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Recommendation to classic albums to must have

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micke57

Recommendation to classic albums to must have

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Posts: 1

Aug 7 12 7:31 AM

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Hi, someone can tell me albums to be must have for beginning a blues discography please?

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kinghendrix

#1

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6385

Aug 9 12 12:54 PM

Nothing is more risky. My first recommendation should be to get different styles and periods, like, for example : pre-war/country blues revival (Robert Johnson's "Centennial Collection", Son House's "Original Delta Blues", Fred McDowell's "You Gotta Move", Skip James "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues", Big Joe Williams' "Blues On Highway 49",..), Chicago blues (Muddy Waters' "Hard Again", Howlin' Wolf's "Rocking Chair", Junior Well's "Hoodoo Man Blues", Magic Slim's "Grand Slam",..), early and electric blues (T-Bone Walker's "Imperial Recordings", B.B. King's "Live At The Regal", John Lee Hooker's "It's serve You Right To Suffer", Lightnin' Hopkins' "Lightnin' Hopkins", ...) and some more contemporain blues (Taj Mahal's "Natch'l Blues", John Mayall's Heartbreakers "With Eric Clapton", Keb'Mo's "Keb'Mo", Duke Robillard's "Duke Robillard Plays Blues", Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood",...).

Of course this albums choice is absolutely questionable but, for a beginning, the style range covered could be interesting !

Jean-Claude
Lyon (France)

Gallery Blues Attic
My facebook page

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Silvertone

#2

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 487

Aug 10 12 9:47 AM

I don't think that there are albums you MUST have. Just go with what you like! Take your current favourite artist and try to figure out where he or she is coming from. What are they listening to? Which songs are they covering? That way you might just find something totally mindblowing. And that's the whole point, isn't it? If you just wanna build an imposing collection you might wanna take on a different approach.

www.myspace.com/paulbadkays
www.myspace.com/connythecasuals

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barrelhouse

#3

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 6072

Aug 14 12 8:23 PM

You simply must have them all!

Seriously, Silvertone and Kinghendrix give some good advice there, mine would be simply:- buy Muddy Waters albums and the rest is sure to follow from that.

Don't you think too bad about me when I'm gone.--Allardyce/ Kocemba.

Peterhead, N.E. Scotland, between the Ugie and Ythan Deltas.

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Taff

#4

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 4578

Aug 14 12 10:18 PM

But them Alphabetically, that way in 10 years time you can find the buggers!
Christian/Surname first?

One of these mornings baby, an' it won't be long, I'm gonna catch the first thing smokin' and down the road I'm goin'

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Silvertone

#5

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 487

Aug 16 12 3:08 PM

At first I thought it said "BUY them Alphabetically..."

That's some weird advice!

Speaking about that, I sort them by surname and to me Slim is a surname. I have a lot of Slims in my collection. Ahh....them Slims are sooo good.

www.myspace.com/paulbadkays
www.myspace.com/connythecasuals

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57blues

#6

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 780

Aug 21 12 1:56 PM

The blues present themselves in all styles.
If you can listen to the radio. Listen to the blues shows. Whatever hits you get it. And while you are looking you run accross recordings you know nothing about but look interesting buy them. Before long you will have a collection and a very strong oppinion of what is the best blues to get. And you might just get hooked. Get bit by the blues once that happens there is no stopping you. Early on I bought two books that rated LPs. I pay no attention to the ratings but the info who plays what time frame and of course style. I have listened to recordings that were rated as must have and thought really? And I have listened to recordings that were said to be the worst and wore out the groves.
Just one mans experience. But what the hell you can argue with someones opinion all day but you cant deny a persons experience.

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Goldilox3

#7

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 2110

Aug 23 12 2:59 PM

With a question like this it is extremely tempting to try and come up with a 'beginners guide to the blues' - one by BB King, one by John Lee Hooker etc. But I'm not going to do that for the reason that a number of the records I consider 'essential' are neither particularly well known, or especially well regarded by anyone other than me.

What I will do is echo the advice to explore the music - with tools like YouTube & Spotify it's never been easier to do that - listen to lots and, when you've worked out what it is you love you can invest. If you do want a beginner's guide there's a number of double CD compilations available at very reasonable prices that will let you get your head around a few of the big names.

But FWIW here's a couple I couldn't live without: Burnside on Burnside is a live album by R. L. Burnside - it's rough and ready, raucous, loud and not especially in tune, and as far as I'm concerned the greatest thing ever put on record. I've even got a download code you can have if you want - PM me if you're interested.

Shine Eyed Mr Zen by Kelly Joe Phelps. He doesn't really play blues any more, having moved in a more mainstream direction, but this is still one of my favourite records - A man who brought a totally different angle to the music whilst still honouring the tradition. Fluid and complex acoustic lap slide, with dylanesque lyrics sung over the top. It shouldn't sound like blues, in fact it should hardly work, but somehow does.

I'll no doubt think of some others as soon as I'm too far from a computer to add them....

New solo EP available now completely free of charge - just click here!

'served raw' by Stafford blues band 44 pistol was awarded 8/10 by Blues in Britain. Why not buy it? You know you want to....

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redbeansandrice

#8

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 2157

Aug 23 12 4:37 PM

For Chicago blues, a classic compilation is "Chicago: The Blues Today." Junior Wells's "Hoodoo Man Blues" and "It's my Life, Baby" were entry points for many of us. Those would still be desert island recordings for me today.

"Another damn'd thick, square book! Always, scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?"
-- The Duke of Gloucester to a writer upon the publication of Vol. 1 of "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire"

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mlfmef47

#9

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Posts: 116

Aug 24 12 1:07 AM

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_bluesalbddd.html

The above link you might find helpful.

Mike-Erie.PA

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mlfmef47

#10

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Posts: 116

Aug 24 12 1:25 AM

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_bluesalb-live.htm --- Here is the list for live albums:

Mike-Erie.PA

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Sassie

#11

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Deepest Blue

Posts: 18974

Aug 24 12 4:05 AM

There have been similar threads here - I will see if I can dig 'em up and repost.

I agree 1000% on the Burnside on Burnside disc. And with Mimi as well.

Never put off til tomorrow what you can do the day after.

Colorado, USA

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BBBrian

#12

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Posts: 33

Aug 26 12 5:51 AM

QUOTE (mlfmef47 @ August 24, 2012 01:07 am)

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_bluesalbddd.html

The above link you might find helpful.

Or not.

No mention of T Bone Walker. Essential in my opinion.

(edit) Well only one. And only at number 27. But not one to be missed.

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BBBrian

#13

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Posts: 33

Aug 29 12 12:32 AM

Well I got lucky and bought a classic for £2 in 1986.

Folk Festival of the Blues.

Buddy Guy's band with every legend leading on some tracks.

It was the record that made Eric Clapton follow the blues and influenced his whole life.

I believe it is quite rare but hey, everything's on you tube now.

Another label to look for is Bear Records. They recorded the Blues visit to Britain. Absolute legends every one.

They caught all the legends before they died out. Believe me, It's well worth a search.

Happy hunting pal

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Recommendation to classic albums to must have

Recommendation to classic albums to must have