Customer Reviews

I Am the Blues

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The person who wrote that editorial review above should be dragged out an' shot (well, maybe not SHOT, but ya'know ridiculed and have his feelings hurt) for callin' Willie "nothing special". From a composition standpoint alone he deserves to rank with the greats. In fact, this album here is worth it for jus' ONE song: 'I Can't Quit You, Baby'. That joint got me OPEN. Jus' listen to that wail he lets loose at the start 'fore the music's even kicked in an' tell me his voice didn't have every bit the power that the more well-known Delta and Chicago blues artists had. I mean this stuff is raw, down-and-dirty BLOOD music; hard-drivin' blues, soft blues, barroom brawl blues, ya jus' can't lose. This the only album'a his that I own, but is' enough for me to tell y'all without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that Willie Dixon was the MAN plain an' simple. C'mon now. Don't even get me started on 'Spoonful' or 'Back Door Man'. The latter in particular will pump more testosterone through your speakers an' out into your body n' soul than all the gangsta rappers out there could COMBINED. Overall, I'm gonna say no other less-than-10 song blues album possesses the consistancy that this one does. This stuff is timeless.

This CD is not valued by blues snobs for reasons that escape me when I think about it and are totally unfathonable when I listen to "I am the Blues". It has the edge you associate with Sonny Boy or Wolf, the drive you find in Freddie King when he was produced by Leon Russell, and the power you feel when you are sitting at 2 am in a local blues bar and your favorite local band starts playing covers and you feel bulletproof. You may hide this CD when your blues loving friends drop by, BUT, this is the one you will listen to as you drive off into the night to raise a little hell.

Well, Willie Dixon is definitely one of the most influencial blues musicians ever; he is right up there with Robert Johnson and T-Bone Walker. Willie had written many tunes for Muddy Waters and others, and I Am the Blues is Dixon singing his own songs. He sings them damned well, and the blues are played perfectly. This is an awesome album to get into the blues, and it still holds true today. Standouts are "Back Door Man", "The Seventh Son", and "The Same Thing". Highly recommended for blues fans.

I recommend this to all blues lovers. Willie Dixon never recieved the recognition he deserved until other artists covered his work. From Muddy Watters and Bo Diddley to Cream and Led Zeppelin, many great artists from all genres of music played Willie's music. what a great album!

I enjoy the Blues. This album was one of my first and favorites. The album presents a few awesome and frustrating points for the listener. The musicians who accompany Willie are out of this world; my CD came with no credits so I can't name them. The harp and pianist play to a level beyond belief, and the rest of the cast fall right into place. These were tight slick sessions. But the producer who mixed the tracks really missed the mark. I can only hope that someone will resurrect the original tapes and re issue these tracks in a fresh release. As for Willie, he's no Howlin Wolf or Muddy Waters but he sings well, these are after all his songs. If you like the harp and piano, this album gives you one of the best performances ever captured on celluloid.

Willie Dixon was one of the most prolific writers in Blues history. His music has been very influential on countless artists, who in turn influenced others that maybe didn't know anything about him. And his rock solid bass playing has graced many albums, and this is no exception. The amazon.com reviewer is really off the mark if he is not hearing emotion in Dixon's vocals. Yes, his vocal delivery and timbre is unique, to say the least. But, to me, that's what makes him so good. Also, the rythm section cooks! I agree with another reviewer in that this is not the kind of cd I am going to play if I'm on a date, but when I am alone, it's another story. Uncompromising and heartfelt blues. Dixon IS the blues.

Willie Dixon is one of the few that could name an album "I Am The Blues" and not have it be a brash overstatement. Where would the blues be without the songs on this collection, every one of which he wrote himself. The proof is the number of artists that have covered his songs over the years: The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Magic Sam, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Sam Cooke, just to name a few. Willie Dixon was an integral part of the Chess records label and the Chicago blues scene, but also could deliver as a performer. Unlike the Amazon reviewer, I found this collection to be worth getting. While Dixon may not be the greatest blues singer ever in terms of technique, he delivers with heart and feeling, which is what the blues is all about. The backing musicians are talented too; my only complaint is that the personnel and the recording dates are not listed in the liner notes. Aside from that though, this disc is a chance to hear a blues legend play some of his best known material, and if you are a fan of the blues (as I am), you will enjoy this one.

Willie Dixon owns the blues legacy as we know it. He and Robert Johnson are two names that are the most known to non-blues music lovers due to enormous influence they had on many musicians from variety of styles. Now there have been enough reviews describing his lack of vocal talents. Yes I know he's not the Howlin' Wolf, Robert Plant, you name it!!! But the man got the blues feel that bursts out of him singing every word. This album for me carries that blues feel starting from the cover art and on to the beautiful music. If you like blues - get it.

Ignore the "official" review and then find this album on VINYL.

I purchased this LP back in 1974 on vinyl and still listen to it every so often. The sound quality on a good system is just superb.

That the official review complains about the sound quality simply tells me that the CD was poorly mastered which is such a shame because this album is a joy to listen to.

Go hunting online and find the vinyl version - it's well worth the hunt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dixon is a barking, snarling, howling, growling piece of Delta blues migrated north to Chicago in this pivotal album which, in my humble opinion, should be in everyone's post-millenium CD collection. He is one of the original bluesmen that many of the rock 'n roll artists--the Rolling Stones, Johnny Rivers, Eric Clapton, to mention a few--owe a great debt to. This CD features Dixon classics redux with a modern (1970's) band, all arranged to his specifications. The result, in my opinion, is stunning. Great tunes are "Back Door Man", "Spoonful" and "Little Red Rooster". Get it from Amazon.com, now, and you can party like it's 1999.