Customer Reviews

Jook Joint Blues: That's What They Want

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Muddy Waters once said, "The Blues had a baby and they called it Rock n' Roll". Well, if you buy this four disc set you will get a thorough introduction to Mama & Daddy!

I cannot recommend this collection highly enough if you are looking for some grinding, hard-drinking, electric guitar & harmonica Blues. The music is raw-edged and rowdy, the breadth of performers impressive. The sound quality is very good on most all of the tracks, especially considering their age (most were recorded in the early to mid 1950's). The liner notes are extensive and provide an insight into many of the lesser-known performers of the era, most of whom I was previously unaware. Many of the licks heard in this collection are recognizable due to their adoption in later rock 'n' roll classics.

The bottom line is if you are a fan of Delta/Louisiana/Swamp Blues or want to know more about the roots of Rock 'n' Roll, this collection is a must-have.

This compliation is filled with music it took me all of the seventies, eighties, nineties, and the new millenium to fail to fully collect on vinyl albums and cds. This is blues from the crevices, that which hides in the nooks and crannies, and once did hide in virtually every southern black community. These aptly described juke joint blues were the stuff of small labels, sometimes among the very few, or even sole releases of a label's entire output. Hence the lack of anything approaching uniformity -- read that BLANDNESS, COMMERCIAL SLAVISHNESS. Each tune is a unique slice of a different time and place, and conjures, no doubt, a singular memory in the minds of anyone who ever saw these performances 'live,' owned the original 78 rpm disc, or dropped a nickel into the vendor to hear it. So, if you get this -- and I vigorously assert that if you're a real blues lover, you should -- forget what you know about the polished 1950's blues of T-Bone Walker, BB King, even Muddy Waters. This is another thing entirely. This is the grit -- music from the grind of working all day and playing all night, or these tunes were created by those who followed the money that followed the crops -- and worked the southern juke joints. Rock 'n Roll, even northern Urban blues existed at the same time, but did so in a parallel universe where never the twain could meet. This is southern black culture exposed... years later.... The artists represented here never thought about us hearing this; they had no concept that their music would travel the world and boomerang back home via the British Invasion. This was local stuff, spreaking to the neighbors in the black bottoms all across the segregated South. The recordings here take you there. Take these recordings and make the trip. I guarantee you will not only be transported to another time and place, but that your tastes in blues will be broadened as well.

Well, there is disagreement about whether the term Jook / Juke comes from the Gullah word "joog" (rowdy) or spread into common use from a study of the apparently hereditarily incorrigible Jukes family. Whatever the case, this 4 cd set is a certified jook hoot. Loaded with blues blasters mostly from the 1950s that even the most ardent of blues fans have never heard of, it hangs together by great song selection, great mastering, and great raw talent. Not every song is a gem, but guarantee you'll be grabbing the case repeatedly as you say to yourself, "Who the hell is THAT?"

I am a big fan of the JSP box sets. This UK label has put out a number of affordable box sets of remastered American blues, jazz and old time music all remastered as well as modern technology and the source recordings permit. This collection of juke joint blues is my favorite JSP set to date. There is not a slow cut here, starting with the first song by a Howlin' Wolf soundalike named Papa Lightfoot, all the way through. I am a big collector of blues music but the only artist in the set I was aware of is Earl Hooker, John Lee's hot licks guitarist cousin. If you love the blues, grab this collection.

I'm just here to agree with the others and also recommend a disc called Shim Sham Shimmy, which is very, very similar to this one. In fact, they share one song. I love this music, all rough edges and funky tones. Blues before it was taken over by flashy guitar players looking for a forum to show off (full disclosure: I have a ton of that music too).

Not too much to say except it was one good buy,if your into early 'Juke joint music. In its time black music was the best on down to earth pop music, unlike the trash out there today ( you would had to live at that time to understand)We still have some good blues like R.L.Burnside.Also

This box contains reaaaaaally good stuff! no mainstream material, but raw Louisiana Blues! The recordings ain't HD or Dolby Digital, but the essence is all there..

Great compilation of 112 tracks ... many obscure... all authentic artifacts of the blues. Great value...mondo bang for the bucks.

The work required in putting this fantastic collection together must have been huge.Four discs with 70 minutes of music or more on each disc.

Great artists, great tunes - an awesome compilation.

Thats what I want!!

And the best reason for contnuing to buy packaged music - THE LINER NOTES.