Acoustic-Electric Guitars
Blues Masters, Vol. 18 : More Slide Guitar Classics
Amazon. comThis collection in the ever-expanding Blues Masters series is the second to feature slide guitar work, and it picks up quite a few essential tunes that were missed on the first go-round. Among others, this includes Muddy Waters performing a low-key version of “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” Elmore James going nice and slow on “The Sky Is Crying,” Blind Willie Johnson’s fire-and-brimstone voice (which at times overwhelms his guitar playing) on “I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole,” an. . . More >>
Blues Masters, Vol. 18 : More Slide Guitar Classics
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Amazon lists 13 of the 18 Blues Masters series as “unavailable”. What’s up with that?
Rhino’s Blues Masters series is by far the best of its kind. Yes, better than the new Martin Scorsese series, although that’s good, too.
You can’t just go out and buy the entire “Blues Masters” series and be done with, of course. . . there is much more to the blues than that. But casual or “mid-level” blues fans should love this well-compiled and well-annotated series, and this excellent collection is one of the best entries.
Spanning 1927-1974, “More Slide Guitar Classics” includes some of the best songs in the catalogues of blues masters like Elmore James, Son House, Tampa Red, Robert Nighthawk, and J. B. Hutto. Elmore’s smouldering slow burner “The Sky Is Crying” is here in all its glory, alongside Texas bluesman Johnny Winter’s acoustic slide guitar blues “Dallas”, Son House’s awesome “Death Letter”, and Babe Turner (the Black Ace)’s obscure “Your Leg’s Too Little”.
Other highlights include Muddy Waters’ wonderful early classic “I Can’t Be Satisfied”, Tampa Red’s piano-driven “Green And Lucky Blues”, a tough “Little Boy Blue” by Robert Jr. Lockwood (Robert Johnson’s stepson), J. B. Hutto’s fiery boogie “Hip Shakin’”, and the powerful “I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole”, played and sung by the grittiest gospel singer ever, Blind Willie Johnson, is just amazing.
The numerous rarities make this album even better, and the inclusion of songs like Joe Carter’s tough shuffle “I’m Worried” and Boyd Gilmore’s even more obscure “All In My Dreams” is a real gift.
This is a mouth-watering slice of classic blues tunes. Fanatics like myself will have most of this music already, but slightly more casual listeners should rush out and try to dig up a copy of this excellent CD and its companion volume.