Little Walter - Blues & Rhythm Series 5183: The Chronological Little Walter 1953-1955

Size: 216 MB
Time: 67:00
File: FLAC
Released: 2007
Styles: Blues, R&B
Art: Full

01. Driftin' Blues (3:11)
02. That's It (3:13)
03. Come Back Baby (2:57)
04. Rocker (3:07)
05. I Love You So (2:35)
06. Oh Baby (2:43)
07. I Got To Find My Baby (2:50)
08. Big Leg Mama (2:49)
09. My Babe (Mercy Babe) (3:20)
10. Last Night (2:58)
11. You'd Better Watch Yourself (3:06)
12. Blue Light (3:18)
13. Last Night (2:46)
14. Mellow Down Easy (2:47)
15. Instrumental (3:00)
16. Thunder Bird (2:52)
17. My Babe (2:35)
18. Roller Coaster (2:55)
19. I Got To Go (2:47)
20. I Hate To See You Go (2:19)
21. Little Girl, Little Girl (3:07)
22. Crazy For My Baby (2:47)
23. Can't Stop Lovin' You (2:48)

The Classics BLUES & RHYTHM SERIES 1953-1955 installment for blues harp legend Little Walter presents an indispensable selection of prime-time South Side Chicago blues. Given that he was one of the more popular artists on the scene during the early '50s, this disc contains a decent number of R&B hits from the time, with the classics "You'd Better Watch Yourself" and "My Babe" among them. While these Checkers sides boast, at different points, Robert Lockwood Jr., Otis Spann, and Bo Diddley on guitar, and the inimitable Willie Dixon on bass, the main attraction is Little Walter's harmonica, as it moans away like the devil's laughter and tears. ~AMG

The Chronological Little Walter 1953-1955

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Little Walter - Blues & Rhythm Series 5091: The Chronological Little Walter 1947-1953

Size: 191 MB
Time: 69:02
File: FLAC
Released: 2004
Styles: Blues, R&B
Art: Full

01. Ora Nelle Blues (2:40)
02. I Just Keep Loving Her (2:30)
03. Juke (2:45)
04. Can't Hold On Much Longer (3:01)
05. Blue Midnight (2:25)
06. Boogie (3:01)
07. Mean Old World (2:54)
08. Sad Hours (3:11)
09. Fast Boogie (2:48)
10. Don't Need No Horse (3:19)
11. Don't Have To Hunt No More (3:04)
12. Crazy Legs (2:25)
13. Tonight With A Fool (2:55)
14. Off The Wall (2:50)
15. Tell Me Mama (2:47)
16. Blues With A Feeling (3:10)
17. Quarter To Twelve (3:16)
18. Last Boogie (2:32)
19. Too Late (2:39)
20. Fast Boogie (2:52)
21. Lights Out (2:45)
22. Fast Large One (2:51)
23. You're So Fine (3:04)
24. My Kind Of Baby (3:06)

This 24-track compilation from the French Classics label focuses on Little Walter's crucial early sessions for Parkway, Ora-Nelle, and Checker. At the time of these recordings, the distorted amplified sound of Walter Jacobs' harmonica was helping map out the postwar blues idiom as an important presence in Muddy Waters' band, while under his own name Walter released such electric Chicago blues classics as "I Just Keep Loving Her," "Tell Me Mama," "Lights Out," "Blues With a Feeling," and the instrumental romp "Juke," which propelled the harpist into national prominence in 1952. Of the numerous available overviews of Little Walter's extraordinary career, this is one of the best. ~Al Campbell

The Chronological Little Walter 1947-1953

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Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Little Walter & Otis Rush - The Chicago Blues Festival

Size: 169,2 MB
Time: 73:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Buddy Guy - Buddies Blues (4:38)
02. Buddy Guy - Blue Monday (5:00)
03. Buddy Guy - Everyday I Have The Blues (4:29)
04. Buddy Guy - Woman Blues (3:08)
05. Buddy Guy - Satisfaction (3:36)
06. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Messin' With The Kid (2:31)
07. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - No Use Cryin' (3:01)
08. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Just To Be With You (4:11)
09. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Junior's Shuffle (4:28)
10. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Out Of Sight (6:08)
11. Otis Rush - It's Hard For Me To Believe Baby (5:55)
12. Otis Rush - May Be The Last Time (4:04)
13. Otis Rush - I Feel Good (3:00)
14. Otis Rush - Otis' Blues (3:59)
15. Goin' Down Slow (4:17)
16. Little Water - Walter's Blues (3:28)
17. Little Water - Lovein' You All The Time (4:20)
18. Little Water - Blue Mood (3:32)

Tracks 1 - 10 Chicago Blues Festival 1964
Tracks 11 - 18 Chicago Blues Festival 1967

The Chicago Blues Festival MP3
The Chicago Blues Festival FLAC

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Otis Spann - In Session: Diary Of A Chicago Bluesman 1953-1960

Size: 179,1+164,6 MB
Time: 76:08+70:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Chicago Blues, Rockin' Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Blow Wind, Blow (Feat. Muddy Waters) (3:12)
02. Mad Love (Feat. Muddy Waters) (3:05)
03. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Feat. Muddy Waters) (2:52)
04. She's So Pretty (Feat. Muddy Waters) (2:18)
05. Rockin' Daddy (3:04)
06. 'Bout The Break Of Day (Feat. Junior Wells) (3:16)
07. Lawdy! Lawdy! (Feat. Junior Wells) (2:41)
08. So, All Alone (Feat. Junior Wells) (3:21)
09. I Got To Find My Baby (Feat. Little Walter) (2:50)
10. Baby How Long? (Feat. Howlin' Wolf) (2:55)
11. Evil Is Goin' On (Feat. Howlin' Wolf) (2:56)
12. You'd Better Watch Yourself (Feat. Little Walter) (3:05)
13. I'll Be Around (Feat. Howlin' Wolf) (3:15)
14. It Must Have Been The Devil (2:43)
15. Five Spot (2:44)
16. I'm A Man (Feat. Bo Diddley) (3:02)
17. Bo Diddley (Feat. Bo Diddley) (2:46)
18. Don't Start Me Talkin' (Feat. Sonny Boy Williamson II) (2:36)
19. All My Love In Vain (Feat. Sonny Boy Williamson II) (2:51)
20. You Can't Catch Me (Feat. Chuck Berry) (2:45)
21. No Money Down (Feat. Chuck Berry) (2:59)
22. Let Me Explain (Feat. Sonny Boy Williamson II) (2:55)
23. Your Imagination (Feat. Sonny Boy Williamson II) (3:01)
24. I'm Leaving You (2:41)
25. I'm In Love With You Baby (2:38)
26. Cops And Robbers (Feat. Bo Diddley) (3:24)

CD 2:
01. Boogie Woogie (2:36)
02. Slow Blues (2:41)
03. Jump Blues (2:54)
04. It's My Own Fault (Feat. John Lee Hooker) (3:53)
05. Maudie (Feat. John Lee Hooker) (3:35)
06. I Wanna Walk (Feat. John Lee Hooker) (4:27)
07. I Wish You Were Here (Feat. John Lee Hooker) (5:37)
08. Great Northern Stomp (4:18)
09. Otis In The Dark (4:38)
10. Worried Life Blues (4:22)
11. Country Boy (4:28)
12. The Hard Way (5:06)
13. Beat-Up Team (6:04)
14. Take A Little Walk With Me (3:29)
15. I Got Rambling On My Mind (4:07)
16. Little Boy Blue (3:44)
17. My Daily Wish (4:26)

Joining Eddie Taylor and Jody Williams in Jasmine's popular 'In Session' series comes this excellent 43 track 2CD set of Otis Spann's sessions that he cut in Chicago between 1953 and 1956 along with live performances at Newport and his legendary first LP release. 'Otis Spann is the Blues'.

This wonderful set kicks off with Muddy Waters and of course includes two of his greatest hits 'Mad Love' and 'Hoochie Coochie Man' and then Otis' takes us through a plethora of fine bluesmen: Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry and John Lee Hooker.

In the pantheon of great Chicago blues pianists, Otis Spann stands head and shoulders above most of the competition and this CD is another must have in Jasmine's ever growing blues series.

In Session

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VA - Mighty Instrumentals R&B Style 1957

Size: 563 MB
Time: 3:57:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues, R&B
Art: Front

CD 1:
01 Little Jesse - Geechi (2:07)
02 T-Bone Walker - Two Bones And A Pick (2:52)
03 Irving Ashby - Big Guitar (2:37)
04 Little Walter - Shake Dancer (2:45)
05 Googie Rene - Side-Track (2:45)
06 Roy Gaines - Night Beat (3:05)
07 The Nite Riders - Tank Town (2:40)
08 Magic Sam - Magic Rocker (2:30)
09 Harold & Dimples - Mystery (2:47)
10 Duke Jenkins Orchestra - The Duke Walks (2:56)
11 Chuck Berry - Deep Feeling (2:19)
12 Louis Carpenter's All Stars - Cha Cha Boogie (2:51)
13 Elmore James - Elmore's Contribution To Jazz (2:18)
14 Crawford Brothers - Midnight Happenins (2:33)
15 Bill Doggett - Leaps And Bounds, Pts. 1 & 2 (5:29)
16 Piano Red - Wild Fire (2:23)
17 Jimmy Nolen - Jimmy's Jive (3:09)
18 Red Prysock - Satellite (2:41)
19 Bill Jennings-Willis Jackson - Wishbone (2:38)
20 Rene Hall's Orchestra - Flippin' (2:30)
21 Al Smith - Road House (2:35)
22 Little Willie Littlefield - Easy Go (3:07)
23 Doc Bagby - Muscle Tough (2:26)
24 Abe Moore - Bingo (2:16)
25 Bob Reed - Malibu (2:05)
26 Martini & His Orchestra - One O'Clock Jump (1:58)
27 Johnnie Pate - Muskeeta (2:22)
28 Johnny Otis - Wa Wa, Pt. 1 (1:52)
29 Johnny Otis - Wa Wa, Pt. 2 (3:04)
30 J.J. Jones - Darkness (1:58)

CD 2:
01 Johnny Heartsman & The Gaylarks - Johnny's Thunderbird (2:35)
02 Cliff Driver & His Drivers - Changing Times (2:28)
03 Jimmie Tolliver - Rolling (3:15)
04 Eddie Chamblee - Back Up (2:31)
05 R Bland - Good News (2:05)
06 Joe Houston & his Combo - Shuckin' (2:36)
07 Jody Williams - Lucky Lou (3:49)
08 Jon Thomas - Hard Head, Pts. 1 & 2 (4:09)
09 Paul Gayten - Tough Enough (2:00)
10 The Trilyters - Two-O-Five Jump (2:07)
11 Guitar Slim - Guitar Slim Boogie (3:01)
12 The Tazman - Easy Pickin' (2:19)
13 Kid King's Combo - Hob Nob (2:19)
14 Lafayette Thomas - Cockroach Run (2:38)
15 Plas Johnson - Downstairs (2:03)
16 Paul 'Hucklebuck' Williams - Give It Up (2:37)
17 Buddy Johnson - Minglin' (3:01)
18 Harold 'Pop Pop' Rollins - Wow, Pt. 1 (2:29)
19 Harold 'Pop Pop' Rollins - Wow, Pt. 2 (2:43)
20 Louis Jordan - The Slop (2:30)
21 Noble 'Thin Man' Watts - Midnite Flight (2:50)
22 Eddie Lockjaw Davis - Speak Low (2:41)
23 Jimmy Reed - Ends & Odds (2:24)
24 Clifton Chenier - Sloppy (3:05)
25 Sammy Franklin's Orchestra - Chicken Scratch, Pts. 1 & 2 (4:13)
26 Johnny Otis & The Jayos - The Blooper (2:09)
27 Fats Domino - Twistin' The Spots (1:44)
28 Ike Turner - Rock-A-Bucket (2:23)
29 Preston Brown - Walk On (2:15)
30 Preston Brown - Walk Off (2:37)

CD 3:
01 Gus Jenkins - Pay Day Shuffle, Pt. 1 (2:25)
02 Gus Jenkins - Pay Day Shuffle, Pt. 2 (2:59)
03 Rene Hall's Orchestra With Willie Joe - Twitchy (2:25)
04 Jack Constanzo - Cat Walk (2:12)
05 Johnny Heartsman - Johnny's Blue Mood (2:29)
06 Louis Jordan - The Jam (2:32)
07 Choker Campbell & His Orchestra - Frankie And Johnnie (3:08)
08 Little Jesse - Huggin' (2:38)
09 Bill Hendricks Orchestra - Spinnin' Rock Boogie (2:16)
10 Lafayette Leake - Slow Leake (3:00)
11 Roland Mitchell - Irma Special (2:43)
12 Johnny Otis - Wiggle Walk (2:37)
13 Jesse Stone - Tall And Short (1:55)
14 Crawford Brothers - Midnight Mover Groover (2:06)
15 Wild Jimmy Spruill - Honky Tonk Hucklebuck (2:35)
16 Floyd Dixon - Two Piano Blues (2:51)
17 Irving Ashby - Motatin' (2:00)
18 Googie Rene - Sunrise (2:17)
19 Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers - X-Cello Rock (2:15)
20 Chris Columbo - Oh Yeah, Pt. 1 (2:24)
21 Chris Columbo - Oh Yeah, Pt. 2 (2:38)
22 Sticks Evans & The House Rockers - Zulu's Court (2:29)
23 Duke Jenkins - Something Else (2:42)
24 Chico Chism & Jerry & Garland - Romp & Stomp (2:14)
25 Gus Jenkins - Road Runner (2:49)
26 Big Jay McNeely - Havana Hop (5:04)
27 The Big Beats - Big Boy (2:30)
28 Lonesome Sundown - Lonesome Whistler (2:41)
29 Roy Gaines - Gainesville (3:01)
30 J.J. Jones - Sock Dance (2:12)

This set brings together the finest R&B instrumentals recorded in 1957, putting the spotlight both on long-forgotten records by established artists and fabulous obscurities by long-forgotten ones! It's a cracking compilation from start to finish: Mid-West electric blues, Southern swamp rock, spicy New Orleans rhythms, sophisticated West-Coast productions and East Coast city blues, dominated by guitarists and saxophonists but interspersed with a few organists, accordionists, pianists and harmonicists .

Mighty Instrumentals R&B Style 1957 Part 1
Mighty Instrumentals R&B Style 1957 Part 2

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Little Walter - The Electric Harmonica Genius

Size: 167,3 MB
Time: 72:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Chicago Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Full

01. Juke (2:42)
02. Can't Hold Out Much Longer (2:57)
03. Blue Midnight (2:24)
04. Mean Old World (2:53)
05. Sad Hours (3:10)
06. Quarter To Twelve (3:10)
07. Blues With A Feeling (3:04)
08. Last Night (2:42)
09. Mellow Down Easy (2:42)
10. My Babe (2:39)
11. Hate To See You (2:17)
12. Going Down Slow (2:57)
13. It's Too Late, Brother (2:40)
14. Everybody Needs Somebody (2:51)
15. Confessin' The Blues (3:00)
16. Key To The Highway (2:45)
17. Walkin' On (2:37)
18. Everything's Going To Be Alright (2:50)
19. Blue And Lonesome (4:51)
20. I Don't Play (2:19)
21. Peppers Thing (4:44)
22. Off The Wall (2:21)
23. You're So Fine (3:10)
24. Rocker (4:09)

Who's the king of all post-war blues harpists, Chicago division or otherwise? Why, the virtuosic Little Walter, without a solitary doubt. The fiery harmonica wizard took the humble mouth organ in dazzling amplified directions that were unimaginable prior to his ascendancy. His daring instrumental innovations were so fresh, startling, and ahead of their time that they sometimes sported a jazz sensibility, soaring and swooping in front of snarling guitars and swinging rhythms perfectly suited to Walter's pioneering flights of fancy.
Marion Walter Jacobs was by most accounts an unruly but vastly talented youth who abandoned his rural Louisiana home for the bright lights of New Orleans at age 12. Walter gradually journeyed north from there, pausing in Helena (where he hung out with the wizened Sonny Boy Williamson), Memphis, and St. Louis before arriving in Chicago in 1946.
The thriving Maxwell Street strip offered a spot for the still-teenaged phenom to hawk his wares. He fell in with local royalty -- Tampa Red and Big Bill Broonzy -- and debuted on wax that same year for the tiny Ora-Nelle logo ("I Just Keep Loving Her") in the company of Jimmy Rogers and guitarist Othum Brown. Walter joined forces with Muddy Waters in 1948; the resulting stylistic tremors of that coupling are still being felt today. Along with Rogers and Baby Face Leroy Foster, this super-confident young aggregation became informally known as the Headhunters. They would saunter into Southside clubs, mount the stage, and proceed to calmly "cut the heads" of whomever was booked there that evening. ~Bio by Bill Dahl

The Electric Harmonica Genius

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VA - Confessin' The Blues

Size: 151,5+168,8 MB
Time: 63:52+71:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
01 Muddy Waters - Rollin' Stone (3:10)
02 Howlin' Wolf - Little Red Rooster (5:05)
03 John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chillen (3:07)
04 Little Walter - I Hate To See You Go (2:15)
05 Chuck Berry - Little Queenie (2:43)
06 Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover (3:08)
07 Eddie Taylor - Ride 'Em On Down (2:55)
08 Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee (3:03)
09 Magic Sam - All Your Love (3:52)
10 Sonny Boy Williamson - Dust My Broom (2:44)
11 Little Walter - Just Your Fool (2:22)
12 Muddy Waters - I Want To Be Loved (2:21)
13 Big Bill Broonzy - Key To The Highway (3:03)
14 Robert Johnson - Love In Vain Blues (2:31)
15 Mississippi Fred McDowell - You Gotta Move (3:21)
16 Jimmy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City (2:41)
17 Big Maceo Merriweather - Worried Life Blues (2:53)
18 Little Johnny Taylor - Everybody Knows About My Good Thing (Pt. 1) (3:17)
19 Howlin' Wolf - Commit A Crime (1991 Chess Box Version) (3:04)
20 Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby (3:07)
21 Jay McShann - Confessin' The Blues (With Walter Brown) (2:58)

CD 2:
01 Howlin' Wolf - Just Like I Treat You ( 2:57)
02 Little Walter - I Got To Go ( 2:42)
03 Chuck Berry - Carol ( 2:51)
04 Bo Diddley - Mona ( 2:23)
05 Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You ( 2:51)
06 Elmore James & The Broom Dusters - Blues Before Sunrise ( 2:45)
07 Eddie Taylor - Bad Boy ( 3:00)
08 Boy Blue - Boogie Children ( 2:56)
09 Jimmy Reed - Little Rain ( 3:09)
10 Robert Johnson - Stop Breakin' Down Blues ( 2:17)
11 Reverend Robert Wilkins - The Prodigal Son (10:01)
12 Lightnin' Slim - Hoodoo Blues ( 4:05)
13 Billy Boy Arnold - Don't Stay Out All Night ( 3:08)
14 Bo Diddley - Crawdad ( 2:24)
15 Dale Hawkins - Suzie Q ( 2:13)
16 Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece ( 2:58)
17 Howlin' Wolf - Little Baby ( 2:46)
18 Little Walter - Blue And Lonesome ( 2:54)
19 B.B. King - Rock Me Baby ( 3:02)
20 Buddy Guy - Damn Right I Got The Blues ( 4:31)
21 Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy ( 5:21)

The Rolling Stones have curated a new compilation, Confessin’ the Blues, that will feature songs from blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.

Confessin’ the Blues fittingly opens with Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone” and features other classics like Berry’s “Little Queenie,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Litle Red Rooster” and Bo Diddley’s “You Can’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover.” The collection will also boast tracks from Elmore James, Little Walter, John Lee Hooker, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson, B.B. King and Buddy Guy.

Confessin' The Blues

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Little Walter - The Essential Recordings (2 CD)

Little Walter Jacobs was blues harmonica player, singer, songwriter and occasional guitarist who revolutionised the way that the harmonica was played and recorded, bringing a new dimension to the blues during the 1950s. He was one of the first artists to amplify his harmonica by holding it to a microphone and maybe the first artist on any instrument deliberately to use electronic distortion as part of his range of sounds.

He was a member of Muddy Waters band, appearing on many of his records during the 1950s, but from 1952 recorded for the Chess subsidiary Checker, his releases regularly featuring a harmonica-led instrumental on one side and a vocal performance on the others. He scored an R&B No. 1 with his first solo single "Juke", and another one a few years later with what became a staple of blues bands the world over - "My Babe". Little Walter became the only harmonica player to be inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame.

Album: The Essential Recordings
Year: 2017
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:45 + 53:34
Size: 136,1 + 124,2 MB
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

CD 1:
1. My Babe (2:43)
2. Juke (2:44)
3. I Got To Go (2:43)
4. I Hate To See You Go (3:06)
5. Blues With A Feeling (3:06)
6. Can't Hold Out Much Longer (3:01)
7. Mean Old World (2:55)
8. Sad Hours (3:11)
9. Don't Have To Hunt No More (3:01)
10. Off The Wall (2:50)
11. Tell Me, Mama (2:45)
12. Quarter To Twelve (3:12)
13. Lights Out (2:45)
14. Oh Baby (2:46)
15. Rocker (3:06)
16. You'd Better Watch Yourself (3:05)
17. Blue Light (3:15)
18. Last Night (2:45)
19. Mellow Down Easy (2:43)
20. Roller Coaster (2:52)

CD 2:
1. You're So Fine (3:07)
2. Just Your Fool (2:25)
3. Key To The Highway (2:46)
4. Too Late (2:41)
5. Who (2:24)
6. It's Too Late, Brother (2:42)
7. Take Me Back (3:06)
8. Nobody But You (2:07)
9. Everybody Needs Somebody (2:54)
10. Boom, Boom, Out Goes The Light (2:51)
11. Temperature (2:40)
12. The Toddle (2:37)
13. Confessin' The Blues (3:03)
14. Crazy Mixed-Up World (1:59)
15. Everything's Gonna Be All Right (2:52)
16. Back Track (2:50)
17. Ah'w Baby (2:54)
18. I Had My Fun (2:03)
19. Blue Midnight (3:03)
20. I Don't Play (2:19)

The Essential Recordings (2 CD) mc
The Essential Recordings (2 CD) zippy

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Little Walter - Blues With A Feeling

Year: 1990
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:20
Size: 158,8 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Juke (2:43)
2. Can't Hold Out Much Longer (2:58)
3. Sad Hours (3:09)
4. Blues With A Feeling (3:07)
5. Crazy Legs (3:25)
6. Tell Me Mama (2:44)
7. Off The Wall (2:48)
8. You're So Fine (3:03)
9. Blue Lights (3:14)
10. You Better Watch Yourself (3:03)
11. I Got To Find My Baby (2:49)
12. Quarter To Twelve And Lights Out (3:12)
13. Rocker (3:05)
14. Last Night (2:42)
15. Mellow Down Easy (2:41)
16. My Babe (2:39)
17. I Got To Go (2:44)
18. One More Chance With You (2:48)
19. Temperature (2:39)
20. Confessin' The Blues (3:04)
21. Crazy Mixed Up World (2:01)
22. Rock Bottom (2:11)
23. Key To The Highway (2:47)
24. The Toddle (2:33)

Little Walter Jacobs was blues harmonica player, singer, songwriter and occasional guitarist who revolutionised the way that the harmonica was played and recorded, bringing a new dimension to the blues during the 1950s. He was one of the first artists to amplify his harmonica by holding it to a microphone and maybe the first artist on any instrument deliberately to use electronic distortion as part of his range of sounds.

He was a member of Muddy Waters band, appearing on many of his records during the 1950s, but from 1952 recorded for the Chess subsidiary Checker, his releases regularly featuring a harmonica-led instrumental on one side and a vocal performance on the others. He scored an R&B No. 1 with his first solo single Juke, and another one a few years later with what became a staple of blues bands the world over My Babe. Little Walter became the only harmonica player to be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame.

Blues With A Feeling mc
Blues With A Feeling zippy

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Little Walter - Hate To See You Go

Year: 1969/1994
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:07
Size: 105,1 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Nobody But You (2:08)
2. My Baby's Sweeter (2:29)
3. Roller Coaster (2:54)
4. As Long As I Have You (2:39)
5. Oh Baby (2:46)
6. Take Me Back (3:06)
7. Everything's Going To Be Alright (2:50)
8. Mellow Down Easy (2:41)
9. Hate To See You Go (2:17)
10. I Got To Find My Baby (2:49)
11. Everybody Needs Somebody (2:53)
12. Blue Midnight (2:25)
13. I've Had My Fun (2:02)
14. Key To The Highway (2:46)
15. Blue And Lonesome (2:56)
16. I Got To Find My Baby (Alternate) (Bonus) (3:07)
17. I've Had My Fun (Alternate) (Bonus) (2:13)

Many blues fans identify this album by the scar on its front cover, and this doesn't mean that their copy got damaged lying around in the used-record pile. A larger than life black-and-white photograph of Little Walter fills the front cover with a visual impact that just cannot be matched in the petite world of compact discs. A jewel case would also be too much protection against the scar in the middle of Little Walter's forehead. Biographical information on this artist no doubt provides the explanation of where this scar came from, and it can be assumed he did not earn it with bad harmonica playing.

This album was part of a reissue series that Chess launched in the early '70s, irritating most blues fans despite the quality of the grim graphic design with its superior black-and-white photography, of which the scar shot was only one example. The problem was that too much of the Chess material had been out of print for too long, and the new generations of blues fans were hardly satisfied by the stingy serving of tracks the producers served up, even if it came wrapped in film noir trappings. The series miscalculated what the public actually wanted out of record companies in terms of reissue material, which would be lavish double-album sets loaded with information and sold at a discount.

This trend would begin quickly after Chess had already started its black-and-white series of single albums; the company quickly rendered them all obsolete by rushing out its own series of double-record sets. Take a good look at the song titles on this record, that is, if one can still see them. The text was printed in a small white typeface on top of a black background, and the printing over the years suffered from a kind of disappearing effect.

The album consists of a combination of songs that were huge hits for this artist, such as "Mellow Down Easy," "Roller Coaster," and "Nobody But You," combined with other performances that the producers thought were especially worthwhile. It is a well-sequenced effort, mastered powerfully, but the songs might as well have been chosen at random. None of the dozens of previously unreleased Little Walter tracks the label had lying around were touched for this project; all of the material here had already seen the light of day and proved its appeal with the blues public. That Little Walter is a brilliant harmonica player and a real innovator in terms of both the amplified sound of the small harp and the use of the chromatic version in blues and R&B is a well-established fact of American musical history.

The relationship he had with his fellow players hasn't gotten as much attention, but as one enjoys these tracks, it is easy to feel the strength of Little Walter as a bandleader. He comes up with inventive devices within the familiar blues structures and is, in fact, one of the music's most ingenious arrangers of the electric blues combo sound. Like the airlines are fond of saying, consumers have a lot of choices when it comes to Little Walter material. The window-seat view of the scar might be an acquired taste, but musically this is a smooth ride all the way. /Eugene Chadbourne, AllMusic

Hate To See You Go mc
Hate To See You Go zippy

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Various Artists - The Original Blue & Lonesome

Year: 2017
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:32
Size: 165,8 MB
Styles: Blues/R&B
Scans: Full

1. Little Walter - Just Your Fool (2:23)
2. Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby (3:07)
3. Little Walter - Blue And Lonesome (2:55)
4. Magic Sam - All Of Your Love (2:54)
5. Little Walter - I Gotta Go (2:41)
6. Jimmy Reed - Little Rain (3:08)
7. Eddie Taylor - Ride 'Em On Down (2:57)
8. Little Walter - Hate To See You Go (3:05)
9. Lightnin' Slim - Hoo Doo Blues (2:20)
10. Howlin' Wolf - Just Like I Treat You (2:58)
11. Dale Hawkins - Susie Q (Bonus) (2:14)
12. Chuck Berry - Around And Around (Bonus) (2:39)
13. Arthur Alexander - You Better Move On (Bonus) (2:44)
14. Muddy Waters - Look What You've Done (Bonus) (2:23)
15. Howlin' Wolf - The Red Rooster (Bonus) (2:26)
16. Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller (Bonus) (2:14)
17. Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee (Bonus) (3:01)
18. Gene Allison - You Can Make It If You Try (Bonus) (2:08)
19. Chuck Berry - Carol (Bonus) (2:48)
20. Bob & Earl - Harlem Shuffle (Bonus) (2:48)
21. Larry Williams - She Said Yeah (Bonus) (1:50)
22. Solomon Burke - Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (Bonus) (2:50)
23. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Not Fade Away (Bonus) (2:20)
24. Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy (Bonus) (2:56)
25. Jimmy Reed - Honest I Do (Bonus) (2:45)
26. Bo Diddley - Mona (Bonus) (2:22)
27. Robert Johnson - Love In Vain Blues (Bonus) (2:22)

When the Rolling Stones' first new release in 11 years turned out to be an all vintage blues album some fans were a bit dismayed, but it was a natural, almost inevitable, move.

After all, the Stones began life as a blues band and they have supported its originators - sharing stages with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Etta James - and up held the blues as a key inspiration throughout their career.

With Blue & Lonesome, they celebrated the genre by taking on some key post-war blues classics and here we have compiled the original recordings by the artists who introduced the songs. /Excerpt from the liner notes by Jonny Whiteside

The Original Blue & Lonesome mc
The Original Blue & Lonesome zippy

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Little Walter - Blues With A Feeling (Chess Collectibles Vol. 3) (2-Disc Set)

Blues with a Feeling is a two-CD, 40-track compilation which makes the perfect audio bookend to The Essential Little Walter (or the single disc The Best of Little Walter for those on a budget) by systematically combing the Chess vaults and rounding up the best stuff. No bottom-of-the-barrel scrapings here; this compilation effectively renders all '70s Euro vinyl bootlegs null and void, both from a sound and selection standpoint. While not as exhaustive as the European nine-CD retrospective (in and out of print as of this writing), there are still things on this compilation that are left off the box set on Charly. The rarities (including the low down "Tonight with a Fool," possibly the rarest Walter Checker single of all and one whose title never shows up in the lyrics) are all noteworthy by their inclusion. But the alternate takes are the real mother lode here; everyone of 'em has got some kind of major screw-up to 'em while showing Walter's penchant for putting a new spin on a tune every time the engineer hit the record button. Like Charles Brown's "Drifting Blues," where he decides to start up his solo by playing the bump and grind part from "Night Train," leaving the entire band in the dust trying to figure out what changes to play once Walter changes his mind, or "Blues with a Feeling," where halfway through his solo the chord on Walter's harp mike unexplainably shorts out, just crackling away like a bowl of Rice Krispies. Or "You're Sweet," where he mangles the first line of the vocal ("you sweet, as any apple on a fruit") thus immediately relegating it to the unissued file, regardless of how great the solo in the middle is. By far the most interesting instrumental here is the previously unissued "That's It" (formerly only a discographical sighting) where Walter honks mind-altering stuff that I've never heard him do anywhere else on record. The alternate of "My Babe" doesn't sound anything like the hit version, making it another minor revelation while the storming uptempo reading of "Going Down Slow" -- with the track fueled by a particularly nasty riff courtesy of Robert Jr. Lockwood, whose acerbic comments punctuate the liner notes throughout -- is a prime candidate for the repeat button mode on the CD player, featuring the groove from Hell that refuses to abate.

Bottom line is, this is one very cool release that even I've-heard-it-all-before hardliners are gonna want to add to their collection. Little Walter was a blues genius and once you've absorbed the influential hits, here's exactly where you go next to get the rest of the story. ~Cub Koda

Album: Blues With A Feeling (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:21
Size: 133.6 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Harmonica blues
Year: 1995

[2:55] 1. Juke (Alternate Take)
[2:49] 2. Can't Hold Out Much Longer
[2:57] 3. Blue Midnight
[2:57] 4. Fast Boogie (Alternate 3)
[3:26] 5. Driftin'
[2:51] 6. Tonight With A Fool
[3:10] 7. That's It
[2:54] 8. Blues With A Feeling (Alternate)
[3:05] 9. My Kind Of Baby
[2:30] 10. Last Boogie
[3:05] 11. Come Back Baby
[2:30] 12. I Love You So Bad
[2:45] 13. Big Leg Mama
[3:18] 14. Mercy Babe
[2:46] 15. Thunderbird
[2:59] 16. Crazy For My Baby
[2:46] 17. Can't Stop Lovin' You
[2:24] 18. Who
[3:04] 19. Flying Saucer
[2:59] 20. Teenage Beat

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Album: Blues With A Feeling (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:58
Size: 123.5 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Harmonica blues
Year: 1995
Art: Front & Back

[2:13] 1. Temperature (Alternate 1)
[2:43] 2. Shake Dancer
[2:53] 3. Ah'w Baby (Alternate)
[2:28] 4. Rock Bottom
[2:46] 5. You Gonna Be Sorry (Someday Baby)
[2:01] 6. Baby
[2:49] 7. My Baby Is Sweeter (Alternate)
[1:59] 8. Crazy Mixed Up World
[2:15] 9. Worried Life (Alternate)
[2:13] 10. Mean Old Frisco
[3:04] 11. Everything's Gonna Be Allright
[2:54] 12. One Of These Mornings
[4:48] 13. Blue And Lonesome (Altenate)
[2:30] 14. Me And Piney Brown
[2:25] 15. Break It Up
[2:54] 16. Going Down Slow
[2:57] 17. You're Sweet
[2:22] 18. You Don't Know
[2:51] 19. I'm A Businessman
[2:45] 20. Chicken Shack

Blues With A Feeling

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Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter - The Chicago Super Blues Revisited: Singles As & Bs 1961-1962

Year: 2017
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:22
Size: 163,5 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Muddy Waters - Lonesome Room Blues (3:03)
2. Muddy Waters - Messin' With The Man (2:20)
3. Muddy Waters - Tough Times (2:27)
4. Muddy Waters - Going Home (3:03)
5. Muddy Waters - Muddy Waters Twist (1:52)
6. Muddy Waters - You Shook Me (2:44)
7. Muddy Waters - You Need Love (2:46)
8. Muddy Waters - Little Brown Bird (3:12)
9. Howlin' Wolf - Back Door Man (2:50)
10. Howlin' Wolf - Wang-Dang-Doodle (2:25)
11. Howlin' Wolf - Down In The Bottom (2:35)
12. Howlin' Wolf - Little Baby (2:44)
13. Howlin' Wolf - The Red Rooster (2:28)
14. Howlin' Wolf - Shake For Me (2:16)
15. Howlin' Wolf - Goin' Down Slow (4:03)
16. Howlin' Wolf - You'll Be Mine (2:28)
17. Howlin' Wolf - Just Like I Treat You (2:58)
18. Howlin' Wolf - I Ain't Superstitious (2:54)
19. Howlin' Wolf - Mama's Baby (2:10)
20. Howlin' Wolf - Do The Do (2:13)
21. Little Walter - I Don't Play (2:20)
22. Little Walter - As Long As I Have You (2:40)
23. Little Walter - Crazy Legs (3:23)
24. Little Walter - Crazy For My Baby (3:02)
25. Little Walter - Just Your Fool (2:25)
26. Little Walter - I Got To Find My Baby (2:49)

"The Chicago Super Blues Revisited" is Jasmine's homage to the two superb albums "Super Blues" and "The Super Super Blues Band", which contained these great bluesmen playing together. Here the concept is different as these three giants of Chicago blues are not performing together but what is presented are both sides of their 45s released after Jasmine's respective previous releases.

These artists personify the Chicago blues and this collection of marvellous recordings catches them before global fame took them to greater heights. Features "You Shook Me", "You Need Love", "Wang-Dang-Doodle", "I Ain't Superstitious" and many more superb songs that influenced the UK blues boom.

The Chicago Super Blues Revisited mc
The Chicago Super Blues Revisited zippy

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Various Artists - Lonesome & Blue: The Original Versions

Year: 2017
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:53
Size: 100,0 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Little Walter - Just Your Fool (2:24)
2. Memphis Slim - Blue And Lonesome (2:56)
3. Magic Sam - All Your Love (aka All Of Your Love) (2:55)
4. Little Walter - I Got To Go (2:42)
5. Eddie Taylor - Ride 'Em On Down (2:55)
6. Little Walter - Hate To See You Go (2:18)
7. Lightnin' Slim - Hoo Doo Blues (2:21)
8. Jimmy Reed - Little Rain (3:10)
9. Howlin' Wolf - Just Like I Treat You (2:57)
10. Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby (3:05)
11. Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You (Bonus) (2:50)
12. Chuck Berry - Come On (Bonus) (1:49)
13. Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee (Bonus) (3:02)
14. Dale Hawkins - Susie Q (Bonus) (2:20)
15. Marvin Gaye - Hitch Hike (Bonus) (2:35)
16. Howlin' Wolf - Little Red Rooster (Bonus) (2:25)

The original versions of songs that inspired the Rolling Stones on their latest album, Blue & Lonesome, along with six bonus tracks: originals covered by the band earlier in their catalog. The Stones' versions of Muddy Waters' "I Just Want To Make Love To You" and Slim Harpo's "I'm A King Bee" appeared on England's Newest Hit Makers, Chuck Berry's "Come On" on their debut single, Dale Hawkins' "Susie Q" on 12 X 5, Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike" on Out of Our Heads, and Howlin' Wolf's "Little Red Rooster" on their second no. 1 single.

Lonesome & Blue: The Original Versions mc
Lonesome & Blue: The Original Versions zippy

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Willie Dixon/Muddy Waters - Python: Snakebite III

Year: 2009
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:09
Size: 119,2 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Little Walter - My Babe (2:39)
2. The Big Three Trio - Violent Love (2:20)
3. Eddie Boyd - Third Degree (3:13)
4. Willie Mabon - Seventh Son (2:51)
5. Willie Dixon - Crazy For My Baby (2:49)
6. Willie Dixon - Pain In My Heart (3:17)
7. Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (2:44)
8. Howlin' Wolf - Evil (2:52)
9. Little Walter - Mellow Down Easy (2:40)
10. Jimmy Witherspoon - When The Lights Go Out (2:49)
11. Muddy Waters - Young Fashioned Ways (2:58)
12. Bo Diddley - Pretty Thing (2:49)
13. Muddy Waters - I'm Ready (3:01)
14. Lowell Fulson - Do Me Right (2:53)
15. Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You (2:52)
16. Lowell Fulson - Tollin' Bells (3:04)
17. Willie Dixon - 29 Ways (2:08)
18. Willie Dixon - Walking The Blues (3:01)

The first two volumes of the Snakebite series highlighted the work and contribution that Willie Dixon made in setting up the Cobra label at Jewel Paul after he left Chess Records. As a prequel to this we present a collection of material written by Willie Dixon for himself and other artists such as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Witherspoon and Bo Diddley amongst others.

Python: Snakebite III mc
Python: Snakebite III zippy

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The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue - Command Performance

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:31
Size: 175.2 MB
Styles: Soul-blues, Urban blues, R&B
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[4:21] 1. Can't You See
[7:03] 2. I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On
[2:31] 3. Whammer Jammer
[7:20] 4. Still The Girl In The Band
[7:36] 5. See You Hurt No More
[3:52] 6. If It Ain't Me
[6:18] 7. If I Had A Nickel
[6:14] 8. Will It Go Round In Circles
[7:39] 9. She's Nineteen Years Old
[4:14] 10. Tell Me Mama
[6:02] 11. Looking For A Love
[9:22] 12. High On The Hog
[3:54] 13. Sea Cruise

The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue is a dynamic collaboration of talent that features the Tommy Castro Band along with an all-star lineup that includes pianist, saxophonist, singer/songwriter Deanna Bogart, Ronnie Baker Brooks, the son of legendary bluesman Lonnie Brooks, and Magic Dick, who is best known for his many years as the harmonica man in the J. Geils Band. This live recording spotlights many of the highlights of their recent tour on the highly regarded Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

Command Performance

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Little Walter - The Complete Checker Singles As & Bs 1952-60

Size: 168,6+168,3 MB
Time: 71:28+71:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Harmonica Blues, Rockin' Blues, R&B
Art: Front

CD1:
01. Juke (With The Night Cats) (2:42)
02. Can't Hold Out Much Longer (With The Night Cats) (2:58)
03. Mean Old World (With The Night Cats) (2:52)
04. Sad Hours (With The Night Cats) (3:09)
05. Don't Have To Hunt No More (2:59)
06. Tonight With A Fool (2:50)
07. Off The Wall (With The Night Cats) (2:47)
08. Tell Me Mama (With The Night Cats) (2:43)
09. Blues With A Feeling (With The Jukes) (3:04)
10. Quarter To Twelve (With The Jukes) (3:10)
11. Lights Out (With The Jukes) (2:43)
12. You're So Fine (With The Jukes) (3:02)
13. Rocker (With The Jukes) (3:03)
14. Oh Baby (With The Jukes) (2:43)
15. You Better Watch Yourself (With The Jukes) (3:02)
16. Blue Lights (With The Jukes) (3:12)
17. Last Night (With The Jukes) (2:42)
18. Mellow Down Easy (With The Jukes) (2:40)
19. My Babe (With The Jukes) (2:39)
20. Thunderbird (With The Jukes) (2:46)
21. Roller Coaster (With The Jukes) (2:51)
22. I Got To Go (With The Jukes) (2:39)
23. Too Late (With The Jukes) (2:37)
24. Come Back Baby (With The Jukes) (3:02)
25. Who (With The Jukes) (2:21)

CD 2:
01. It Ain't Right (With The Jukes) (2:51)
02. One More Chance With You (With The Jukes) (2:51)
03. Flying Saucer (With The Jukes) (3:00)
04. Teenage Beat (With The Jukes) (2:59)
05. Just A Feeling (With The Jukes) (2:52)
06. It's Too Late Brother (With The Jukes) (2:39)
07. Take Me Back (With The Jukes) (3:03)
08. Nobody But You (With The Jukes) (2:04)
09. Everybody Needs Somebody (With The Jukes) (2:51)
10. Boom, Boom Out Goes The Lights (With The Jukes) (2:47)
11. Temperature (With The Jukes) (2:38)
12. The Toddle (2:34)
13. Confessin' The Blues (3:01)
14. Key To The Highway (With The Jukes) (2:43)
15. Rock Bottom (With The Jukes) (2:15)
16. My Baby's Sweeter (2:26)
17. Crazy Mixed Up World (1:58)
18. Everything's Gonna Be Alright (2:48)
19. Back Track (2:47)
20. Me And Piney Brown (2:30)
21. Break It Up (2:24)
22. Ah'w Baby (2:51)
23. I've Had My Fun (1:59)
24. My Babe (1960 Version) (2:30)
25. Blue Midnight (3:00)
26. I Don't Play (2:17)
27. Just Your Fool (2:22)

Little Walter Jacobs was blues harmonica player, singer, songwriter and occasional guitarist who revolutionised the way that the harmonica was played and recorded, bringing a new dimension to the blues during the 1950s. He was one of the first artists to amplify his harmonica by holding it to a microphone and maybe the first artist on any instrument deliberately to use electronic distortion as part of his range of sounds. He was a member of Muddy Waters band, appearing on many of his records during the 1950s, but from 1952 recorded for the Chess subsidiary Checker, his releases regularly featuring a harmonica-led instrumental on one side and a vocal performance on the others. He scored an R&B No. 1 with his first solo single Juke, and another one a few years later with what became a staple of blues bands the world over My Babe. Little Walter became the only harmonica player to be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame. This great value 52-track collection, comprises all of his Checker A & B sides from 1952 to 1960 plus two bonus tracks from 1961 and 1962, and includes all of his 15 R&B chart hits.

The Complete Checker Singles As & Bs 1952-60 CD 1
The Complete Checker Singles As & Bs 1952-60 CD 2

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Otis Rush - Natural Man / I Can't Quit You Baby: The Cobra Sessions 1956-1958

Album: Natural Man
Size: 174,1 MB
Time: 76:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1986
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Warm Up Instrumental (7:11)
02. Lonely Man (4:03)
03. Love Is Just A Gamble (9:05)
04. Natural Ball (5:39)
05. Right Place Wrong Time (7:16)
06. Mean Old World (5:25)
07. You Don't Love Me (3:53)
08. Crosscut Saw (Feat. Eric Clapton) (7:04)
09. Double Trouble (Feat. Eric Clapton) (5:27)
10. All Your Love (Feat. Eric Clapton) (7:11)
11. Natural Man (Feat. Eric Clapton & Luther Allison) (9:08)
12. Caldonia (Feat. Eric Clapton & Luther Allison) (4:35)

Recorded Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 7 July 1986.

Breaking into the R&B Top Ten his very first time out in 1956 with the startlingly intense slow blues "I Can't Quit You Baby," southpaw guitarist Otis Rush subsequently established himself as one of the premier bluesmen on the Chicago circuit. Rush is often credited with being one of the architects of the West side guitar style, along with Magic Sam and Buddy Guy. It's a nebulous honor, since Rush played clubs on Chicago's South side just as frequently during the sound's late-'50s incubation period. Nevertheless, his esteemed status as a prime Chicago innovator is eternally assured by the ringing, vibrato-enhanced guitar work that remains his stock in trade and a tortured, super-intense vocal delivery that can force the hairs on the back of your neck upwards in silent salute. If talent alone were the formula for widespread success, Rush would certainly have been Chicago's leading blues artist. But fate, luck, and the guitarist's own idiosyncrasies conspired to hold him back on several occasions when opportunity was virtually begging to be accepted.

Rush came to Chicago in 1948, met Muddy Waters, and knew instantly what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. The omnipresent Willie Dixon caught Rush's act and signed him to Eli Toscano's Cobra Records in 1956. The frighteningly intense "I Can't Quit You Baby" was the maiden effort for both artist and label, streaking to number six on Billboard's R&B chart. His 1956-1958 Cobra legacy is a magnificent one, distinguished by the Dixon-produced minor-key masterpieces "Double Trouble" and "My Love Will Never Die," the tough-as-nails "Three Times a Fool" and "Keep on Loving Me Baby," and the rhumba-rocking classic "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)." Rush apparently dashed off the latter tune in the car en route to Cobra's West Roosevelt Road studios, where he would cut it with the nucleus of Ike Turner's combo.

After Cobra closed up shop, Rush's recording fortunes mostly floundered. He followed Dixon over to Chess in 1960, cutting another classic (the stunning "So Many Roads, So Many Trains") before moving on to Duke (one solitary single, 1962's "Homework"), Vanguard, and Cotillion (there he cut the underrated Mike Bloomfield-Nick Gravenites-produced 1969 album Mourning in the Morning, with yeoman help from the house rhythm section in Muscle Shoals). Typical of Rush's horrendous luck was the unnerving saga of his Right Place, Wrong Time album. Laid down in 1971 for Capitol Records, the giant label inexplicably took a pass on the project despite its obvious excellence. It took another five years for the set to emerge on the tiny Bullfrog label, blunting Rush's momentum once again (the album is now available on HighTone). An uneven but worthwhile 1975 set for Delmark, Cold Day in Hell, and a host of solid live albums that mostly sound very similar kept Rush's gilt-edged name in the marketplace to some extent during the '70s and '80s, a troubling period for the legendary southpaw.

In 1986, he walked out on an expensive session for Rooster Blues (Louis Myers, Lucky Peterson, and Casey Jones were among the assembled sidemen), complaining that his amplifier didn't sound right and thereby scuttling the entire project. Alligator picked up the rights to an album he had done overseas for Sonet originally called Troubles, Troubles. It turned out to be a prophetic title: much to Rush's chagrin, the firm overdubbed keyboardist Lucky Peterson and chopped out some masterful guitar work when it reissued the set as Lost in the Blues in 1991.

Finally, in 1994, the career of this Chicago blues legend began traveling in the right direction. Ain't Enough Comin' In, his first studio album in 16 years, was released on Mercury and ended up topping many blues critics' year-end lists. Produced spotlessly by John Porter with a skin-tight band, Rush roared a set of nothing but covers, but did them all his way, his blistering guitar consistently to the fore.

Once again, a series of personal problems threatened to end Rush's long-overdue return to national prominence before it got off the ground. But he's been in top-notch form in recent years, fronting a tight band that's entirely sympathetic to the guitarist's sizzling approach. Rush signed with the House of Blues' fledgling record label, instantly granting that company a large dose of credibility and setting himself up for another career push. It still may not be too late for Otis Rush to assume his rightful throne as Chicago's blues king. After another decade performing and recording albums, Live and in Concert from San Fransisco was released in 2006. ~by Bill Dahl

Natural Man

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Album: I Can't Quit You Baby
Size: 174,1 MB
Time: 76:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1986
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front & Back

1. I Can't Quit You Baby (3:07)
2. Sit Down Baby (2:20)
3. Violent Love (2:25)
4. My Love Will Never Die (3:06)
5. Groaning The Blues (3:04)
6. If You Were Mine (3:06)
7. Love That Woman (3:00)
8. Jump Sister Bessie (2:34)
9. Three Times A Fool (2:50)
10. She's A Good 'un (2:49)
11. It Takes Time (2:49)
12. Checking On My Baby (2:56)
13. Double Trouble (2:43)
14. Keep On Loving Me Baby (2:20)
15. All Your Love (I Miss Loving) (2:38)
16. My Baby's A Good 'Un (2:40)
17. I Can't Quit You Baby (Alternate Take) (3:36)
18. I Can't Quit You Baby (Alternate Take #3) (3:33)
19. Sit Down Baby (Alternate Take) (2:18)
20. My Love Will Never Die (Alternate Take) (3:07)
21. Groaning The Blues (Alternate Take) (3:48)
22. Groaning The Blues (Alternate Take #3) (2:42)
23. Three Times A Fool (Alternate Take) (2:58)
24. She's A Good 'Un (Alternate Take #4) (3:16)
25. Keep On Loving Me Baby (Alternate Take) (1:36)
26. Double Trouble (Alternate Take) (3:35)
27. Double Trouble (Alternate Take #3) (3:37)

Personnel:
Otis Rush,: guitar, vocals
Shakey Horton: harmonica
Red Holloway: tenor sax
Lafayette Leake: piano
Wayne Bennett: guitar
Willie Dixon, bass
Al Duncan: drums
Little Walter: harmonica

The title says it all. This is the essential Otis Rush, the singles recorded for Eli Toscano's Cobra label between 1956 and 1958. If Rush had never recorded another note, his legendary status would remain intact based solely on these recordings. With backing from players like Willie Dixon and Little Walter, it's Rush's impassioned vocals and stinging guitar lines that make "I Can't Quit You Baby," "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)," and "Double Trouble" the classics they are. In addition to the A- and B-sides of all eight singles released by Cobra, eight alternate takes are included, four more than the Paula edition of this material released in 1991. Along with a slightly better transfer from the original tapes, this is not only one of the best places to start for someone getting interested in the blues, but a vital part of any blues collection. Outstanding. ~by Sean Westergaard

I Can't Quit You Baby: The Cobra Sessions 1956-1958

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Various Artists - Harp Blues

Year: 1999
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:15
Size: 161,2 MB
Styles: Harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Papa George Lightfoot - Wine, Women, Whiskey (2:15)
2. Jimmy Rogers w. Big Walter Horton - Walking By Myself (2:49)
3. Doctor Ross - Chicago Breakdown (2:56)
4. Sonny Boy Williamson - Ninety Nine (2:40)
5. Jerry 'Boogie' McCain - Steady (1:57)
6. Cousin Leroy - Up The River (2:45)
7. Little Junior Parker - Sweet Home Chicago (2:47)
8. Sammy Myers - Sleeping In The Ground (2:38)
9. Shy Guy Douglas - Monkey Doin' Woman (2:38)
10. Jimmy Reed - Found Love (2:22)
11. Little Walter & His Jukes - Roller Coaster (2:55)
12. Frank Frost - Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (2:40)
13. Junior Wells - All Night Long (Rock Me Baby) (3:48)
14. Eddie Hope & The Manish Boys - A Fool No More (2:23)
15. Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' Wolf Boogie (2:39)
16. Shakey Horton - Need My Baby (2:18)
17. Little Willie Foster - Little Girl (2:33)
18. Sonny Boy Williamson - Bring Another Half Pint (3:06)
19. Billy Boy - I Ain't Got You (2:15)
20. Jimmy & Walter - Easy (I Almost Lost My Mind) (3:01)
21. Chicago Sunny Boy (Joe Hill Louis) - Western Union Man (3:10)
22. Shy Guy Douglas - What's This I Hear? (2:59)
23. James Cotton - Rocket 88 (2:05)
24. George 'Harmonica' Smith - West Helena Blues (3:37)
25. Snooky Pryor - Boogie Twist (2:46)

It's hard to think of another musical instrument that is so closely associated with the blues as the humble harmonica or "harp". Since the 1920s - one hundred years after its invention - blues musicians have taken advantage of its low cost, volume and portability and have made some of the most influential of 20th century music. In the hands of early masters like DeFord Bailey and Jaybird Coleman the harp rose above its earlier status of a simple novelty instrument, while Jazz Gillum and John Lee "Sonny Boy #1" Williamson helped to define the sound of post-war blues bands. From the early 1950s, the harmonica became a key component of the blues almost entirely due to the recordings of the musicians on this compilation.

A quick glance at the track listing reveals that just about every post-war harmonica player of note is here together with some rather more (undeservedly) obscure names. (No Sonny Terry, you say? Well, he's blowing on Cousin Leroy's "Up The River"). Legendary figures rub shoulders with rather less familiar names. To the initiated, however, Eddie Hope's "A Fool No More", Papa Lightfoot's "Wine, Women And Whiskey" and Little Willy Foster's "Little Girl" are long-time classics. Legendary Sun recordings like Jimmy (de Berry) & Walter (Horton)'s "Easy" and Dr Ross' "Chicago Breakdown" are interspersed with masterpieces from the Chess studios by Little Walter ("Juke") and Jimmy Rogers ("If It Ain't Me") and Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Champion Jack Dupree, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley and Eddie Taylor are among the accompanists. Recorded between 1947 and 1968, this collection includes several of the greatest examples of harp blues ever recorded.

Harp Blues mc
Harp Blues zippy

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Various - Blues Rock & Roll

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 80:18
Size: 183.9 MB
Styles: Assorted styles
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. Luther Allison - Someday Pretty Baby
[4:09] 2. Howlin' Wolf - I Ain't Superstitious
[3:13] 3. John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - Hide Away
[5:26] 4. B.B. King - Let The Good Times Roll
[2:30] 5. Chuck Berry - Rock & Roll Music
[4:50] 6. Lucky Peterson - Up From The Skies
[2:39] 7. Little Walter - My Babe
[2:50] 8. Susan Tedeschi - You Got The Silver
[4:31] 9. Robben Ford & The Blue Line - He Don't Play Nothin' But The Blues
[4:29] 10. Howlin' Wolf - Wang Dang Doodle
[2:48] 11. Willie Dixon - Crazy For My Baby
[2:48] 12. Bo Diddley - Pretty Thing
[2:27] 13. Billy Young - Have Pity On Me
[3:06] 14. Big Maybelle - Don't Pass Me By
[3:40] 15. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Blues Power
[5:31] 16. John Lee Hooker - I'm Bad Like Jesse James
[4:13] 17. Jonny Lang - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
[2:20] 18. Etta James - Tell Mama
[2:12] 19. Johnny Nash - Love Ain't Nothin' (But A Monkey On Your Back)
[2:47] 20. Juke Boy Bonner - Lonesome Ride Back Home
[3:37] 21. Joe Louis Walker - My Real Fantasy
[2:50] 22. Buddy Guy - Let Me Love You Baby
[4:32] 23. John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - They Call It Stormy Monday

The blues form was first popularized about 1911-14 by the black composer W.C. Handy (1873-1958). However, the poetic and musical form of the blues first crystallized around 1910 and gained popularity through the publication of Handy's "Memphis Blues" (1912) and "St. Louis Blues" (1914). Instrumental blues had been recorded as early as 1913. During the twenties, the blues became a national craze. Mamie Smith recorded the first vocal blues song, 'Crazy Blues' in 1920. The Blues influence on jazz brought it into the mainstream and made possible the records of blues singers like Bessie Smith and later, in the thirties, Billie Holiday.The Blues are the essence of the African American laborer, whose spirit is wed to these songs, reflecting his inner soul to all who will listen. Rhythm and Blues, is the cornerstone of all forms of African American music.

Many of Memphis' best Blues artists left the city at the time, when Mayor "Boss" Crump shut down Beale Street to stop the prostitution, gambling, and cocaine trades, effectively eliminating the musicians, and entertainers' jobs, as these businesses closed their doors. The Blues migrated to Chicago, where it became electrified, and Detroit. In northern cities like Chicago and Detroit, during the later forties and early fifties, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James among others, played what was basically Mississippi Delta blues, backed by bass, drums, piano and occasionally harmonica, and began scoring national hits with blues songs. At about the same time, T-Bone Walker in Houston and B.B. King in Memphis were pioneering a style of guitar playing that combined jazz technique with the blues tonality and repertoire.

Meanwhile, back in Memphis, B.B. King invented the concept of lead guitar, now standard in today's Rock bands. Bukka White (cousin to B.B. King), Leadbelly, and Son House, left Country Blues to create the sounds most of us think of today as traditional unamplified Blues. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Wyonnie Harris, and Big Mama Thorton wrote and preformed the songs that would make a young Elvis Presley world renown.

In the early nineteen-sixties, the urban bluesmen were "discovered" by young white American and European musicians. Many of these blues-based bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Canned Heat, and Fleetwood Mac, brought the blues to young white audiences, something the black blues artists had been unable to do in America except through the purloined white cross-over covers of black rhythm and blues songs. Since the sixties, rock has undergone several blues revivals. Some rock guitarists, such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen have used the blues as a foundation for offshoot styles. While the originators like John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins and B.B. King--and their heirs Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and later Eric Clapton and the late Roy Buchanan, among many others, continued to make fantastic music in the blues tradition. The latest generation of blues players like Robert Cray and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others, as well as gracing the blues tradition with their incredible technicality, have drawn a new generation listeners to the blues.

Blues Rock & Roll mc
Blues Rock & Roll zippy

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