For me 2018 was really all about getting some great second hand records with some good buys on trips to the US, Canada, Denmark, Spain and England.
The good thing about hunting for records in new locations is that you can usually find some records that aren't readily available in New Zealand. Also what is gold in NZ may be cheap offshore and vice versa (one day I will take a load with me). This year I have managed to flesh out my Miles Davis collection as well as have some interesting finds by the likes of Lee Morgan, Luther Allison, Junior Wells and Memphis Slim.
In truth I have bought so many I really have to do this in parts.
Some Blues for you all
Harry Smith's Anthology of American Music - Volume 1 and Volume 2
I never really expected to ever see Original Boxes of these collections Let alone in a record store just around the corner from home. It was nice when the owner said he was pleased that it was me that was buying them as he knew that they would be looked after. Now I am on the lookout for Volume 3.
These provided the backbone to the folk music scene in the US in the late 50's early 60's when variance to how these versions were was considered almost treason.
There is a story that Dylan stole Dave Van Ronk's copy of it. On listening to it I realised that it was also compulsory listening (and learning) for all primary school teachers when I was growing up.
Luther Allison - Luther's Blues and Bad News is Coming. While I had heard of Luther Allison I had
never heard him. I stumbled across a lovely copy of his debut; Bad News is Coming in Christchurch. The photo on the cover of Luther smoking a huge bong made buying it all the more irresistible.
I was certainly pleased I did as it has some really nice aggressive and funky electric blues and it is now amongst my favourite blues albums. Really like Evil is Going On and Ragged and Dirty. So much so that I identified two other Allison records to hunt down and was lucky to find Luther's Blues recently in near mint condition plus a live CD/DVD from the 70s.
Junior Wells - On Tap - I had not heard of this album by Junior Wells but when I spotted in a store in West Hollywood in almost perfect condition I thought it would be worth checking out. An original pressing on the Chicago Delmark Label. Junior Wells did not put out many bad albums. I was pleased I did as it is certainly up there with his best. I particularly enjoy his take on Keys to the Highway and Mystery Train which he calls Train I Ride
A few years ago I read an article on the Rolling Stone Website about the Ten albums Rolling Stone liked in the 70's that we had never heard of. After reading it - it became a bit of a mission to track them down and at least listen to them. After managing to find three this year I now have only two to go. Johnny Shines' - Too Wet to Plow was one of those. I had first heard Johnny on one of the excellent Chicago!The Blues!Today albums where he was decidedly electric in his approach. This is more in the acoustic country blues mold but really loses nothing for that.
Otis Spann - The Biggest Thing Since Colossus. I am an habitual browser of second hand blues bins at record stores. I have a few that I am on the lookout for but I also just pick up interesting ones like this one. It is a collaboration between the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac and Chicago blues pianist Spann. Like me Spann was a fan of Peter Green's lyrical guitar playing and that is what prompted the record. At the time Fleetwood Mac recorded with a few other artists (check out Duster Bennett) but Spann's fans did not really take to this noisy version of their master.
I love it - sloppy and noisy.
Harvey Mandel, Barry Goldberg and Charlie Musselwhite - Blues From Chicago - What a great trio. Harvey Mandel played with Canned Heat, tried out to replace Mick Taylor in The Stones (he is on a couple of tracks on Black and Blue) and produced a number weird and wonderful solo records. Goldberg played with so many but had regular gigs and albums with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield (Check out KGB and Two Jews Blues) and is my favourite blues organist. Musselwhite is of course Musselwhite. THis had been on my list for a year or so and almost skipped over it when I came across it in an antique and curio store in Hebden Bridge.
Bobby Rush - Rush Hour - Another of Rolling Stones recommended forgotten 70's Blues Albums and the second of my three finds from the list this year. This is a bit funkier than the others (in fact it is really only his tasty blues guitar licks that really make it a blues album in any way. It also has generous doses of Bobby's famous sense of show and humour - maybe best shown in I Can't My Keys and No Axe Ta Grind.
Guitar Star : Various Artists I nearly missed this in the bins in a record store in Vancouver on a cold wet Sunday. The store was right beside what was called The Amsterdam Cafe so it had a nice aroma. Since falling in love with Boz Scaggs Somebody Loan Me A Dime I have been on the lookout for the original - not that Boz credited it to Fenton Robinson (just like Page and Plant I suppose). Originally recorded in 1967 it was only ever released on a single (or so I thought) and Robinson himself had to re-record it in 1974. So when I saw that this album claimed to have the 67 recording and was only $10 it was an easy decision (although by that stage in the trip I was getting worried about baggage weight). So despite the cheesy album title and cover I had to have it. What does the rest of the album sound like - I still do not know as I have only played that track - I will get around to it.
Chicago Smoke Shop - Chicago Smoke Shop One of the pleasures of being back in Wellington has been able to catch some of the excellent local blues. Darren Watson is kind of the Godfather of the local blues scene and always puts on a good show. This year he reconvened his first band Chicago Smokeshop after a 25 year absence. It was nice to catch them at both of their reunion gigs, first in Nelson and then again in the Botanics later in January. So I was very pleased when I managed to find this. For Wellington Blues fans you may remember Mind on My Sleeve or Sugar Coated Love.
Memphis Slim - Blue Memphis - The final in my trilogy of Rolling Stones recommended 70's Blues Albums. I found a copy in a shop in West Hollywood but they wanted $75 for it. When I said it was too much the owner got all shitty with me and I left the shop with out it. A week later I found a copy in Seattle for $22.50.
Apparently this was Memphis Slim's favourite of his 40+ albums and part of the reason was he felt the band was the best he had recorded with. Not surprising really with John Paul Jones on Bass and Peter Green on guitar.
The good thing about hunting for records in new locations is that you can usually find some records that aren't readily available in New Zealand. Also what is gold in NZ may be cheap offshore and vice versa (one day I will take a load with me). This year I have managed to flesh out my Miles Davis collection as well as have some interesting finds by the likes of Lee Morgan, Luther Allison, Junior Wells and Memphis Slim.
In truth I have bought so many I really have to do this in parts.
Some Blues for you all
Harry Smith's Anthology of American Music - Volume 1 and Volume 2I never really expected to ever see Original Boxes of these collections Let alone in a record store just around the corner from home. It was nice when the owner said he was pleased that it was me that was buying them as he knew that they would be looked after. Now I am on the lookout for Volume 3.
These provided the backbone to the folk music scene in the US in the late 50's early 60's when variance to how these versions were was considered almost treason.
There is a story that Dylan stole Dave Van Ronk's copy of it. On listening to it I realised that it was also compulsory listening (and learning) for all primary school teachers when I was growing up.
Luther Allison - Luther's Blues and Bad News is Coming. While I had heard of Luther Allison I had
never heard him. I stumbled across a lovely copy of his debut; Bad News is Coming in Christchurch. The photo on the cover of Luther smoking a huge bong made buying it all the more irresistible.
I was certainly pleased I did as it has some really nice aggressive and funky electric blues and it is now amongst my favourite blues albums. Really like Evil is Going On and Ragged and Dirty. So much so that I identified two other Allison records to hunt down and was lucky to find Luther's Blues recently in near mint condition plus a live CD/DVD from the 70s.
Junior Wells - On Tap - I had not heard of this album by Junior Wells but when I spotted in a store in West Hollywood in almost perfect condition I thought it would be worth checking out. An original pressing on the Chicago Delmark Label. Junior Wells did not put out many bad albums. I was pleased I did as it is certainly up there with his best. I particularly enjoy his take on Keys to the Highway and Mystery Train which he calls Train I Ride
I love it - sloppy and noisy.
Bobby Rush - Rush Hour - Another of Rolling Stones recommended forgotten 70's Blues Albums and the second of my three finds from the list this year. This is a bit funkier than the others (in fact it is really only his tasty blues guitar licks that really make it a blues album in any way. It also has generous doses of Bobby's famous sense of show and humour - maybe best shown in I Can't My Keys and No Axe Ta Grind.
Guitar Star : Various Artists I nearly missed this in the bins in a record store in Vancouver on a cold wet Sunday. The store was right beside what was called The Amsterdam Cafe so it had a nice aroma. Since falling in love with Boz Scaggs Somebody Loan Me A Dime I have been on the lookout for the original - not that Boz credited it to Fenton Robinson (just like Page and Plant I suppose). Originally recorded in 1967 it was only ever released on a single (or so I thought) and Robinson himself had to re-record it in 1974. So when I saw that this album claimed to have the 67 recording and was only $10 it was an easy decision (although by that stage in the trip I was getting worried about baggage weight). So despite the cheesy album title and cover I had to have it. What does the rest of the album sound like - I still do not know as I have only played that track - I will get around to it.
Chicago Smoke Shop - Chicago Smoke Shop One of the pleasures of being back in Wellington has been able to catch some of the excellent local blues. Darren Watson is kind of the Godfather of the local blues scene and always puts on a good show. This year he reconvened his first band Chicago Smokeshop after a 25 year absence. It was nice to catch them at both of their reunion gigs, first in Nelson and then again in the Botanics later in January. So I was very pleased when I managed to find this. For Wellington Blues fans you may remember Mind on My Sleeve or Sugar Coated Love.
Memphis Slim - Blue Memphis - The final in my trilogy of Rolling Stones recommended 70's Blues Albums. I found a copy in a shop in West Hollywood but they wanted $75 for it. When I said it was too much the owner got all shitty with me and I left the shop with out it. A week later I found a copy in Seattle for $22.50.Apparently this was Memphis Slim's favourite of his 40+ albums and part of the reason was he felt the band was the best he had recorded with. Not surprising really with John Paul Jones on Bass and Peter Green on guitar.
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