Scratch 1: Rare & Unissued

Slim Harpo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 16, 1996)
• Original Release Date: January 31, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Excello Records
• ASIN: B000005KIH
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,573 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection, March 4, 2002

By 

peter krampert (eharmonica.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scratch: Rare & Unissued 1 (Audio CD)

Slim Harpo was certainly one of the great masters of the Blues. Growing up in Louisiana, Harpo played guitar with harmonica on a neckbrace to augment his singing. His style, commonly refered to as "Swamp Blues" has a certain loping feel to it. Over the years many of Harpo's songs, including "Scratch My Back", "Rainin' In My Heart" and "King Bee" have become Blues standards.

This CD is not a regular album or a greatest hits package. It contains Harpo's B sides, alternate takes and some live recordings. I'd suggest that you start with a greatest hits if you want a taste of what Slim Harpo was all about, then graduate to this one. It's a fine CD and well worth adding to your collection. The recordings are not as polished as his masters, but still a good listen, none the less.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slow driving highway blues, July 3, 2010

By 

M. SMITH "tiny" (Music Heaven) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Scratch 1: Rare & Unissued (Audio CD)

Props go out to Slim's fantastic guitarist, Gabriel "Guitar Gable" Perrodin, every bit as interesting in chops as Jimmy Reed sideman, Eddy Taylor. However, the songs showcase the best harp south of Little Walter (Chicago), but on a more accessible level much as Jimmy Reed's blues songs were.

This collection provides live, raw outtakes centered on a slow, grooving rhythm section. These outtakes leave out a solo or two but pure blues remains simple enough for any summer blues driving excersion.

In some ways preferable to "The Excello Singles Anthology" which sticks to the album cuts.