Essential Little Walter

Little Walter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 1993)
• Original Release Date: June 8, 1993
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OBZ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,680 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it for the booklet alone, June 11, 2001

By 

S M - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Little Walter (Audio CD)

First things first, for those of you that have the Chess two record/vinyl set called Big Boss Harmonica; the only difference is the records have 4 tracks not found on this cd.

The sound of the cd is superb and 'friggin amazin' given that the track swere recorded in the early fifties to early sixties.

It brings out the high end, essential to harmonica playing and the guitar/drum backup, that got lost when put on vinyl.

You get rich driving harmonica playing that can be as raw as Sonny Boy Williamsom II (Rice Miller) and as Jazzy/Soulful as Toots Theilman, thus listening to the 46 tracks do not become repetitive.

The enclosed booklet is a masterpiece, not only giving information on who played on the tracks and when they were recorded, but an in depth analysis of the feeling and style exhibited on each track (by Walter and the backup players), including an honest appraisal of Walters' playing in the few last tracks done for Chess showing a diminishing of his skills.

Everything is here; terrific sound quality, terrific writing, all his hits and tracks that were not hits but of the highest musicianship and other tracks showing an honest critique of the man, that may not have been gems but show Walter was human and had his falicies.

On a ten scale it gets a 9/10.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost too much!, September 7, 2003

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Little Walter (Audio CD)

Wow, look at the price for a used copy of this CD. I should consider selling mine...
Anyway. Little Walter Jacobs was without a doubt one of the most influential blues harpists of the post-war years.

Originally a harp player and occational guitarist with Muddy Waters' band, Walter jumped ship when his instrumental "Juke" became a hit in 1952, and launched a solo career.
He wasn't as competent or indeed as versatile a songwriter as the other major harp wizard of the 50s and 60s, Aleck 'Rice' Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II), but this collection still manages to gather a large number of classic blues tunes, including Walter's takes on several Willie Dixon songs, Bo Diddley's "Roller Coaster", Big Maceo Merriweather's "Worried Life Blues", and Big Bill Broonzy's "Key To The Highway" (shamelessly credited to Jacobs himself).

Among the many highlights are Walter's instrumental "Juke", with Jimmy Rogers and Muddy Waters playing guitar, as well as "Tell Me Mama", "My Babe", "I Got To Find My Baby", "Can't Hold Out Much Longer", Walter's own "Blues With A Feeling", Willie Dixon's swaggering "Dead Presidents", the menacing "Boom Boom Out Goes The Light", T-Bone Walker's "Mean Old World", and Jimmy Oden's "Going Down Slow" (which is titled "I've Had My Fun", but it's the same song). And if you ever saw Muddy Waters in concert during the last years of his life, you may have seen him do one of Walters' best songs, the swaggering "Everything's Gonna Be Alright". That one is here as well.

This set is almost too much for the casual listener...46 Little Walter songs, of which only half are truly memorable, and most fans will be happy with one of the two major single-disc collections (MCA/Chess' "The Best of Little Walter" and the reconfigured "His Best"), although both of those unfortunately skip one of Walter's best songs, "Dead Presidents". But you can rectify that by getting Willie Dixon's excellent "Chess Box" which includes a couple of Walter numbers. Or you can just go out and try to find a copy of this the most thorough overview ever of Little Walter Jacobs' career.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Harmonica player, June 11, 2001

By 

Steven Sample (eureka, california United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Little Walter (Audio CD)

This collection is not only essential walter Jacobs, it is essentially the player who all who dare to make the harmonica a significant instrument is measured against. Like Charlie parker is to saxophone as Jimi hendrix is to guitar is Little Walter is to harmonica. There has been some greats that have come by such as Charlie Musslewhite or Rod Piazza to name a couple. But they cant pass walters ability to innovate. Technique is so much to be measured. ability is found and considered when a person gives himself to his art and that what he did. His use of rythm and deep swooping lines attack the center of the human emotions that captures the places that cannot be fathomed. The solo's on some of the pieces have the ears wondering if there is two harmonica players or maybe even a saxophone. His work is visionary somewhat like Mozart's is to me. He can move from a longing soul to a swaggering feel to a roller coaster ride and the back up band just follows. a few of his tunes crossed over to R&B charts to make it high on the charts. He is of course a Muddy Waters discovery and is right there with the Shapers of what IS the blueprint of all blues.