I could listen to RL, Otis Taylor, and the Black Keys all day every day (one of those three is not like the other, lol)...
RL and Otis are tied for my favorite bluesman of all time. I know that is sacralige, but there emotional impact on me is far beyond anyone else. There are some Otis tunes I only listen to when alone because they make me teary eyed every time.
RL makes me want to party and f#ck sh!t up. Even this tune just hits me with a sledge hammer. It is cool as cool can get.
I picked up this ablum last week and really wanted Burnside on Burnside, but it isn't on iTunes. I've been listening to it on Spotify at least two times through the entire album every day for like two weeks.
There is some harp on both those albums, but this is pretty OT. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Mods Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the heart...
Last Edited by on Dec 21, 2011 10:43 AM
Fully agree with you on RL. He is far and away my favorite blues performer of all time. Also agree with you on the Black Keys. They are right at the top of the pack of modern music makers. I haven't really heard of Otis Taylor, but considering the other two in your top three, I'm definitely going to look him up! ~isaac ---------- == I S A A C ==
that Burnside album is one of the best blues albums ever. Every song hits home. I'm not a huge Black Keys fan, but I can see the draw. I dig Otis Taylor, too. A new group that I've become a big fan of is The Bridge. Not much of their stuff is available on youtube, but I did find this:
Other bluesy songs by them that I dig: Diggin' In The Cold Ground, Heavy Water, Dirtball Blues, Devil On Me, Poison Wine, and Sanctuary. I'd say that their first album is more blues-oriented than their second, though they're both a mix. Also, speaking of poisonous wine, one of my favorite blues songs, by Atlas Strategic:
I have had the above Cd,Wish I Was In Heaven Sittin Down for years and agree that its one of his best IMO.Come On In, which was done I believe after this one which has been mentioned here on the forum kicks major ass also.Lester Butler plays harp on the track,Its Bad You Know,which was played on the HBO series The Sopranos and the harp you mention on Heaven Sittin Down cd was played by Lynwood Slim.There was a great story on RL some yrs back in believe it or not in The New Yorker magazine,I unfortunately lent it to someone and never got it back.It mentions RL playing Richard Gere,s birthday party in NYC which included alot of the Hollywood jet setters as well as Buddists monks(Richards posse) in attendence.RL asks his manager if he,s getting paid cash so it does,nt affect his SSI and the manager tells him not to worry about it because, you,re making $150K plus a yr.If your into RL and can get a hold of that issue or article its a great inspiring read.Sorry for the ramble,as I,m sure some of you folks might know this info but for those who didn,t I figured I,d give the the heads up.God Rest the humble man,I only wish that I could have seen him live.He,s definitly Up In Heaven Sitten Down.
Last Edited by on Dec 21, 2011 1:18 PM
I'm completely late to the Black Keys party. All I've heard from them was the song they played on the Colbert Report a few weeks back. I have to admit, I thought it was pretty average, bland even. What are three tunes I should check out on youtube to reaally show me what they do best?
I've have Burnside On Burnside for years and love it. Great stuff.
If you love RL and want to get a little nuttier and darker check out Junior Kimbrough's shit. Unbelievable. A good place to ease into the Black Keys is their EP of Junior Kimbrough tunes, it's called "Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough." The Black Keys have veered in a more pop direction lately and it has paid off for them, I think all their stuff is great, early and their most recent, which is more of a cheesey/glam rock record...but it's rooted in the blues and still great fun!
Loved RL. I have gotten the chance to play with Kenny Brown, his lead guitarist, several times. I will never forget... the day RL died, he was scheduled to play a club down here called Martin's. Kenny came down and played the gig and tore it up. I have a funny story about that but I can't repeat it here.
Love R.L and Junior Kimbrough! Hell, anything frrom Fat Possum records is gold.
Anyone into Ali Farka Toure? There is an awesome album he does with Ry Cooder (Talking Timbuktu) which is pure gold.
Ive really been getting into the whole North Mississippi and West African sounds of late. Funny tho as my guitarist has been raving on about this stuff for a good decade before the penny finally dropped for me. heh ---------- Big Blind Ray's YouTube Channel Mavis and her China Pigs
Ray being an Aussie you'd know about the Byron Bay Bluesfest. R L Burnside and his band played there about 13 years ago.They put him in the mens changing rooms(I kid you not) and the big boys of course into the Marquees. He rocked those concrete walls and had a bigger crowd in the end than some of the big names did. He wasn't well known then and he and his band looked like startled possums at this packed crowd of long haired white folks jiving the blues. When he got a huge call for more at the end of his set he said in a querilous voice"...you want more?!" Priceless. That Ry Cooder and Ali Farka album is one of my favourites for sure
