Hip Lankchan - Original West Side Chicago Blues Guitar

Size: 270 MB
Time: 114:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Steal My Heart Away (2:12)
02. Millionaires Blues (1963) (2:50)
03. Millionaires Blues (2:25)
04. On My Way (1:59)
05. Somebody's Fishin' In My Pond (3:26)
06. Pork Chop (2:18)
07. Millionares Blues V2 (3:05)
08. Tell Me Why (2:39)
09. You Must Be Shampoo Baby (3:02)
10. My Girl (3:03)
11. Confusion Blues (2:50)
12. Little Car Blues (3:05)
13. Bright Light City Jam (4:38)
14. My Whole Life Baby (2:35)
15. Nightlife (4:49)
16. West Side Part 1 (2:28)
17. West Side Part 2 (3:45)
18. Goin' Away Baby (3:09)
19. Saddle My Pony (3:21)

CD 2:
01. Baby Please Don't Go (2:55)
02. Blow Wind Blow Wind (3:15)
03. Catfish Blues (3:00)
04. I'm Gonna Leave Here Runnin' (2:29)
05. Key To The Highway (3:07)
06. Little School Girl (4:17)
07. Shake Um On Down (3:25)
08. Walkin' Dr Bill (4:24)
09. Somebody Loan Me A Dime (2:40)
10. Take Me Back Baby (6:35)
11. Wee Wee Baby (5:46)
12. Whole Lot Of Lovin' (3:58)
13. Please Don't Go (2:40)
14. Well You Know I Love You (2:46)
15. Do You Love Me (2:36)
16. Will You Forgive Me Baby (2:29)

In his book Chicago Breakdown published in 1973, Mike Rowe describes how Chicagos West Side expanded through population growth in the 1950s, creating more Afro-American neighbourhoods. It was on the dilapidated and overcrowded West Side that a new and angry music was reared. Mike Rowe This new and angry music was blues, played by Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Jimmy Dawkins, Luther Allison, Mack Thompson, Johnny B. Moore, Mighty Joe Young, Eddie C. Campbell, Jimmie Lee Robinson and Hip Lankchan. So, what made the West Side blues sound so angry? Jimmy Dawkins, argued that: The West Side is bare, its down to the blood-line. We played hard-core, bone-crushing blues. The sound was raw, strictly from the throat and stomach. We couldnt get more money. The club owners would only give us $35 or $32 thats $10 for the sidemen, $12 or $15 for the leader. We had the rhythm, but we didnt have the fulfilments of it. Which meant that West Side guitarists had to simulate the piano and horns. Willie Lee Richard (Hip Lankchan later Hip Linkchain) was born on November 10th 1936 near Jackson, Mississippi. He picked up the name Hipstick as a child, and learned to play the guitar. He moved with his family to Louise, Mississippi at the age of nine to pick cotton and it was where he was exposed to the electric guitar. He and his friends hitchhiked to nearby Greenville and Indianola where he heard Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Willie Love and Boyd Gilmore. In 1956 he headed for Chicago and eventually landed a job as a paint sprayer. He bought a Gibson L5 electric guitar and began scouring the blues joints of the south and west sides looking to sit in and find a gig. He began playing with the likes of Dusty Brown, Willie Foster, Lester Davenport and Lee Jackson. He formed his own band the Chicago Twisters which included Tyrone Davis on vocals, his brother Jesse James Richard (aka Jug) on bass and Robert Campbell on drums, making his recording debut in 1959 backing Dusty Brown on Bandera Records with brother Jug on bass and Bob Richey on drums. The band held down a spot at the Silver Dollar Lounge sometimes supporting Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters. Hip has left us with a number of rare and obscure West Side blues 45s, some excellent blues albums and previously unissued material which is being made available here for the first time. For good measure included here are four sides by Chicago harmonica player Dusty Brown who is supported by Hip and his band recorded for Bandera Records in 1959. Dusty was born on March 11th, 1929 in Tralake, Mississippi and began playing harmonica at the age of thirteen. He moved to Chicago in 1946, recording his debut disc for Al Bensons Parrot label in 1955. In 1959 he cut the four tracks included here for Violet Muszynskis Bandera Records.

Original West Side Chicago Blues Guitar MP3
Original West Side Chicago Blues Guitar FLAC

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VA - The Chicago Blues Box 2

Size: 157,5+148,5+153,5+155,7+149,8+140,2+147,3+128,0 MB
Time: 67:44+64:01+66:16+67:09+64:36+60;28+63:18+55:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Eddie Taylor - Opening (2:58)
02. Eddie Taylor - Red Light (4:30)
03. Eddie Taylor - Big Town Playboy (3:23)
04. Eddie Taylor - Blow Wind Blow (4:04)
05. Eddie Taylor - Down In Virginia (2:53)
06. Eddie Taylor - Lucky Lou (4:37)
07. Eddie Taylor - Tell Me Mama (4:53)
08. Big Mojo Elem - Talk To Your Daughter (2:53)
09. Big Mojo Elem - Hide Away (4:49)
10. Big Mojo Elem - Be My Little Girl (2:28)
11. Andrew Blueblood McMahon - Red Light, Pt. 2 (3:56)
12. Andrew Blueblood McMahon - Mojo Hand (4:44)
13. Big Voice Odom - Mojo Working (2:44)
14. Big Mojo Elem - Dry Land, Pt. 2 (5:53)
15. Big Voice Odom - Where Are You Goin' (8:38)
16. Big Voice Odom - Thrill Is Gone (4:15)

CD 2:
01. Hip Lankchan - You Left Me With A Broken Heart (5:12)
02. Hip Lankchan - I'm On My Way (5:20)
03. Hip Lankchan - Last Night (4:58)
04. Hip Lankchan - All Your Love (4:47)
05. Hip Lankchan - I Don't Want No Woman (4:27)
06. Hip Lankchan - Black Nights (5:24)
07. Hip Lankchan - Somebody Loan Me A Dime (4:43)
08. Hip Lankchan - Same Old Blues (3:27)
09. Hip Lankchan - Why I Sing The Blues (5:50)
10. Eddie Clearwater - Everyday I Have The Blues (4:25)
11. Eddie Clearwater - You Don't Have To Go (4:57)
12. Eddie Clearwater - Poison Ivy (3:39)
13. Eddie Clearwater - My Babe (6:47)

CD 3:
01. Jimmy Dawkins - Way She Walks (4:27)
02. Jimmy Dawkins - Rock Me Baby (5:08)
03. Jimmy Dawkins - I Wonder Why (4:46)
04. Jimmy Dawkins - Cold Sweet Blues (7:14)
05. Jimmy Dawkins - Driving Wheel (5:39)
06. Jimmy Dawkins - Will My Baby Home Tonight (5:44)
07. Jimmy Dawkins - Big Duke's (4:40)
08. Jimmy Dawkins - Hard Road To Travel (6:54)
09. Jimmy Dawkins - J.D's Jam (3:31)
10. Jimmy Dawkins - Nature Ball (5:41)
11. Jimmy Dawkins - Pretty Woman (4:42)
12. Jimmy Dawkins - Ode To Billy Joe (7:44)

CD 4:
01. Jimmy Johnson - Long About Midnight (7:06)
02. Jimmy Johnson - Strange Thing Happening (5:29)
03. Jimmy Johnson - Look On Yonder Wall (3:34)
04. Jimmy Johnson - I'm Crazy About You Baby (4:28)
05. Jimmy Johnson - Breaking Up Somebody's Home (5:01)
06. Jimmy Johnson - Sweet Little Angel (5:22)
07. Jimmy Johnson - Three Times Chicago (4:42)
08. Jimmy Johnson - Midnight Hour (4:08)
09. Jimmy Johnson - My Own Fault (5:26)
10. Jimmy Johnson - Get Ready Here I Come (3:51)
11. Jimmy Johnson - Same Old Blues (4:09)
12. Jimmy Johnson - So Many Roads (6:45)
13. Jimmy Johnson - As The Years Go Passing By (7:02)

CD 5:
01. John Littlejohn - Dust My Broom (4:31)
02. John Littlejohn - Rob And Steal (3:39)
03. John Littlejohn - Five Long Years (3:21)
04. John Littlejohn - Kiddeo (2:44)
05. John Littlejohn - That's All Right (7:17)
06. John Littlejohn - I Can't Stay Here (5:10)
07. John Littlejohn - Bobby's Rock (3:43)
08. John Littlejohn - Twenty Nine Ways (6:13)
09. John Littlejohn - So Glad You're Mine (4:13)
10. John Littlejohn - All I Want (2:48)
11. John Littlejohn - Dream, Pt. 2 (6:39)
12. John Littlejohn - All Your Love (6:26)
13. John Littlejohn - Sunny Road (7:46)

CD 6:
01. Magic Slim - Buddy Buddy Friend (4:25)
02. Magic Slim - You Upset Me Baby (3:45)
03. Magic Slim - Born Down The Bridge (6:30)
04. Magic Slim - Rock Me Baby (5:02)
05. Magic Slim - Tell Me Baby (2:52)
06. Magic Slim - Jumpin' At Ma Bea's (4:56)
07. Magic Slim - I Don't Got Over (5:22)
08. Magic Slim - Tramp (6:04)
09. Magic Slim - Josephine's (4:49)
10. Magic Slim - As The Years Go Passing By (6:04)
11. Magic Slim - Everything Gonna Be Alright (5:02)
12. Magic Slim - Mary Lou (5:31)

CD 7:
01. The Aces - Rock Me Baby (4:25)
02. The Aces - You're The One (3:08)
03. The Aces - Baby What You Want Me To Do (4:04)
04. The Aces - Someday Baby (3:41)
05. The Aces - Off The Wall (4:24)
06. The Aces - Bobby's Rock (4:16)
07. The Aces - Kansas City (4:51)
08. The Aces - Honky Tonk (4:50)
09. The Aces - Don't Throw Your Love On Me (3:45)
10. The Aces - C.C. Rider (4:07)
11. The Aces - Sweet Home Chicago (2:49)
12. The Aces - Hide Away (5:05)
13. The Aces - Tribute To Little Walter (1:54)
14. The Aces - The Ace's Shuffle (3:09)
15. The Aces - Blues With A Feeling (3:42)
16. The Aces - Honky Tonk, Pt. 2 (5:01)

CD 8:
01. Willie Kent - I'm Not The Same Person (5:42)
02. Willie Kent - Ghetto (7:43)
03. Willie Kent - Dust My Broom (3:55)
04. Willie Kent - Chili Con Carne (3:08)
05. Willie Kent - Blue Guitar (5:26)
06. Willie Kent - Bobby's Rock (4:06)
07. Willie Kent - Sweet Home Chicago (2:54)
08. Willie Kent - Tell Him He Got To Go (4:17)
09. Willie Kent - Chicken Shack (4:10)
10. Willie Kent - 19 Years Old, Pt. 2 (3:44)
11. Willie Kent - I Love The Woman (4:44)
12. Willie Kent - You Know I Love You (5:13)

After the popularity of Storyville’s first best-selling boxed set of Chicago blues recordings, we’re delighted to present another outstanding 8 CD collection from the vaults of MCM Records. As in the first boxed set, the live atmosphere of these unedited performances shines through, revealing the true ambiance of the Chicago Blues club scene in the mid-1970s, as well as the individuals whose talents MCM Records would preserve. They captured an authenticity that rarely surfaced on the major label recordings that some of these artists made.

MCM was a labour of love by a young French woman, Marcelle Chailleux, and her future husband Jacques Morgantini. In the 1950's Jacques had brought the likes of Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker to Europe to appear at his French hometown event - a dedicated Chicago blues festival - but it was recent blues convert Marcelle who travelled to Chicago in the mid-1970s to record a unique collection of live performances.

Some of the performances presented here were by men who would become giants of the blues; others were by talented artists who never found wider fame and whose MCM recordings remain the only surviving evidence of their talent.

In this superb collection, you will find rare tracks by Eddie Taylor, Big Mojo Elem, Andrew “Blueblood” McMahon, Big Voice Odom, Hip Lankchan, Eddie Clearwater, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Johnson, Magic Slim, John Littlejohn, Bobby King and The Aces. The recordings stem from famous Chicago blues venues Ma Bea’s, the Golden Slipper and Big Duke’s. Marcelle was only just in time to capture the genuine feel and sound of those old-time clubs before they disappeared. Jimmy Dawkins, bluesman par excellence, was her guide to the 1975 Chicago blues scene, and has said: “It was natural and ‘for real’ without over-preparation. You get the feeling of the room, the music, the audience, and the blues. It was the real thing. Places like Ma Bea’s and the old Golden Slipper are all gone now.” Jacques Morgantini writes in the liner notes: “These records capture the music that was played in the clubs at that time, the real Chicago blues sound! And that was exactly what Marcelle wanted: to give those musicians a chance to get themselves better known”.

The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 1
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 2
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 3
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 4
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 5
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 6
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 7
The Chicago Blues Box 2 Vol. 8

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Hip Linkchain - I Am On My Way

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:39
Size: 134.3 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1976/1996
Art: Front

[5:12] 1. You Left Me With A Broken Heart
[5:20] 2. I'm On My Way
[4:58] 3. Last Night
[4:51] 4. All Your Love
[4:31] 5. I Don't Want No Woman
[5:24] 6. Black Nights
[5:18] 7. Reconsider Baby
[4:44] 8. Somebody Loan Me A Dime
[3:28] 9. Same Old Blues
[5:52] 10. Why I Sing The Blues
[4:44] 11. My Man
[4:12] 12. Johnny B. Goode

Cancer struck guitarist Hip Linkchain down before he could shed his status as a Chicago blues journeyman. With a fine album on the Dutch Black Magic logo, Airbusters, to his credit shortly before he died, Linkchain might have managed to move up a rung or two in the city's blues pecking order had he lived longer.

Born Willie Richard in Mississippi, his odd stage name stemmed from being dubbed "Hipstick" as a lad. (White residents of the area gave his seven-foot-tall dad the name Linkchain because he wore logging chains around his neck). Dad and older brother Jesse both played the blues, and Hip followed in their footsteps. He heard Elmore James, Little Milton, and Sonny Boy Williamson while living in the Delta before relocating to Chicago during the early '50s.

Linkchain made inroads on the competitive Chicago circuit during the '50s and '60s, playing with harpists Dusty Brown, Willie Foster, and Lester Davenport. His own band, the Chicago Twisters, was fronted by a very young Tyrone Davis in 1959. Linkchain cut a handful of very obscure 45s for the tiny Lola and Sanns logos prior to the emergence of his debut domestic album for Teardrop Records, Change My Blues, circa 1981.

I Am On My Way

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Hip Linkchain - Airbusters

Year: 1993
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:14
Size: 113,8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. House Cat Blues (2:52)
2. I Had A Dream (2:43)
3. Blow Wind Blow (3:14)
4. Bed Bug Blues (3:19)
5. On My Way (3:20)
6. Keep On Searching (3:40)
7. Gambler's Blues (5:11)
8. I'll Overcome (2:51)
9. Strain On My Heart (3:50)
10. Take Out Your False Teeth (3:08)
11. Bad News (4:32)
12. Airbusters (3:28)
13. Fugitive (3:54)
14. Diggin' My Potatoes (3:06)

Hip Linkchain was a solid, no-frills bluesman and this album (his last before his death in 1989) showcases him at his best. Loads of great original material, with the added bonus of top-notch playing from Chicago's finest blues players. Standout tracks include "Blow Wind Blow", "I'll Overcome", and "Take Out Your False Teeth". /Cub Koda, AllMusic

Personnel: Hip Linkchain (guitar, vocals); Ron Kirch, Jon McDonald (guitar); Barrelhouse Chuck (piano); Otis White (piano, organ); Frank Bandy, 'Big' John Trice (bass); Ted Harvey, Robert 'Huckleberry Hound' Wright (drums).

Airbusters mc
Airbusters zippy

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Hip Linkchain - Change The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:34
Size: 99.8 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1981/2006
Art: Front

[3:05] 1. Cold Chills
[4:06] 2. Change My Blues
[5:38] 3. Shaggy Hound
[5:03] 4. Call Muddy Waters
[5:17] 5. Walking Blues
[3:01] 6. Mad And Evil
[3:36] 7. Walking From Door To Door
[4:12] 8. That Will Never Do
[4:42] 9. All My Whole Life
[4:48] 10. Night Life

Bass – Frank Bandy; Guitar – Rich Kirch; Piano – "Pine Top" Perkins; Vocals, Lead Guitar – Hip Linkchain.

Hip Linkchain was born in Jackson, Mississippi on November 10, 1936. He was raised in Louise, Mississippi. Hip picked cotton from age seven to age eighteen; he then moved to Chicago. He has played the blues all of his life. His first time playing on a bandstand was in 1956. Hip is an experienced blues guitar player and vocalist. He has played with Little Walter, Magic Sam, Junior Wells and Jimmy Rogers. This is Hip's first album in the United States.

Change The Blues mc
Change The Blues zippy

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Various - Chicago Blues Nights Vols. 1 & 2

Album: Chicago Blues Nights Vol. 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:28
Size: 138.4 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[9:21] 1. Jimmy Dawkins - Welfare Line
[4:28] 2. Jimmy Dawkins - You Don't Love Me
[2:56] 3. Jimmy Dawkins - Down In Virginia
[4:45] 4. Jimmy Dawkins - Lucky You
[4:03] 5. Hip Lankchan - Millionaire Blues
[3:26] 6. Hip Lankchan - Hip's Jam
[2:50] 7. Hip Lankchan - All Right The Way You Do
[4:10] 8. Hip Lankchan - Sweet Home Chicago
[4:14] 9. Jimmy Dawkins - So Glad You're Mine
[2:50] 10. Jimmy Dawkins - Alli I Want
[3:30] 11. Hip Lankchan - Little By Little
[4:14] 12. Hip Lankchan - Lucille
[4:43] 13. Hip Lankchan - I Want Some
[4:52] 14. Hip Lankchan - Hide Away

This disc is the first in a new series "The Blues Recorded Live In Chicago" capturing the very special atmosphere in the joints of Chicago's black ghetto, West- and Southside created by the great bluesmen playing and not the least by the enthusiastic black audience present at the various venues we are going to visit. This is The Blues of the mid-70s as recorded on the spot, originally produced for the French MCM label but now to appear for the first time including much previously unissued material - on Storyville CDs!

Chicago Blues Nights Vol. 1 mc
Chicago Blues Nights Vol. 1 zippy

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Album: Chicago Blues Nights Vol. 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:16
Size: 138.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[4:50] 1. Eddy Clearwater - Let's Jam
[6:49] 2. Eddy Clearwater - I Came Up The Hard Way
[5:32] 3. Eddy Clearwater - Three Ways To Skin A Cat
[3:04] 4. Jimmy Dawkins - Let's Boogie
[2:55] 5. Jimmy Dawkins - Opening
[4:30] 6. Jimmy Dawkins - Red Light
[3:23] 7. Jimmy Dawkins - Big Town Play Boy
[4:07] 8. Eddie Taylor - Jackson Town Blues
[5:57] 9. Eddie Taylor - Train Fare Home
[5:48] 10. Eddie Taylor - Route 66 (A One A Two)
[4:53] 11. Jimmy Dawkins - Tell Me Mama
[4:19] 12. Eddie Taylor - Blues For Luc
[4:04] 13. Jimmy Dawkins - Blow Wind Blow

Eddie Clearwater, Jimmy Dawkins, Sylvester Boines and Fred Below make up a blues band which is completely out of the ordinary and one of the most fascinating that blues fans could dream of... Number 1 -4 of this CD is the continuation of their recording at "Ma Bea's" famous club on the West Side in November, 1976 - a session which has already resulted in the CD, "Black Night" (Storyville STCD 8036). For the other tunes on this CD (from 5-13), the tape-recorder at the "Golden Slipper" caught Fred Below's Blues Combo, featuring the well-known Eddie Taylor on guitar and vocals. This veteran of the blues is provided with a strong guitar back-up by Lacy Gibson who takes the two solos on "Red Light". Moreover, fans will easily identify guitarists Eddie Taylor and Lacy Gibson when they improvise one after another on "Big Town Play Boy" or "Blues For Luc". Fred Below may not be the greatest of singers but he certainly gives us a very pleasant and swinging version of "Route 66", starting with his famous and rhythmic "A one and a two... and you know what to do!".

Chicago Blues Nights Vol. 2 mc
Chicago Blues Nights Vol. 2 zippy

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Eddie C. Campbell - 2 albums: Baddest Cat On The Block / Tear The World Up

Album: Baddest Cat On The Block
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:45
Size: 132.2 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1985
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. Hey Baby
[5:05] 2. Nineteen Years Old
[3:45] 3. I'm In Love With You Baby
[4:52] 4. Tears Are For Losers
[2:55] 5. Look At What You Done
[4:35] 6. Early In The Morning
[4:26] 7. Same Thing
[5:26] 8. Cha Cha In Blues
[4:31] 9. Cheaper To Keep Her
[3:04] 10. Millionaire's Blues
[3:01] 11. You Must Be Shampoo Baby (with Hip Linkchain)
[3:03] 12. My Girl (with Hip Linkchain)
[2:48] 13. Confusion Blues (with Hip Linkchain)
[3:04] 14. Little Car Blues (with Hip Linkchain)
[3:33] 15. Bright Light City Jam (with Hip Linkchain)

This is a strange CD because it is really a compilation of two artists, but it is not listed as such. The second half of the CD is by Hip Linchain, who, like Eddie C. Campbell, was a great West Side (of Chicago) blues guitarist in his own right.

The Eddie C. Campbell material is good, but not Eddie's best. The band doesn't really click here -- they don't back up Eddie as well as they should, and the overall sound suffers. Nevertheless, Eddie's reverb-drenched guitar cuts through pretty well, and true fans will want this CD to complete their collection.

The Hip Linkchain cuts are pretty good, also. He had a great, soulful, albeit rough voice, and his guitar work was excellent. If you've never heard him before, this might not be a bad place to start. ~kmeyer99/amazon

Born in Duncan, Mississippi in 1939, guitarist Eddie C. Campbell was raised in Chicago, where he played with nearly every seminal figure who defined Chicago's West Side sound -- his friend Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Little Walter, among others. Although Campbell's music is strongly reminiscent of that classic West Side blues sound, he would prefer to call it "black culture" music.

Campbell specializes in jaunty, irresistibly danceable rhythms overlaid with lithe guitar lines, often placed so tightly in the pocket of the beat that his lead guitar almost doubles as a rhythm instrument.

Baddest Cat On The Block mc
Baddest Cat On The Block zippy

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Album: Tear This World Up
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 60:39
Size: 138.9 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:02] 1. Makin' Popcorn
[3:27] 2. Big World
[4:59] 3. Easy Baby
[3:49] 4. Tie Your Time Up
[4:56] 5. Voodoo
[3:05] 6. Love Me With A Feeling
[4:48] 7. Vibrations In The Air
[3:47] 8. Care
[4:50] 9. It's So Easy
[5:02] 10. My Last Affair
[4:18] 11. I'm Just You Fool
[4:06] 12. All Nite
[4:51] 13. Summertime
[4:34] 14. Bluesman

In the liner notes for Tear This World Up, Eddie C. Campbell makes an interesting observation about 21st century guitarists who try to emulate the West Side Chicago blues of the 1960s. "Not too many people can play it," Campbell asserts, "A lot try, but then, they get mad and change it into Jimi Hendrix." Indeed, going for that Magic Sam-type of sound isn't easy -- add too much psychedelic feedback, amplification, and distortion, and you can end up in Hendrix/hard rock/early heavy metal territory. Don't add enough, and the results can sound like electric Chicago blues in the 1950s rather than West Side Chicago blues in the 1960s. But having worked with Magic Sam himself and having been very active on Chicago's West Side in the 1960s (and Chicago's South Side as well), Campbell has no problem achieving that type of sound on Tear This World Up. If Campbell's electric guitar solos bring to mind Hendrix in any way, it would be pre-1967 Hendrix -- that is, before the formation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (when Hendrix was a sideman for Curtis Knight and Lonnie Youngblood). But the most obvious stylistic comparisons on this 2008 session include Magic Sam (Campbell even performs Sam's "Easy Baby"), Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells. Like Sam circa 1967-1968, this is a blues-oriented CD that occasionally detours into straight-up soul. Campbell, who was 69 when Tear This World Up was recorded, isn't oblivious to non-Chicago blues; "Makin' Popcorn" has a John Lee Hooker-ish appeal (electric Detroit by way of Mississippi), and the unplugged "Bluesman" is Mississippi country blues. But 1960s-style electric Chicago blues is the main focus of Tear This World Up, which recalls that era with enjoyable results. ~Alex Henderson

Tear This World Up mc
Tear This World Up zippy

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