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The Blues of Otis Spann/Cracked Spanner Head [Slipcase]
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Album: The Blues of Otis Spann/Cracked Spanner Head [Slipcase]
# Song Title   Time
  Disc 1
1)    Rock Me Mama More Info... 0:04
2)    I Came From Clarkesdale More Info... 0:04
3)    Keep Your Hand Out of My Pocket More Info... 0:03
4)    Spann's Boogie More Info... 0:02
5)    Sarah Street More Info... 0:03
6)    The Blues Don't Like Nobody More Info... 0:03
7)    Meet Me in the Bottom More Info... 0:03
8)    Lost Sheep In The Fold More Info... 0:04
9)    I Got a Feeling More Info... 0:03
10)    Jangleboogie More Info... 0:03
11)    T.99 More Info... 0:03
12)    Natural Days More Info... 0:03
13)    My Home In The Delta (Bonus Track) More Info... 0:04
14)    You're Gonna Need My Help (Bonus Track) More Info... 0:03
 

Album: The Blues of Otis Spann/Cracked Spanner Head [Slipcase]
# Song Title   Time
  Disc 1
1)    Rock Me Mama More Info... 0:04
2)    I Came From Clarkesdale More Info... 0:04
3)    Keep Your Hand Out of My Pocket More Info... 0:03
4)    Spann's Boogie More Info... 0:02
5)    Sarah Street More Info... 0:03
6)    The Blues Don't Like Nobody More Info... 0:03
7)    Meet Me in the Bottom More Info... 0:03
8)    Lost Sheep In The Fold More Info... 0:04
9)    I Got a Feeling More Info... 0:03
10)    Jangleboogie More Info... 0:03
11)    T.99 More Info... 0:03
12)    Natural Days More Info... 0:03
13)    My Home In The Delta (Bonus Track) More Info... 0:04
14)    You're Gonna Need My Help (Bonus Track) More Info... 0:03
 
Product Description
Product Details
Performer Notes
  • Personnel: Otis Spann (vocals, piano); Spit James, McKinley Morganfield (guitar); Steve Gregory (tenor saxophone); Roderick M Lee (trumpet); Little Willie Smith (drums).
  • Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson .
  • Liner Note Author: Tony Russell.
  • On the one hand, it makes sense that The Blues of Otis Spann and Cracked Spanner Head should be packaged together in a double-disc set, and on the other, it makes no sense at all, since they are essentially the exact same album. Blues was recorded in England with Otis Spann on piano and vocals, Little Willie Smith on drums, Ransom Knowling on bass, and an uncredited Muddy Waters on guitar (Waters is simply listed as "Brother" in the liner notes), and was released in 1964. Aside from a couple of ill-advised harpsichord boogies, it was a solid set, with Spann shining on "Sarah Street," "The Blues Don't Like Nobody," the dramatic and moving "Lost Sheep in the Fold," and the wonderful cover of Arthur Crudup's "Rock Me Mama" that opened the album. For some reason, however, producer Mike Vernon went back to the master tapes four years later and overdubbed horns and additional guitar on the tracks, then remixed, reshuffled, and renamed everything to make the album called Cracked Spanner Head, which was released in 1969. It isn't quite the disaster that blues critics have claimed it is, but it hardly improves on the original Blues set, and it is a little disconcerting to hear songs like "Keep Your Hand Out of My Pocket" (retitled "Crack Your Head" on the Spanner disc) and Crudup's "Rock Me Mama" (given the new title of "Wagon Wheel") under these new circumstances. Blues historians and archivists may be glad that the two albums are now available under one roof, but casual listeners may not be too pleased with hearing the same album twice, whatever the differences. ~ Steve Leggett
Professional Reviews
Dirty Linen (p.56) - "Spann adds gorgeous, understated ivory tickling, flourishes, and barrelhouse boogie throughout."
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