The LIfe Of Riley

Here is a gigantic upload with the latest documentary about B.B. King's life. Enjoy it!

Review:
BB KING: The LIFE OF RILEY narrated by Morgan Freeman and joined by Bono, Bill Cosby, Eric Clapton, Bill Cosby, Dr. John, Bruce Willis and 20+ other heavyweight contributors including appearances by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and President Obama. BB King opens his heart and tells the story of how an oppressed and orphaned young man came to influence and earn the unmitigated praise of the music industry and its following, to carry the title: 'KING OF THE BLUES'. Filmed on location all over America as well as in the United Kingdom, this picture brings to life the heat and gin-soaked plantations where it all began. With the full cooperation of the BB King Museum, owners of vaults and archives so precious and immense, that several trips had to be made to America to revisit the collection and partake of its many gems. Prejudice and segregation has stained the lives of countless black person and BB 'Riley' King made sure that through his music, he never allowed it to mar his spirit. This is the essence of the story that makes an astoundingly beautiful film; extremely informative and visually captivating.


Password and Links:
mississippimoan
7.5 GB uncompressed files
http://ul.to/m9c1clff

Elmore James - Got To Move

All the stuff here was recorded in the early sixties.
This another vinyl rip, this time brought to you in another format, mp3s.
I've noticed that the high resolution files don't do well and that people might prefer smaller files.
A little feedback here will certainly be useful!

Tracks:
1.Dust My Broom (60's version)
2.Done SOmeone Wrong
3.Knocking At Your Door
4.Fine Little Mama
5.Pickin' The Blues
6.Strange Angels
7.Bledding Heart
8.I've Got A Right To Love My Baby
9.Early One Morning
10.Look Over Yonder Wall
11.Got To Move
12.Make My Dreams Come True
13.It Hurts Me Too (60's Version)
14.Elmore's Contribution To Jazz
15.Held My Baby Last Night
16.Every Day I Have The Blues

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 , 63 MB
http://ul.to/728c140d

B.B. King - Live In Cook County Jail

Here is another vinyl rip from my collection, this is an american (Pickwick SPC 3654) pressing brought to you in amazing 96 KHz / 24 Bit, this time instead of WAV files I bring you FLAC.
Enjoy smooth warm mids, big dynamic range and B.B. King at his very best!

Review:
B.B. King has cut a lot of albums since the success of Live at the Regal. And, like the live shows they document, none of them are any less than solid and professional, hallmarks of King's work aesthetic. But every so often B.B. truly catches fire; his playing and singing comes up an extra notch or two, and the result is a live album with some real sparks to it. Live in Cook County Jail is one of those great concerts that the record company was smart enough to be there to capture, documenting B.B. firing on all cylinders in front of an audience that's just damn happy for him to be there. Possibly the best live version of "The Thrill Is Gone" of all its many incarnations, and rock solid renditions of classics like "Everyday I Have the Blues," "How Blue Can You Get?," "Sweet Sixteen" and a great medley of "3 O'Clock Blues" and "Darlin' You Know I Love You." Live at the Regal is still the champ of King's live output, but many say this runs a close second, and they just may be right.

Password and Links:
mississippimoan
FLAC , 715 MB
http://www.filefactory.com/file/69q6x0xtvou9/bbk.part1.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/1k1j3v6l973p/bbk.part2.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/43eofas3llkx/bbk.part3.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/4q20baz9ipe7/bbk.part4.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/33b21d72icbd/bbk.part5.rar

Jimmy Rogers - Ludella

Review:
One of the most enriching contemporary items in Rogers's growing album catalog. Combining studio tracks with live performances, the set trods heavily on the past with loving renditions of "Rock This House," "Ludella," "Sloppy Drunk," and "Chicago Bound." Kim Wilson proves a worthy harp disciple of Little Walter, while bassist Bob Stroger and drummer Ted Harvey lay down supple grooves behind the blues great.

Tracks and info:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/ludella-mw0000308724

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
FLAC, 322 MB
http://www.filefactory.com/file/5amis4zjd6fv/jrl.rar

B.B. King - Completely Well

Review:
Completely Well was B.B. King's breakthrough album in 1969, which finally got him the long-deserved acclaim that was no less than his due. It contained his signature number, "The Thrill Is Gone," and eight other tunes, six of them emanating from King's pen, usually in a co-writing situation. Hardliners point to the horn charts and the overdubbed strings as the beginning of the end of King's old style that so identifiably earmarked his early sides for the Bihari Brothers and his later tracks for ABC, but this is truly the album that made the world sit up and take notice of B.B. King. The plus points include loose arrangements and a small combo behind him that never dwarfs the proceedings or gets in the way. King, for his part, sounds like he's having a ball, playing and singing at peak power. This is certainly not the place to start your B.B. King collection, but it's a nice stop along the way before you finish it.

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 128 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/3lgemyvzlmkr/bbkcw.rar

Champion Jack Dupree - The Legacy Of The Blues Vol.3

I bring you another fine vinyl rip, this time in glorious 96 KHz / 24 Bit.Champion Jack Dupree recorded this material in London in 1971.Champion Jack Dupree recorded this material in London in 1971.  
Pick it!

Sam Charteer - Producer
Huey Flint - Drums
Benny Galagher - Bass
Peter Curtley - Guitar
Paul Rowan - Harmonica

Side 1
1.Vietnam Blues
2.Drunk Again
3.Found My Baby Gone
4.Anything You Want
5.Will It Be

Side 2
6.You're The One
7.Down And Out
8.Roamin' Special
9.The Life I Lead
10.Jit-A-Bug Jump

Password and Links:
mississippimoan
WAV 96 KHz / 24 Bit , 1.1 Gb
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2uf00z31ve9b/cjdlotb3.part1.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/jdb2q5qoenn/cjdlotb3.part2.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/1v9igrfnhrh5/cjdlotb3.part3.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2m0cp7stbbz9/cjdlotb3.part4.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2f8gapx8u405/cjdlotb3.part5.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/38iew1ikd5fj/cjdlotb3.part6.rar

Jimmy Yancey - Piano Solos

Here is another cool vinyl rip in high resolution for you.
This is an Italian-only collection of Jimmy's early (all tracks taken from a session done in New York in April 1939).

Tracks:

1.Jimmy's Stuff
2.Rolling The Stone
3.Steady Rock Blues
4.P.I.K Special
5.South Side Stuff
6.Yancey's Gateway
7.La Salle Street Breakdown
8.Two O'Clock Blues
9.Janie's Joys
10.Lean Bacon
11.Big Bear Train
12.Lucile's Lament

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
WAV File, 210 mb
http://www.filefactory.com/file/xgzrx4kwwg3/jyps1939.rar

Muddy Waters - At Newport 1960

More high resolution (98 KHZ / 24 Bit) stuff, another 180 gram vinil rip.

Review:
For many back in the early '60s, this was their first exposure to live recorded blues, and it's still pretty damn impressive some 40-plus years down the line. Muddy, with a band featuring Otis Spann, James Cotton, and guitarist Pat Hare, lays it down tough and cool with a set that literally had 'em dancing in the aisles by the set closer, a rippling version of "Got My Mojo Working," reprised again in a short encore version. Kicking off the album with a version of "I've Got My Brand on You" that positively burns the relatively tame (in comparison) studio take, Waters heads full bore through impressive versions of "Hoochie Coochie Man," Big Bill Broonzy's "Feel So Good," and "Tiger in Your Tank." A great breakthrough moment in blues history, where the jazz audience opened its ears and embraced Chicago blues. This album was in print almost continuously on vinyl for 20-plus years, and MCA reissued it in a fair CD version in 1986. At least one enterprising European bootlegger issued their version in the early '90s, but the real edition of this album to get is the March 2001 remastering from MCA. Transferred in high-resolution digital audio, it brings up the bass overall and the details of just about every aspect of the playing, as well as moving Muddy's singing several layers forward in the mix, so that one gets a very vivid stage ambience, making the original CD seem very ragged. The reissue has been augmented by the presence of four studio sides cut by the same group a month prior to the concert -- none hold a candle to the live material, but they do fill in a few holes in Muddy's U.S. discography. The new notes by Mary Katherine Aldin also give a much better picture of the background of the show and Muddy's performance (so where's the film of the performance that she mentions?)

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
WAV 850 MB
http://www.filefactory.com/file/4xbgpq2k669x/mwlan.rar

B.B. King - Live At The Regal - 1965

Here is another 96 KHZ/ 24 BIT rip. This time I bring you a 1965 german pressing.

Absolutely precious.

Review:
B.B. King is not only a timeless singer and guitarist, he's also a natural-born entertainer, and on Live at the Regal the listener is treated to an exhibition of all three of his talents. Over percolating horn hits and rolling shuffles, King treats an enthusiastic audience (at some points, they shriek after he delivers each line) to a collection of some of his greatest hits. The backing band is razor-sharp, picking up the leader's cues with almost telepathic accuracy. King's voice is rarely in this fine of form, shifting effortlessly between his falsetto and his regular range, hitting the microphone hard for gritty emphasis and backing off in moments of almost intimate tenderness. Nowhere is this more evident than at the climax of "How Blue Can You Get," where the Chicago venue threatens to explode at King's prompting. Of course, the master's guitar is all over this record, and his playing here is among the best in his long career. Displaying a jazz sensibility, King's lines are sophisticated without losing their grit. More than anything else, Live at the Regal is a textbook example of how to set up a live performance. Talking to the crowd, setting up the tunes with a vignette, King is the consummate entertainer. Live at the Regal is an absolutely necessary acquisition for fans of B.B. King or blues music in general. A high point, perhaps even the high point, for uptown blues.


Password and Link:
mississippimoan
WAV 850 MB
http://www.filefactory.com/file/6ktk0s4oanlb/bbklatr.rar

Big Maybelle - Blues Candy And Big Maybelle

Here is another high fidelity (96 KHZ / 24 Bit) vinyl rip I did for all those who love her 1956-1967 period.

Here you'll find 14 tracks that ranging from swing to raw tough blues.
This is a 1986 reissue released by SJ Records, Inc., New York.
Tracks Include:
Side A  Candy, Ring Dang Dilly, Blues Early, A Little Bird Told Me, So Long, That's A Pretty Good Love, Tell Me Who
Side B   Ramblin' Blues, Rock House, Don't Want to Cry, Pitiful, A Good Man is Hard To Find, Goin' Home, How It Lies

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
WAV files 96 KHZ, 24 BIT
http://www.filefactory.com/file/9k1q5kv18vj/bm.rar

Pee Wee Crayton - The Modern Legacy Vols. 1 and 2

Review:
As an overview of Crayton's work for Modern from 1948-51, this might not be ideal, as only about half of it appeared on singles during that time; the rest was mostly unissued until the 1980s and 1990s, some making their first appearance on this CD. It also means that some of his Modern singles, including his biggest hit for the label (the ballad "I Love You So"), aren't here, as they were saved for another Ace volume of Crayton's Modern sides. Those considerations aside, this is superior Los Angeles jump blues, with the rare vault sides holding up about as well as what came out on singles. Were this the only anthology to appear of Crayton's Modern material -- heck, were it the only Crayton material, period -- it would still offer convincing proof of his stature as a significant bluesman, one who (like several Modern labelmates) was instrumental in the transition from the earliest electric blues to a harder R&B style. Although his singing and songwriting are good, what really makes this stand out is his incendiary guitar playing. In addition to taking good single-note solos, he made use of insistent, sometimes machine-gun-like jazzy chords that unpredictably shifted keys and pushed the limits of the day's amplification technology. That really comes to the fore on some of the uptempo instrumentals, like the nearly out-of-control "Pee Wee's Wild." Unlike many blues guitar heroes, though, he doesn't have to wait for the fast tunes to strut his stuff, as the crazily descending solo of the bump-and-grind "Please Come Back" demonstrates. On top of being a quality early electric blues anthology on its own merits, the CD makes a good case for Crayton being one of the more overlooked pioneers of the electric guitar as a whole.


Password and Links:
mississippimoan
mp3 160 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2q3kcmnb7z6j/pwcml1.rar
http://www.filefactory.com/file/22nl1qkzkuy7/pwc2.rar

Jarekus Singleton - Refuse To Lose - 2014

Review:
Jarekus Singleton has an interesting story. Born in 1984 in Clinton, Mississippi, and raised on gospel, he was playing bass in his grandfather's church by the time he was nine years old. Later, switching to electric guitar, he absorbed the secular music around him, influenced by artists as diverse as Stevie Ray Vaughan, the three blues Kings (B.B., Albert, and Freddie), Brad Paisley (a pretty darn good guitar player), and rappers Jay-Z and Twista, among others. But Singleton was also a pretty darn good basketball player, good enough to be the starting point guard for three years at the University of Southern Mississippi, and apparently headed for a career in the NBA. Then he blew his ankle out in 2009, and that was it. So Singleton turned back to the guitar, and let it be said, whether he was aware of it or not, he was always a musician who happened to play basketball rather than the other way around. Refuse to Lose, his second album, and first for Alligator Records, makes one glad for basketball's loss. Singleton combines his fiery, fascinating, I-may-go-anywhere electric guitar leads with an urban, hip-hop, narrative songwriting style that still remains undoubtedly rooted in the blues, and when he's at his best, like with the opener and title tune here, "I Refuse to Lose," which is pretty much his life story, he hits all the corners, and brings blues right to the urban streets. Funky, gritty, soulful, and even jazzy songs like "Gonna Let Go" and "Keep Pushin'" may not be rap, but they share common themes and concerns. Singleton sweeps all of it together on I Refuse to Lose, even name-checking Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble in "Hell," a gritty chunk of gospel-blues complete with churchy organ. Make no mistake, though. This is not a hip-hop album, or even a pop album. It's a blues album, and that Singleton manages to stretch the blues genre while still maintaining all of its familiar attributes is a pretty impressive achievement.

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 256 VBR kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/5eyntwvqi0m7/jsrtl.rar

Rick Estrin And The Nightcats - You Asked For It - 2014

Great Stuff!

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 320 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/1storux4cb11/re.rar

Robert Nighthawk - Live On Maxwell Street - 1964

Review:
Recorded by Norman Dayron live on the street (you can actually hear cars driving by!) in 1964 with just Robert Whitehead on drums and Johnny Young on rhythm guitar, Robert Nighthawk's slide playing (and single-string soloing, for that matter) are nothing short of elegant and explosive. Highlights include "The Maxwell Street Medley," which combines his two big hits "Anna Lee" and "Sweet Black Angel"; a mind-altering 12-bar solo on "The Time Have Come," which proves that Nighthawk's lead playing was just as well developed as his slide work; and a couple of wild instrumentals with Carey Bell sitting in on harmonica. Nighthawk sounds cool as a cucumber, presiding over everything with an almost genial charm while laying the toughest sounds imaginable. One of the top three greatest live blues albums of all times. The 2000 CD reissue on Bullseye Blues & Jazz adds five previously unreleased bonus tracks, although Nighthawk doesn't have a lead vocal on any of these. "The Real McCoy" is an instrumental; Young sings on "Big World Blues" and "All I Want for Breakfast/Them Kind of People"; Bell sings "I Got News for You," and J.B. Lenoir takes a guest lead vocal on "Mama Talk to Your Daughter" (though Peter Guralnick's liner notes express doubt that the singer is actually Lenoir).

Find track listing here:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-on-maxwell-street-mw0000265024

Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 192 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2i0rpb9l1g1/rnjlams.rar

Guitar Slim/Jelly Belly: Carolina Blues-New York City 1944 (1997) Arhoolie 460

Review:

Pure authentic country blues in the East Coast tradition from guitarists and singers Alex Seward and “Fat Boy” Hayes, billed as Guitar Slim & Jelly Belly on these recordings made in the 1950s. The two alternate as vocalists and even trade off verses on some selections. Alex Seward (Guitar Slim), a friend and associate of Brownie McGhee's, sings in a polished, urban style while Mr. Hayes contributes the rougher, rural vocals. The CD contains nearly the entire commercially recorded output of the duo.

“Their heyday was the '40's and they were one of the last outposts of the then outdated country blues, although with a very sophisticated city overtone. Their playing meshed beautifully together as did their voices ... an amazing bargain for anyone who loves the gentler sounds of the Carolinas.”

Tracks:

1. Ups And Downs Blues
2. Crooked Wife Blues
3. Snowing And Raining
4. No More Hard Time
5. She's Evil And Mean
6. Mike And Jerry
7. Don't Leave Me All By Myself
8. South Carolina Blues
9. Crying Won't Make Me Stay
10. Big Trouble Blues
11. Humming Bird Blues
12. Right And Wrong Woman
13. Southern Whistle Blues
14. Jail And Buddy Blues
15. Mean Girl Blues
16. Travelin' Boy's Blues
17. Railroad Blues
18. Yellow And Brown Woman
19. Bad Acting Woman
20. Christmas Time Blues
21. Cooking Big Woman
22. You're My Honey
23. Early Morning Blues
24. Isabel
25. Hard Luck Blues
26. Unhappy Home Blues
27. Working Man Blues
28. Why, Oh Why
29. Betty And Dupree

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 320 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/1u1ece3rkv03/gsjbcb.rar

Lucky Peterson - The Son of a Bluesman - 2014

Review:

Lucky Peterson's father was blues guitarist and singer James Peterson, a well-known regional musician who also owned the Governor's Inn, a premier blues nightclub in Buffalo, New York, which means Peterson grew up around his father's friends, who just happened to be touring and recording musicians like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, and Bill Doggett, and he learned from all of them. He became fascinated with the Hammond B-3 organ as a young child, and by the time he was five, he'd proved to be a prodigy on it. Mentored by another of his father's friends, the great songwriter, bassist, arranger, and producer Willie Dixon, Peterson was still only five when he scored an R&B hit with the Dixon-produced "1-2-3-4," the novelty of it all landing him appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and others, and his debut album appeared in 1969. But Peterson had an exploratory nature, and while he could have had quite a career as a keyboard player, he picked up the guitar at the age of eight, and by the time he was a teen, he had developed an emotionally searing guitar style. He could have relaunched his career then, but instead he attended the Buffalo Academy of Performing Arts, and went out on the road as part of the touring bands of Etta James and Otis Rush, spent three years as Little Milton's keyboardist, another three years in Bobby "Blue" Bland's band, and backed jazz stars like Hank Crawford and Abbey Lincoln. He learned blues, jazz, soul, R&B, funk, and gospel, and by the time he made his re-debut as a bandleader with the Bob Greenlee-produced Lucky Strikes! in 1989, Peterson was a triple-threat multi-instrumentalist who managed to fuse R&B, jazz, gospel, funk, and rock with the blues. All of this leads up to this very personal and semi-autobiographical set, and his 18th album as a bandleader. The Son of a Bluesman, aside from being another fine set of Peterson's joyous fusion blues, is also the first of his albums that he has produced himself, and it has a warm, career-summing kind of feel to it. The title track, "The Son of a Bluesman," and the two different versions of the gospel-themed "I'm Still Here," give this album a personal and retrospective feel, as does the striking, and even silly "Joy," a straight-up family home recording featuring a rap interlude. But perhaps the best and most poignant track on an album full of standouts is the lovely instrumental "Nana Jarnell," dedicated to both Peterson's mother and his wife's mother, musician, singer, and songwriter Tamara Stovall-Peterson. Peterson's guitar lead on the track is a marvel of crying, elegantly balanced phrasing, almost horn-like or vocal-like, and it speaks and sings like the marvel it is. This is perhaps Peterson's most well-rounded and personal album yet, and it coheres in a wonderful arc, capturing the blues as an ever-flowing, joyous, and ultimately uplifting thing.

Tracks:

1. Blues In My Blood

2. Funky Broadway

3. Nana Jarnell

4. I Pity The Fool

5. Boogie-Woogie Blues Joint Party

6. I'm Still Here

7. The Son Of A Bluesman

8. I Can See Clearly Now

9. Joy

10. You Lucky Dog

11. I'm Still Here (Gospel)

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
FLAC
http://www.filefactory.com/file/6kyp78p4ytgd/lptsob.rar

Johnnie Taylor - Wanted: One Soul Singer - 1967

Review:
Johnnie Taylor set the tone for his recording career at Stax with Wanted: One Soul Singer, a consistently gritty collection of blues and raw, hard-hitting Memphis soul. In addition to his appealing medium-sized hits "Just The One I've Been Lookin' For" and "I Had A Dream," Wanted (reissued on CD in 1991) boasts pleasant surprises ranging from the addictive "Toe-Hold" to gutsy versions of Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons" and the standard "Blues In The Night." Adding lyrics to Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," Taylor removes the song's jazz elements and turns it into pure Southern R&B. When Wanted was released, Taylor (who has occasionally been confused with bluesman Little Johnny Taylor) had yet to become the soul-radio fixture that "Who's Making Love" would make him, but these solid performances show that he was definitely on the right track.

Find this album's tracklist here:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/wanted-one-soul-singer-mw0000674917

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 224 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/4vui029wxhcn/jtwoss.rar

Johnnie Taylor - Raw Blues - 1969

Review:
While the "Raw" part of the title may be overstating the case just a bit, "Blues" describes this disc pretty well, thank you -- on his fourth album, Johnnie Taylor shifts his focus away from Stax's trademark Southern soul stylings towards leaner and grittier blues-based performances, a style he'd already shown a knack for on his earlier sets. Raw Blues still walks a line between soul and blues, with the sweet-and-sour tone of The Memphis Horns sometimes stacking the deck in favor of the former, but "Part Time Love", "Hello Sundown" and "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" generate a potent late-night mood vibe which match the downcast authority of Taylor's voice. And if the always air-tight performances of the Stax studio crew (including Steve Cropper and Isaac Hayes) pack enough heat to turn "You Can't Win With A Losing Hand" and "That Bone" into potent dance floor material, Taylor's rough but passionate delivery never lets this get too close to the Land of the Slick. A strong and heartfelt set that serves as an important precursor to Taylor's later blues-oriented sets for Malaco.

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 192 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2jd595839uc1/jtrb.rar

Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips

Here's some quality stuff by Slim Harpo.
Check out back cover for more info on the material you'll find here.
Password and Link:
mississippimoan
FLAC
http://www.filefactory.com/file/77i7mgrekavr/shsyh.rar

Little Junior Parker - Driving Wheel - 1962

Review by Mark Barry:

Originally issued in 1962 on Duke Records DLP-76 in its rare full-colour "Cadillac" sleeve, the album was re-issued a year later in 1963 (also DLP-76) and yet again in 1974 as part of the ABC/Duke reissue series on DLPX-76. Both the 1963 and 1974 reissues used different artwork - they used what's become known as the "driving wheel" sleeve. This 12-track Hip-O Select CD reissue of November 2006 (B0006408-02) unfortunately uses that same artwork...and as you can see, it's staggeringly dull. A trawl of the net will show you the original beautiful artwork - and when you see it, you'll realise what a sloppy choice Hip-O Select has made.

There is no booklet either, just a next-to-useless one-page inlay barely offering any info, no history of the record, no photos, not even session details, no singles pictured - nothing! And when it does give us info, it gets it wrong - it quotes the album as being issued in 1973 and its catalogue number as being DLPX-76 - the 1974 reissue catalogue number! There's no bonus tracks either (see 7" singles below) - a bit slap dash to say the bloody least.

Still, it is remastered by noted engineer GAVIN LURSSEN and given that the songs were put down using less than fantastical recording techniques, he's done a remarkable job - very clean and evocative of early Sixties Chicago blues - even if the echoing mono recordings sound a little like re-channelled stereo from time to time. With brass on almost every track, the sound is loud and takes some getting used to - but when you do, the album becomes so enjoyable - one gem after another. At times it sounds like the "American Graffiti" soundtrack - evocative of cars and girls and drive-ins...

Here's the breakdown (29:04 minutes):
1. Driving Wheel (a Roosevelt Sykes cover)
2. I Need Your Love So Bad (a Percy Mayfield cover)
3. Foxy Devil (a Deadric Malone song)
[Deadric Malone is a pseudonym for DON ROBEY; Robey owned Duke & Peacock Records and was a prolific songwriter)
4. Somebody Broke This Heart Of Mine (a Deadric Malone song)
5. How Long Can This Go On (a Junior Parker song)
6. Yonders Wall (an Elmore James cover)
7. Annie get Your Yo-Yo (a Deadric Malone/Joseph Scott song)
8. Tin Pan Alley (a Robert Geddins cover)
9. Someone Somewhere (a Junior Parker song)
10. Seven Days (a Junior Parker/Deadric Malone song)
11. The Tables Have Turned (a Junior Parker song)
12. Sweet Talking Woman (a Deadric Malone song)

USA 7" singles off and around the album were:

1. "Driving Wheel" b/w "Seven Days", May 1961 on Duke 335
2. "In The Dark" b/w "How Long Can This Go On", November 1961 on Duke 341
3. "Annie Get Your Yo-Yo" b/w "Mary Jo", February 1962 on Duke 345
4. "I Feel Alright Again" b/w "Sweeter As The Days Go By", 1962 on Duke 351
5. "Foxy Devil" b/w "Someone Somewhere", 1962 on Duke 357
6. "The Tables Have Turned" b/w "Yonders Wall", 1963 on Duke 367

As you can see from the two lists above, only 8 of the 12 tracks across the 6 singles are featured on this CD - and with a bit of effort on the part of Hip-O Select, the remaining 4 could have been included as relevant bonus tracks. "In The Dark" and "I Feel Alright Again" are available on other compilations, but to my knowledge "Sweeter As The Days Go By" and "Mary Jo" aren't.

If you wanted a taster of how it sounds, iTunes is offering the entire album as a download - check out the lovely "Someone Somewhere" (the title of this review is lyrics from it) or the Ruth Brown Atlantic rhythm and blues feel of "Foxy Devil" and you'll get a good idea of what "Driving Wheel" is like.

A legendary "Hall Of Fame" blues album - docked a star for Hip-O Select's less-than-stellar reissue of it.

Password and Link:
mississippimoan
mp3 320 kbps
http://www.filefactory.com/file/223coaidm2lr/ljpdw.rar

Clifton Chenier - King Of The Bayous - 1970

Review:

After gaining initial notoriety in the '50s and '60s on Specialty Records and a variety of small Texas and Louisiana labels, Zydeco King Clifton Chenier brought the blues-fueled Cajun music he practically invented to Chris Strachwitz's roots label Arhoolie, subsequently recording a series of fine albums including 1970's King of the Bayous. Featuring brother and longtime partner Cleveland Chenier on rubboard, Robert St. Judy on drums, Joe Morris on bass and Antoine Victor on guitar, King of the Bayous includes Chenier's standard blend of zydeco two-step, waltzes and blues, and provides an excellent taste of what the band no doubt played on countless one-niters along the Louisiana-Texas Gulf Coast. Zydeco-brand blues predominates with Chenier originals "Hard to Love Someone," "Who Can Your Good Man Be" and "I Am Coming Home," in addition to a cover of the honky-tonk weeper "Release Me." Offering a contrast to the blues and something for the dancers, the band lays down a lively two-step beat on "Tu Le Ton Son Ton," "Josephine Par Se Ma Femme" and "Zodico Two Step." Throughout the varied set, Chenier's irrepressible vocals and accordion playing stand out. A nice sample of bayou zydeco by one of its finest and most original practitioners.

Find this album's track list here:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/king-of-the-bayous-mw0000675738

Password and Link:
mp3 128 kbps
mississippimoan
http://www.filefactory.com/file/4j67saio4uz1/cckotb.rar