standells's Full Review: Sun Records 25 Blues Classics
After five years of inactivity on Epinions, I’ve decided to return to the site with a look at an album featuring 25 awesome songs from Sun Records. I’ve had this album since my first days of joining the site six years ago (when I was in junior high!), and I’ve been meaning to review it.
Sun Records was founded in 1952 by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee. Before it became known as the starting point for the careers of musicians such as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash, Philips recorded many of the fantastic African-American musicians of the day. The 25 songs on this album is only a small, but excellent, representation of the wealth of material that was recorded by Sun Records during that time.
The album focuses on material recorded between the years 1953-1956. The songs generally progress in chronological order, except towards the end. I don’t see
Don’t expect any complex chord progressions in these songs! All of them stick to the standard 12-bar-blues progression, with minor variations. What is most memorable is how each artist drives the songs with different rhythms, solos, tempos, and grooves. This provided rock ‘n’ roll with its basis for development.
The album offers selections from some well known and not-so-well known blues artists. It’s great to see some famous early recordings from James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, and Rufus Thomas. But the tracks from lesser known musicians such as Joe Hill Louis and Little Junior’s Blue Flames are just as memorable. Here’s a look at some of the tunes:
The album begins with a classic track, Joe Hill Louis’s We All Got to Go Sometime, recorded in 1952. Louis was known for his one-man-band, but decides to stick with guitar and vocals for this number with a backing band. This song is an excellent start to the album. It’s fun and upbeat, and the complete opposite of what you would expect from a song with a depressing title! The album also features another classic Joe Hill Louis track: Hydramatic Woman. Just as catchy as the first track. The song has been covered by many blues bands, including the Red Devils who renamed the song “Automatic,” which makes sense: is Louis saying “hydramatic” or “automatic” in this recording? I’ll leave it up to you!
The album offers two early songs from the great Rufus Thomas, who would later enter the world of funk in the late 1960s with “Do the Funky Chicken” and “Walking the Dog.” Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) is exactly what it says. The song uses the exact same melody as “Hound Dog” but with different lyrics. Sam Phillips ended up getting sued, but it didn’t stop the song from reaching #3 in the R&B charts in 1953. Thomas is filled with youthful energy and spirit in this number, making his usual animal noises, and yelling and screaming à la James Brown. Quite amazing considering Brown still up-and-coming! Another track by Thomas on this album is Tiger Man (King of the Jungle). This number features a frantic jungle beat, and it still stays true to its blues roots.
One of the most famous tracks on this collection is Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie. Pinetop Perkins went on to record several versions of his boogie, but what is presented here is the original. Pinetop’s boogie is meant to get people up and dancing and it’s tough to picture anyone not moving to this!
There are three tracks on this compilation from the Little Junior’s Blue Flames. Little Junior aka Junior Parker’s smooth, soulful voice stands out on the three tracks presented here. Al Green dedicated “Take Me to the River” to Junior Parker in 1974 after news of his death.
There are two early songs from the legendary harmonica virtuoso James Cotton on this album. Straighten Up Baby and Cotton Crop Blues which, strangely, don’t feature any harmonica work by Cotton. They are still solid blues numbers in any case.
Earl Hooker, cousin of John Lee, is represented here with the instrumental The Hucklebuck. The number is catchy and features Hooker’s mastery of the guitar throughout. It’s surely one of the highlights of the album.
Other tracks on the album include the fun classic Red Hot by Billy “The Kid” Emerson, the slow harmonica instrumental Easy by Jimmy DeBerry and Walter Horton, and the odd I’m Gonna Murder My Baby by Pat Hare… I can't imagine that song went down well with the ladies…. Also included are two early tracks by Little Milton, who would later move to Chess Records.
The sound quality is excellent considering these tracks were recorded over 50 years ago. The remastering job balances all the instruments and vocals very well. But what is fantastic is how raw every song sounds, something that is absent from almost any commercial recording of today. The informative liner notes are written by Bill Dahl, a familiar name in the world of Sun Records and the Allmusic guide. The album also provides the recording details of each song or the closest approximation.
One notable aspect of this compilation is perfect balance between fast and slow blues. The majority of the tracks are at a quick or moderate tempo, while the slow tracks offer the perfect balance in order to avoid any monotony in tempo. If you are a blues enthusiast, you may have heard many of these tracks already, but if not, this is a great introduction.
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