Silas Hogan - Trouble: The Best Of The Excello Masters

Size: 160,4 MB
Time: 67:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Louisiana Blues
Art: Full

01. I'm Gonna Quit You Pretty Baby (2:24)
02. Trouble At Home Blues (2:27)
03. You're Too Late Baby (2:09)
04. Airport Blues (2:37)
05. Go On Pretty Baby (2:22)
06. Here They Are Again (2:38)
07. Lonesome La La (2:10)
08. Roamin' Woman Blues (2:43)
09. I'm Goin' In The Valley (2:05)
10. Everybody Needs Somebody (2:35)
11. Just Give Me A Chance (2:24)
12. Dark Clouds Rollin' (2:48)
13. Early One Morning (2:53)
14. I'm In Love With You Baby (2:19)
15. More Touble At Home (3:06)
16. Sittin' Here Wondering (3:05)
17. So Glad (2:20)
18. Every Saturday Night (2:26)
19. Baby Please Come Back To Me (2:51)
20. If I Ever Needed You Baby (3:01)
21. Out And Down Blues (2:54)
22. So Long Blues (3:04)
23. Lonesome La La (Alternate Version) (2:22)
24. I'm In Love With You Baby (Alternate Version) (2:27)
25. Sittin' Here Wondering (Alternate Version) (3:05)
26. I'm Goin' In The Valley (Alternate Version) (2:07)

This 26-track single-disc retrospective may not have every last alternate take extant on it, but you'll never need a better compilation mirroring Hogan's stay at the label. "Trouble At Home Blues," "I'm Gonna Quit You Pretty Baby" and "Here They Are Again" are just about as low down as Louisiana swamp blues gets and Jay Miller's studio sorcery is clearly on hand. ~AMG

Trouble MP3
Trouble FLAC

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Various - Louisiana Swamp Blues (Vols 5 & 6)

Album: Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 5
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:56
Size: 112.1 MB
Styles: Louisiana blues, Delta blues
Year: 1998/2015
Art: Front

[3:14] 1. Larry Garner - Kleptomaniac
[4:54] 2. Larry Garner - Pms
[9:05] 3. Larry Garner - Shut It Down
[2:29] 4. Cora Jefferson - I'm In The Mood
[2:44] 5. Cora Jefferson - Come To Me
[4:06] 6. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - 'long About Midnight
[3:31] 7. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - Voodoo Party
[3:12] 8. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - Louisiana Woman
[3:20] 9. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - Big Fat Woman
[3:13] 10. Tootsie - County Jail
[3:05] 11. Rudi Richard - Big Mamou
[2:57] 12. Silas Hogan - Let Me Be Your Hatchet
[3:03] 13. Silas Hogan - Ain't It Sad

Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 5 mc
Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 5 zippy

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Album: Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 6
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:07
Size: 110.2 MB
Styles: Louisiana blues
Year: 1999/2015
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Silas Hogan - Dark Clouds Rollin'
[2:44] 2. Silas Hogan - I'm A Free Hearted Man
[2:53] 3. Silas Hogan - You're Too Late Baby
[3:05] 4. Silas Hogan - Hoo-Doo Blues
[2:50] 5. Silas Hogan - Ain't It A Shame
[3:04] 6. Silas Hogan - Mr. Charlie
[3:04] 7. Silas Hogan - Lonesome La La
[3:03] 8. Silas Hogan - My Starter Won't Start
[2:46] 9. Silas Hogan - Rats And Roaches In My Kitchen
[3:06] 10. Silas Hogan - Bad Little Puppy
[2:30] 11. Silas Hogan - Airport Blues
[3:00] 12. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - Kelly's Boogie
[2:48] 13. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - Good Morning Heartache
[5:50] 14. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - I Got A Funny Feeling
[4:27] 15. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - Poor Man

Silas Hogan (vocals, guitar); Arthur "Guitar" Kelly, Bruce Lamb, Julian Piper (guitar); Oskar "Harpo" Davis (harmonica); David Carroll (bass); Sam Hogan (drums).

This 1988 session in Baton Rogue finds Hogan surrounded by a band that includes his son Sam on both drums and guitar, unobtrusive guitar support from producer Julian Piper and Bruce Lamb, and effective harmonica from Oscar "Harpo" Davis. As Hogan blasts through a stack of old Excello tunes by Lightnin' Slim, as well as re-cuts of his own material, he's guest starred by the appearance of Arthur "Guitar" Kelley, who sings and plays on the last four tracks. This is a nice, understated session with two tracks cut in 1990 that proves that the 'Excello sound' was still alive and well headed into the '90s. ~ Cub Koda

Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 6 mc
Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 6 zippy

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Various - Louisiana Swamp Blues (Vols 1&2 of 6)

Album: Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 1: Live At Tabby's Blues Box
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:17
Size: 128.8 MB
Styles: Louisiana blues
Year: 1995/2015
Art: Front

[3:39] 1. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - Lord, Oh Lord
[2:54] 2. Silas Hogan - I'm A Free Hearted Man
[4:09] 3. Silas Hogan - Let Me Be Your Hatchet
[2:55] 4. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - So Close Together
[4:10] 5. Rockin' Tabby Thomas - Long Distance Call
[2:23] 6. Oscar 'Harp' Davis - Baby, What You Want Me To Do
[3:37] 7. Oscar 'Harp' Davis - Caress Me Baby
[3:20] 8. Oscar 'Harp' Davis - Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool
[3:02] 9. Oscar 'Harp' Davis - Rainin' In My Heart
[3:48] 10. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - Diggin' My Potaoes
[5:19] 11. Chris Thomas - Part-Time Love
[4:45] 12. Henry Gray - It Hurts Me Too
[4:32] 13. W.W. Woodfolk - The Stars Are Crying
[4:38] 14. Clarence Edwards - Lonesome Bedroom Blues
[2:59] 15. Clarence Edwards - I'm The One

CHRIS THOMAS & ALFRED JACKSON - gtrs, OSCAR DAVIS - hca, TABBY THOMAS - org, SILAS HOGAN JR. & STEPHEN COLERIDGE - bass, TAMMY THOMAS & RONNIE HOUSTON - drums. Special guests: HENRY GRAY - piano, CLARENCE EDWARDS - gtr/voc, ARTHUR 'GUITAR' KELLEY - gtr, SILAS HOGAN - voc, W.W. WOODFOLK - drums. The sound of the '91 takes is o.k.; the cuts from '87 sound rather poor. The music is fine, though.

Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 1: Live At Tabby's Blues Box mc
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Album: Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:12
Size: 94.3 MB
Styles: Louisiana blues
Year: 1990/2015
Art: Front

[2:26] 1. Jess Kenchin - Big Mamou
[4:01] 2. Jess Kenchin - Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest
[5:29] 3. Jess Kenchin - King Bee
[4:13] 4. Henry Gray - Cold Chills
[2:50] 5. Jess Kenchin - Talkin' About You
[4:38] 6. Jess Kenchin - Bad Luck & Trouble
[3:13] 7. Andrea Curbelo - Tee Ni Nee Na Nu
[4:28] 8. Jess Kenchin - When My First Wife
[2:41] 9. Jess Kenchin - Come On Here
[3:09] 10. Andrea Curbelo - Good For The Goose
[3:58] 11. Andrea Curbelo - Honky Tonk

Dedicated to Slim Harpo, this brief album, recorded in Baton Rouge, LA, in 1990, is a split affair, with blues pianist Henry Gray alternating tracks with guitarist (and accordion player) Rudi Richard in a nifty little swamp blues collection. Although one wishes the two musicians had done some of these songs together, their approach to the blues (different as they are) complement each other well, and the sequence doesn't suffer for this split format. Gray, in particular, has an intriguing sound, adding a certain intangible bayou sensibility to his Chicago piano style, and his rough, everyman vocals on sides like "Talkin' About You" and the self-penned "Gold Chills" carry a degree of authenticity, particularly with Slim Harpo's drummer, Jess Kenchin, pounding away. Richard is less distinctive as a vocalist, but as Harpo's longtime guitarist (he put the guitar sting in "I'm a Kingbee," and if you've heard the song, you know about the sting), he, too, has an authentic claim to this material, and while his version of the bayou chestnut "Tee Ni Nee Na Nu" essentially seems to be by the numbers, his sleek, angular version of "Good for the Goose" is a solid delight. Again, it would have been nice if Gray, Richard, and Kenchin had all worked together on a few of these tracks, but even without that, this set still functions pretty well as a simple and unassuming introduction to Louisiana swamp blues. ~Steve Leggett

Note: Vols 3-6 will be posted over the next few days.

Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 2 mc
Louisiana Swamp Blues Vol 2 zippy

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VA - Louisiana Blues 1970

Size: 111,3 MB
Time: 47:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1970/1997
Styles: Louisiana Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Henry Gray - The Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest (4:11)
02. Henry Gray - Lucky, Lucky Man (1:53)
03. Guitar Kelley - If I Ever Get Back Home (4:47)
04. Guitar Kelley - Talk To Me Baby (3:53)
05. Guitar Kelley - I Got A Funny Feeling (5:00)
06. Whispering Smith - I Love You Baby (3:51)
07. Silas Hogan - Run Around Blues (5:07)
08. Silas Hogan - Rats And Roaches In My Kitchen (3:12)
09. Henry Gray - Cold Chills (3:09)
10. Clarence Edwards - Hear That Rumbling (2:52)
11. Clarence Edwards - How Many More Years (3:30)
12. Whispering Smith - On The Dark Road Crying (5:59)

This CD is part of Arhoolie's special "Mid-Price Series." This takes a closer look at the Baton Rouge area that gave us country blues artists like Robert Pete Williams, Butch Cage, Hogman Maxey and more. Here are the most recent bluesmen in that tradition, going back at most thirty years. The additions of electricity and drums give the music a comparatively modern feel. But, the voice is still the same as that of the ancient jukejoint entertainer. Lightning Slim probably let the first wave of this new central Louisiana sound. The artists covered on this largely remote and sad sounding twelve-track disc are Henry Gray, Guitar Kelley (his recording debut), Whipsering Smith, Silas Hogan and Clarence Edwards. Comprehensive artists fit the music specifically and generally into the deep south blues scheme. ~by Tom Schulte

Louisiana Blues

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VA - Swamp Blues

Size: 182,4 MB
Time: 76:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Louisiana Blues, Swamp Blues
Art: Full

01. Whispering Smith - Looking The World Over (3:14)
02. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - Somebody Stole My Baby And Gone (4:08)
03. Silas Hogan - Just Give Me A Chance (2:35)
04. Clarence Edwards - Lonesome Bedroom Blues (3:29)
05. Henry Gray - Can't Last Too Long (3:22)
06. Whispering Smith - A Thousand Miles From Nowhere (4:43)
07. Whispering Smith - Deep South Mose (2:24)
08. Silas Hogan - Dry Chemical Blues (3:27)
09. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - How Can I Stay When All I Have Is Gone (3:29)
10. Clarence Edwards - Let Me Love You Baby (3:13)
11. Whispering Smith - Cold Black Mare (4:25)
12. Silas Hogan - I Didn't Tell Her To Leave (2:37)
13. Clarence Edwards - Cooling Board (4:40)
14. Whispering Smith - Storm In Texas (Texas Flood) (2:36)
15. Henry Gray - Gray's Bounce (2:20)
16. Silas Hogan - Hoo-Doo Blues (2:46)
17. Henry Gray - Worried Life Blues (2:44)
18. Clarence Edwards - I Want Somebody (2:44)
19. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - I Don't Know Why (2:58)
20. Silas Hogan - Honey Bee Blues (3:10)
21. Whispering Smith - Baton Rouge Breakdown (2:26)
22. Henry Gray - Showers Of Rain (3:15)
23. Arthur 'Guitar' Kelley - Number Ten At The Station And Number Twelve Is On The Road (3:01)
24. Whispering Smith - Baby Please Don't Go (2:26)

An instant classic when it was released as a double LP in the U.K. in 1970 by Mike Vernon's legendary Blue Horizon Records, Swamp Blues isn't technically an Excello Records product, but all of the veteran blues artists included in the set have strong ties to the Louisiana label. Vernon recorded everything included here in Baton Rouge over the course of four hot summer August days in 1970, and ended up breaking the two resulting LPs into a 12-song band set and followed it with a 12-song set that featured these blues artists working solo (in this CD reissue, obviously, the solo sides simply follow the band sides with no break in between). Not as loose and bayou atmospheric as Jay Miller's famous Excello productions, these tracks still have that swamp something going for them, and the whole collection is a wonderful testament to Excello's stable of blues artists. Highlights include Whispering Smith's funky "Cold Black Mare" and his harmonica-and-foot-stomp-accompanied "Baby Please Don't Go," Silas Hogan's wry "Dry Chemical Blues," Arthur "Guitar" Kelley's poignant "How Can I Stay When All I Have Is Gone," and Clarence Edwards' stark and acoustic "Cooling Board." Considered a stone cold classic in Britain, Swamp Blues should be afforded the same pomp it's due in the States. It's that good. ~Review by Steve Leggett

Thanks to Kempen.
Swamp Blues

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Silas Hogan - So Long Blues

Size: 136,7 MB
Time: 57:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Louisiana Blues, Swamp Blues
Art: Front

01. I'm Gonna Quit You Pretty Baby (2:26)
02. Trouble At Home Blues (2:29)
03. You're Too Late Baby (2:09)
04. Airport Blues (2:37)
05. Go On Pretty Baby (2:22)
06. Here They Are Again (2:38)
07. Lonesome La La (2:10)
08. Roamin' Woman Blues (2:43)
09. I'm Goin' In The Valley (2:05)
10. Everybody Needs Somebody (2:35)
11. Just Give Me A Chance (2:24)
12. Dark Clouds Rollin' (2:48)
13. Early One Morning (2:53)
14. I'm In Love With You Baby (2:19)
15. More Trouble At Home (3:06)
16. Sittin' Here A Wondering (3:05)
17. So Glad (2:20)
18. Every Saturday Night (2:26)
19. Baby Please Come Back To Me (2:51)
20. If I Ever Needed You Baby (3:01)
21. Out And Down Blues (2:54)
22. So Long Blues (3:01)

Silas Hogan was typical of the Excello Records blues artists in following the template set by the great Slim Harpo, who took the laconic approach of Jimmy Reed and slowed it down even more, resulting in a loose, swampy sound that is as recognizable as it is infectious. How much of this so-called swamp blues genre is actually due to producer Jay Miller is open to conjecture, but whoever designed the Excello sound, it was enduring, and Hogan did it as well as anyone. So Long Blues collects all his singles for the label, and the result is a wonderfully cohesive album that feels as thick and bottomless as a Louisiana bayou. Every track here fits the pattern, and there isn't much of a variance in tempo, which is fine since it helps build a smoky, trance-like feel, and Hogan is wisely in no hurry to break out of it. The accumulative effect is powerful, but individual tracks do stand out, including his signature tune, "I'm Gonna Quit You Baby," "Lonesome La La" (which features an odd, sprung Cajun rhythm), the organ-fueled "So Glad," and the slowest exercise in the Bo Diddley beat you'll ever hear, "Just Give Me a Chance." This is a marvelous collection, but Excello's own Trouble anthology might be even better since it includes everything here plus alternate takes of "Lonesome La La," "I'm in Love With You Baby," "Sittin' Here Wondering," and "I'm Going in the Valley." ~Review by Steve Leggett

Thanks to DrPeak.
So Long Blues

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