best of Walter H album. Oh yeah, JR is a recent addition to AGs top ten. Howlin wolf got the chop to make room for Jason. Of the wolf collections, I think the first 2 are available on a single release now, so howling wolf/moanin in the moonlight would have to be it.
Some great Big Walter stuff on 'Fine Cuts', including a great first position blues with Carey Bell and some of his best Jump Swing Blues ---------- Lucky Lester
Just starting to get into Carlos for some reason - so even though it's slightly 'OT' - I'm grateful for the reference . Downloaded 'Just Your Fool' yesterday morning thanks to the link - and I'm loving the shit out of it.
Back to orthodoxy- I do think what's called for here are the albums that most define theses players - their breakout albums .
For Butterfield those would be "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band" and a close second "East-West"
@superbee. "Real Follk Blues . . .main record I have to blame....". Me too. ----------
I am a HUGE fan of Carlos, but I do not think he is as recognizable as Jason, nor has he had as much influence on young players and older, yet new players like myself.
Adam's list has been debated here many times before. Based on his criteria, IMHO, I think he is "spot on".
@Cohen Noam I have "The Real Folk Blues" too--*great* record--but my personal preference is still for the minimalist acoustic setting of “Keep It to Ourselves” (accompanists limited to Matt Guitar Murphy, or Memphis Slim on acoustic piano, or Sonny Boy’s finger snaps) over the Chicago sound. (And if that’s harmonica blasphemy, I guess I’m going to harp hell!)
As for "the Essential Sonny Boy Williamson Chess collection,” well, okay, if I were ever in the improbable situation of being forced to limit myself to one SBWII CD forever, I’ll admit that there’s certainly an advantage in having 45 tracks over just 12. But the “less is more” principle can apply too: there’s something to be said to listening to just a small # of tracks so many times that you can become intimately familiar with every lick.
Hmm - how did ' Cohen Noam' get there? I don't remember ever registering that way - Anyway FYI - that's my un- moniker name (last-first)
@ToddAllen- I'd vacation in that 'harp hell' anytime myself. I just think of this thread as 'building a library' & educating oneself. If these are the most influential players- then what are the albums that had the most influence? ----------
@bonedog569 Okay, as far "which albums had the most overall influence," I'm going to plead ignorance ... "Keep It to Ourselves" just happened to have the most influence for me. These 1963 Denmark recordings were my first exposure to great blues harmonica playing (I first listened to them back in the early 1980s on a cassette titled "The Blues Of Sonny Boy Williamson"). When I heard the opening track 'Why You Cryin', I had my Damascus moment--fell to my knees & realized a part of my soul was missing (and would be forever missing until I could produce that sound ... and I'm still working on it!).
9) Paul Butterfield - This may be cheating but you'll love The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live. I personally really am crazy about his playing and would recommend the majority of his recordings but this one I like the best.
Just wanted to add a note that I compiled all the CD's noted here and in the other thread along with Gussow's page into a simple web page here.
If y'all have any further suggestions, keep suggesting and I'll keep adding to the list. Like I mentioned previously, Just keep in mind this is a list for what you think is that person's one best album to check out. Its not meant to be a comprehensive list an artist's awesomeness, but a list for getting oneself introduced to an artist.
Little Walter - The box set. It has darn near everything.
Big Walter (Horton) - I really like Live at the El Mocambo and Little Boy Blue. If I had to have one recording, it would be the Evening Shuffle: The Complete JOB Sessions by Johnny Shines. I think that is some of Big Walter's finest work. Evening Sun is worth the price of the set alone. Bruce Iglauer once called that the finest harmonica solo ever recorded and I tend to agree with him.
James Cotton - Best of the Verve Years. I also really dig two live albums. Live at Antones. Straight ahead Chicago Blues. Live from Chicago - Mr Superharp Himself captured Cotton with the Michael Coleman led big band in the 80's. I grew up seeing Cotton in that band, to me that is one of the things I miss the most about the loss of his voice. He was a tremendous entertainer and a solid singer.
John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson (aka, Sonny Boy I) - The Complete Recorded Works. If the recording quality is bothersome, try to find a CD called The Right Kind of Life. Beautifully remastered. If you want to hear something really heavy from a story telling perspective, check out Blues In The Mississippi Night. He, Memphis Slim and Big Bill Broonzy tell some heavy stories and play some seriously deep Blues.
Rice Miller (aka Sonny Boy Williamson, Sonny Boy II) - The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson is a desert island set. Some of my favorite stuff is anything with Memphis Slim from the European tours. Those two guys play some amazingly deep stuff. Keep It To Ourselves is great.
Sonny Terry - I like the album with Johnny Winter. I cant remember the name of it.
Junior Wells - The following CD's are great. Hoodoo Man Blues. The Best of the Vanguard Years. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play The Blues. South Side Blues Jam. Drinkin' TNT & Smokin' Dynamite. Junior was a helluva entertainer. He put on some of the most amazing shows that I ever saw.
I really dig the album, 1957-1963: Messin' With The Kid. Very little harp on it, but some amazing guitar work from Earl Hooker and some of Junior's finest recordings. Come On In This House and Little By Little fabulous. Calling All Blues is a bad ass track, too.
Jason Ricci - I've got several albums and I've seen him live. I can't decide which one is my favorite.
Paul Butterfield - The Elektra Years. His recordings are good, but I don't find myself listening to Butterfield very often. If he comes on, I don't typically turn it off. He just isn't a guy that I say, "I'm gonna listen to some Butterfield."
George “Harmonica” Smith - The Modern Masters - Harmonica Ace.
The Sonny Terry album with Johnny Winter is the one i mentioned above; Sonny's Whoopin' the Doop. i bought that record not long after it came out...it pretty much all i knew of ST for a long time, but i never found anyone who knew of ST's work who liked it. i liked it, but i had a trip going on Johnny Winter at the time...
haven't heard that record for maybe 15 years...i used to just get it out and look at the cover sometimes...great crazy cover shot of the band...the bit of studio chatter they left in gave it a great atmosphere too...ive read it was a good session and that sonny was happy with the record. did he record again? ----------
Can't believe the "passes" on Magic Dick-"Bluestime" and "Little Car Blues" feature some of the best harp playing I have heard in the last 20 years-the use of the patented "Magic" harmonicas,along with super tasty guitar work by J. Geils provides for great versions of some classic blues songs,mixed in with takes on Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington tunes. Both CD's were issued on Rounder-don't know if they are in print,but well worth seeking out-
Last Edited by on Aug 24, 2012 7:12 PM
"Does any one have a good collection of Little Walter's sideman work?"
Pick up Muddy Waters' Chess recordings, Jimmy Rogers' Chess recordings and John Brim's Chess recordings. There are others, but this is a great start. ---------- The Blues Photo Gallery
"Nice and Strong" is his strongest overall recording. However, if you check out his web site, the cassette offerings of his earliest work are well worth a listen.
http://www.pauldelay.com/OrderCDsandTapes.html?cid=35&step=2 ---------- The Iceman
the originator of this post showed a top 10 list...the only difference from mine is that carey bell is in mine instead of Jason ricci.......no disrespect to mooncat because we all know about him.....jr wells is on my list on the basis of this recording,where he was backed by another great....buddy guy....this year is the 50th year of its recording...it was an absolute masterpiece......jr was hot in the studio....hoodoo man blues is one of best blues albums ever
Last Edited by groyster1 on Mar 28, 2015 7:54 AM
don't forget Harp Attack - Cotton/Wells/Bell/Branch!!!
Also, the pass on Magic Dick..WHAT??!!! Bluestime" and "Little Car Blues'' some of the most stunning harp and generally top notch music ever laid down!
Last Edited by marine1896 on Mar 27, 2015 3:40 PM
Last Edited by on Aug 07, 2012 8:48 AM
