Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
There were giants once., December 25, 2002
There are some musicians that are unique. Why do other singers try to cover Aretha Franklin's hits? They just end up sounding stiff. Why try to imitate the tone of Sonny Rollins, the bare bones melodicism of Miles Davis? You will just sound thin in comparison.
Michael Bloomfield's guitar solos had a passion as unique as Aretha's. His tone was as fat and as pure as Rollins' or Davis' tone. He was able to play all the variations of the blues like no one I have ever heard. He did not necessarily play fast but you felt like he was playing with everything he had. When he was on his game he was able to encompass everything I felt in that tone of his and play my blues away. Many guitar players take up residence in the upper register of their guitars and never leave. Michael played the whole range of possibility. Listen sometime to the way he enters on "I've got a mind to give up living" from East-West. Some of his playing, like on East-West or The Live Adventures of Bloomfield and Kooper set standards by which I judge other players.
Why try to cover someone like that? In the case of Robben and Patrick Ford, the reason seems to be the desire for more people to discover, hear and appreciate Bloomfield's music. Like myself, they first heard Bloomfield as teenagers when his albums were coming out. Robben has never lost his admiration for Bloomfield's playing.
The other reviews tell you what you need to know about who is playing on this CD and what stands out. About that I will only say two things: it is sweet to hear such a FAT horn section again (does no one make soul-blues albums anymore with great horn sections?) and the guitar playing by all is fabulous.
My one note of caution- these guys do not capture Bloomfield. They are great and you can hear the influence but the sound is not the same. How could it be? If you are already a Bloomer fan, you might be better off making sure you have all of his great albums. Then, by all means, get these guys. This is my first album by any of the Fords and based on their work on this it will not be my last.
If you do not know Bloomfield this might serve as a good intro to his music and a guide to where to go next. One of the things that the Fords do that I love is they let you know what the albums were that they pulled these songs from. I also liked the interview with Bloomfield that they play snippets of throughout the CD. One of the other reviewers found them kind of eerie. Yes, but they also manage to make Michael an actual presence on the CD. The sound bites set up the songs really well and are short enough so that they will not become annoying upon repeated listenings. Very well done.
Overall, I appreciate what the Fords et al. have done. This CD is a wonderful tribute to my favorite blues guitarist (along with Magic Sam) of all time.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Tribute to Bloomfield, October 22, 2002
By A Customer
Michael Bloomfield's ignominious passing in 1981 was almost a forgone conclusion. His continuing struggles with drugs and eventual demise, however, did not reflect how bright his light could shine in the late sixties and early seventies. As Patrick Ford says in the liner notes of this great CD, "When Bloomfield was on, there was no one better." The Ford Blues Band, with guests Robben Ford and Chris Cain are more eminently qualified to cover these tunes than anyone to present this tribute. In tandem with last year's "Tribute to Paul Butterfield", the Ford Blues Band has cemented their already venerable reputation as the torch carriers of Butter's and Bloomers' legacies.
The twelve cover tunes and one original tribute song are sprinkled with four snippets from an interview Dan McCloskey conducted with Bloomfield. Some of this interview can also be heard on Columbia's vinyl release, "Bloomfield: A Retrospective", long out of print. In the same way this CD has Bloomfield telling his early recollections of hearing the blues in Chicago, playing with Paul Butterfield, the early days of the Electric Flag and the universal appeal of the blues.
The performances are stellar. On one hand, there is painstaking attention directed to recreate songs like "Killing My Love", "Groovin' Is Easy", "Stop" and on the other, the players allow themselves to stretch out on "Feelin' Groovy" (with a brief nod to East-West at the coda) and "Mary Ann".
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ANOTHER WINNING TRIBUTE FROM THE FORDS, November 13, 2002
I'm beginning to think the Ford Blues Band are in the tribute business. Two tribute albums in a row, and they're both hands down winners! First it was last years tribute to Paul Butterfield. And now his bandmate Michael Bloomfield. Both of these excellent artists were Robben Ford and his brothers biggest musical influences growing up in the 60's. For this tribute the Fords brought on board the very talented Chris Cain to join the band on guitar and vocal chores. Cain also cites Bloomfield as a big influence on his playing. They pour their hearts and souls into this project. Bloomfield was one of those players that was better suited as part of an ensemble. His solo albums, in my opinion left a lot to be desired. But put him in a live setting or in a band like Butterfield Blues or the Electric Flag, and you'll find one of the most brilliant and imaginative guitar players there ever was. Luckily, the music from this tribute is taken mostly from his band projects. One of the best tracks here is a remake of Paul Simon's "59th St. Bridge Song" (Feelin' Groovy) from the Live Adventures Of Bloomfield and Kooper. They did a killer version of this back then, and the Fords, notably Robben goes even farther and lays down some of the tastiest guitar playing of his long career. A great mix of retro 60's pop music mixed with cutting edge blues guitar, and it all works beautifully. Another great track is the Electric Flag's "Groovin' Is Easy". This is easily one of my favorite "feel good" rock songs of the 60's. It has an excellent big band sound, and the Fords lay down some of the tastiest horn lines you'll ever hear. They really do this one justice. The horns are great throughout, but the real star here is obviously the guitar. Besides Robben, you get some outstanding fretwork from Chis Cain and the very talented Volker Strifler. They really go to town on the instrumental tunes like "Stop" and "Peter's Trip". The singing is also strong throughout considering that literally everybody here gets in on the act. This is just a very talented group of musicians who really know what the blues are all about. Considering that this band has been together since the 60's, who better to bring back some our forgotten treasures. The little interview segments that Bloomfield does between songs here is also a nice touch. It's a little eerie though hearing Bloomfield, who's been dead for over 20 years now, talk about his bandmate Butterfield (also gone) and how intimidating a person he was to be around. As far as blues tributes go, you won't find any better done than this. The Fords are simply one of the best blues bands on the planet, and this tribute comes very highly recommended!
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~ Ford Blues Band
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