Customer Reviews

Allison Wonderland: Anthology

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mose Allison is the ultimate hipster: his laconic yet never lazy delivery as smooth as a sunny summer afternoon breeze, his songs wry and sardonic set pieces filled with just the right amount of irony and wit, the music surrounding them uncluttered and casual. This double CD set of his "best" material gives casual buyers a superb overview of the man's fifty years in the biz. It starts with early cuts for Riverside in the fifties and winds on down through his Atlantic years (thanks to keenly biting songs like "Your Mind Is On Vacation" and "Your Molecular Structure") and ends up in the late eighties and mid nineties for Blue Note. Especially cool is hearing a grand cut like "Ever Since The World Ended", a post-Apocalypse blues that's genuinely funny and heart-warming at the same time (it's taken from the album of the same name on Blue Note, a totally recommended yet sadly deleted disc should the reader come across it). Here's the amazing thing: whether you listen to a classic like "Parchman's Farm" or his most recent material, Mose Allison sounds like he hasn't aged. Or maybe it's just that then and now, he was/is always just that much more ahead of us. We are not worthy! But we'll gladly enjoy this great anthology!

For how superb these songs are, I'm acutally quite shocked I had never heard of Mose Allison before. I heard a song of his from the soundtrack of a movie (It was "I Don't Worry About A Thing" from the movie "The Whole Nine Yards") and absolutely had to wait until the credits rolled to look for the song title and artist. I'm glad I did it.

I recently visited Las Vegas (and will be returning soon!) and had been curious about where all of the great music that I was listening to the whole time was hiding. I've heard some good stuff from various players, but nothing snuck up on me quite like this. If you enjoy the sound of a smooth bass line and a man who not only knows how to play the piano but has a fantastic voice, I highly recommend buying his works. I'll be purchasing more of his titles soon.

The fact that this superb collection of the best of Mose Allison has only garnered a handful of reviews is prima facie evidence that he is an underappreciated giant. Without question the hippest, wittiest, coolest, swingingest songwriter, pianist, and singer ever to rise from the Mississippi Delta, Mose is a delight in every respect. He's a writer's writer and performer's performer who has been deeply influential in both style and substance for over three generations, from the fifties through the present day. His songs have been praised and covered by a panoply of greats: The Rolling Stones, John Mayall, J. J. Cale, The Who, The Yardbirds, The Clash, Leon Russell, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, and many more. If you don't know Mose, you owe it to yourself to discover him, and this album is the perfect place to start. If you already know him, you need this album, as it has all of his greatest songs, together with many terrific covers of classic jazz and blues. It's a gas!

If you enjoy the sound of Mose you will like this CD. I like it and listen often to it often.

As far as collections go, it is hard to top these handsome sets that Atlantic puts out. Allison Wonderland is no exception. The selections cover pretty much all of Allison's career with a special emphasis on his early ground-breaking works. The booklet is packed with photos and insights into his music.

Mose Allison had a wonderful way of reshaping country blues into jazz and has been a big influence on later musicians like Bill Frisell, not to mention all the rock stars who have borrowed from him over the years, or paid tribute to him, such as Van Morrison. His phrasing and lyricism can't be beat, from immortal songs like Seventh Son to more recent renditions of Josephine. He reminds me a little of Bob Dylan in the way he mines American music for themes and standards, reworking them so that they become distinctly his own. Only, he has been at it a lot longer, and this anthology only scratches the surface of his great discography.

Being around in the sixties. Mose was just fantastic. He influenced many people including Georgie Fame, Rolling stones and heaps more. This album brings back everything I ever remember when I was so much younger.It comes highly recommended.
Yours keith Jennings

Mose Allison is still with us - he'd be 79 years old - and out there still entertaining discerning fans with his easy blend of Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. Like folk-blues singer/guitarist Snooks Eaglin he is a largely hidden gem who should be brought into national prominence through appearances on some of those ubiquitous talk shows.

Just listen to his composition Back Country Suite, first heard way back in 1957 when he recorded for the Prestige label and which was the subject of critical - if not popular - acclaim. Or Parchman Farm, and Seventh Son, and I Love The Life I Live which, with many others from his repertoire, influenced a whole slew of artists throughout the 1960s.

Well worth the hefty price.

I have just been newly exposed to an artist that I can only describe as a legend. I caught Mose play last night in Miami and what a fan he turned me into! His voice is as good now as it was recorded in the studio, no lie. As I was sampling and purchasing his anthology, that is all I was thinking; you can still see an icon like this, 70something years old, convincingly in his prime.

The anthology is a great place to start, considering I recognize half of the songs from the show immediately.

Don't get me wrong. I love Mose and I have loved him since I first heard him in the 60s. His compositions are consistently good, and his vocal quality and timing are first rate. He has made a huge contribution to Jazz.

As a pianist, however, he is no Keith Jarrett. When he takes a piano solo break in the middle of a vocal, it ranges from embarrassingly bad to barely good. So if you are looking for good piano playing, look elsewhere. But that is not what Mose is for.

Mose Allison is one of the greatest songwriters ever, and has all of the skills needed to get the most out of his instrument. If you havent heard him yet, this is the chance.