Name: Messing with the Blues
Brand: Dark Peak Productions
SKU: 160688
Price: 11.98 USD
Availability: InStock

Messing with the Blues

Rating

Album: Messing with the Blues
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Hoy Hoy	More Info...	0:02
2)	Up the Line	More Info...	0:02
3)	Chicago Blues	More Info...	0:03
4)	Wait Baby	More Info...	0:03
5)	Hoy Hoy	More Info...	0:02
6)	TV Mama	More Info...	0:03
7)	T-Bone Shuffle	More Info...	0:02
8)	Play On Little Girl	More Info...	0:02
9)	Bad Blood	More Info...	0:04
10)	Junker's Blues	More Info...	0:03
11)	A Bit of Soul	More Info...	0:02
12)	Losing Hand	More Info...	0:03
13)	Sinner's Prayer	More Info...	0:03
14)	After Hour Session	More Info...	0:03
15)	Climbin' Up To Heaven Blues	More Info...	0:03
16)	Cold Love	More Info...	0:03
17)	Messin' Up	More Info...	0:02
18)	Let Me Know	More Info...	0:03
19)	Guitar Lovin' Man	More Info...	0:02
20)	Real Real Gone	More Info...	0:02
21)	She's A W-O-M-A-N	More Info...	0:02
22)	Blue Harlem	More Info...	0:03
23)	Draggin' Hours	More Info...	0:03
24)	Break Of Day Blues	More Info...	0:02
25)	Drinkin' Wine Spo-dee-o-dee	More Info...	0:02

Album: Messing with the Blues
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Hoy Hoy	More Info...	0:02
2)	Up the Line	More Info...	0:02
3)	Chicago Blues	More Info...	0:03
4)	Wait Baby	More Info...	0:03
5)	Hoy Hoy	More Info...	0:02
6)	TV Mama	More Info...	0:03
7)	T-Bone Shuffle	More Info...	0:02
8)	Play On Little Girl	More Info...	0:02
9)	Bad Blood	More Info...	0:04
10)	Junker's Blues	More Info...	0:03
11)	A Bit of Soul	More Info...	0:02
12)	Losing Hand	More Info...	0:03
13)	Sinner's Prayer	More Info...	0:03
14)	After Hour Session	More Info...	0:03
15)	Climbin' Up To Heaven Blues	More Info...	0:03
16)	Cold Love	More Info...	0:03
17)	Messin' Up	More Info...	0:02
18)	Let Me Know	More Info...	0:03
19)	Guitar Lovin' Man	More Info...	0:02
20)	Real Real Gone	More Info...	0:02
21)	She's A W-O-M-A-N	More Info...	0:02
22)	Blue Harlem	More Info...	0:03
23)	Draggin' Hours	More Info...	0:03
24)	Break Of Day Blues	More Info...	0:02
25)	Drinkin' Wine Spo-dee-o-dee	More Info...	0:02

Performer Notes

Performers include: Little Johnny Jones, Joe Turner, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Jack Dupree, Ray Charles, Frank "Floorshow" Culley, Jimmy Earle, Lucky Davis, Chuck Norris, Tiny Grimes, Larry Dale.
Contains 25 tracks.
Atlantic did not record a great deal of blues records, focusing even on its outset on more urban music that could be more comfortably classified as R&B (and later rock and soul). It did its share of worthwhile, though not classic, blues from the late '40s to the early '60s, and 25 examples are collected on this CD. Overall, the Atlantic blues sound, as heard here anyway, was usually smoother and more polished than that of more blues-oriented big indie labels like Chess and Modern. Of the famous figures on this anthology, Ray Charles is represented by three early cuts, the standout being "Losing Hand," with its unusual (for blues) minor jazz-tinged melody. T-Bone Walker is heard on a couple of okay 1955 singles; Jack Dupree does slightly jazz piano blues on two songs from a 1958 LP. John Lee Hooker's two characteristically biting, scabrous 1953 tracks were actually waxed for De Luxe in 1953, though the masters were later bought by Atlantic. Joe Turner's sole cut is his 1954 Top Ten hit "TV Mama," which featured guitar by Elmore James. James also plays guitar on the five sides by his pianist, Little Johnny Jones, who does acceptable journeyman Chicago blues. The other performers who fill out the disc -- Tiny Grimes, Frank Culley, Jimmy Earle, Lucky Davis, Chuck Norris (no, not the famous actor), Jimmy Griffin, Odelle Turner, and Hal Paige -- do passable songs only of note to collectors, though Larry Dale does a nice 1961 cover of the standard "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee." [This U.K. import is not available for sale in North America.] ~ Richie Unterberger