Blues album suggestions

[Blaze]

My friend Gilles who does nt know much about blues asked me for 2 blues albums suggestions today..

What would be yours ..

Gilles is gonna have a look at it..

Mine are :

Jonnhy Winter-Let me in

Robben Ford & the Blue Line

 

[Rocket]

Blues huh? That's a pretty broad generalism.
About a hundred or so specific styles & sub-genres of Blues... what Blues specifically are you attempting to generate interest in?

 

[R_of_G]

How about one acoustic and one electric...

Acoustic: The Complete Blind Willie Johnson

Electric: The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper

 

[Spudman]

Paul Rogers - Muddy Waters Blues
T Bone Walker - I Want a Little Girl

or any late 1970's early 1980's Whitesnake album.:dude:

 

[duhvoodooman]

B.B. King - Live at the Regal
Buddy Guy - Damn Right, I've Got the Blues
Eric Clapton - From the Cradle or Me & Mr. Johnson
Joe Bonamassa - Blues Deluxe

 

[Blaze]

Blues huh? That's a pretty broad generalism.
About a hundred or so specific styles & sub-genres of Blues... what Blues specifically are you attempting to generate interest in?

Whatever style ,the guy wants to learn about Blues in general..

 

[Rocket]

Whatever style ,the guy wants to learn about Blues in general..

That's gonna take a lot of albums... better start at the beginning:
George W. Johnson's "Laughing Song" recorded in 1895.
W.C. Handy's "Memphis Blues" recorded in 1912.

Some will argue that the Blues didn't start until the Robert Johnson era but he didn't actually record until the early 30's... even if one wished to pursue the argument, Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1926, Charley Patton in 1929, ect... or even Mamie Smith as far back as 1920.

(Good luck on gettin' hold of any of those.)

 

[Robert]

1. Albert King - King of the Blues Guitar
2. Freddie King - The Texas Cannonball

 

[markb]

Charlie Patton
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie McTell


All easily available.

For an overview of pre-war American music I can't recommend the Yazoo "Early American Rural" compilations highly enough. See where blues and country overlap twenty years before rock 'n' roll. The Before The Blues series is particularly interesting.

 

[Blaze]

That's gonna take a lot of albums... better start at the beginning:
George W. Johnson's "Laughing Song" recorded in 1895.
W.C. Handy's "Memphis Blues" recorded in 1912.

Some will argue that the Blues didn't start until the Robert Johnson era but he didn't actually record until the early 30's... even if one wished to pursue the argument, Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1926, Charley Patton in 1929, ect... or even Mamie Smith as far back as 1920.

(Good luck on gettin' hold of any of those.)

OK, Rocket , what would be your 2 favorite blues albums from 1895 till today ?

 

[Rocket]

OK, Rocket , what would be your 2 favorite blues albums from 1895 till today ?

I've already tried to pin this down... what genre of Blues? I like many and dislike a few... difficult to choose only 2.

Problem with painting "Blues" in our modern world is the really wide brush one must use... you'll keep overlapping & spilling into most other genres of music... Rock, Country, Jazz, British, Folk etc., (and vice-versa!)

 

[marnold]

Muddy Waters "Long Distance Call" (a "Greatest Hits" kind of thing)
Kenny Wayne Shepherd (et al) "10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads)"
B.B. King "Completely Well"

 

[piebaldpython]

Blues Albums

2 huh????.....hmmmmmmm......oh, ok......

Albert Collins and the Icebreakers--------LIVE '92-'93
Albert King and SRV---------------------IN SESSION

 

[sumitomo]

What about Tab Benoit,Ronnie Earl,Sue Tedeschi,ect better yet KOQX internet blues radio.Sumi

 

[just strum]

OK, Rocket , what would be your 2 favorite blues albums from 1895 till today ?

Give it up, a point is being made.

 

[Algonquin]

No albums, but here's a couple of Gents who made a decent career for themselves :canada:
The Hawk...


The late, Great Jeff Healey...

 

[birv2]

Hard Again -- Muddy Waters
Live in Chicago -- Luther Allison

 

[mrmudcat]

Tell your friend it will be a journey and to just pic a few albums/artists and go from there.....................:AOK:

There is so many sub genre's as Rocket stated I have completely gone blank on where to start :thwap:

Muddy fo-sho.A good friend from the past sent me pieces of muddys cabin from when he went on a southern blues vacation.Here is to you brother Dread!!:master: :beer:

I made a mojo hand with it:munch:

 

[bigG]

Albert King and SRV - In Session

Buddy Guy - Damn Right I Got the Blues

Each has been mentioned previously. I would go with these :beer:

Perhaps a little Gary Moore? "Still Got the Blues" and/or "Blues Alive" are very good, also!

 

[t_ross33]

One for the ladies, and a favorite of mine (since you didn't specify "guitar based" - or did you? - anyway.... ) Etta James - Etta James Rocks the House

My journey to the blues started with SRV which led to Albert King, and BB King. A little movie called "Crossroads" held my interest for a minute or two - Karate Kid re-written as head-cuttin' bluesman, but was very dissillusioned when I found out Ralph Macchio didn't play all his own licks :rotflmao:

Then someone gave me a great Chess Records compilation that I loved, which led to Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf etc. The interesting thing about the journey is once I heard the "originals" I started to recognize their influence in other artists i.e. Clapton, Page, Billy Gibbons, more SRV, Jeff Healy and on and on it goes.

I must admit to being very fond of the Chess era artists and the "Chicago Blues" style - if you want to call it that.

 

[Jipes]

To get out of the none artists I would propose:

John Mooney "Me and the Devil" all raw acoustic performances A man and a National Steel guitar
And
Tab Benoit "Fever for the bayou" The best performer on the actual blues scene with a spicy turn of New Orleans and Lafayette gumbo :AOK:

 

[ZMAN]

Well Blaze here goes.
Buddy Guy. His recent albums and a compilitation,Bring em in. and Buddies Baddest.
Alligatior records 25th Anniversary and 30th Anniversary CDs have a great cross section of blues artists.
As mentioned above. Gary Moores After hours
Beliieve it or not Robin trowers Blues cd Another Day's Blues
Ronnie Earl:, I feel like goin on, Blues guitar virtuoso., The Color of Love
Any of SRVs cds
Eric clapton has a bunch of blues cds
Albert King: He has many many great albums.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Leadbetter heights
Majic Slim:Anything Can Happen
Jimmie Reed at Carnegie hall.
That should give him a good start.
My choices lean toward the Electric blues, and Chicago blues, and basically the amplified blues.
Robben Ford as well but some of his albums are just too Jazzy. When he was with the Blue Line they were pretty good.

 

[Jimi75]

I think listneing to blues music is a little bit like eating cheese or drinking wine. The flavour has to grow on you so don't start with the exotics first, means don't give him Robert Johnson at first, this could kinda shock him away, because of its blunt elemantariness. Therfore, I'd go with something like Joe Bonamassa "Blues Deluxe"/Clapton/Sean Costello and something like for e.g. Albert King or Muddy Waters.

But that's only my 0.2 here.

 

[t_ross33]

I think listneing to blues music is a little bit like eating cheese or drinking wine. The flavour has to grow on you

very well said :beer:

 

[mrmudcat]

I agree jimi's reply FTW!!!!:beer:

Check internet abbev.thread if you dont understand:rotflmao:

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I agree with Jimi too, and would suggest an Alligator records collection (the 30th ann. disc has a great cross section of styles from western "jump" style to more traditional), and really like that SRV/Albert King collab as a suggestion. I like the jazzier side of blues and if he is new to the blues, have him check out the Mayer Trio disc "Try!" It may not be hardcore blues, but is a good intro to some tasty playing in a trio format. Bonamassa's Blues Deluxe seems much more traditional blues style if you want to go that route.

 

[Disraeli]

Rpbert Johnson- Recordings.

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers (with Eric Clapton or Peter Green, Both are equally as good and just as important in my opinion)

 

[Kazz]

I completely agree that starting with the Late Great Robert Johnson may not be the best thing....The quality of those early 30s recordings was not very good....Robert's singing was terrible in my opinion. It is the legend that makes his music so powerful...and if you open yourself up and really listen...maybe with a pair of good quality headphones...it sounds like there are multiple guitars being played....but it was only Robert.

I picked up my longtime fascination with the Delta Blues from the previously mentioned Crossroad's movie....and never turned back.

To get the guy really hooked....I would go with anything by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

For a modern spin on the older Delta Blues I would check out Keb' Mo' he broke down alot of Robert Johnson's licks for a documentary....very solid.

 

[sumitomo]

I like the jazzier side of blues

Sun check out Ronnie Earls Healing time!!!Sumi

 

[Duff]

Blues

Just a note: This disc will be awesome for you I would imagine and it is one of my all time favorites, including Al Kooper on keyboards and who knows what else. Al Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd in the beginning and may have brought them to the forefront of the music world. Al Kooper was the original keyboardist for Blood Sweat and Tears and is on the first album, has a red type cover I believe. A superior singer and blues keyboardist. Probably plays a Hammond B3 with Leslie rotary speakers on this.

Available at Amazon.com:

"The Life Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper". Totally an awesome suggestion by the earlier poster! I remember when it first was released.


I would also recommend anything by Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King, Albert Collins, or Buddy Guy just for beginners.

A great look at some of the greatest living bluesmen and women can be seen on Eric Claptons DVD production called; "Crossroads, Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007", recorded in Chicago. I got mine at a big CD place called FYE, used for about 27 dollars, but it is very high quality and has a whole host of great blues stars, including Steve Winwood playing, "Dear Mr. Fantasy", and about 35 - 40 high quality songs in super great video. This will probably become a classic collectable DVD.

Hope this helps.

There are a lot of different types of blues and jazz actually evolved from blues, not visa-versa; and the birth of Rock and Roll is commonly referred to as when The Blues had a baby! Ha ha. I really like to watch, listen to blues rock.

Duffy