Customer Reviews

Stormy Monday: Complete 1949 Black & White Session

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

 

 

This collection contains all but a few of the recordings issued on the much more expensive Capitol set Complete Capitol Black & White Recordings, minus the alternate takes. To my ears, the sound is very good. Comet/Birdland was very wise in their limited use of noise reduction. You hear all of the highs, lows and midrange very clearly with little to no surface noise at all, and no fake reverb. These sides were recorded before the LP, but the songs flow with the cohesion of an "album". The quality of the actual material goes without saying. T-Bone was one of, if not the most influential blues player of the post WWII era. His Capitol/B&W, Imperial and Rhumboogie (early 40's) recordings are all indispensable. What else can be said about the original electric blues guitarist. His natural knack for showmanship didn't hurt his appeal to live audiences either. A truly special artist.

The reason I'm not giving this double cd a five star rating is because of the repetitive undercurrent throughout the disc. T-Bone Walker is a fantastic guitar player, though, in my opinion, not as good as Lonnie Johnson. Walker's vocals are solid and his lyrics are often very creative. This cd is very expensively priced, so you are probably better off trying to buy it used or obtain the tracks in some other way.