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Record Boy Ink: BLUES
ROUND-UP ’99 (Part 1) Is it too early to be doing ’99 round-ups? The way I
figure it is, if the whole world is supposed to end in like 10 weeks, I’d
better give everyone enough time to buy these records and I’ve got a few to
tell you about. Muddy Waters was one of a kind. Everyone knows his
historical contribution to 20th Century music. Relatively few ever
saw the man perform during his prime. On Muddy Waters The Lost Tapes
(Blind Pig) you can be treated to a true treasure. Seems a fella by the name of
Link Wyler had a stash of unreleased blues tapes and films in his collection
and only now is this stuff seeing the light of day. These “lost tapes” are a terrific quality concert
recording made in 1971 at the University of Washington and the University of
Oregon. Muddy’s band at that time consisted of Sammy Lawhorn, Peewee Madison,
Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, George “Harmonica” Smith and
Pinetop Perkins. Muddy is in top form here with his razor sharp slide riffs
surrounded by his crack band. Just about every song you’d want to hear is on
this collection, complete with a funny intro to “She’s 19 Years Old” and Muddy
asking the audience to give the other performers on the bill a round of
“acclause”. Special treat is that it’s an enhanced CD so if you put it in your
computer you can see a snippet of an interview of Muddy done in the back seat
of a van, sitting next to Big Mama Thornton and live footage of Muddy and this
band performing “Long Distance Call.” The only gripe I have with this CD is
that nobody bothered to fade the endings so each tune ends with clipped
applause (or acclause). The music speaks for itself however. Muddy was
godlike in his presence. A very young Record Boy had the opportunity many years
ago to meet and talk with the man and one could not help but walk away from an
experience like that transformed. He was a warm, gentle and humble human being
who just happened to make some of the best music you will ever hear. Do
yourself a favor and pick this CD up and hear what I’m talkin’ about. Pee Wee Crayton was another guy ‘ol Record Boy knew.
This was a man who left us way too soon. On Pee Wee Crayton Early Hour Blues
(Blind Pig) you’ll hear a collection of his last studio recordings featuring
Doug McLeod, The Mighty Flyers and of course Pee Wee’s son Marshall Crayton
Jr., a guy who seemed at the time way
too young to be such a facile R&B tenor sax honker. Pee Wee was another
gentle guy who played the hell out of his guitar. Always a flashy showman, the
nattily attired Mr. Crayton was well known for playing his jazzy blues solos
while strolling through the audience and whipping up the crowd. A little known
fact about Pee Wee is that his wife Esther wrote the bulk of his songs! The
fact that some of these tunes were recorded about 6 months before his death in
1985, makes these strong performances even more poignant. Pee Wee felt that his
contribution to blues history was under appreciated. There is ample proof on
this disc that he remained a vital contributor right up to the end. Check out
the man’s work and enjoy listening! |