(78 RPM, Blues) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Three full albums from heavy rocker Bob "Catfish" Hodge – a great underground talent on the Detroit scene of the late 60s and early 70s – and one who recorded for the same Westbound label as Funkadelic! Hodge shares a lot with some of the best Detroit talents of the time – namely a real genre-crossing sound that's very color blind – one that mixes in equal parts blues, rock, and soul – and which sometimes hits some funkier edges too – no surprise, given the Westbound recording style at the time. The guitar is great – often fuzzy, but never too freaky – and nicely focused on the rhythms on most tunes, until it takes off in some sweetly expressive solos. Hodge's vocals have a nice degree of grit, and a quality that's a bit like Dr John – in which he's referencing older modes and styles, but manages to come off without any hoke at all. The 2CD set features all three albums recorded for the Westbound/Eastbound label – Soap Operas, Dinosaurs & Alleycats, and Boogie Man Gonna Get Ya – plus b-sides and a few unreleased tracks too. Titles include "Train To Detroit", "Boogie Man", "Different Strokes", "Ghetto", "Hungry Love", "Big Boss Man", "Oscar Teo", "For Free", "Des Woman", "Sweet Cocaine", and "We Got Love In Our House". (Rock, Blues) CD

Very nice work from Lowell Fulsom – strongly in the mode of his Tramp album for Kent, with a mix of blues and 60s soul, coming together in a sock-hard style that's much better than a lot of Fulsom's other work for other labels! Arrangements are by Rene Hall and Maxwell Davis – the latter of whom does a surprisingly great job on giving up a sharper edge than we remember in his other work. About half the set's straight blues, but the half that's not is nice and funky – including the "Tramp" follow-up "I'm A Drifter", a nice cover of "Funky Broadway", and the cut "Let's Go Get Stoned". Other titles include "Feel So Bad", "I Cried", "The Letter", "Tomorrow", and "Mellow Together". CD features 2 bonus tracks too – "Blues Pain" and "I Wanna Spend Christmas With You". CD

An incredible lost moment in the career of Screamin Jay Hawkins – material that was recorded in London in the mid 60s, and with a very different flavor than most of Hawkins' other material! There's a mod jazz approach to this set that's totally great – as Jay's raw vocals come into play with a sweet-grooving Hammond, in a combo that also features some sharp work on guitar, and some strong sax solos too! The upbeat, jazzy vibe is totally great – and gives Screamin Jay a whole new focus for his vocals – and for his songwriting, too – as most of the material here is original. And while Hawkins is always best remembered for his spooky, gimmicky cuts, this material is equally great in a totally different way – and, if it were pursued further, might have given the man a whole new direction in his career. Make no mistake, there's still plenty here to love if you're a longtime fan of Screamin Jay Hawkins – but you'll also really appreciate the mod grooves in the set as well! Titles include "I Wanna Know", "In My Dream", "Change Your Ways", "Serving Time", "Please Forgive Me", "Move Me", "My Marion", and "All Night". Plus, CD features a whopping 12 bonus tracks – a few alternate takes, and other versions of album songs – plus the titles "I'm Lonely" and "Stone Crazy". (Soul, Blues) CD

A pair of very stripped-down albums from John Lee Hooker – issued together in this 70s set! First up is Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker – featuring the legendary John Lee Hooker, heard here in one of his more obscure recordings from the late 50s – at least in contrast to his famous sides for Vee Jay Records! This set's an unusual date – recorded in Detroit, despite the claim of the title – and featuring Hooker on acoustic guitar and vocals, without any other instrumentation at all – pitched much more towards the growing folk blues scene than some of his more familiar Chicago recordings. Tracks are short, but pack plenty of punch – and titles include "Black Snake", "I Rowed A Little Boat", "Bundle Up & Go", "Behind The Plow", "Water Boy", "Tupelo Blues", and "Pea Vine Special". That's My Story is from 1960, and features great rootsy blues from John Lee Hooker – and an unusual session that has him getting backup help from jazz players Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums! Jones and Hayes only play on a handful of tracks, and most of the focus is on Hooker's damn-great vocals, and acoustic guitar – spun out nicely over a set of tracks that includes "I Need Some Money", a controversial clash with early Motown – plus "One Of These Days", "Gonna Use My Rod", "I Want To Talk About You", "Democrat Man", and "I'm Wanderin". LP, Vinyl record album

John Lee Hooker gets some great treatment here – working in a loose, groovy style for the Bluesway label – and getting a nice dose of funk right down at the core! The set's produced by Ed Michel – who'd also done some great soul jazz work over the years – and in addition to great vocals and guitar from Hooker, the set also features extra guitar from the great Earl Hooker, piano and organ from Johnny Walker, and harmonica from Jeffrey Carp. Gino Skaggs plays electric bass, which gives the whole thing a nice kick – and titles include "Have Mercy On My Souil", "Lonesome Mood", "Bang Bang Bang Bang", "The Hookers", "Baby, Be Strong", and "I Wanna Be Your Puppy Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Great rootsy blues from John Lee Hooker – and an unusual session that has him getting backup help from jazz players Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums! Jones and Hayes only play on a handful of tracks, and most of the focus is on Hooker's damn-great vocals, and acoustic guitar – spun out nicely over a set of tracks that includes "I Need Some Money", a controversial clash with early Motown – plus "One Of These Days", "Gonna Use My Rod", "I Want To Talk About You", "Democrat Man", and "I'm Wanderin". 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

A much earlier set of tracks than the first volume of Real Folk Blues from Howlin Wolf – mostly material recorded in the mid 50s, both in Chicago and Memphis – all with a really nitty gritty sort of feel! There's a rough and rootsy mode going on here – one that has Wolf's raspy vocals right up front in the lead, often supported by just a bit of electric guitar to emphasize the more sinister notes in the tunes. All tracks are originals by Wolf (aka Chester Burnett) – and titles include "Just My Kind", "I've Got A Woman", "Work For Your Money", "I'll Be Around", "You Can't be Beat", "You Gonna Wreck My Life", "I Love My Baby", "Neighbors", "I'm The Wolf", "Rocking Daddy", "Who Will Be Next?", and "I Have A Little Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of the work of Abner Jay – as much of a blues singer as the folk artist promised on the cover – working here in a stunning array of styles, pulled from a variety of recordings he made in the late 60s and early 70s! It's clear that Jay is one of those talents who was rising up during the initial folk revival years, but was also able to find a groove that was very much his own when that moment faded – and the tunes here feature some very unusual phrasing on vocals, supported by acoustic guitar and a bit of percussion – on titles that include "Depression", "Lord Randal", "I Wanna Job", "St James Infirmary", "I'm Georgia Bound", "Bring It With You When You Come", "The Thresher", "Cotton Fields", "Starving To Death On My Government Claim", "Shenandoah", "99 Years In Jail", and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Stax blues by the king of the Memphis blues scene of the late 60's. Production's handled by Stax, even though the LP was released on Atlantic, and the set includes "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Overall Junction", "Laundromat Blues", "Cold Feet", and "You're Gonna Need Me". CD

The definitely got the title right here – as BB King is plenty great, and already a powerhouse in these early years of his career! King sprung forth from the Memphis scene almost fully-formed – and in addition to his famous guitar work, he was also a hell of a singer who could bring a new sort of soulful presence to blues music – able to croon with the charm of a jazz singer in the right moments, join with a doo wop group at others, yet come on with the power of a bluesman whenever he stepped in front of the mic! This great album has BB in all these modes – recorded with brilliantly bold sound – and titles include "I Had A Woman", "Sweet Sixteen", "Someday Baby", "I'm Gonna Quit My Baby", and "I Was Blind". LP, Vinyl record album

The definitely got the title right here – as BB King is plenty great, and already a powerhouse in these early years of his career! King sprung forth from the Memphis scene almost fully-formed – and in addition to his famous guitar work, he was also a hell of a singer who could bring a new sort of soulful presence to blues music – able to croon with the charm of a jazz singer in the right moments, join with a doo wop group at others, yet come on with the power of a bluesman whenever he stepped in front of the mic! This great album has BB in all these modes – recorded with brilliantly bold sound – and titles include "I Had A Woman", "Sweet Sixteen", "Someday Baby", "I'm Gonna Quit My Baby", and "I Was Blind". LP, Vinyl record album

If you only know BB King from later years, you'll really be stunned at the sound of this great set from the start of the 60s – a record that's much more R&B than the straighter blues of King's bigger label work – and which has a jumping groove nearly all the way through! The mix of modes is right in that best Memphis style of the 50s – currents of jazz, jump blues, and other soulful styles – all topped by King's bold vocals, and given a bit of sweet guitar solos on most tracks – already razor-sharp, even at this early point in his career! Titles include "Bad Luck Soul", "Shut Your Moth", "My Reward", "Don't Cry Anymore", "Just Like A Woman", and "Blues For Me". CD features 8 bonus tracks – including "Broken Promise", "Mercy Mercy Baby", "Lonely", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "I Can Hear My Name", and "Just A Dream". CD

Tight and soulful blues from Little Milton – just the sort of record that helped him cross over to bigger audiences back in the day, and a set that still sounds plenty great all these many years later! The set was done in Chicago – arranged by James Mack, with backing vocals from Kitty & The Haywoods – and the sound is a sweet west side mix of rootsy and soulful elements – a blend that shows the same growing sophistication of the Malaco scene at the time, at a level that moves nicely away from college circuit blues cliches of the 70s. Milton's vocals are wonderful – raspy and appealing with a Tyrone Davis-like charm – and titles include "Friend Of Mine", "Don't Turn Away", "You're Gonna Make Me Cry", "It's All Bad News", "Sundown", "Bring It On Back", and "Baby It Ain't No Way". CD

A great title for this second set from Taj Mahal – because the sound here is even more stripped-down and natural than on his first LP! Taj turns in a lot more original tunes this time around – and is in wonderfully comfortable territory with his own lead lyrics, sung alongside his own work on harmonica and steel guitar too. Jesse Ed Davis adds in plenty of great lead guitar, and also handles the rhythm arrangements too – and Al Kooper guests a bit on piano, but like all musicians here is very respectful of Mahal's role as the lead. Titles include "Good Morning Miss Brown", "Done Changed My Way Of Living", "I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll", "The Cuckoo", and "Ain't That A Lot Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest albums ever from Junior Parker – a great little set that shows he had a lot more to offer than just the average bluesman! The album's got a nice little soul sound in the backings – tight rhythms from Horace Ott, who nicely avoids a lot of the cliches that the blues business was hitting at the time – in order to keep Junior in hip territory that's filled with breaking drums and heavy basslines! There's a few key crossover tracks here, plus some surprisingly sweeter numbers – and the album's a gem through and through – well-appreciated by new generations over the years, thanks to its diversity of tracks! Titles include a great break version of "Taxman" – plus two more Beatles numbers, "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Lady Madonna" – and the tracks "Outside Man", "Darling Depend On Me", "You Know I Love You", "River's Invitation", and "Just To Hold My Hand". CD

One of the funkiest albums ever from Junior Parker – a great little set that shows he had a lot more to offer than just the average bluesman! The album's got a nice little soul sound in the backings – tight rhythms from Horace Ott, who nicely avoids a lot of the cliches that the blues business was hitting at the time – in order to keep Junior in hip territory that's filled with breaking drums and heavy basslines! There's a few key crossover tracks here, plus some surprisingly sweeter numbers – and the album's a gem through and through – well-appreciated by new generations over the years, thanks to its diversity of tracks! Titles include a great break version of "Taxman" – plus two more Beatles numbers, "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Lady Madonna" – and the tracks "Outside Man", "Darling Depend On Me", "You Know I Love You", "River's Invitation", and "Just To Hold My Hand". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that features great early Junior Parker material, recorded during his years on the soulful powerhouse Duke Records! Titles include "Goodbye Little Girl", "My Love Is Real", "I'm Gonna Take A Chance", "It Ain't Like That No More", "If You Can't Take It", "What Kind Of Love", "Today I Sing The Blues", and "Little Old Lover Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking live set from Jimmy Reed – filled with the kind of rocking, rollicking numbers that made his bluesy groove an undeniable influence on the UK scene of the 60s! Most numbers begin with a compelling vamp, then have Jimmy taking the lead on vocals – adding in plenty of charm in ways that few later bluesmen ever seemed to be able to match. And at times, there's a nice undercurrent of fuzz in Reed's guitar – almost making him one of the first folks to really use distortion in his music – on a great set of cuts that includes "I'm Going Upside Your Head", "The Devil's Shoestring (part 2)", "A New Leaf", "I Wanna Be Loved", "Wear Something Green", "You've Got Me Waiting", and "When You're Doing Alright". LP, Vinyl record album