Customer Reviews

Bahamian Guitarist: Good Morning Mr. Walker

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

 

 

i used to work in tower records in london and this was a saturday morning favourite to help nurse away the hangovers. the music is absolutely insane, it has no equal. old joseph spence, god bless him, was like sun ra with an acoustic guitar. even the grouchiest coustomers would leave with a wild gleeful smile on their faces.

If you play the guitar or if you just appreciate great musicianship then this is an album to get. Joe Spence inspired many through the 60's and 70's...but no-one has yet to match his style or brilliance. Buy it and be amazed.

After mentioning Spence in a review the other day, I decided I may as well review some of his own stuff, too. One of the things this disc has over the original Smithsonian/Folkways disc is the length. Spence hadn't really lost anything in the time between, but this disc is twice as long. It's more bang for your buck.

While I quite enjoy him when I am in the mood for him, he's an acquired taste, I would imagine. Even though I just said this disc is longer and more bang for your buck, I rarely ever listen to the whole thing through at one time. It's not his guitar playing, but yes for me, after 15 straight songs of his dribbling and gurgling and slurring and almost coughing his way through grunts that replace 85% of the lyrics to the songs he plays, I've usually had enough.

He was at times very entertaining, but that was as far as it went. What I mean is, he didn't have a large emotional range. He isn't going to make you laugh in one song and cry the next. I think of Spence as a court-jester (of and for the people, though) who happens to be a finger-picking master. Deep emotional impact is not his thing. He has alot of fun, and you will have fun, but don't expect any spiritual revelations while listening to his music.

Also, you Deadheads will probably get a kick out of his buoyant version of Bid You Goodnight.

I wanted to purchase this CD, because it contained my favorite Joseph Spencer's classic hit of the early 70s, "Good Morning Mr. Walker" that made him an international musical sensation in the '60s and '70s, but alas, I was very disappointed that upon hearing a little snipet of the version of "Good Morning Mr. Walker," on the CD via Amazon's Media Player, I decided against purchasing it. I was wondering as to why Spencer did not put the original studio-recorded version of "Good Morning Mr. Walker" on this CD. Surely, there are still original record player/gramophone/records or cassette copies of the original "Good Morning Mr. Walker," somewhere on the planet, that Joe Spencer could have reproduced digitally on this CD. The current version on this CD appears to be very amatuerish and gruffly. Until the original studio-recorded version of "Good Morning Mr. Walker" is reproduced, purchasing any music or CD from Joseph Spencer will be an exercise in futility on my part.