Tough call. I'll vote for Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, "Live at Montreux." Might be hard to find. I have only got a tape of it, which I recorded around 1980. I don't have a tape player in my system right now, so haven't heard it for awhile.
This is the album that made me realize that I wasn't actually a Junior Wells fan as much as I was a Buddy Guy fan (but check out Junior Wells "On Tap" on Delmar records). Went on to see Buddy Guy 4 or 5 times in the mid-80s. Often in clubs with 10 or 20 people in the whole place (boy have times changed - now he headlines festivals).
I don't think any of his recordings capture the amazing stage presence Buddy Guy had in those days. A favorite trick of his was to play and sing softer and softer, until you could hardly hear, and even 5 or 6 feet away you were straining to follow him. He completely controlled the crowd, you could hear a pin drop.
That kind of thing doesn't translate very well to record, and unfortunately his early records (Chess set, for example) were usually attempts to make him into a sort of pop star. The over-rated (IMHO) "Damn Right I've got the Blues" is very well-recorded (so it's nice to listen to), but has an insistently up-tempo rock and roll feel that doesn't really reflect his best playing. Not to put that down (Buddy is great at it), but it's best when mixed in with slow and/or quiet stuff, and then rips loose, only to get throttled back again.
Some of his best recordings are as a member of the band. I heard a great Big Mama Thornton album where he is a young studio musician doing his job (can't remember the name).
Well, this turned into sort of a rant. Anyway, would be curious if anyone has heard and enjoyed this album.
- Eric
