... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". CD

The first-ever full length album from Big Joe Williams, despite a much longer legacy as a blues singer in the south – captured in a few different intimate settings in St Louis by the then-fledgling Delmark Records! The approach is very lean, of the sort that made the record a key statement in the folk blues revival at the end of the 50s – with Joe playing this really unique nine string guitar from two different instruments put together, and singing with this really compelling trill in his voice that marks the singer as very distinct from so many others in his generation. JD Short adds harmonica and a bit of guitar – and titles include "Mellow Peaches", "No More Whiskey", "Tailor Made Babe", "Omaha Blues", "Juanita", "Tailor Made Babe", and the interesting "Big Joe Talking" – which has Williams speaking a bit on his life! CD

Beautiful blues from Guitar Slim – west coast material from the mid-50s, recorded with some very hip backings! Slim's got a lean, mean edge – a style that's a bit similar to Johnny Watson in his early years, touched with some of the class of the R&B scene that was bubbling up in the late 40s in LA! The added instrumentation really makes the tracks great – not just the usual blues, but a more sophisticated mode with some nicely jazzy undercurrents. The set's very well put-together too – 26 tracks in all, with titles that include "Going Down Slow", "The Things That I Used To Do", "Well I Done Got Over It", "Twenty Five Lies", "Stand By Me", "Sufferin Mind", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "I Got Sumpin For You", "Story Of My Life", and "Our Only Child". CD

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing document from Tomkins Square – and a set that goes even beyond the usual high level of some of the other releases from the label! The set's a beautiful archival project – one that seeks to resurrect the rare music of Arizona Dranes – a gospel pianist and vocalist who recorded briefly in the 20s – on an obscure set of 78rpm releases that were only captured through acoustic technology. Dranes has an incredible approach – both to the piano, which is more bluesy – or almost boogie-woogie at times – and to her vocals, which have an unbridled soul that really comes through, even with the lower level of recording. The set was put together by journalist Michael Corcoran – who spent years looking into Dranes life, and wrote the notes for the 44 pages that come in the book-style package, which also includes some rare photos. 78s were remastered brilliantly – and titles include "He Is My Story", "Just Look", "God's Got A Crown", "My Soul Is A Witness For The Lord", "Don't You Want To Go", and "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go". (Gospel, Blues) CD

A group that definitely lives up to its name – given that the lineup features the Chess Records stalwarts Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, and Muddy Waters! The set's maybe a bit more in the mode of Wolf or Waters than some of Bo's own records – although there's a bit of that riffing spark of his at times – and the tracks are often nice and long, with more than enough room to make you feel like Phil Chess gave these guys plenty of space in the studio to hang out, and find the right way to interact. As much as we love Chess albums with short songs and a soulful punch, we really appreciate it when they can break format and open up on a session like this – which really helps create a unique moment on record! Titles include "Goin Down Slow", "Long Distance Call", "Sweet Little Angel", "Ooh Baby & Wrecking My Love Life", and "Spoonful". LP, Vinyl record album

A group that definitely lives up to its name – given that the lineup features the Chess Records stalwarts Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, and Muddy Waters! The set's maybe a bit more in the mode of Wolf or Waters than some of Bo's own records – although there's a bit of that riffing spark of his at times – and the tracks are often nice and long, with more than enough room to make you feel like Phil Chess gave these guys plenty of space in the studio to hang out, and find the right way to interact. As much as we love Chess albums with short songs and a soulful punch, we really appreciate it when they can break format and open up on a session like this – which really helps create a unique moment on record! Titles include "Goin Down Slow", "Long Distance Call", "Sweet Little Angel", "Ooh Baby & Wrecking My Love Life", and "Spoonful". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Big Walter Horton on vocals and harmonica – with Ron Levy on piano, John Nicholas on guitar, and Mark Kazanoff on sax – on tiles that include "Walter's Swing", "Everybody's Fishin", "Worried Life", "Stop Clownin", "Hobo Blues", and "We Gonna Move To Kansas City". LP, Vinyl record album

Unreleased live material from the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band – heard here at a time when the mighty Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield were in the group on guitar! The set was recorded in a coffee house in Boston in 1966, but the recording vibe makes the whole thing feel a lot more like it was set in the kind of southside club that first inspired Paul on the Chicago scene – with a surprisingly faithful representation of the group's sound, complete with a wonderful amount of grit – both in the grooves, and on the guitar, and even in the fuzzy sound of the vocals! Butterfield sings lead, and plays harmonica – and the combo also features organ, bass, and drums. Titles include a sweet funky take on "Get Out Of My Life Woman" – plus "Look Over Yonders Wall", "Born In Chicago", "Walking By Myself", "Memory Pain", "One More Heartache", and "Never Say No". (Rock, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album