One of my favorite (lps), in several categories, ...this is due to their blues influences... Led Zeppelin "S/T"!!! I listened to my Classic (lp) last week... (1) One of the best freshman lps ever!!! (2) One of the best, maybe THE BEST, takes on mixing blues with rock ever! (3) Still holds up now! (4) Sounds fresh and fantastic! I don't know how it can be |
Here's a list of 100 Greatest Blues Songs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q4dehcHNWu5uRI405Hn4v4ZYTuyREYI4Oe5p7P3C5SU/edit?usp=sharing Also, see this list of the 100 greatest Blues albums: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_GzxsJ1RCBj5KaUkNagD9DzUwYFxpvPLrLRtKBk3Ad0/edit?usp=sharing And, a list of the 100 Greatest Blues Instrumentals: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FS5B8yb_Qqis7s2fv5NZKB1SAWVksltIFHJIhzH6sYs/edit?usp=sharing |
They sound really good,although the vocals on Second Winter are still a little hot on the opening number. Both of these CD's have extra tracks but Second Winter has a whole Disc of Johnny Live at the Royal Albert Hall with his brother and it just gets going.They performed Frankenstien for the first time on this concert and it sounds different. Also look for the Legacy Edition of Muddy Mississippi Waters Live with Johnny on lead guitar on some cuts. Muddy gets in some solid licks AND it to comes with a bonus disc of Muddy and his band live at a club two days later when he was going through new material for his King Bee album(I picked up a copy of King Bee still sealed on Vinyl Saturday for 6.99!). Also Muddy Waters Fathers and Sons was remastered on Cd and all the bonus tracks are great and The Paul Butterfield blues band are the ones backing him on this. |
Second Mississippi Fred McDowell 'I do not play no rock & roll.' Beautiful Brit import recording -hafta check my label. Lightnin Hopkins 'Lightnin' on the Poppy label. A great album, and a great view of an influential artist; Bukka White 'Parchman Farm Blues' Checkout the track 'Bukka's Special Streamline'; you can see that fast train comin'. |
Paul Butterfield Blues Band (Sundazed 180gram vinyl) John Mayall(buy the Re Mastered CD's with extra material) Muddy Waters( Fathers and Sons,Muddy Mississippi Waters Live) Buddy Guy: Stone Crazy, Buddy Guy Live with the SNL Band Johnny Winter: the Legacy remasters of his first two albums. Albert King: Live Wire Blues Power and The SRV/Albert King sessions. Early Fleetwood Mac. Early Free Howling Wolf: London Sessions (remasterd deluxe edition.) John Lee Hooker: Never get out of these blues alive,Endless Boogie. Early Canned Heat,Hooker and Heat Junior Wells; The stuff on DelMark is good Lonnie Brooks Albert Collins Taj Mahal Robert Cray Mike Bloomfield I hope that helps. |
Good list going so far except that Eric Johnson,while being one of the best pickers living who can do some mean blues, isn't a blues player based on what you get on his discs. Robert Johnson on the other hand... Everyone owes it to themselves to check out Tinsley Ellis. One of the most soulful players/singers/writers i've heard. He just put out a live disc and since his live shows kill that would be a good place to start. Gatemouth Brown. A living ledgend from Lake Charles La. Blues, swing, and canjun all mixed up like a perfect gumbo. Duke Robillard is the current carrier of the T-Bone torche as well as the founder of Room Full of Blues, which is the place to go for killer horn driven blues. |
Howlin Wolf's the Real Folk Blues is by far my favorite. A close second is Muddy Waters sings Bill Broonzy but save your money and find an original as the Speakers Corner isn't very good (I have both). Son House on Columbia 360 label is a must. I second Gelmhirsts' recommendation of the Jimmy Reed lp. A sort of recommendation is a compilation album called Reconsider Me by Elvis. If he had sang like that more often I would have stayed a fan forever! |
Some of my favorite blues are swamp blues. Originally on the excello label, their reissues are easy to find and are perhaps some of the best mono recordings around. This is due to recording genius Jay miller. Also, look at the flyright label. The artists include, Lightin Slim, Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, Silas Hogan. Go to the Arhoolie website and pick up a CD Lousiana Blues. British Blues, Old Fleetwood Mac, and many others on the Blue Horizon label. Pick up the Blue Horizon Box set with the early Fleetwood Mac albums. Other artists in the Chicago Blues class, Magic Slim, Earl & his cousin John Hooker, Tinsley Ellis, Walter Trout, etc. If you really want a good selection to choose from, listen to online radio 'live365.com Select the blues and the many categories the stations play. You are your best judge. |
Great suggestions here good to see so many Blues fans. Go buy a the All Music Guide To The Blues this is a Blue's fan's best friend. There really is no way to narrow the Blues down to a must have 100 for me but here's some suggestions. Luther Allison- Live In Montreux Buddy Guy- Stone Crazy, Blues Singer, Live The Real Deal Bloomfield, Cooper, Stills- Super Session Gary Moore- Blues For Greeny Ronnie Earl- Blues Virtuoso Live In Europe, Ronnie Earl And Friends Eric Clapton-From The Cradle, Blues Robben Ford-Discovering The Blues Albert King- I'll Play The Blues For You, Born Under A Bad Sign, In Session with SRV Freddie King- Everything it's all great! Jimi Hendrix- Blues Fleetwood Mac- Blues Jam In Chicago,Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac Howlin Wolf & Clapton- The London Howlin Wolf Sessions Mike Bloomfield- Live At The Old Waldorf Koko Taylor- Earth Shaker T-Bone Walker- Stormy Monday ZZ Top- One Foot In The Blues Allman Brothers- The Fillmore Concerts Roy Buchanan- Sweet Dreams The Anthology Albert Collins- Truckin The Paul Butterfield Blues Band S/T A Tribute To SRV Must have Box Sets- Muddy Watters Chess, Robert Johnson- The Complete Recordings, Howlin Wolf- Chess, Eric Clapton- Live In The 70's, Elmore James-King Of The Slide Guitar, BB King- King Of The Blues, SRV And Double Trouble I could go on and on all these artists have many great CD's! |
Heres the truth. Listen to live 365.com. select your own top 100 since the Blues is so diverse. If you don't want to do that, select by label, yes label. 1) Excello, Lightin slim, Lazy Lester, Slim harpo etc. 2) Flyright all of the Jay Miller legends in blues series. Best sound quality around. 3) Blue Horizon, all of Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, Otis Spann, Eddie Boyd etc.4) Alligator, cheap & good. Rooster Blues, Red Lightin, Charley, all labels that will produce winners, Delmark, Get a turntable if you don't have one |
I also like the Bluenose's recommendation of Philadelphia Jerry Ricks "Empty Bottle Blues": nice album. Ivyinvestor, here's a link to the Willie Dixon: The Blues Every Which Way LP: http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=13302 , |
I agree with just about every selection recommended so far (especially Muddy Waters Folksinger), and would add the beautifully mastered and packaged set on John Fahey's Revenant label: "Screamin' and Hollerin' The Blues--The Worlds of Charley Patton." Not only is Patton represented in this 7-CD set, but so are such Delta greats as Son House, Bukka White, Willie Brown and Tommy Johnson. Essential listening. |
Many fine suggestions above. At your news stand at this moment is the most recent Mojo "Classic Blues Heroes" issue (volume 1, issue 3) with Eric Clapton on the cover. Inside you'll see aricles on many of those mentioned above and more. Mojo is a British music mag that is well researched and written. Just in time for your post! I'm a Lightnin Hopkins fan all the way. Did anyone mention Elizabeth Cotten? Happy hunting! |
I always put Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker at the top of my list of blues favorites, Buddy Guy is great as well, Keb Mo if you don't mind your blues 'modernized'... I trained in St Louis and remeber routinely seeing, and drinking with JLH and JW (only met BG... never shared a drink with him!) and can say they are amazing live as well as on album! I can remember one time John Lee Hooker played the Oyster bar in St Louis and was so trashed they had to carry him to the stage and he still sounded great! |
It's hard to believe Lonnie Johnson has'nt been mentioned yet. He's my all time favorite but always seems to fly under the radar in terms of recognition and its not easy to find his recordings but he a legend and should be remembered as one of our national treasures; even played with Louis Armstrong back in the 20's. He performs on the American Blues Festival Vol. I DVD. Johnny Shines also deserves a mention and is very underrated. |
Here are some described as Mali and Senegal Blues. Very earthy. Supposedly the basis for all modern blues. Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck "Djam Leeli: The Adventurers" Corey Harris "Mississippi To Mali" Ry Cooder & Ali Farka Toure "Talking Timbuktu" Tinariwen "The Radio Tisdas Sessions" Ali Farka Toure "The Source" Anyone know blues history? |
Bobby Bland - Two Steps From the Blues BB King - Live At The Regal Fenton Robison - Somebody Loan Me A Dime Otis Spann - Walking The Blues Otis Rush - Right Place, Wrong Time Champion Jack Dupree - Blues From The Gutter Big Joe Turner - Boss Of The Blues T-Bone Wlaker - T-Bone Blues Ted Hawkins - Watch Your Step JUNIOR WELLS - HOODOO MAN BLUES MAGIC SAM - WEST SIDE SOUL And about anything from Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) and John Lee Hooker |
I have the followingvinyl to recommend. Worth seeking out [I don't know if they are all available on cd. Philadelphia Jerry Ricks"Empty Bottle Blues" recorded April 1986 at Hungarian radio recording studio, Budapest and released as Roxan RLP016....probably rare and highly reommended. Ck and see if Jerry Ricks is on cd. Try also Terry Evans, anything but I recommend "Puttin' It Down", good fun. Also the late Ted Hawkins..especially "The Next Hundred Years". This one was released also on cd....lots of stuff to try as the selections above are excellent. Have fun. A feast of great music awaits you. |
So Far I agree with all the posts before mine. But, Don't overlook the British Blues band's, John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac (the early stuff), Savoy Brown, Long John Baldry, Chicken Shack, Yardbirds, Ten Years After, Peter Green, Hendrix, Cream, and so on... Go to the web look up "British Blues" for more information. Cheers ;^) |
James Armstrong - Sleeping with a Stranger Carey and Lurrie Bell - Son of A Gun Mel Brown - Neck Bones and Cavier Eddie C. Campbell - King of the Jungle Jimmy Dawkins - Fast Fingers Buddy Guy - Stone Crazy The Holmes Brothers - In The Spirit John Lee Hooker - Modern Recordings 1948 - 1954 Big Walter Horton - Can't Keep Loving You Howlin' Wolf - Memphis Days Junior Kimbrough - All Night Long Albert King - Let's Have A Natural Ball Magic Sam - Live Otis Rush - Right Place Wrong Time Son Seals - Bad Axe Byther Smith - Housefire Melvin Taylor - Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band Troy Turner - Blues on my Back Junior Wells - Hoodoo Man blues Sonny Boy Williamson - any Chess recordings Smokey Wilson - Smoke 'n' Fire Johnny Winter - The Progressive Blues Experiment I think that these are some strong contenders but I've left out a lot more than I've included Craig |
