Billy Lee Riley - Shade Tree Blues

Album: Shade Tree Blues
Size: 118,3 MB
Time: 51:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Art: Front, back

1. Gonna Bring It On Home To You (3:10)
2. I Don't Know (2:34)
3. Hard Times/Reposession Blues (5:58)
4. I Hear You Knockin' (2:35)
5. Hoodoo Woman Blues (4:25)
6. Ballin' The Jack (3:28)
7. I Might Be Crazy (3:00)
8. Without You Baby (4:30)
9. What Goes On In The Dark (4:03)
10. They Call Me Lazy (4:09)
11. Wild Cat Tamer (3:29)
12. Gonna Worry You Off My Mind (3:41)
13. Little Piece At A Time (2:11)
14. Dark Clouds Rollin' (3:50)

Billy Lee Riley, one of the Sun Records legends of the ’50s, has fashioned a disc which triumphantly recalls the distinctive sounds of two other influential labels from that era, Vee-Jay and Excello. In recent years Riley has been inaccurately labeled a rockabilly, yet a closer look at his work reveals more of a kinship with R&B and blues than country music. His best known Sun recordings, “Red Hot” and “Flying Saucers Rock ’n’ Roll,” were hot tongue-in-cheek ravers in the Little Richard fashion. Such later regional successes as “I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby” and his cover of “In the Midnight Hour” were also drawn from the realm of blues and soul. Unlike most of his contemporaries (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, etc.) who eventually gravitated towards country music, whenever Riley had an artistic statement to make he has always turned to the blues.

The Arkansas-born Riley’s third all-blues album, Shade Tree Blues, outstrips his Grammy-nominated Hot Damn with respect to production sense and easy groove. Taking his fondness for the works of Jimmy Reed, Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, et al., into the Sun Studios in Memphis, Riley does a remarkable job achieving the seductive swing and intimacy of their finest sides while asserting his own identity as a bluesman. Riley’s harmonica playing may seem more sophisticated than either Reed’s or Harpo’s, but it captures much of the same expressive feel. The studio chemistry between Riley and engineer/guitar ace James Lott is undeniably strong. Whether they trade evocative lead spots or carom swooning slide fills around tart electric solos, the effect is eloquent yet loose and appealing.

Vocally, Riley sounds great from the get-go. The a cappella intro on “Gonna Bring It On Home To You” is chillingly effective, and his understated vibrato effectively implies all manner of deep emotion. Slow numbers such as “Without You Baby” and “Dark Clouds Rollin’” benefit greatly from his use of subtle dramatic irony and rueful humor. The mid-tempo shuffles “I Don’t Know,” “I Hear You Knockin’,” “Wild Cat Tamer” and “Little Piece at a Time” shudder with playful tension and release. He imbues Big Bill Broonzy’s “Gonna Worry You Off My Mind” and Junior Parker’s “What Goes On in the Dark” with palpable sensuality and sly suspicion, ratcheting simple tales of domestic discord into moving paeans of guilt and paranoia. Shade Tree Blues is one of Riley’s most inspired efforts and should please both his rock ’n’ roll fans and the more discerning blues crowd. /Ken Burke

Shade Tree Blues mc
Shade Tree Blues gofile

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Billy Lee Riley - Blue Collar Blues

Album: Blue Collar Blues
Size: 101,9 MB
Time: 43:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Blues, rocking blues
Art: Full

1. The Little Green Men (2:12)
2. (You'll Have To) Come And Get It (3:42)
3. I'm Down Now (3:22)
4. Perfect Woman (4:10)
5. All Over Again (2:23)
6. Living The Blues (3:18)
7. Calhoun City (3:40)
8. Rock It Billy (2:33)
9. Stranded (4:18)
10. The Blues Come Around (2:48)
11. Back Door Sally (2:44)
12. You Did A Number On Me (3:59)
13. Blue Collar Blues (4:35)

Billy Lee Riley was a rockabilly singer and multi-instrumentalist. An alumnus of Sun Records, he was one of the most crazed, unabashed rockers that label had to offer - in the company of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Sonny Burgess, that's saying a lot. Proficient at harmonica, guitar, bass, and drums, Riley contributed as a sideman to many a classic Sun session, and his combo, the Little Green Men (most notably guitarist Roland Janes and drummer J.M. Van Eaton), in time became the Sun house band. Riley recorded for a number of labels in a variety of styles, especially effective with blues. Though never commercially successful, Riley's Sun recordings of "Flying Saucer Rock 'n' Roll" and "Red Hot" (both covered in wooden renditions by Robert Gordon) remain landmarks of the genre. Billy Lee Riley died of cancer in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 2009; he was 75 years old. /Biography by Cub Koda, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Blue Collar Blues mc
Blue Collar Blues gofile

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VA - Stax Singles, Vol. 4: Rarities & The Best Of The Rest

Size: 166,4+173,1+173,1+161,7+165,7 MB
Time: 71:28+74:33+74:10+69:43+71:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Blues, Soul, R&B, Rock
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Carla Thomas - Deep Down Inside (2:22)
02. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - Yeah, Yea-Ah (2:14)
03. Prince Conley - All The Way (2:41)
04. The Canes - I'll Never Give Her Up (2:29)
05. The Astors - Just Enough To Hurt Me (2:29)
06. Eddie Kirkland - I Found A Brand New Love (2:55)
07. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - Fine And Mellow (2:57)
08. Booker T. & The MG's - Fannie Mae (2:07)
09. Floyd Newman - Sassy (2:10)
10. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - I Want To Get Married (2:17)
11. Bobby Marchan - That's The Way It Goes (2:27)
12. The Cobras - Shake Up (2:11)
13. Barbara & The Browns - You Belong To Her (2:42)
14. Dorothy Williams - Watchdog (2:32)
15. Baracudas - Free For All (2:13)
16. Barbara & The Browns - I Don't Want Trouble (2:03)
17. Gorgeous George - Sweet Thing (2:44)
18. The Astors - I Found Out (2:41)
19. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - We're Tight (2:12)
20. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - Chicken Scratch (2:22)
21. Ruby Johnson - Weak Spot (2:37)
22. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - Talkin' Bout True Love (2:38)
23. Mable John - If You Give Up What You Got (See What You Lost) (2:27)
24. Sam & Dave - A Small Portion Of Your Love (2:34)
25. Ruby Johnson - Keep On Keeping On (2:22)
26. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - Greasy Spoon (2:36)
27. Mable John - Left Over Love (2:32)
28. Ollie - Girl, You Have My Heart Singing (2:03)
29. Mable John - Don't Get Caught (2:34)

CD 2:
01 Shirley Walton - I’m So Glad You’re Back (2:38)
02 Delaney & Bonnie - We’ve Just Been Feeling Bad (2:30)
03 Linda Lyndell - I Don't Know (2:27)
04 Judy Clay - Love-Eye-Tis (2:38)
05 Judy Clay - Remove These Clouds (3:10)
06 The Staple Singers - Stay With Us (2:36)
07 Rufus Thomas, Jr. - So Hard To Get Along With (3:00)
08 Jeanne & The Darlings - I Like What You’re Doing To Me (2:40)
09 Booker T. & The MG's - Over Easy (4:02)
10 Mable John - Shouldn't I Love Him (2:29)
11 Judy Clay - Left Over Love (2:59)
12 Jimmy Hughes - Sweet Things You Do (2:17)
13 Art Jerry Miller - Grab A Handful (2:08)
14 Eddie Floyd - Consider Me (3:24)
15 Booker T. & The MG's - Soul Clap '69 (2:39)
16 Jeanne & The Darlings - Standing In The Need Of Your Love (2:42)
17 The Bar-Kays - I Thank You (3:28)
18 Soul Children - Make It Good (3:07)
19 Ollie - I'll Be Your Everything (2:57)
20 William Bell - Let Me Ride (2:51)
21 Booker T. & The MG's - Sunday Sermon (4:08)
22 Carla Thomas - Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) (2:34)
23 The Shack - A Love Affair That Bears No Pain (4:05)
24 The Nightingales - Just A Little Overcome (3:48)
25 The Newcomers - Mannish Boy (3:03)

CD 3:
01. Ilana - Let Love Fill Your Heart (3:04)
02. Soul Children - Ridin' On Love's Merry-Go-Round (2:42)
03. Hot Sauce - I Can't Win For Losing (3:02)
04. Lee Sain - Ain't Nobody Like Me Baby (3:41)
05. Hot Sauce - Echoes From The Past (2:41)
06. The Mad Lads - Did My Baby Call (2:53)
07. Isaac Hayes - Baby I'm-A Want You (4:40)
08. Jean Knight - Pick Up The Pieces (2:33)
09. Johnnie Taylor - Stop Teasing Me (3:46)
10. Isaac Hayes - Type Thang (3:50)
11. John Gary Williams - In Love With You (3:27)
12. Major Lance - Since I Lost My Baby's Love (3:18)
13. Hot Sauce - Mama's Baby (Daddy's Maybe) (3:12)
14. Soul Children - Poem On The School House Door (4:24)
15. Rufus Thomas, Jr. - That Makes Christmas Day (4:39)
16. The Staple Singers - What's Your Thing (4:24)
17. Shirley Brown - Yes Sir Brother (2:52)
18. Hot Sauce - Funny (4:02)
19. Frederick Knight - Let's Make A Deal (4:01)
20. The Green Brothers - Can't Give You Up (I Love You Too Much) (3:19)
21. John Gary Williams - Just Ain't No Love (Without You Here) (3:32)

CD 4:
01 Sid Selvidge - The Ballad Of Otis B. Watson (3:22)
02 The Caboose - Black Hands White Cotton (3:36)
03 Dallas County - Love’s Not Hard To Find (3:14)
04 Casper Peters - April (4:00)
05 Clark Sullivan - Reaching For A Rainbow (2:26)
06 Billy Eckstine - I Wanna Be Your Baby (3:12)
07 Chuck Boris - Why Did It Take So Long (2:45)
08 Barbara Lewis - Why Did It Take You So Long (2:44)
09 Finley Brown - Gypsy (2:39)
10 O.B. McClinton - Slip Away (2:10)
11 Billy Eckstine - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (5:23)
12 Ben Atkins - Good Times Are Coming (3:21)
13 River City Band - Some Other Man (2:12)
14 O.B. McClinton - Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You (2:34)
15 Big Ben - Would I Be Better Gone (3:13)
16 Don Nix - Black Cat Moan (3:07)
17 Don Nix - She's A Friend Of Mine (3:39)
18 Larry Raspberry & The Highsteppers - Rock 'N Roll Warning (2:40)
19 Chico Hamilton - Conquistadores '74 (3:35)
20 Cliff Cochran - The Way I’m Needing You (3:07)
21 Connie Eaton - Let’s Get Together (3:04)
22 Karen Casey - The Way I’m Needing You (3:29)

CD 5:
01. Stop-Quit It - Poor Little Rich Kids (2:31)
02. Lonnie Duvall - Cigarettes (2:45)
03. Poor Little Rich Kids - It's Mighty Clear (2:18)
04. The Honey Jug - Warm City Baby (2:00)
05. The Goodees - For A Little While (2:17)
06. The Honey Jug - For Your Love (2:49)
07. Kangaroo's - Groovy Day (2:51)
08. Bobby Whitlock - And I Love You (2:07)
09. Southwest F.O.B. - Smell Of Incense (2:40)
10. The Goodees - Condition Red (2:55)
11. Billy Lee Riley - Family Portrait (2:46)
12. This Generation - The Children Have Your Tongue (2:48)
13. Billy Lee Riley - Show Me Your Soul (2:51)
14. The Waters - Day In And Out (2:04)
15. The Village Sound - Hey Jack (Don't Hijack My Plane) (2:38)
16. Cheques - Cool My Desire (2:36)
17. The Goodees - Goodies (2:31)
18. Paris Pilot - Miss Rita Famous (2:46)
19. Knowbody Else - Someone Something (3:14)
20. Cargoe - Feel Alright (2:35)
21. Big Star - In The Street (2:54)
22. Cargoe - I Love You Anyway (3:05)
23. Hot Dogs - Say What You Mean (4:17)
24. Big Star - O, My Soul (2:50)
25. Hot Dogs - I Walk The Line (3:20)
26. Big Star - September Gurls (2:39)

CD 6:
01. The Dixie Nightingales - The Assassination (2:55)
02. The Dixie Nightingales - Hush Hush (2:50)
03. The Dixie Nightingales - I Don't Know (2:55)
04. The Stars Of Virginia - Wade In The Water (3:06)
05. The Dixie Nightingales - Forgive These Fools (2:59)
06. The Jubilee Hummingbirds - Our Freedom Song (Free At Last) (3:16)
07. The Jubilee Hummingbirds - Press My Dying Pillow (3:10)
08. The Pattersonaires - God's Promise (2:16)
09. Rev. Maceo Woods - Hello Sunshine (2:36)
10. Roebuck 'Pop' Staples - Tryin' Time (5:15)
11. Terry Lynn Community Choir - His Love Will Always Be (3:18)
12. Reverend W. Bernard Avant Jr. - Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (Don't Let The Devil Fool You) (3:28)
13. Rance Allen Group - (There's Gonna Be A) Showdown (2:48)
14. Rance Allen Group - That Will Be Good Enough For Me (4:33)
15. Reverend Maceo Woods - The Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Marching For The Man) (3:40)
16. Louise McCord - Better Get A Move On (3:47)
17. Charles May - Satisfied (3:01)
18. Rance Allen Group - I Got To Be Myself (2:50)
19. The People's Choir Of Operation Push - He Included Me (3:42)
20. Rance Allen Group - We're The Salt Of The Earth (3:32)
21. Louise McCord - Reflections (3:10)
22. Rance Allen Group - Ain't No Need Of Crying (3:46)

Stax Singles, Vol. 4: Rarities & The Best Of The Rest, a 6-CD box set that delves deep into the Stax Records archives, and explores the label’s efforts to diversify their output. This new addition to the critically acclaimed series of Stax singles boxes offers a more profound study of the Memphis label’s catalog, including long-forgotten B-sides and rarities, and focusing not just on soul tunes – for which the label was most famous – but also offering a cross-section of rock, pop, blues, gospel and country recordings from 1960-1975.

Featuring recordings from the catalogs of both Craft and Rhino Entertainment – the Catalog Division of Warner Music – who jointly control Stax’s iconic masters, this comprehensive box set is the perfect companion piece to Vols. 1-3; the first of which, The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968, was released by Atlantic Records in 1991 and reissued by Rhino in 2016. Volumes 2 and 3, originally released by Stax in 1993 and 1994 respectively, and reissued by Concord in 2015, offered soul singles spanning 1968-1975, collectively. In his introduction, co-producer Bill Belmont discusses the concept behind Vol. 4: “Over the years, within the collector-fan circuit, and in reissues and collections of vintage Stax material worldwide, some ‘B’ sides have attained a status comparable to the promoted work.” Adds Rob Bowman, in his essay regarding the soul portion of the box, “[Stax’s B-sides] are, by and large, better than most companies’ A-sides.” Continues Belmont, “Stax’s ‘other side’…has never been presented on its own – thus here, the “other” [imprints] are all gathered under the Stax umbrella; part of the all-encompassing rubric ‘where everything is everything.’”

While Stax is primarily known for its soul music – Vols. 1-3 focused exclusively on that genre – the label also managed a variety of imprints throughout the ’60s and ’70s, many of which explored new sonic avenues, including rock (from Ardent, Enterprise and Hip), gospel (Chalice, Gospel Truth) and country (Enterprise). Also compiled are several instrumental and blues tracks from the earliest days of the label, when it was known as Satellite Records. The collection includes over 60 wide-ranging artists, including the Staple Singers, Big Star, the Bar-Kays, Jean Knight, Don Nix, the Rance Allen Group and Johnnie Taylor.

Stax Singles, Vol. 4: Rarities & The Best Of The Rest comes at the conclusion of a wide-ranging celebration of Stax Records’ 60th Anniversary by both Craft and Rhino. The unique partnership of the labels commemorated the first marketing collaboration of the Stax recordings, which had been divided since Atlantic Records split with Stax Records in early 1968. Throughout 2017, the two labels have collectively released over 15 vinyl reissues, including Rufus Thomas’ debut Walking The Dog, Sam & Dave’s Soul Men and Carla Thomas’ Carla LP (Rhino), as well as titles like Melvin Van Peebles’ Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, the Sons of Truth’s Message From The Ghetto and John Gary Williams’ self-titled debut (Craft). Special attention was also focused on two Stax giants this year: Isaac Hayes and Otis Redding. Craft released a series of remastered, high-resolution digital reissues for Hayes (vinyl reissues will follow in 2018) as well as the critically acclaimed box set, Spirit Of Memphis (1962-1976). Rhino paid tribute to Redding with mono editions of Soul Ballads and The Soul Album, as well as a forthcoming seven-LP vinyl box, The Definitive Studio Albums Collection, while Concord released the double LP Live From The Whisky A Go Go earlier in the year. Looking ahead, Rhino will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Redding’s best-selling “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” single. For Record Store Day’s Black Friday event, Rhino commemorated the 50th anniversary of Redding’s Live In Europe Album with a limited-edition red vinyl pressing, while Concord saluted ’70s rockers Big Star with a live tribute to their Third album, Stroke It, Noel: Big Star’s THIRD In Concert, as well as Hayes, with a vinyl edition of Spirit of Memphis, offering highlights from the box set. Additionally, during the Stax 60th celebration, both labels collaborated on the Stax Classics series of CDs, highlighting Stax’s biggest stars, while the 3-CD collection Soulsville U.S.A. culled material from both Concord’s and Rhino’s masters, much like Stax Singles, Vol. 4.

Stax Singles, Vol. 4 Vol. 1
Stax Singles, Vol. 4 Vol. 2
Stax Singles, Vol. 4 Vol. 3
Stax Singles, Vol. 4 Vol. 4
Stax Singles, Vol. 4 Vol. 5
Stax Singles, Vol. 4 Vol. 6

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Various - Rockin' Rhythm 'n' Blues From Memphis

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 78:40
Size: 180.1 MB
Styles: R&B, Memphis blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:20] 1. Roy Brown - Rocking All The Time
[2:29] 2. Dave Dixon - You Satisfy
[2:02] 3. Larry Birdsong - Little Schoolgirl
[2:20] 4. Willie Mitchell - Hokin'
[2:30] 5. The 5 Royales - I Got To Know
[2:36] 6. Roy Brown & Mamie Dell - Oh So Wonderful
[2:33] 7. Willie Cobbs - You Don't Love Me
[2:04] 8. Billy Adams - Big M
[2:31] 9. Billy Lee Riley - Flip Flop And Fly
[2:32] 10. The 5 Royales - Not Going To Cry
[2:00] 11. Jimmy Dotson - Feel Alright
[2:43] 12. Woodrow Adams - Don't You Know I Love You
[2:30] 13. Willie Mitchell - Stroll
[2:18] 14. Larry Birdsong - Continental Time
[2:03] 15. Roy Brown - Rock 'n' Roll Jamboree
[1:50] 16. The Aristocrats - Don't Go
[2:18] 17. Billy Lee Riley - Teenage Letter
[2:31] 18. The 5 Royales - She Did Me Wrong
[2:46] 19. Charles James - Thief In The Night
[2:52] 20. Dave Dixon - Hey Hey Pretty Baby
[1:46] 21. Gene Bowlegs - One More Time, Part 1
[2:27] 22. Larry Birdsong - I'll Let Nothing Seperate Me From Your Love
[2:15] 23. The 5 Royales - They Don't Know
[2:29] 24. Willie Mitchell - One Mint Julep
[2:28] 25. Cleanhead Cootsie - Big Legs
[1:54] 26. The 5 Royales - Talk About My Woman
[2:55] 27. Cleanhead Cootsie - Freddy The Freeloader
[3:06] 28. Woodrow Adams - Something On My Mind
[2:36] 29. Willie Cobbs - You're So Hard To Please
[2:51] 30. Charles James - One Mint Julep
[2:16] 31. Billy Adams - Had The Blues (Twist)
[3:33] 32. Sammy Lawhorn - The Home Of The Blues

The many record labels that came out of Memphis, Tennessee have mostly been well documented over the years. There has been one glaring omission and that is the Home Of The Blues record label that existed from 1960 through to 1962. In that short time the company issued approximately forty singles. The label grew out of Ruben Cherry's Home Of The Blues record store on Beale Street. Most of the recordings were made at Royal Studios and Willie Mitchell joined HOTB as house musician and producer. He recorded three singles for the label under his own name. Big names who recorded for HOTB included Roy Brown and the '5' Royales, both after their lengthy stints at King Records, and Larry Birdsong.

Rockin' Rhythm 'n' Blues From Memphis mc
Rockin' Rhythm 'n' Blues From Memphis zippy

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Billy Lee Riley - Hot Damn!

Size: 142,2 MB
Time: 61:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Rockabilly Blues
Art: Full

01. Fine Little Mamma (2:12)
02. Winter Time Blues (4:39)
03. I'm Him (3:16)
04. It Never Rains Till It Rains On You (4:06)
05. Nothin' But The Devil (4:01)
06. I'm Gonna Quit You Pretty Baby (2:02)
07. Rock Me Baby (4:44)
08. Take Me Back Baby (3:38)
09. Rainy Night In Georgia (5:00)
10. Too Close Blues (2:20)
11. Rainin' In My Heart (3:06)
12. Cause You Got A Little Money (2:10)
13. Blues For My Baby (4:57)
14. How Come We All Ain't Got The Same (6:56)
15. You Gonna Miss Me (3:37)
16. Time Ain't On My Side (4:27)

Billy Lee Riley sounds surprisingly sprightly for a veteran rockabilly performer on his 1997 comeback, Hot Damn! Conceived as tribute to his musical roots and family, Hot Damn! is a farily engaging set of traditional rockabilly and country, punctuated by effective detours into the blues. Riley might not have the energy he did in the '50s, yet this album proves there's still a bunch of life in the old boy. ~Review by Thom Owens

Thanks to Marc.
Hot Damn!

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