The USA Records Blues Story [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 25, 2002)
• Original Release Date: June 25, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B000068TKZ
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,189 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars make my day, August 23, 2002

By	Russell E. Scott (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This CD is the fried pork chops; poke salit, grits and gravy of American rhythm and blues. It doesn't get more basic or better. You've got your barrelhouse piano, squealing sax, echoing harmonica, throaty whisky vocals, pithy guitar, and shoe scuffling scooting. You could polish the floor to this stuff. Picture seven adults nestled comfortably in the confines of a late 1960s Cadillac sedan, whispering down interstate, clipping off the mileage makers at a rate of 70 plus MPH. All the windows are down; a couple of rod and reels stick askew out of a not quite closed trunk, just above an I LOVE BEAUMONT bumper sticker. This incredible sound emanates from the car. Are we in heaven yet? No, but were getting darn close. You arrive at some bent wood tavern off a beaten down dirt road, with bottle cap littered parking, sagging post oaks, broken, sputtering neon, and a small room filled-to-capacity. The floor is shaking, beer spilling, cigarette smoke so thick it melts into fog. Sweating bodies swaying and rubbing to the sounds of Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, J.B. Lenoir, Mighty Joe Young and the entire family that made USA Records the bastion of blues and soul recording artist during the 1960s Chicago. USA Records served as a clearinghouse of sorts as most of their artist made the obligatory one hit, and then moved on too bigger things. This is a collection of those hits. "Figure Head" by Lonnie Brooks, "She's A Sweet One" by Junior Wells, "Going and Coming" by Ricky Allen, "Momee, Momee" by Eddy Clearwater aren't exactly national hits but serve as prime examples of a sound that went on to influence The Rolling Stones, Robert Cray, and you start to get the idea. The music was and is absolutely essential in the evolution of American rhythm and blues. The fact that 26 choice cuts have been remastered and included with 8 pages of liner notes, you too could appear to know more than you do on the subject. This is a wonderful thing - timeless, classic, and way, way cool.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story of the Blues, August 5, 2002

By A Customer

The USA Records Blues Story is an amazing collection of American Blues!!! It has great classics on it, such as "I'd rather fight than switch" by A.C. Reed and "it's bad to make a woman mad" by Detroit Junior. The sound quality is terrific. Any true blues will absolutely love and cherish this album. Blues forever!!!