Customer Reviews

Blues Helping

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I cannot believe Amazon.com has a CD of Love Sculpture's Blues Helping. Being originally from the UK, I have an original LP of Blues Helping. In 1967 I was lucky enough see Love Sculpture play most the tracks on this CD live, at Essex University, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, England. This is truly great blues guitar music, in fact, Dave Edmunds is the greatest electric guitarist I have ever seen, especially when doing his version of Sabre Dance. A truly fabulous album/CD.

After the success of John Mayall's 1968 Blues Breakers release, EMI Parlaphone decided they needed a record to compete with Mayall's. They enlisted Dave Edmunds' Love Sculpture...and did they ever come through. I had (and still have) the original (Imported) LP released in 1968. I felt then, and still do, that it was less commercial than most English Blues LPs of the time. Edmunds really lets loose on "Stumble", "Blues Helping" and "Hip Shake". The record has a very smooth, polished feel to it.. yet it isn't overly produced. Dave Edmunds has done some great recording since Blues Helping, but none that stand out as much as this particular record. I think we would all like to see a Love Sculpture reunion and CD.

Spine-tingling stuff. The solo Dave rips off on Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul" is among the finest in blues-rock recordings. Amazing that Edmunds never really ever attempted a followup to this blues masterpiece. I guess perfection needs no encore.

The guitar work in this masterpiece is unlike anything you will find today. The skill of a master musician eminates from this piece with the energy of a gang of locomotives!

In 1971,while I was in the Air Force, stationed on Okinawa, I received a taped copy of Blues Helping. I still have that tape, and I pull it out several times a year to listen to it. It is one of my all-time faves. This is the first time I have seen it on CD, and it is soon to be mine!!!

This is one of the first blues albums I heard, and I've been a fan ever since. Dave Edmunds guitar work is amazing. Many people have no idea that this guy can play. Though mostly covers, they really smoke, with Dave's guitar virtuosity. Ray Charles, Canned Heat and the others they cover must be proud. I've never met anyone who's heard this album and didn't like it. Well worth the money if you're a blues fan.

While I know why so many of you rated this 5 stars, I feel like you're a bit too attached to 60's music which makes you nostalgic for this record. I agree with the fact that Dave Edmunds is one of the underated guitar players of the era. I also agree that technically he is a fine player. However, I have to disagree with the characterizations that this is one of the best blues albums of all time. When you stack it up to the Chess sessions, it pales. Sure, compared to Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Alvin Lee, Edmunds failed to garner much popularity (for some unkown reason), but I'm afraid he's not on the same page with BB King or Muddy Waters.

That said, though, this is a nice collection of frenetic electric guitar blues. It is mostly cover material with that nice 60's psychedelic edge. Its a good collection of blues rock with some spectacular pyrotechnics, as well as choice licks. If its lacking, its in that polished soulful phrasing that the blues greats have in buckets. The tune selection shows he's done his homework on the blues classics - Freddy King's "The Stumble" (which if for no other reason you have to hand it to him for attempting when Peter Green does a wonderful job of with the original Fleetwood Mac), a couple of Ray Charles staples and Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips" all standout. It all sort of sounds dated now, though, doesn't it?

A very hip collection indeed. Well worth investigation if you're a blues rock fan.

Originally released in 1968, this was Love Sculpture's first of two albums. Just as good as it's follow-up 'Forms & Feelings'. Saw on Wikipedia that Love Scupture had disbanded following a U.S. tour. I was thinking of just how huge of a 'live' album fan that I am. Then, soon there after it hit me - most of the tracks on this CD are recorded live. Couldn't get enough of "Stumble", the almost-poetic "I Believe To My Soul", "So Unkind", their cover of Canned Heat's "On The Road Again" (this I didn't expect), the straight-from-the-heart indepth bluesy "Don't Answer The Door" and the uplifting "Shake Your Hips". Personnel: Dave Edmonds - guitar, keyboards & vocals, John Williams (bassist on Foghat's first album) - guitar & vocals and Bob 'Congo' Jones (Mike Bloomfield) - drums & vocals. A true slice of music history.

Following a one off single as the Human Beans, containing the classic "Morning Dew" Welsh guitarist Dave Edmunds, along with bassist John Williams and drummer Bob Jones, underwent a name change to Love Sculpture, were given a stack of blues lps, especially several by Texas Cannonball and Eric Clapton inspiration, Freddie King, to listen to in order to find inspiration for a dictated blues album. Love Sculpture's label insisted that they record "Blues Helping" despite the fact that Edmunds openly stated that he neither enjoyed listening to nor playing blues music. The resultant album is an excellent piece of vintage 1968 blues rock, especially in light of Edmunds' dislike for the genre. The album consisting of covers of popular blues rock songs of the time, ranging from Freddie King's "The Stumble" to Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" to Canned Heat's "On The Road Again" shines because of Edmunds' guitar prowess. The album is incredible considering Edmunds' attitude toward blues rock in general. The album did accomplish the group's goal of allowing a second album to be recorded, the absolutely stunning, psychedelic classic "Forms and Feelings" recorded a year later in 1969. That album is far superior to "Blues Helping" but that in no way diminishes the value of this, the band's debut lp. Cherry Red Records Esoteric Recordings imprint release includes the 11 tracks from the album proper, and is accompanied by the above mentioned single recorded as the Human Beans as well as the non-lp single "River to Another Day" and its b-side "Brand New Woman." In total, the 15 tracks with a run time of 52 minutes add up to an absolute must for fans of the blues rock genre, and is essential to completists who already own the band's second album "Forms and Feelings." Regardless, guitar fans must include both of Love Sculpture's albums in their collections, and Cherry Red has made it possible to possess the band's entire recorded output by including the mono 45 versions related to both albums. Thus, in total the collector will possess all 30 tracks, 2 of which are properly credited to the precursor band, the Human Beans, as well as all 28 tracks released by Love Sculpture proper, with a total run time of 116 minutes both cds combined. This means two hours of absolute guitar nirvana for the listener, and two valuable additions to any fans of Dave Edmunds, blues rock and/or psychedelic rock. I strongly urge the purchase of both albums simultaneously so that you can listen chronologically to the birth and growth of the musical entity known as Love Sculpture. Never approaching the fame of other power trios such as Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Love Sculpture's recordings hold up incredibly well over the 40 years passed since the release of their second and final album. Edmunds would go on to fame with his solo album Rockpile containing the smash "I Hear You Knocking" and along with bassist Nick Lowe and drummer Terry Williams who helped Edmunds tour the "Rockpile" album and would thus form the short-lived but famous/infamous band of the same name who recorded but one album "Seconds of Pleasure" long treasured by rock fans and now available with several bonus tracks and at an unbelievably low list price. But I get ahead of myself. Find the best price you can on the two Love Sculpture albums, purchase them, listen to them, cherish them, and then go on to the further adventures of Dave Edmunds. But Love Sculpture is without question the taking off point and an absolute must for any and all rock and roll guitar fans.

this is some killer stuff.if you like chicken shack you will like "love sculpture".dave edmonds can rip it up.buy this.