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Trollheart · 11-24-2016, 11:53 AM

Title: “Going down slow”
Format: Album track
Written by: St. Louis Jimmy Oden
Performed by: Howlin' Wolf
Genre: Blues baby!
Taken from: Howlin' Wolf
Year: 1962
Acclaim: A blues standard that has been covered by more bluesmen and musicians than you could shake a Telecaster at!

Once I decided to focus on wolves for this section, it was inevitable I would check out the blues legend who began life as Chester Arthur Burnett, but whom the world came to know as Howlin' Wolf, perhaps one of the greatest blues guitarists who ever lived. Cited as an influence by just about everyone who ever picked up a guitar, including the likes of Page, Clapton and Beck, he was one of the colossi who straddled the blues scene of the thirties and forties, and was still making music up to the seventies, but his health declined and he passed away in 1976.

I had no idea what song to choose, so once again it was close those eyes and don't even listen to the traffic as you run, so we've come up with a cover of an old standard by St. Louis Jimmy Oden which has been covered by everyone from Ray Charles and Free to Zep and Huey Lewis. Originally written in 1941, it appeared on the third Howlin' Wolf album, alongside a slew of Willie Dixon covers.

Love when these blues songs start with a harmonica! Deep, dark voice that is hard to mistake, some great honky-tonk piano going in the background. A slow blues song, my favourite type, it's the story of a man who has had it all but is dying, and as he looks back on his life he reflects ”I have had my fun/ If I never get well no more/...My health is fading on me/ Yes I'm goin' down slow.” Great rolling percussion underpinning the tune, and though Wolf mostly speaks (or I should say, growls or howls!) rather than sings a lot of the time it's still very expressive. The word repetitive was almost made for the blues, so I won't mention that. As a last will and testament of the guy in the song, it's pretty damn good.

Things I like about this :

1. Harmonica!
2. Good slow blues tune
3. The kind of story telling that blues does so well
4. Pianner

Things I don't like about this:
Nothing really

Rating:

11-24-2016, 11:53 AM	#42 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Title: “Going down slow” Format: Album track Written by: St. Louis Jimmy Oden Performed by: Howlin' Wolf Genre: Blues baby! Taken from: Howlin' Wolf Year: 1962 Acclaim: A blues standard that has been covered by more bluesmen and musicians than you could shake a Telecaster at! Once I decided to focus on wolves for this section, it was inevitable I would check out the blues legend who began life as Chester Arthur Burnett, but whom the world came to know as Howlin' Wolf, perhaps one of the greatest blues guitarists who ever lived. Cited as an influence by just about everyone who ever picked up a guitar, including the likes of Page, Clapton and Beck, he was one of the colossi who straddled the blues scene of the thirties and forties, and was still making music up to the seventies, but his health declined and he passed away in 1976. I had no idea what song to choose, so once again it was close those eyes and don't even listen to the traffic as you run, so we've come up with a cover of an old standard by St. Louis Jimmy Oden which has been covered by everyone from Ray Charles and Free to Zep and Huey Lewis. Originally written in 1941, it appeared on the third Howlin' Wolf album, alongside a slew of Willie Dixon covers. Love when these blues songs start with a harmonica! Deep, dark voice that is hard to mistake, some great honky-tonk piano going in the background. A slow blues song, my favourite type, it's the story of a man who has had it all but is dying, and as he looks back on his life he reflects ”I have had my fun/ If I never get well no more/...My health is fading on me/ Yes I'm goin' down slow.” Great rolling percussion underpinning the tune, and though Wolf mostly speaks (or I should say, growls or howls!) rather than sings a lot of the time it's still very expressive. The word repetitive was almost made for the blues, so I won't mention that. As a last will and testament of the guy in the song, it's pretty damn good. Things I like about this : 1. Harmonica! 2. Good slow blues tune 3. The kind of story telling that blues does so well 4. Pianner Things I don't like about this: Nothing really Rating: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018