Odetta - Ballad For Americans and Other American Ballads / At Carnegie Hall (1960)

Odetta - Ballad For Americans and Other American Ballads / At Carnegie Hall (1960)

  blues | 2lp on 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 485MB

Vanguard

Allmusic:
This CD, issued under license from Vanguard by Italy's Universe label (on their Comet imprint), is one of the handsomest re-releases of its kind ever to turn up on CD. The sound is fine -- and it's so hard to find an unworn copy of Ballad for Americans and Other American Ballads that anything would be welcome -- but the producers have taken special care to re-create the original artwork and annotation in all of it thoroughness in a mini-LP-style gatefold CD package that's neat, handsome, and respectful of the original release, and will probably last for decades on shelves. As for the music, the CD showcases four sides of Odetta's work -- her gifts in art-song and conceptual music in "Ballad for Americans," her solo folk and blues singing in the accompanying studio sides, her way with an audience in a live setting with the Carnegie Hall tracks, with her singing in a choral setting on the final four tracks of that LP. It all sounds great, and could arguably be a best of Odetta, even if it isn't an official anthology of that type. It's just sort of a shame -- and an enigma -- that it takes an Italian-based label to give these recordings their due respect in the 21st century.

Tracks
-01. "Ballad for Americans" (Earl Robinson)
-02. "This Land" (Woody Guthrie)
-03. "On Top of Old Smokey" (Traditional)
-04. "Hush Little Baby" (Traditional)
-05. "Dark as a Dungeon" (Merle Travis)
-06. "Great Historical Bum"
-07. "Payday at Coal Creek"
-08. "Going Home"
-09. "Pastures of Plenty" (Woody Guthrie)
---
-10. "If I Had a Hammer" (Pete Seeger, Lee Hays)
-11. "Red Clay Country"
-12. ""When I Was a Young Girl"
-13. "Gallows Pole" (Traditional)
-14. "God's A-Gonna Cut You Down"
-15. "John Riley"
-16. "John Henry" (Traditional)
-17. "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" (Traditional)
-18. "All The Pretty Little Horses"
-19. "Prettiest Train"
-20. "Meeting at the Building"
-21. "No More Auction Block"
-22. "Hold On"
-23. "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (Traditional)
-24. "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down"

Personnel
* Odetta – vocals, guitar
* Bill Lee – bass
* Fred Hellerman – guitar
* Robert De Cormier – chorale arranger, conductor

 sample & buy: Ballads for Americans / Odetta at Carnegie Hall

 

Captain Beefheart - London 1974

Captain Beefheart - London 1974
rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

MPG 74025

Allmusic:
This live recording of Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band was taken from a London date during one of the more fierce peaks of the band's existence, the same period that produced the overlooked classic masterpiece Clear Spot. Though the session was intended to produce a live album for Virgin, the release never materialized, though the versions of "Mirror Man" and "Upon the Me Oh My" came out of the 1975 Virgin sampler V. Thanks to the obscure Portuguese imprint Movie Play Gold, highlights from the concert made it onto CD at a concise 40 minutes. The disc features nine tracks of full-tilt Magic Band mayhem on "Full Moon Hot Sun," "Sugar Bowl," "Crazy Little Thing," "This Is the Day," "New Electric Ride," as well as older '60s classics like "Abba Zabba" and "Peaches." The CD has exceptional sound quality, while some other live Captain Beefheart from the same period fares a little rough in recording quality. This comes highly recommended as an opportunity to hear the Magic Band at an all-time high.

Tracks
-1. "Mirror Man" - Van Vliet - 4:48
-2. "Upon the Me Oh My" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 4:07
-3. "Full Moon Hot Sun" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 3:29
-4. "Sugar Bowl" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 2:55
-5. "Crazy Little Thing" - Van Vliet - 3:45
-6. "This is the Day" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 7:48
-7. "New Electric Ride" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 3:20
-8. "Abba Zabba" - Van Vliet - 3:16
-9. "Peaches" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 6:03

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) / harmonica, vocals
* Del Simmons / Tenor saxophone, flute
* Dean Smith / guitar
* Fuzzy Fuscaldo / guitar
* Michael Smotherman / keyboards
* Paul Uhrig / bass
* Ty Grimes / drums

sample & buy: London 1974

Odetta - The Tin Angel (1954)

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Odetta - The Tin Angel (1954)

(Odetta & Larry)

blues | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

OBC

Allmusic:
Although the 1993 CD version of this album is credited to Odetta and titled The Tin Angel, it's actually a reissue of a Fantasy LP credited to Odetta & Larry, which bore the slightly different title The Tin Angel Presents Odetta & Larry. That original LP had 13 tracks recorded in 1953 and 1954, some of them live at the Tin Angel club in San Francisco, with Larry Mohr contributing some banjo and harmony and lead vocals, though Odetta was the more prominent presence. This source of confusion duly noted, this is pretty much an Odetta album in most respects, as she takes a considerably larger part of the vocal duties on a set of traditional folk material including such standards as "John Henry," "Rock Island Line," and "Old Cotton Fields at Home," as well as some blues and spirituals, plus a good version of Woody Guthrie's "The Car-Car Song." Odetta's stirring vocal style is pretty fully formed on this, the first group of her recordings in wide distribution, as is her ability to emit bluesy grunts, as you can hear on "John Henry." Mohr's vocals (he takes unaccompanied lead on "Old Blue") and banjo are comparatively bland, but they're not much of a distraction from Odetta, who's definitely the main feature. The 1993 CD reissue adds six tracks, including some very popular folk revival tunes in "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," "Wade in the Water," and "Another Man Done Gone."

Track listing
-01. "John Henry" – 3:09
-02. "Old Cotton Fields at Home" (Leadbetter) – 3:59
-03. "The Frozen Logger" (Haglund, Stevens) – 2:53
-04. "Run, Come See Jerusalem" (Blind Blake) – 2:06
-05. "Old Blue" – 2:36
-06. "Water Boy" – 3:40
-07. "Santy Anno" – 2:18
-08. "I Was Born About 10,000 Years Ago"/"The Biggest Thing" – 2:47
-09. "Riding in My Car (Car Song)" – 1:27
-10. "No More Cane on the Brazos" – 2:19
-11. "Payday at Coal Creek" – 3:02
-12. "'Buked and Scorned" – 2:46
-13. "Rock Island Line" (Leadbetter) – 1:47
-14. "Another Man Done Gone" [*] (Hall, Lomax, Lomax, Tartt) – 3:05
-15. "Children Go Where I Send Thee" [*] – 2:35
-16. "I Know Where I'm Going" [*] – 2:10
-17. "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" [*] – 1:55
-18. "Timber" [*] – 3:49
-19. "Wade in the Water" [*] – 1:57
[*]are 1993 CD bonus tracks.
All songs traditional unless stated.

sample & buy: Cape Verdean Blues

Groundhogs - Solid (1974)

Groundhogs - Solid (1974)

rock, blues | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 315MB

Talking Elephant 2001

Allmusic:
On the surface, the Groundhogs could easily have become one of the dozens of British "blooze and boogie" bands that cropped up in the late '60s and early '70s in the manner of Savoy Brown or Foghat, but Tony (T.S.) McPhee's ideas and ambitions were just eccentric enough to push the band into directions too challenging for most mainstream listeners, and as with much of their catalog it's McPhee's sense of invention that makes 1974's Solid memorable. Recorded in McPhee's home studio with Clive Brooks on drums and Peter Cruickshank on bass, most of Solid's nine numbers are anchored by the sonic overdrive of McPhee's guitar playing, which twists blues figures through psych and progressive frameworks, while the doomy poetics of his lyrics don't so much establish the mood of the songs as reinforce the tone of the music. While Brooks and Cruickshank are a fine rhythm section, giving these songs the muscle and backbone to make the most of their hard rock leanings, this is obviously McPhee's show, and an impressive show it is. Not too many guys would think to lay a Mellotron or a fuzzy synthesizer over a heavy blues jam, or run his recordings through such a remarkable maze of phase shifting and ping-pong panning, but in his own small way McPhee's music is in the grand tradition of the great eccentrics of British rock, and that windmill-tilting spirit is what Solid is all about -- it's not a freak masterpiece like Thank Christ for the Bomb or Who Will Save the World?, but if you dug the twists and turns of those albums you owe it to yourself to give this a listen.

Tracks
-1. "Light My Light" - McPhee - 6:23
-2. "Free from All Alarm" - McPhee - 5:14
-3. "Sins of the Father" - McPhee - 5:29
-4. "Sad Go Round" - McPhee - 2:55
-5. "Corn Cob" - McPhee - 4:46
-6. "Plea Sing, Plea Song" - McPhee - 3:43
-7. "Snow Storm" - McPhee - 3:28
-8. "Joker's Grave" - McPhee - 8:41
-9 "Over Blue" (Bonus Track) - McPhee - 2:48

sample & buy: Solid

Groundhogs - Blues Obituary (1969)

Groundhogs - Blues Obituary (1969)

rock, blues | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

Akarma/EMI | 2004 remaster

Allmusic:
Recorded during June of 1969 at Marquee Studios in London with Gary Collins and Colin Caldwell engineering, the trio of Groundhogs put the blues to rest on Blues Obituary in front of a castle on the Hogart-designed cover while six black and whites from photographer Zorin Matic grace the back in morbid Creepy or Eerie Magazine comic book fashion. Composed, written, and arranged by Tony "T.S." McPhee, there are seven tracks hovering from the around four- to seven-minute mark. The traditional "Natchez Burning," arranged by McPhee, fits in nicely with his originals while the longest track, the six-minute-and-50-second "Light Is the Day," features the most innovation -- a Ginger Baker-style tribal rant by drummer Ken Pustelnik allowing McPhee to lay down some muted slide work. As the tempo on the final track elevates along with manic guitar runs by McPhee, the jamming creates a color separate from the rest of the disc while still in the same style. Vocals across the board are kept to a minimum. It is all about the sound, Cream without the flash, bandleader McPhee vocally emulating Alvin Lee (by way of Canned Heat's Alan Wilson) on the four-minute conclusion to side one that is "Mistreated." While Americans like Grand Funk's Mark Farner turned the format up a commercial notch, Funk's "Mean Mistreater" sporting the same sentiment while reaching a wider audience, the Groundhogs on this late-'60s album keep the blues purely in the underground. The pumping beat on "Mistreated" embraces the lead guitarist's vocal, which poses that eternal blues question: "what have I done that's wrong?" Blistering guitar on the opening track, "B.D.D.," sets the pace for this deep excursion into the musical depths further down than Canned Heat ever dared go. While "Daze of the Weak" starts off sludgy enough, it quickly moves like a train out of control, laying back only to explode again. "Times" get things back to more traditional roots on an album that breaks little new ground, and is as consistent as Savoy Brown when they got into their primo groove.

Tracks
-1. "B.D.D." - McPhee - 3:50
-2. "Daze of the Weak" - McPhee - 5:16
-3. "Times" - McPhee - 5:19
-4. "Mistreated" - McPhee - 4:04
-5. "Express Man" - McPhee - 3:59
-6. "Natchez Burning" - McPhee, Traditional - 4:38
-7. "Light Was the Day" - McPhee - 6:53

Personnel
* Tony T.S. McPhee (vocals, guitar)
* Pete Cruickshank (bass)
* Ken Pustelnik (drums)

sample & buy: Blues Obituary

Captain Beefheart - Ice Cream For Crow (1982)

Captain Beefheart - Ice Cream For Crow (1982)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

EMI 2006 remaster

Allmusic:
With yet one final Magic Band lineup in place, featuring Richard Snyder on bass and Cliff Martinez on drums alongside returning vets Jeff Moris Tepper and Gary Lucas, Beefheart put the final touch on his recording career to date with Ice Cream for Crow. It's a last entertaining blast of wigginess from one of the few truly independent artists in late 20th century pop music, with humor, skill, and style all still intact (as even the song titles like "Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian" and "Cardboard Cutout Sundown" show). With the Magic Band turning out more choppy rhythms, unexpected guitar lines, and outré arrangements, Captain Beefheart lets everything run wild as always, with successful results. Sometimes he sounds less like the blues shouter of lore and more of a spoken word artist with an attitude, thus the stuttering flow of "The Host the Ghost the Most Holy." "Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat" is even more entertainingly outrageous, Beefheart's addictive if near impenetrable ramble about tobacco juice and straw hats and more backed by an insanely great arrangement. Magic Band members each get chances to shine one way or another -- "Evening Bell" in particular demonstrates why Lucas went on to later solo renown, a complex, suddenly shifting solo instrumental that sits somewhere between background music and head-scratching "how did he do that?" intrigue.

Tracks
-01."Ice Cream for Crow" – 4:35
-02. "The Host the Ghost the Most Holy-O" – 2:25
-03. "Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian" – 4:20
-04. "Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat" – 3:13
-05. "Evening Bell" – 2:00
-05. "Cardboard Cutout Sundown" – 2:38
-06. "The Past Sure Is Tense" – 3:21
-07. "Ink Mathematics" – 1:40
-08. "The Witch Doctor Life" – 2:38
-09. "'81' Poop Hatch" – 2:39
-10. "The Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole" – 5:42
-11. "Skeleton Makes Good" – 2:18
-12. "Light Reflected Off The Oceans Of The Moon" - 4:47 [Bonus Track]
All tracks written and composed by Don Van Vliet.

Personnel
* Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) – vocals, harmonica, soprano sax, Chinese gongs, prop horn
* Jeff Moris Tepper – steel appendage guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar
* Gary Lucas – glass–finger guitar, slide guitar, guitar, National steel duolian
* Richard "Midnight Hatsize" Snyder – bass guitar, marimba, viola
* Cliff R. Martinez – drums, shake bouquet, glass washboard, metal drums
* Eric Drew Feldman – Rhodes piano, synthesized bass

sample & buy: Ice Cream for Crow

The American Folk-Blues Festival - Volume Three 1962-69 (music video)

The American Folk-Blues Festival - Volume Three 1962-69

blues | DVD5 NTSC | PCM mono | iso, cover | 4000MB

Universal | rel: 2004

Amazon:
Street Date: 31 August 2004. The third video compilation in this series is arguably the weakest, but is nonetheless required viewing for all roots/blues fans. As in the previous two DVDs, the material is culled from professionally shot and recorded European television shows from 1965-1968. Only one tune dates from before that period (1962's closing group performance of Helen Humes' "The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Woman"), making the titular years a bit misleading. Regardless, there is some powerful music here. Half of the tracks, nine out of 18, are taken from 1967's newly discovered Danish television footage. Unfortunately this material was not played in front of a live audience, and without that immediate feedback, the predominantly country blues tunes, while emotionally moving, lack the bite and tension that the artists were used to delivering for their typically more vocal stateside crowds. Much is made about this being the only known live video of Little Walter, but the detailed notes in the 24-page book recount how unhappy he was on this tour. His non-amplified harp backing on Hound Dog Taylor's "Wild About You" and Koko Taylor's classic "Wang Dang Doodle" is much more sedate than what most would expect for a man known the most riveting electrically enhanced harmonica player in blues. Sonny Terry, who joins partner Brownie McGhee for three 1967 tunes and shows up for the 1962 finale, is much more impressive on harmonica, spitting out machine gun notes with precision. Buddy Guy's funky, James Brown-styled "Out of Sight" isn't really blues, but it does capture the guitarist at his most animated. Three "bonus" closing tracks not from the American Folk Blues taping, but from the same time period, are revelatory. One features the incredible Earl Hooker (playing with his teeth on "Earl's Boogie" in 1969) and two catch 1968 stingers from Muddy Waters.

Tracks
-01. Hound Dog - Big Mama Thornton
-02. Gulfport Boogie - Roosevelt Sykes
-03. Out of Sight - Buddy Guy
-04. Feel So Good - Dr. Isaiah Ross
-05. Flip, Flop & Fly - Big Joe Turner
-06. All Night Long - Skip James
-07. Crow Jane - Skip James
-08. Got Sick & Tired - Bukka White
-09. Death Letter Blues - Son House
-10. Wild About You - Hound Dog Taylor
-11. Wang Dang Doodle - Koko Taylor
-12. Stranger Blues - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
-13. Burnt Child (Afraid Of Fire) - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
-14. Gonna Move Across The River - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
-15. The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Woman - Helen Humes
bonus tracks:
-16. Earl's Boogie - Earl Hooker
-17. Long Distance Call - Muddy Waters
-18. I Got My Mojo Working - Muddy Waters
~70 mins

 

buy: American Folk Blues Festival 1962-69 vol 3

The American Folk-Blues Festival - Volume Two 1962-66 (music video)

The American Folk-Blues Festival - Volume Two 1962-66

blues | DVD5 PAL | PCM mono | iso, cover | 3900MB

Universal | rel: 2003

Amazon
Three songs by Howlin' Wolf are the highlight of this second set of blues performances recorded in the 1960s, when an extraordinary lineup of musicians (among the 18 tracks here are tunes by Lightnin' Hopkins, Willie Dixon, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and Big Mama Thornton) toured Europe, thrilling (among many others) the young Englishmen playing in bands like the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. As with Volume 1, the monaural sound and black-and-white video are superb, making the release of the footage four decades later even more welcome. And Wolf? He was still in his prime in '64, perhaps equaled only by Muddy Waters (who appears on the first volume). "Did you ever been in the groove?" he asks at one point. "Well, I'm gonna put you way down in the woods." That he does, and blues fans will be only too happy to tag along.
--
Reelin’ In The Years Productions, in association with Experience Hendrix, bring you the American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966 Volumes One & Two. The AFBF was an annual event that featured the cream of American blues musicians barnstorming their way across western Europe every fall from 1962 through 1966. Recorded live in a small TV studio in Germany, these historic and unseen performances have been lost for nearly 40 years. Filmed with superb camera work and pristine sound, each DVD contains 18 complete performances from the greatest blues musicians of all time. Captured during their heyday in an era of scant video documentation, these DVDs are truly one of the most unique and precious visual documents of the blues.
The American Folk Blues Festivals featured a dazzling array of talent that included such greats as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson playing alongside other legends such as T-Bone Walker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Memphis Slim and Big Mama Thornton to create the most significant group of blues artists ever assembled!

Tracks
-01 Bye Bye Bird (Sonny Boy Williamson),
-02 My Younger Days (Sonny Boy Williamson),
-03 Come On Home Baby (Sunnyland Slim),
-04 Nervous (Willie Dixon),
-05 Mojo Hand (Lightnin' Hopkins),
-06 Black Snake Blues (Victoria Spivey),
-07 Everyday I Have the Blues (Memphis Slim),
-08 Don't Throw Your Love on Me so Strong (T-Bone Walker),
-09 Tall Heavy Mama (Roosevelt Sykes),
-10 Sittin' and Cryin' the Blues (Willie Dixon),
-11 Murphy's Boogie (Matt "Guitar" Murphy),
-12 Stranger Blues (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee),
-13 Shake for Me (Howlin' Wolf),
-14 I'll Be Back Someday (Howlin' Wolf),
-15 Love Me Darlin (Howlin' Wolf),
-16 Down Home Shakedown (Big Mama Thornton)
Two bonus tracks from Magic Sam in 1969:
-b1 All Your Love
-b2 Magic Sam's Boogie
~70 mins

buy: The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, vol. 2

The American Folk-Blues Festival - Volume One 1962-66 (music video)

The American Folk-Blues Festival -  Volume One 1962-66

blues | DVD5 PAL | PCM mono |  iso, cover | 4300MB

Universal | rel: 2003

Unearthed some 40 years after the fact, this has to be one of the finest blues collections ever assembled on video. Thanks to a couple of young promoters who brought the musicians to Europe--where they were treated with a good deal more respect and dignity than in America--we get an extraordinary lineup of bluesmen and women: Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Sippie Wallace... the list goes on. Their concert performances (several in stagy but effective down-home settings) before a rather formal but appreciative German audience have them playing in some cool combinations (T-Bone Walker backing Memphis Slim, Otis Rush with Junior Wells), even introducing one another (Williamson on guitarist Lonnie Johnson, an elder statesman on the tour: "A very nice musician")--and all with great sound (mono, but still flawless) and visuals (in black and white). This is one for blues fans to treasure.

Tracks
-01. Call Me When You Need Me
-02. Hootin' Blues
-03. The Blues Is Everywhere
-04. I Can't Quit You Baby
-05. Another Night to Cry
-06. Women Be Wise
-07. Hobo Blues
-08. Five Long Years
-09. Shakey's Blues
-10. Hoodoo Man Blues
-11. Mean Stepfather
-12. Going Down to the River
-13. Weak Brain and Narrow Mind
-14. Nine Below Zero
-15. Spann's Blues
-16. I've Got My Mojo Working
-17. Bye Bye Blues
-18. Walking the Floor Over You
-19. Off the Hook
~70 mins

buy: The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, vol. 1

The American Folk-Blues Festival - The British Tours 1963-66 (music video)

 

The American Folk-Blues Festival -  The British Tours 1963-66

blues | DVD5 NTSC | PCM mono |  iso, cover | 4670MB

Universal | rel: 2007

Recorded live for TV broadcast throughout Britain, these historic performances have been unseen for nearly 40 years. Filmed with superb camera work and pristine sound, 14 complete performances and 4 bonus performances are included by Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Lonnie Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Lightnin' Hopkins, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Howlin' Wolf, Big Joe Turner, Junior Wells, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Between 1963 and 1966 huge British tours were undertaken by the likes of Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, and Junior Wells. This release in the American Folk-Blues Festivals gathers footage from these tours, providing an amazing document of a historic time.

Tracks
-01. Sonny Boy Williamson (1963): Keep It To Yourself
-02. Muddy Waters (1963): Got My Mojo Working
-03. Lonnie Johnson (1963): Too Late To Cry
-04. Big Joe Williams (1963): Baby Please Don’t Go
-05. Sonny Boy Williamson (1964): Bye Bye Bird
-06. Sonny Boy Williamson (1964): Getting Out Of Town
-07. Lightin’ Hopkins (1964): Come Go With Me
-08. Lightin’ Hopkins (1964): Ligtnin’s Blues
-09. Sugar Pie DeSanto (1964): Baby What You Want Me To Do
-10. Sugar Pie DeSanto (1964): Rock Me Baby
-11. Howlin’ Wolf (1964): Smokestack Lightning
-12. Howlin’ Wolf (1964): Don’t Laugh At Me
-13. Big Joe Turner (1966): Oh Well, Oh Well
-14. Junior Wells (1966): What’d I Say
-15. Muddy Waters(1964): You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Newer Had
-16. Muddy Waters (1964): Blow Wind Blow
-17. Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1964): Didn’t It Rain
-18. Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1964): Trouble In Mind
~74 mins 

buy: American Folk-Blues Festival: The British Tours 1963-1966

Captain Beefheart - Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)

Captain Beefheart - Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 210MB

Virgin

Allmusic:
About the best one can say about 1974's Bluejeans & Moonbeams is that it's not as bad as his other release of the year, Unconditionally Guaranteed. In fact, there are two tracks, the pretty reverie "Observatory Crest" and the stomping blues-rocker "Party of Special Things to Do," that are actually quite good. The rest of the album, however, is fairly dire. Recorded with anonymous studio musicians who are clearly out of their league and glossed to a soul-less polish by producer Andy DiMartino, Bluejeans & Moonbeams never catches fire even at its best, and its worst tracks -- those would be "Pompadour Swamp" and the utterly wretched proto-disco "Captain's Holiday" -- are the worst things that have ever borne the Captain Beefheart name. Captain Beefheart would eventually return with the revitalized Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) in 1978, but Bluejeans & Moonbeams sounds like a tired and cynical make-work project.

Tracks
-1. "Party of Special Things to Do" (Don Van Vliet, Elliot Ingber) – 2:48
-2. "Same Old Blues" (J. J. Cale) – 4:00
-3. "Observatory Crest" (Van Vliet, E. Ingber) – 3:32
-4. "Pompadour Swamp" (Van Vliet) – 3:32
-5. "Captain's Holiday" (R. Feldman, W. Richmond, S. Hickerson, C. Blackwell) – 5:43
-6. "Rock 'n Roll's Evil Doll" (Van Vliet, Mark Gibbons, Ira Ingber) – 3:20
-7. "Further Than We've Gone" (Van Vliet) – 5:31
-8. "Twist ah Luck" (Van Vliet, Gibbons, I. Ingber) – 3:22
-9. "Bluejeans & Moonbeams" (Van Vliet) – 5:02

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart - vocals, harmonica
* Dean Smith - guitar, bottleneck guitar
* Ira Ingber - bass
* Bob West - bass
* Micheal Smotherman - keyboards, backing vocals
* Mark Gibbons - keyboards
* Gene Pello - drums
* Jimmy Caravan - keyboard, star machine
* Ty Grimes - percussion

sample & buy: Bluejeans & Moonbeams

Captain Beefheart - Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 210MB

Virgin

Allmusic:
The most reviled album of Captain Beefheart's entire career, 1974's ironically titled Unconditionally Guaranteed unfortunately largely deserves its negative reputation. Recorded in the U.K. as the first album of Captain Beefheart's contract with Virgin Records, it's also the last album that features any members of the Trout Mask Replica-era band, notably guitarists Zoot Horn Rollo and Alex St. Clair, plus former Mothers of Invention percussionist Art Tripp. Rather like Van Morrison's later album, A Period of Transition, Unconditionally Guaranteed is clearly a deliberate attempt by the Captain to restrain his more peculiar tendencies in search of a wider audience. As might be expected, the wider audience didn't show up, and his longtime fans were put off by the album's more commercial facets. It's not an entirely useless album, as the tunes do have some of the blues-rock punch that's at the root of Beefheart's work, and the lyrics, mostly declarations of love for his wife, Jan Van Vliet, who receives co-writing credit with producer Andy DiMartino on all ten tracks, seem heartfelt enough. The problem is that DiMartino's production and arrangements are flaccid and dull, and Beefheart (purposely) sings as if he's half asleep throughout. Even Captain Beefheart himself disowns this record.

Tracks
-01. "Upon the My-O-My" – 2:43
-02. "Sugar Bowl" – 2:13
-03. "New Electric Ride" – 3:02
-04. "Magic Be" – 2:55
-05. "Happy Love Song" – 3:54
-06. "Full Moon, Hot Sun" – 2:19
-07. "I Got Love on My Mind" – 3:08
-08. "This Is the Day" – 4:51
-09. "Lazy Music" – 2:49
-10. "Peaches" – 3:20
All songs written by Don and Jan Van Vliet and Andy DiMartino.

sample & buy: Unconditionally Guaranteed

Captain Beefheart - Spotlight Kid & Clear Spot (1972)

Captain Beefheart - Spotlight Kid & Clear Spot (1972)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 2 lp on 1 cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 450MB

Reprise

Allmusic:
The Spotlight Kid
On Spotlight Beefheart took over full production duties. Rather than returning to the artistic aggro of Trout Mask/Decals days, Spotlight takes things lower and looser, with a lot of typical Beefheart fun crawling around in weird, strange ways. Consider the ominous opening cut "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" -it isn't just the title and Beefheart's breathy growl, but Rockette Morton's purring bass, Zoot Horn Rollo's snarling guitar, Ed Marimba's brisk fade on the cymbals again and again, and more. The overall atmosphere is definitely relaxed and fun, maybe one step up from a jam. Marimba's vibes and other percussion work -- including, of course, the marimba itself -- stand out quite a bit here as a result, perhaps, brought out from behind the drums and the more straightforward work on Clear Spot. Consider "When It Blows Its Stacks," with its unexpected breaks into more playful parts, or "Alice in Blunderland"'s admittedly more aimless approach, but vibing along well nonetheless. Sometimes things do sound maybe just a little too blasé, but Beefheart at his worst still has something more than most groups at their best. Spotlight does have one stone-cold Beefheart classic -- "Grow Fins," an understated number with fine harmonica and a brilliant lyric about getting so tired of his woman that the best option is to take to the sea and fall in love with a mermaid. Another song, though, does have an all-time great title -- "There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage." Definite fun touch -- the cover photo of Beefheart looking great in a classic Nudie suit, outlined in yellow light to boot.
Clear Spot:
Producer Ted Templeman was a bit of a surprising choice given his firmly mainstream production credits, with the Doobie Brothers already under his belt and Van Halen lurking in the near future. As it turned out, such a combination led to a better-working fusion than might be expected, making one wonder why in the world Clear Spot wasn't more of a commercial success than it was. The sound is great throughout, and the feeling is of the coolest bar-band in town, not to mention one that could eat all the patrons for breakfast if it felt like it. Fans of the fully all-out side of Beefheart might find the end result not fully up to snuff as a result, but those less concerned with pushing back all borders all the time will enjoy his unexpected blend of everything tempered with a new accessibility. "Nowadays a Woman's Got to Hit a Man," besides having a brilliant title, shows the balance perfectly -- Van Vliet serves up his rough asides with all his expected wit and sass, while the Magic Band trade off notes here and there just so. At the same time, the track is strong blues-rock that doesn't pander, with a particularly fierce solo thanks to Zoot Horn Rollo. "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" is a great love song, the softer arrangement saved from being too off by Beefheart's delivery. Other winners include the title track, a sharp combination of an off-kilter arrangement for a straightforward melody, the great shaggy-dog story of "Golden Birdies," and "Big Eyed Beans from Venus," a fantastically strange piece of aggression.

Tracks
-01. "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" – 4:33
-02. "White Jam" – 2:55
-03. "Blabber 'n Smoke" – 2:46 (Van Vliet, Jan Van Vliet)
-04. "When It Blows Its Stacks" – 3:40
-05. "Alice in Blunderland" – 3:54
-06. "The Spotlight Kid" – 3:21
-07. "Click Clack" – 3:30
-08. "Grow Fins" – 3:30
-09. "There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage" – 3:11
-10. "Glider" – 4:34
---
-11. "Low Yo Yo Stuff" – 3:41
-12. "Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man" – 3:46
-13. "Too Much Time" – 2:50
-14. "Circumstances" – 3:14
-15. "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" – 2:55
-16. "Sun Zoom Spark" – 2:13
-17. "Clear Spot" – 3:40
-18. "Crazy Little Thing" – 2:38
-19. "Long Neck Bottles" – 3:18
-20. "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" – 2:57
-21. "Big Eyed Beans from Venus" – 4:23
-22. "Golden Birdies" – 1:36

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart - vocals, harmonica, jingle bells
* Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - guitar, slide guitar
* Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - bass, guitar
* Drumbo (John French) - drums, percussion
* Ed Marimba/Ted Cactus (Art Tripp) - drums, percussion, marimba, piano, harpsichord
* Winged Eel Fingerling (Elliot Ingber) - guitar
* Rhys Clark - drums (on "Glider")
---
* Captain Beefheart - vocals, harmonica, "wings on Singabus" (apparently referring to the flapping noise you can hear when he says the word Singabus, in "Golden Birdies")
* Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - guitar, slide guitar, mandolin
* Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - guitar, bass
* Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) - drums, percussion
* Orejón (Roy Estrada) - bass
* Milt Holland - percussion
* Russ Titelman - guitar
* The Blackberries - backing vocals

sample & buy: Spotlight Kid & Clear Spot

Captain Beefheart - Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

Straight/Enigma

Allmusic:
Produced by Captain Beefheart himself, Lick My Decals Off, Baby was a further refining and exploration of the musical ideas posited on Trout Mask Replica. As such, the imaginative fervor of Trout Mask is toned down somewhat, but in its place is an increased self-assurance; the tone of Decals is also a bit darker, examining environmental issues in some songs rather than simply concentrating on surreal wordplay. Whatever the differences, the jagged, complex rhythms and guitar interplay continue to amaze. Those wanting to dig deeper after the essential Trout Mask Replica are advised to begin doing so here.

Tracks
-01. "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" – 2:38
-02. "Doctor Dark" – 2:46
-03. "I Love You, You Big Dummy" – 2:54
-04. "Peon" – 2:24
-05. "Bellerin' Plain" – 3:35
-06. "Woe-is-uh-Me-Bop" – 2:06
-07. "Japan in a Dishpan" – 3:00
-08. "I Wanna Find a Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go" – 1:53
-09. "Petrified Forest" – 1:40
-10. "One Red Rose That I Mean" – 1:52
-11. "The Buggy Boogie Woogie" – 2:19
-12. "The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or the Big Dig)" – 2:11
-13. "Space-Age Couple" – 2:32
-14. "The Clouds Are Full of Wine (not Whiskey or Rye)" – 2:50
-15. "Flash Gordon's Ape" – 4:15

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) - Vocals, bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, harmonica
* Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - Guitar and glass finger guitar
* Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - Bassius-o-pheilius
* Drumbo (John French) - Percussion, broom
* Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) - Marimba, percussion, broom

sample & buy: Lick My Decals Off, Baby

Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 500MB

Reprise

Allmusic:Trout Mask Replica is Captain Beefheart's masterpiece, a fascinating, stunningly imaginative work that still sounds like little else in the rock & roll canon. Given total creative control by producer and friend Frank Zappa, Beefheart and his Magic Band rehearsed the material for this 28-song double album for over a year, wedding minimalistic R&B, blues, and garage rock to free jazz and avant-garde experimentalism. Atonal, sometimes singsong melodies; jagged, intricately constructed dual-guitar parts; stuttering, complicated rhythmic interaction -- all of these elements float out seemingly at random, often without completely interlocking, while Beefheart groans his surrealist poetry in a throaty Howlin' Wolf growl. The disjointedness is perhaps partly unintentional -- reportedly, Beefheart's refusal to wear headphones while recording his vocals caused him to sing in time with studio reverberations, not the actual backing tracks -- but by all accounts, the music and arrangements were carefully scripted by the Captain (aided by John "Drumbo" French), which makes the results even more remarkable. As one might expect from music so complex and, to many ears, inaccessible, the influence of Trout Mask Replica was felt more in spirit than in direct copycatting, as a catalyst rather than a literal musical starting point. However, its inspiring reimagining of what was possible in a rock context laid the groundwork for countless future experiments in rock surrealism, especially during the punk/new wave era.

Tracks
-01. "Frownland" 1:41
-02. "The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back" 1:53
-03. "Dachau Blues" 2:21
-04. "Ella Guru" 2:26
-05. "Hair Pie: Bake 1" 4:58
-06. "Moonlight on Vermont" 3:59
-07. "Pachuco Cadaver" 4:40
-08. "Bills Corpse" 1:48
-09. "Sweet Sweet Bulbs" 2:21
-10. "Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish" 2:25
-11. "China Pig" 4:02
-12. "My Human Gets Me Blues" 2:46
-13. "Dali's Car" 1:26
-14. "Hair Pie: Bake 2" 2:23
-15. "Pena" 2:33
-16. "Well" 2:07
-17. "When Big Joan Sets Up" 5:18
-18. "Fallin' Ditch" 2:08
-19. "Sugar 'n Spikes" 2:30
-20. "Ant Man Bee" 3:57
-21. "Orange Claw Hammer" 3:34
-22. "Wild Life" 3:09
-23. "She's Too Much for My Mirror" 1:40
-24. "Hobo Chang Ba" 2:02
-25. "The Blimp (mousetrapreplica)" 2:04
-26. "Steal Softly thru Snow" 2:18
-27. "Old Fart at Play" 1:51
-28. "Veteran's Day Poppy" 4:31

Personnel
* Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) – vocals, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, musette, simran horn, hunting horn, jingle bells

The Magic Band

* Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo) – "Glass Finger Guitar" (slide guitar using a glass slide), flute
* Jeff Cotton (Antennae Jimmy Semens) – "Steel Appendage Guitar" (slide guitar using a metal slide), vocals on "Pena" and "The Blimp"
* Victor Hayden (The Mascara Snake) – bass clarinet, additional vocals
* Mark Boston (Rockette Morton) – bass guitar, narration on "Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish" and "Old Fart At Play"
* John French (Drumbo) – drums, percussion (uncredited on the original release)

Additional musicians

* Doug Moon – guitar on "China Pig"
* Gary "Magic" Marker – bass guitar on "Moonlight on Vermont", "Veteran's Day Poppy" (uncredited)
* Frank Zappa – speaking voice on "Ella Guru", "The Blimp", and "She's Too Much For My Mirror"; credited as album producer
* Roy Estrada – bass guitar on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Arthur Tripp III – drums & percussion on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Don Preston – piano on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Ian Underwood and Bunk Gardner – alto and tenor saxophones on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Buzz Gardner – trumpet on "The Blimp" (uncredited)

sample & buy: Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart - The Legendary A&M Sessions (EP) (1966)

Captain Beefheart - The Legendary A&M Sessions (EP) (1966)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 115MB

EDSEL

Allmusic:
Before gaining a cult with his avant-garde excursions in the late '60s, Captain Beefheart wielded a much more traditional sort of blues-rock. That's not to say that these two obscure mid-'60s A&M singles (packaged together on this five-song EP, which adds a previously unreleased track from the same era) aren't well worth hearing. The Captain's Howlin' Wolf-like growl led a tough outfit that ranked among the best early American blues-rock groups, and among the few that could reasonably emulate the Rolling Stones' toughness. Produced, unbelievably enough, by future Bread leader David Gates, this reissue includes their regional hit cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy." The best track, though, is "Moonchild," their shameless derivation of Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning." Featuring wailing harmonica, stomping riffs and adventurous, quasi-psychedelic production, it was actually written by Gates himself. To think that the same man was also responsible for "If" and "Baby I'm A-Want You" blows the mind.

Tracks
-1. "Diddy Wah Diddy" (Willie Dixon, Ellas McDaniel) – 2:28
-2. "Who Do You Think You're Fooling?" – 2:10
-3. "Moonchild" (David Gates) – 2:30
-4. "Frying Pan" – 2:05
-5. "Here I Am I Always Am" – 2:33

Personnel
* Don van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) – vocals, harmonica
* Doug Moon – guitar
* Richard Hepner – guitar
* Jerry Handley – bass
* Alex St. Clair Snouffer – drums (track 1–4)
* PG Blakely – drums (track 5)

sample & buy: Legendary a&M Sessions

Captain Beefheart - Strictly Personal (1968) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Strictly Personal (1968)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 255MB

EMI 1994

Allmusic
Considered by many to be a substandard effort due to the circumstances of its release (producer Bob Krasnow, the owner of Blue Thumb, the label which debuted with this album, remixed the album while Don Van Vliet and crew were off on a European tour, adding extraneous sound effects like heartbeats and excessive use of psychedelic-era clichés like out-of-phase stereo panning and flanging), 1968's Strictly Personal is actually a terrific album, every bit the equal of Safe As Milk and Trout Mask Replica. Opening with "Ah Feel Like Ahcid," an a cappella blues workout with its roots in Son House's "Death Letter," the brief (barely 35 minutes) album is at the same time simpler and weirder than Safe As Milk had been. Working without another songwriter or arranger for the first time, Captain Beefheart strips his idiosyncratic blues down to the bone, with several of the songs (especially "Son of Mirror Man/Mere Man") having little in the way of lyrics or chords beyond the most primeval stomp. Krasnow's unfortunate sound effects and phasing do detract from the album at points, but the strength of the performances, especially those of drummer John French, make his efforts little more than superfluous window dressing. Strictly Personal is a fascinating, underrated release.

Tracks
-1. "Ah Feel Like Ahcid" 3:05
-2. "Safe As Milk" 5:27
-3. "Trust Us" 8:09
-4. "Son of Mirror Man - Mere Man" 5:20
-5. "On Tomorrow" 3:27
-6. "Beatle Bones 'n' Smokin' Stones" 3:18
-7. "Gimme Dat Harp Boy" 5:05
-8. "Kandy Korn" 5:06

Personnel
* Don Van Vliet - vocals, harmonica
* Alex St. Clair - guitar
* Jeff Cotton - guitar
* Jerry Handley - bass guitar
* John French - drums

sample & buy: Strictly Personal

Captain Beefheart - Mirror Man Sessions (1967) (eac-log-covers)

Captain Beefheart - Mirror Man Sessions (1967)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 505MB

BMG/Buddha records | 1999 remaster

Allmusic:
The Mirror Man Sessions features the complete remastered contents of Mirror Man, albeit in a resequenced running order, and fills out the rest of the CD with a number of bonus tracks taken from additional recordings, both finished and unfinished, made around the same time for what would have been a double album titled It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper. As a listening experience, the package will appeal more to those who value the instrumental Beefheart; the Mirror Man album is, of course, essentially a 50-plus-minute jam session, containing as it does only four songs, and the bonus tracks -- many of which appeared on the One Way label's reissue of Safe as Milk -- mostly consist of jams and instrumentals which push the boundaries of conventional blues-rock, with a Beefheart vocal tossed in here and there. Some may miss Beefheart's surreal poetry, gruff vocals, and/or free jazz influence, while others may find it fascinating to hear the Magic Band simply letting go and cutting loose.

Tracks:
-1. "Tarotplane" – 19:08
-2. "25th Century Quaker" – 9:50
-3. "Mirror Man" – 15:46
-4. "Kandy Korn" – 8:06
-5. "Trust Us" (Take 6) – 7:14
-6. "Safe as Milk" (Take 12) – 5:00
-7. "Beatle Bones n' Smokin' Stones" – 3:11
-8. "Moody Liz" (Take 8) – 4:32
-9. "Gimme Dat Harp Boy" – 3:32

Personnel:
* Captain Beefheart – vocals, harmonica, oboe
* Alex St. Clair Snouffer – guitar
* Jeff Cotton – guitar
* Mark Marcellino: keyboards
* John French – drums
* Jerry Handley – bass

sample & buy: The Mirror Man Sessions

Captain Beefheart 1967 - Safe as Milk (1967) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk (1967)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 550MB

BMG/Buddha records

Allmusic:
Beefheart's first proper studio album is a much more accessible, pop-inflected brand of blues-rock than the efforts that followed in the late '60s -- which isn't to say that it's exactly normal and straightforward. Featuring Ry Cooder on guitar, this is blues-rock gone slightly askew, with jagged, fractured rhythms, soulful, twisting vocals from Van Vliet, and more doo wop, soul, straight blues, and folk-rock influences than he would employ on his more avant-garde outings. "Zig Zag Wanderer," "Call on Me," and "Yellow Brick Road" are some of his most enduring and riff-driven songs, although there's plenty of weirdness on tracks like "Electricity" and "Abba Zaba." [Buddha's 1999 reissue of Safe as Milk contained restored artwork and seven bonus tracks.]

Tracks:
-01. "Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do" (Don Van Vliet, Herb Bermann) – 2:15
-02. "Zig Zag Wanderer" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 2:40
-03. "Call On Me" (Van Vliet)[10] – 2:37
-04. "Dropout Boogie" (Van Vliet) – 2:32
-05. "I'm Glad" (Van Vliet) – 3:31
-06. "Electricity" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 3:07
-07. "Yellow Brick Road" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 2:28
-08. "Abba Zaba" (Van Vliet) – 2:44
-09. "Plastic Factory" (Van Vliet, Bermann, Jerry Handley) – 3:08
-10. "Where There's Woman" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 2:09
-11. "Grown So Ugly" (Robert Pete Williams) – 2:27
-12. "Autumn's Child" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 4:02
CD bonus tracks
-13. "Safe as Milk" (Take 5) – 4:13
-14. "On Tomorrow" – 6:56
-15. "Big Black Baby Shoes" – 4:50
-16. "Flower Pot" – 3:55
-17. "Dirty Blue Gene" – 2:43
-18. "Trust Us" (Take 9) – 7:22
-19. "Korn Ring Finger" – 7:26

Personnel:
* Don Van Vliet – vocals, harmonica, bass marimba, arrangements
The Magic Band
* Alex St. Clair Snouffer – guitar, bass, background vocals
* Jerry Handley – bass, background vocals
* John French – drums, background vocals
Additional musicians
* Ry Cooder – guitar, slide guitar, bass, arrangements of "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" and "Grown So Ugly"
* Samuel Hoffman - theremin on "Electricity" and "Autumn's Child"
* Milt Holland – log drum, tambourine
* Taj Mahal – tambourine

sample & buy: Safe as Milk

Count Basie & Joe Turner - The Bosses (1973) (eac-log-covers)

Count Basie & Joe Turner - The Bosses (1973)

jazz, blues | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 280MB

OJC

AMG:
Count Basie and an all-star band (including trumpeter Harry Edison, trombonist J.J. Johnson and the tenors of Eddie Davis and Zoot Sims) back up veteran Kansas City blues singer Big Joe Turner on one of his better later albums. The many fine solos inspire Turner, who is in top form on such tunes as "Night Time Is the Right Time," "Wee Baby Blues" and "Roll 'Em Pete."

Tracks:
-01 - The Honeydripper >00:06:44
-02 - Honey Hush >00:02:39
-03 - Cherry Red >00:04:44
-04 - Night Time Is The Right Time >00:03:56
-05 - Blues Around The Clock >00:05:01
-06 - Since I Fell For You >00:03:58
-07 - Flip, Flop And Fly >00:03:30
-08 - Wee Baby Blues >00:05:38
-09 - Good Mornin' Blues >00:03:51
-10 - Roll 'Em Pete >00:04:17
Recorded at MGM Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California on December 11, 1973.

Personnel:
Personnel: Count Basie (piano, organ); Big Joe Turner (vocals); Irving Ashby (guitar); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis , Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet); J.J. Johnson (trombone); Louie Bellson (drums).

sample & buy: The Bosses