... LP, Vinyl record album

Great guitar work from this legendary Caribbean player – working here with his Royal Victoria Hotel ensemble! (Global Grooves, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little collection of Bo Diddley's earlier work for Chess – put together in the early 70s, when Bo was in his Black Gladiator phase, as pictured on the cover – but featuring the rawer, rougher grooves of his initial recordings in the late 50s and early 60s! The Bo Diddley groove hardly needs an introduction from us – and the 24 tracks on the set are a perfect illustration of his blinding mix of fast rhythms, choppy guitar, and comical vocals – a sound that made Bo's work some of the most striking R&B of the time! Titles include "I'm Man", "Pretty Thing", "Before You Accuse Me", "Who Do You Love", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Say Man", "I'm Looking For A Woman", "Road Runner", "Cops & Robbers", "Story Of Bo Diddley", and "Hush Your Mouth". LP, Vinyl record album

Raunchy vintage blues and jazz, with lots of drug and drinking slang – on cuts by Babs Gonzalez, Spirits Of Rhythm, Lucky Millinder, Rubberlegs Williams, Slim & Slam, Rosetta Howard, Cats & The Fiddle, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of rural blues and folksy modes, presented here with little in the way of information – which then maybe makes the whole thing a completely delightful musical discovery – as if you've found a whole stack of vintage 78rpm singles with the labels rubbed off, and have to drop the needle on them to really open up the grooves! Most numbers feature vocals and acoustic guitar, and little other instrumentation – and the recording quality is nice and crisp, which is further intensified by the way the record plays at 45rpm – creating some of the urgency of spinning an old 78! Titles include "Florida Bound" by Edward Thompson, "Every Day Of The Week Blues" by Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley, "Lost Lover Blues" by Lulu Jackson, "Losin Out Blues" by Robert Wilkins, "Just A Spoonful" by Charley Jordan, "Delia" by Willie McTell, "Old Time Blues" by Carl Martin, and "Evil Devil Woman Blues" by Joe McCoy. LP, Vinyl record album

Have guitar, will travel – and back in the day, Bo Diddley was going pretty darn far with great material like this! The album's a real standout, even in the classic Chess catalog of the early years –no filler, no covers, just all original material by Bo Diddley – done in that unique Diddley blend of fast riffing guitar, playful vocals, and odd rhythms that often chug along at a really frenetic pace, especially in these pre-funk years! A key influence on funky music for many years to come, and a record that explodes from the very first note – on a set of original tracks that include "Run Diddley Diddley", "Mumblin Guitar", "Say Man, Back Again", "Come On Baby", "Dancing Girl", "She's Alright", and "Cops & Robbers". LP, Vinyl record album