Customer Reviews

Shake Em on Down

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Furry Lewis's music goes down like a 3 finger shot of top-shelf bourbon: fire in the belly with a warm and heady afterglow. Furry had the reputation as hard drinking, loose tongued, spiteful grifter who alienated friend and foe alike, with his well chosen barbs. Having known Furry in the early 70's, I will confirm that 99% of the testimony to Furry's lack of character is probably true. Furry was also a riveting performer who could weave his spell over young audiences well beyond his 80th birthday. (Are you listening, Mick Jagger?) The 1972 recording, "Shake 'Em on Down" is not only Furry's best recorded performance, but is one of the best of the blues genre.

Over the thirty year lifespan of "Shake Em on Down", I have purchased this album four times; twice in vinyl, which I wore out from overplay, once in cassette, and finally the CD format, and I am hoping the CD will be the last copy of it I will ever need. Many will swear that Furry's early recordings are better because they capture him in his prime, but this CD captures the raw essence of Furry's magnetic performance aura. Like Billy Holiday, Furry's voice became gravelly, deeper and more emotional with age. Speaking subjectively, I like the sound of Holiday's and Lewis' steel tempered voices, scarred by the ravages of age. Furry was a heavy-handed guitar player who often pounded his guitar like a percussion instument. Furry always had contempt for delicate fingerpickers who were "afraid of their guitars" and to prove his point Furry would "beat the demons" out of his guitar and used his bottleneck stylings as the alter-ego to his dark and often menancing voice.

Furry claimed he was mentored by early jazz legend W.C. Handy and many of his renditions of the popular standards of the early 20th century bear out this influence. Some of the traditional songs on "Shake 'Em on Down" have been traced as far back as the Civil War Reconstruction era. My personal favorites are the gritty delta blues he performs. Furry, like many blues performers, reshaped classic and standards to his own image, adding a unique narrative perspective to the lyrics. Furry often rendered a song unrecogizable by introducing a stylized musical arrangement and a new set of original lyrics. Furry's lyrical imagery of steam engines, card sharks, jail houses, corrupt judges, bail bondsmen, wanton women and the life of a "rambling man" give us rare window into the lives ordinary people in the early part of the last century.

Finally, there is something very unusual about the production values of this album, which may explain the hypnotic spell that "Shake 'Em on Down" has woven over me and other devotees. It sounds like it was recorded in a cavernous room, maybe even a church. There is a subtle echo that trails off from the edges of the vocal and guitar tracks which suggest a robust, yet, otherworldly quality, quite like that of the Cowboy Junkie's celebrated "Trinity Church Sessions." That final touch in production esthetics, makes this album a rare and irreplaceble relic for the collector of blues.

This is my favorite blues CD ( I have more than 400 ! ). Furry's voice and guitar at the best. This record always moves me a lot. This is a solo recording, but sometimes you may swear that there are two guys playing guitar. All tracks are good but John Henry; When My Baby Left Me; Judge Boushay; Casey Jones; Frank and Johnnie and I'll Turn Your Money Green deserve a thousand *stars*.

actually, i already own this cd. or at least i did until someone broke into my truck and stole it along w/the stereo and other stuff. anyway, it's a great cd. like most blues musicians, furry traveled far and wide, but his music reflects the delta-style blues (as opposed to the more amplified chicago blues). all songs consist of nothing but furry and a guitar, often an old steel national.

great tracks like john henry, st. louis blues, and others make this one a keeper. the title track, which was originally done by fred mcdowell, is great as well. there are about 20 tracks on this one, so you certainly get your money's worth.

suffice it to say that after i replaced the window in the truck this is the first cd i bought.

Furry Lewis was a Memphis blues guitarist who helped define the so-called "Memphis Sound" of the late 20's. As with so many of the old bluesmen, Furry enjoyed two distinct and brief periods of success. The first in the 1920's when he was around 25 years old and then again in the 1960's when he was in his mid to late 60's. This CD is actually a compilation of two previous recordings from the 1960 period, "Back On My Feet Again" and "Done Changed My Mind". Both were a good representation of Furry's guitar work and vocal capabilities and it's good to have both available on one disc. As a guitarist, Furry was equally comfortable working in broad strokes or intricate detail and everything he played shared a rhythmic strength that was all his own. As a vocalist, Furry's style is soft and easy listening. If you are interested in some country blues you will have to search long and hard to beat Furry.

Wow! what can I say this albumn is truly amazing i cant believe ive only just discovered Furry Lewis he has to be one of the most purest blues men I have ever heard , He brings his own elements to the blues the likes I have never heard . That bottleneck he employs seems to make the hairs on my neck stand up. I command all blues lovers to get this albumn you want be dissapointed.

I have been a Furry Lewis fan for many years. This CD has all of my favorite songs that I first heard on a cassette. It is good listening for any blues fan. He stands out with other blues legends.

This is a simply excellent selection of master blues musician Furry Lewis's best recordings available, and a timeless classic that no true blues collection should be without. Perhaps in his younger days Furry was more accurate, or his slide or sustain was more precise. Yet this recording done with the best quality sound system and engineering he probably ever encountered stands out because it captures both the raw talent and the raw musicality of Delta Blues performed by one of its authors.

Like other reviewers here, I wore out my original vinyl, my cassset tape I made of it finally shredded, and I happily purchased this on CD. This is an album to return to again and again.

Full disclosure: I knew Furry in the late 70s, and he was as acerbic in person as his lyrics.

Why should I marry when the man next door to me's got a wife?
- Furry Lewis on The Johnny Carson Show

She put carbolic in my coffee, turpentine in my tea,
Strychnine in my biscuits, Lord but she didn't hurt me.
- Furry Lewis, Big Chief Blues

You know, old folks say, it's a long lane don't have no end and a bad wind don't never change. But one day, back when Hoover was president, I was driving my cart down Beale Street, and I seen a rat, sitting on top of a garbage can, eating a onion, crying.
- Furry Lewis

"They arrest me for murder and I ain't never harmed a man
Arrest me for murder and I ain't never harmed a man
Arrest me for forgery and I can't even sign my name"

Judge Boushay Blues, attributed to Furry Lewis

This album is one of the greatest post-World War II Country Blues recordings. There is not a bad track on this cd. Furry's version of "John Henry" is the definitive take on the hundred-plus year old song. There is a beautiful echo present on this cd that I haven't heard on any other disc. The slide playing is impeccable and the lyrics are of great meaning. This album, "The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson", and the JSP Blind Willie McTell box set are three of the best items a Blues fan can buy.

Furry Lewis and Mississippi John Hurt are the absolute high points of the blues discoveries of the 1960`s.Furry`s early sides are good but these recordings from 1960 are some of the best blues sides ever produced.An almost hypnotic scense of playing combined with simple but pungent lyrics make these sides into something more than a song.....they are like feelings caught on tape for the whole world to hear.
It doesn`t disappoint,all the songs are priceless delivered by a giant among men and one of America`s best kept secrets.You say you love the blues then why don`t you own it yet?
One man,one guitar and a song or two to share make for great listening....make it part of your life.

Good, old fashion down-home Memphis-style blues. Being a native Memphian, I really appreciate his music. However, the quality was not what I expected for a CD.