Customer Reviews

Real Folk Blues

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

 

 

This is a solid Howlin' Wolf disc, in fact, you'll find few better. Killing Floor, of course, rocks. There are no weak tracks on this disc and it includes the classics: Louise, Poor Boy, Sittin' on Top of the World and Built for Comfort, among others. Enjoy.

The only thing "wrong" with this disc is that almost all of this material is available on MCA/Chess's main Howlin' Wolf-compilations "His Best", "Hist Best vol. II" and the magnificent "Chess Box".

In terms of rarities, "More Real Folk Blues" is the more interesting of Wolf's two "Folk Blues" albums (neither of which are the slightest bit folkish), but the fact that "The Real Folk Blues" and "More Real Folk Blues" are now in print only as a twofer-CD which features all 24 tracks makes that kind of a moot point, I guess.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with what is here. "The Real Folk Blues" opens with two of Wolf's best and most powerful mid-60s numbers, the self-penned "Killing Floor" and "Louise". "Killing Floor" is one of the finest songs in Chester Arthur Burnett's lenghty catalogue, perhaps the finest, and the lesser-known but thoroughly impressive "Louise" is a driving powerhouse of a song, all blaring saxes and a scorching solo by Wolf's lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin.

Other highlights include...well, the rest of what is here, really, although Willie Dixon's novelty-thumper "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy" is something of an acquired taste. But most of these songs (9 out of 12, actually) ar Wolf originals, and numbers like the muscular grind of "My Country Sugar Mama", the swinging shuffle "Poor Boy", and the somber "The Natchez Burnin'" are particularly superb.
This is nothing like a thorough Wolf retrospective, of course, just a sample of his mid-50s to mid-60s Chess waxings, but that doesn't make it any less great. You need this material in one form or another!

Some of these tracks are among Wolf's best; others aren't. Those that fall into the "aren't" category include Willie Dixon's "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy," a number that confirms Dixon's reputation, in the eyes of some, as the Chet Atkins of the blues. (Blues-politan?) I'm not saying that this is good or bad, but the track is not among Wolf's best. But my review policy regarding Wolf is simple and, I think, absolutely fair, my policy being that Wolf never recorded anything worth fewer than five stars. Period. If a collection of coughing and sneezing by the great man were released as a CD, or part of one, I would issue five stars to it. This is based on the theory that anything Mr. Burnett committed to tape (or disc) was, and remains, magnificent. Regardless of what it was.

At any rate, there is nothing but music on this CD, the best tracks being "Killing Floor," "Poor Boy," "Sittin' on Top of the World," and the almost-experimental "Nachez Burning," a 1956 side unlike anything else I've heard by this great artist. Blues rock is linked with any number of "Chicago" (i.e., transplanted Southern) bluesmen, but Wolf practically invented the 1960s version of that music. Proof herein.

I almost forgot. Five stars.

Essentially this is the same Howlin' Wolf heard on the previous recordings, 1959's Howlin' Wolf and 1962's Moanin' in the Moonlight (both of which were compilations of singles, many of which are classics, released by the Wolf throughout the 1950s). 1966's The Real Folk Blues, recorded in the early to mid 1960s features the larger than life growling voice and riffs, as well as the monster swagger of those amazing earlier recordings and the fact that Wolf is writing all of his own material instead of recording Willie Dixon`s songs subtracts little quality. Still, this is second rate Howlin'' Wolf when compared to those recordings. The newly added horn section, which adds little and removing much of the Wolf's impeccable grit, is the main reason. Howlin' Wolf's first two LPs are available on one disc, if you like those then I recommend you check out this album.

This was the first Howlin' Wolf CD I ever bought. I paid about $8.00 for it about 8 or so years ago. It is the best album I own! For starters, the sound quality is phenomenal (about 300% better than the other 2 no-name Howlin Wolf CD's I've bought since). There are about 2-3 songs I don't particularly care for (Hidden Charms, 300 lbs) but they are overshadowed by Killing Floor, Louise, My Country Sugar Mama, Smokestack Lightning. So I would not rate it a 10 for song selection, but it's a 12 on a scale of 10 overall. This album will blow your mind, yes it's that good.

The only thing "wrong" with this disc is that almost all of this material is available on MCA/Chess's main Howlin' Wolf-compilations "His Best", "Hist Best vol. II" and the magnificent "Chess Box".

In terms of rarities, "More Real Folk Blues" is the more interesting of Wolf's two "Folk Blues" albums (neither of which are the slightest bit folkish), but the fact that "The Real Folk Blues" and "More Real Folk Blues" are now in print domestically as a remastered twofer-CD which features all 24 tracks for the price of one CD makes that kind of a moot point, I guess.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with what is here. "The Real Folk Blues" opens with two of Wolf's best and most powerful mid-60s numbers, the self-penned "Killing Floor" and "Louise". "Killing Floor" is one of the finest songs in Chester Arthur Burnett's lenghty catalogue, perhaps the finest, and the lesser-known but thoroughly impressive "Louise" is a driving powerhouse of a song, all blaring saxes and a scorching solo by Wolf's lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin.

Other highlights include...well, the rest of what is here, really, although Willie Dixon's novelty-thumper "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy" is something of an acquired taste. But most of these songs (9 out of 12, actually) ar Wolf originals, and numbers like the muscular grind of "My Country Sugar Mama", the swinging shuffle "Poor Boy", and the somber "The Natchez Burnin'" are particularly superb.
This is nothing like a thorough Wolf retrospective, of course, just a sample of his mid-50s to mid-60s Chess waxings, but that doesn't make it any less great.
4 1/2 stars. You need this material in one form or another!

For a number of racist reasons, the mainstream media has always branded American blues a form of folk music-as if the life's work of a genius like Charley Patton or Lightnin' Hopkins was the result not of artistic exploration, but of simply aping licks and tunes handed down to him from previous generations of noble savages. This is patently bull****, as is evidenced by Howlin' Wolf's entry in Chess Record's mistitled "Real Folk Blues" series. Here, the Wolfman & co. are very much electric and contemporary(late 50s-mid 60s). Mr. Burnett himself is generally more subdued than on his earlier work, but Hubert Sumlin's whacko guitar playing and Willie Dixon's R&B flavored arrangements shine throughout. The material is almost uniformly superb. To be honest, I've never particularly cared for the much loved novelty "300 Pounds of Joy," but two other tracks Dixon contributed to these sessions-"Taildragger" and "Killing Floor"-rank among the most potent and durable songs in modern blues(and rock) music. All said, "Real F--k Blues" stands as an excellent-though by no means comprehensive-introduction to The Mighty Wolf. Awooooooooooo!