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Disc 4 & 5 feature 24 and 25 more songs to wet your whistle.
Some of the best songs Willie Dixon ever wrote are on disc 5.
And disc 4 is mostly Chester Burnett or Howlin' Wolf's written
songs. How can you compare? You can't compare
"I Asked For Water" to "Down In The Bottom", they're both
equally great. One particular song was written by both Burnett
and Dixon and that is "Howlin' For My Darling". Again, they are
all strong songs, even the ones,that aren't blues ready classics are
still better than many other blues artists best works. Maybe it's
the delivery, and the emotional content. You bet it is.
Sam Phillips "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said,This is for me.
This is where the soul of a man never dies!"
Then Wolf came over to the studio...he was six foot six, with
the biggest feet I've ever seen...He would sit there with two
feet planted wide apart,playing nothing but the French harp,
and I tell you, the greatest show you could see to this day
would be Chester Burnett in my studio".
The first session at Sun Records was held on May 14th or
in July of 1951,with the Wolf, Willie Johnson, and
Willie Steele (Ike Turner added his energetic style on piano
on "How Many More Years") There was no attempt to tone
down the powerful sound of the band,indeed the first
results encapsulate the Wolf's sound: the eerie moans and
howls,the rasping and menacing voice,the consistent lyrical
theme of being cheated and abused,all fueled by aggressive
harp and guitar playing.
The results were new,exciting and immediate. I give you,
both discs 4 and 5, it's the mostest daddy-o.
Howlin' Wolf 4
Howlin' Wolf 5
Discs 2 and 3 have 21 and 20 tracks each, and
MANY songs you never heard before. A lot of tracks
are alternate takes,and many songs are never played
on the radio-EVER! So there's a wealth of music
that is begging to be loved by you. My favorite song
must be Forty-Four. I'm not really so sure what the
song means,but it lumbers along,and I think
he's singing about carrying a gun,to do some harm.
He wears this gun so long,it made his shoulder
sore. I think that's what he's singing, but I guess the
lyrics don't mean that much for me,I like the
melody and the stomping and the piano,which
takes an active role in this song. It's menacing.
I also like the Wolf's fine fine harmonica playing.
I like the guitar, I like the stomp.I like the drumming.
Nobody plays this song on the radio?!
What's wrong with you? I'm guessing if some opened
minded blues DJ played it, listeners would call and
ask about this song,and love it. If you love this band,
and Howlin' Wolf's music, I urge you to read a book
called Moaning At Midnight-The Life And Times Of Howlin'
Wolf By James Segrest & Mark Hoffman. It's a complete
biography of an amazing guy. It's a fantastic book.
From the Introduction: "He was one of a kind.Nobody I heard
before him or after him had that fantastic delivery-that certain
something in his voice that seemed like a sword that'd
pierce your soul when he'd sing. Wolf was already a great singer
and musician when I first met him. To my mind, he's one of the
greatest ever.We'll never see another like him." -B.B. King
Go ahead and pierce your soul here.
Howlin' Wolf 2
Howlin' Wolf 3
Howlin' Wolf born Chester Burnett June 10,1910 -
January 10th,1976.
He's one of my favorite musicians,and singers,ever!
This is from the series on Charly Records, and is very hard to find,
and worth tracking down, simply because it's so full of music,
it's hypnotizing, it's emotional,it's the greatest blues recordings,made
from an amazing man.
I'm not the only person who feels this way...So recollected
Robert Palmer on seeing Howlin' wolf perform in 1965,but that was
only the beginning: "The signal to finish (the show)led to a grand finale
of Wolf feigning an exit,and suddenly making a flying leap for the
curtain at the side of the stage. Holding the microphone under his
beefy right arm and singing into it all the while,he began climbing
up the curtain,until he was perched far above the stage,the thick
curtain threatening to rip...then he loosened his grip ...slid right back
down...hit the stage,cut off the tune,and stalked away,to the most
ecstatic cheers of the evening. He was 55 years old".
I wish I could have seen that!!! As if the singing and playing didn't
slay you, the climbing the curtain surely made you shit your pants,
what a showman! Well, while you listen to this disc,please think of
that image.This is a powerful performer, and they don't make 'em
like this anymore.
Howlin' Wolf 1
The final three discs to this set. I wasn't trying to keep it from
the fans, just busy doing other musical things. Trust me, I'd never
keep you from Chuck Berry,he's just too cool!
Well, the last remaining discs here have 14 tracks,16 and 24
per disc, and are just as important of any of the other discs!
Now, you are a hipster. Don't forget Chuck inspired The Beatles,
The Stones, and The Beach Boys, and untold thousands more
musicians, and then all of the non musicians who are just fans!
He's in a class all by himself!
Chuck 7
Chuck 8
Chuck 9
Discs Five & Six today, with 25 and 27 tracks each. Still a couple of
cool hits and a lot less known tracks from the 1950's, and some from
the early 60's to mid 60's.This is perhaps the more less known music:
My Mustang Ford, Merrily We Rock & Roll, She Once Was Mine,
Ain't That Just Like A Woman, Lonely School Days, I'm A Rocker,
No Particular Place To Go, Chuck's Beat, I Want To Be Your Driver,
and it's strong as ever with that Chuck Berry patented riff all throughout.
It's also some excitable, happy music, the song Butterscotch is a
serious guitar workout,instrumental not to be missed.
A lot of these 60's tracks have the same themes in them from the
vintage 50's Chuck, but they never seem to sound too dated.
After It Over is a slow blues instrumental number that really
shows his guitar playing off. Everyday We Rock & Roll is yet
another guitar riff-fest.
Chuck 5
Chuck 6
Disc 5 from this series,and the final one missing here.
This disc contains the tracks from various time period 1969-1980
and is a collection of live shows,work tapes,& live radio broadcasts.
I only wish there were more discs in this series, and more out takes
because it's always interesting to hear tracks that are maybe just
sketches, or different versions to see what the Captain might have
been thinking about. This disc is also has the most different players
that came through his band. The revolving door of players can
sweeten the sound, and add some other sound elements.
Either way, this is a must-have set. Track list included.
Captain 5
Captain Beefheart is for lunch today,here's discs 3 & 4
and most importantly are a whole disc of tracks from the
1969 Trout Mask Replica sessions,and they are excellent
sounding takes. Makes you wonder what the Captain
thought was acceptable and not. And how could he tell?
He must have been going for that certain feeling, or that
weirdness that you can't describe. Either way, a
secret decoder ring list of all of the band people that came
and played along, just so you can keep score. It was a
revolving list of people adding their color to the canvas.
Complete with track lists, disc one contains all of the
artwork for you to make your own box set. Just color
nice kids,and you don't have to stay within the lines either.
Captain 3
Captain 4
More of The Chess Years and the fabulous Chuck Berry:
Discs 3 and 4 feature 29 and 30 songs on each volume,and
are packed with tons of lesser known songs. These discs are
most likely the best sounding material, that inspired so many
bands to pick up a guitar and give these a try. Which shows,
that these songs are not complicated,so much as the brilliance
is in that they are simple,catchy and so hum-able,they are
hard to resist, and usually the most memorable. Plus they
have a really happy energy and enthusiasm that you hear
when he sings and plays, that just pulls you into the music.
The "Go Go Go Little Queenie" singing has got a great riff,
and a simple sing along that appears easy to write, but are in
reality difficult. It's actually hard to condense all of those feelings
into a 2 minute 30 second song. "Back In The USA" sounds
downright anthem like. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" could
be anyone of any color,he just has to have brown eyes.
Nadine is also a wonderful riff-fest, and will play in your head
for days. I don't think this music really needs describing,it's
just exciting to hear again. I doubt that today's charted music
can hold a candle to this. Complete with artwork/scans below.
Chuck 3
Chuck 4
Don Van Vliet was born Don Glen Vliet on January 15, 1941. We should re-title this particular box set and call it "Painting with Music".
This set of 5 discs will set you up with the best material from
1965-to the mid 1970's and early 80's.
Where do you start with Captain Beefheart? He's a musician,
and a painter, a sculptor, and probably 3 other things. He had a
band of revolving musicians,much like his pal, Frank Zappa had.
The music? well, it's jazz,it's blues, it's psychedelic, it's experimental,
much like his paintings, and it's all over the place. Why be one thing?
Why not invent something no one else does? Well, success never
came with chart hits or huge sales in large numbers,but there was
plenty of artistic success. There's material on here from the early
A & M records period, from the first album, Safe As Milk,
the classic album you ought to own. Then there's more material
from we'll call it, the Buddah records years, and finally a large
chunk of Trout Mask Replica, his opus, which was released in
June of 1969 on Zappa's Straight label. Much of the rest is of this box
is early to mid 70's period Beefheart,which is a variety of sound
paintings. What other way can you describe it? Well,
BBC Radio DJ John Peel stated:
"If there has ever been such a thing as a genius in the
history of popular music,it's Beefheart.I heard echoes of his
music in some of the records I listened to last week and I'll
hear more echoes in records that I listen to this week."
The White Stripes have released an EP as a kind of dedication
to the Captain, including
'Party of Special Things to Do' and 'Ashtray Heart',and there's
this wonderful CD/LP compilation called Fast 'n' Bulbous
A Tribute To Captain Beefheart (from 1988) And it features:
XTC,Sonic Youth,the Membranes and many more. I'm certain,
this set could light your Beefheart fuse and set you off listening to
more,so that's why I'm posting it. I'm just going to tell you,
to please be open minded and don't think all great music has to
be a hit record,or too rigid, conforming, and 4/4 time.
I'll post a couple and you stay tuned, for more if you wanna.
Captain 1
Captain 2
Disc 4 & 5 feature 24 and 25 more songs to wet your whistle.
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