Customer Reviews

Chess Blues

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a new listener to post-War urban blues, or are unfamiliar with the Chess label and its subsidiaries, you must buy this box set. If, on the other hand, you're like me and your CD and LP collections contain scores of re-issues of individual artists who recorded for Chess, Checker, and the like...you must buy this box set. Do not fear over-duplication. This is no mere collection of the "best of" each artist included in the set, but is a true cross-section of styles and artists recorded during the incredibly important two decades after World War II by the Chess brothers. Major artists--Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, et al--are represented by several songs each, ranging from their earliest to their later recordings. Most impressive, though, is the breadth of artists, major and minor, and the quality of the song selection. From the gritty Robert Nighthawk to the urbane Lloyd Glenn to the soulful Etta James, the creators of this collection have managed to bring together some of the most interesting, moving, and important recordings of the post-War era. Put the discs into your player and you'll hear famous classics like Otis Rush's "So Many Roads, So Many Trains," as well as unnoticed gems like Willie Dixon's "Walking the Blues" (a little gimmicky, but a rare chance to hear some terrific unaccompanied riffs by Lafayette Leake). The quality of the music is almost matched by the very informative booklet, which contains some terrific photos. If you don't want to spend the money on a box set, get someone to buy it for you.

All right, students, now pay attention! Put down that racing form and pay attention right now! This here Chess Blues box set contains exactly 101 tracks. How appropriate! That makes this collection a sort of unofficial college course entitled Blues 101, and Professors Wolf, Waters, James, and Jacobs (Little Walter), etc., etc., will be your blues instructors. You will learn the Fundamentals of Blues Harp, with Little Walter ("Juke") and Sonny Boy Williamson II ("Don't Start Me to Talkin'") as your master teachers. Over here, we have a course entitled Mellow Blues, with Willie Dixon ("Walkin' the Blues") and Jimmy Witherspoon ("Ain't Nobody's Business") showing you how it's done. Then, we have instruction in Blues and the Female Voice, with Koko Taylor ("What Kind of Man Is That," "Wang Dang Doodle") and Etta James ("Somethings Got A Hold Of Me," "I'd Rather Go Blind") as your teachers. Finally, what great university would be complete without Master Classes and the best professors in the business Muddy Waters ("Got My Mojo Workin'," "I Can't Be Satisfied," "My Eyes (Keep Me in Trouble"), Howlin Wolf ("Killin' Floor," "Evil," "Going Down Slow"), and John Lee Hooker ("Walkin' the Boogie," "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer") holding court for your edification. No, there is no blues university, but if there was one, the above masters would surely be the instructors and Chess Blues would certainly be the required text. As I said, it's packed with an amazing 101 songs, many of the best blues tracks ever recorded. There are a few clunkers, but very few. You will spend many enjoyable hours listening to this collection. (Trust me, it takes a few hours to listen to 101 songs once!) Get it today, and enroll in the best blues education money can buy!

This handsome boxset, complete with a large booklet, is a superb addition to your blues collection, even if you already have the best of the major Chess artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson II.

There are bound to be some tracks, especially by Waters and the Wolf, that overlap with what most blues lovers already own, but the "Chess Blues" compilers have done a very fine job assembling dozens of rarer tracks by artists like Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, Otis Rush, Memphis Minnie McCoy, Lowell Fulson, Willie Mabon, Elmore James, Jimmy Oden and many others. And these high quality tracks, which make up the vast majority of the 101 cuts, make "Chess Blues" a very welcome supplement to the many available compilations featuring Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs.

Whatever the reason, one of America's truly original art forms--the blues--has been largely ignored by the average American. And that's a damn shame.

Where would rock 'n' roll be without the blues? Consider some of the songs on this box that were covered by rock artists: "Sweet Black Angel" and "The Red Rooster" (Rolling Stones), "Evil" and "Sitting on Top of the World" (Cream), "Smokestack Lightnin'" (Yardbirds), "Got My Mojo Workin'" (Manfred Mann), "Key to the Highway" (Derek & the Dominos), "Goin' Down Slow" (Allman Brothers), "Wang Dang Doodle" (Savoy Brown), "I'd Rather Go Blind" (Rod Stewart), "Killing Floor" (Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin--although Zep tried passing it off as their own composition "The Lemon Song). It's like Muddy Waters sang on the album Hard Again: "The Blues Had a Baby and Named It Rock and Roll." The impact of the blues--especially Chicago blues--on rock 'n' roll is incalculable.

If you love rock 'n' roll, I guarantee you'll love this set. And if you can afford only one blues collection, this is the one to own. ESSENTIAL

Released in early 1993, the 101 tracks on this 4CD box represented the first proper overview by MCA of the Chess Blues legacy since their acquistion of its entire catalogue way back in 1985. And even now (in late 2009) with many subsequent compilations and box sets having followed - I estimate there's still at least 20 to 30 tracks exclusive to this set.

Here's a basic breakdown (each CD has a themed label):

Disc 1, 1947-1952, 25 Tracks, Yellow Aristocrat Label (73:31 minutes)
Disc 2, 1952-1954, 25 Tracks, Blue Chess Label (73:01 minutes)
Disc 3, 1954-1960, 26 Tracks, Plum Checker Label (73:08 minutes)
Disc 4, 1960-1967, 25 Tracks, Brown Argo Label (71:30 minutes)

"Chess Blues" was produced and co-compiled by ANDY McKAIE and features a wonderful 64-page booklet detailing track-by-track liner notes by MARY KATHERINE ALDIN of the LIVING BLUES Magazine (she handled the liner notes for many of the early Chess compilations). The text is peppered with classy black & whites photos of Chess giants like MUDDY WATERS, JOHN LEE HOOKER, LITTLE WALTER, HOWLIN' WOLF, WILLIE DIXON, SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON, CHUCK BERRY and ETTA JAMES. There are a few reproduced trade adverts and an opening comment by PHIL CHESS. Best of all though is the read - the paragraphs have great insights into the songs and revelatory information on long forgotten artists like LAURA RUCKER, ROBERT NIGHTHAWK and ARBEE STIDHAM. Just like Peter Grendysa's liner notes in the "Chess Rhythm & Roll" box that followed it, the booklet in this is a peach.

Remastered from Aristocrat and Chess master tapes by ERICK LABSON (over 800 credits to his name), the sound is great throughout - excepting a few tracks dubbed from disc ("Memory Of Sonny Boy" by FOREST CITY JOE from 1949 is one of them).

The music is far grittier than the "Rhythm & Roll" box where the Blues morphed into Rhythm 'n' Blues and then into Soul, but it's equally brilliant.

Unreleased gems include the fabulous piano-boogie of "Cryin' The Blues" by LAURA RUCKER sounding like a blues'd up version of Nellie Lutcher (lyrics above) - and a truly electrifying stripped down alternate take of "All Night Long" by Muddy Waters (just Muddy on guitar and Little Walter on harmonica) where he wants his woman to "rock me...all night long...'til my back has no bone..." Great stuff!

Listening to "Chess Blues" a full 16 years after its release is still a fabulous experience - and although it's not nearly as rare as it's follow-up set "Chess Rhythm & Roll", it's just as desirable...

Recommended - big time.

PS:
See also 5 separate reviews - the 1994 4CD box set "Chess Rhythm & Roll", the mammoth 15CD box set "The Chess Story 1947-1975" issued in 2000 and it's 3 separate parts issued as stand-alone 5CD sets in 2003

Where would the music of today be without the music on this set? Every song is a classic. Phil and Leonard Chess had an ear for talent and it shows on this set. Not only do you get classics by Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf, there is also Etta James, Ko Ko Taylor, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sunnyland Slim, Robert Nighthawk, Willie Dixon (the MAN behind many of the Waters/Wolf classics) and many, many more. The booklet is fantastic and the sound quality is very good. Simply a set you can't do without.

This is an absolutely essential collection for any serious blues or music collector. Yes, you'll have some of the biggest hits included here on other discs by the bigger stars themselves, but this fills in all the blanks for what is considered the world's greatest blues label. The remastering is very good too. Ya just gotta have this one.

This 4 CD set (101 tracks recorded between 1947-67) probably contains many songs you already have, as there are quite a few from Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson. These were Chess Records most successful artists, due in no small part to the song writing of Willie Dixon, who wrote quite a few for each of them (except Hooker) as well as himself. Now, if you are new to the blues or have a minimal collection, this is the perfect place to start. Or even if you are an avid blues fan, you still may discover some new music here to your liking from lesser known artists like Johnny Shines, Sunnyland Slim, Jimmy Rogers, Lowell Fulson, Willie Mabon, Billy Boy Arnold, J.B. Lenoir, etc. There are also a couple of tracks by the great Buddy Guy, Otis Spann and Albert King (Stevie Ray Vaughan's main influence). So, even if you have a lot of this music, it's still nice to have it compacted into 4 discs, especially for the car. The sound is quite good, though there is some minimal surface noise on a few of the tracks from the 40's, which is to be expected.

How should I put this...?

subtle? historic? passionate? Let's just leave it at this.

IT'S A 4 CD BOX WITH BLUES FROM CHESS!! THAT'S MUDDY WATERS AND HOWLING WOLF!! DUH!!! OF COURSE 5 STARS!!

This is a collection of 101 blues recordings from the Chess Records vault. It features many of the best known blues singers, as well as some performers that history has forgotten. Most of Chess Records' biggest hit blues records are included, but there are also many obscurities here. In fact, almost half the tracks are rarities. But the obscurities are almost as good as the well known recordings. Everything here is good, with most of the tracks being better than good. If you want to learn about the blues, this is the perfect place to start.