All My Blues - Howlin' Wolf

Advantages: guitar
Disadvantages: none

...This is a good and cheap selection of some of the greatest blues musicians ever. The collection opens predictably with a muddy waters track (rollin’ stone) although probably not his best and then there appears the great elmore james performance on slide guitar in ‘dust my broom’ – a fantastically modern style of blues for the time. The j l hooker song is not ‘boom, boom’ thank god and the howlin’ wolf track ‘smokestack lightning’ features as track 9, this is a great song and I think once a budweiser advert song. There is a beautifully rough recording of memphis slim’s ‘guess I’m a fool’ towards the end which is for me the pick of the tracks. This is a solid album, nothing too new, but touches all the bases and is successful.... Read review

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Advantages: Every one you can think of
Disadvantages: none

...is all about. Love, hate, pathos, hope, despair with some fantastic blues and blues slide guitar technique. The next track, I'm a Man by Bo Didley is interesting. It is still obviously The Blues, yet it is Chicago Blues, vastly different from the Delta Blues that Howlin' Wolf is such a fine exponent of. However, one thing you must realise about Bo Didley is that although Bo Didley performs in the Chicargo Blues idiom, Bo Didley is, first and foremost, Bo Didley. When they made Bo Didley, they broke the mould. His style is truly unique. Apparently even to the extent of making his own guitar effects such as a wah wah unit from an old alarm clock before the wah wah unit was heard of. The songs are not politically correct. But then, they reflect the harsh reality of lives gone bad. Your Funeral and My Trial sung by Sonny Boy Williamson is a good... Read review

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Advantages: Graet album from agreat artist
Disadvantages: Not to everyones taste

...Following on from the success of his Unplugged album, Clapton serves up another album full of Blues. Recorded live in the studio, with the usual rhythm section plus horns, it is spoilt only by Claptons insistence on using a growling voice in parts as if trying to emulate some of his hero’s gruff vocals (Howlin’ wolf to name one) This is evident on the first track, Blues before sunrise, although it has some great electric slide from old Slowhand on this up tempo track. Track two, Third degree, is a rather slow, almost dreary, blues with some intriguing lyrics, with Clapton’s voice back on form. The third track, Reconsider baby, is without doubt the finest on the album, a medium pace tempo number with Clapton tearing out some intricate finger picking on electric guitar and a superb solo and great vocal, this is Clapton at his very best... Read review

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