Essential Blues Albums?

Unrelenting · 05-10-2010, 09:01 AM

I'm a blues newbie hoping to venture into the genre. Similar to the essential hip hop thread.

almauro · 05-11-2010, 03:04 PM

I can suggest some white-mans blues.

John Mayall and the Blues Breakers w/Eric Clapton
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band S/T
Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74

Zer0 · 05-11-2010, 05:25 PM

This album is a good starting point. Robert Johnson was one of the most gifted and influential blues musicians.

reeganyo · 05-11-2010, 11:17 PM

I'm not all that schooled on the blues but I cannot recommend Muddy Waters' King Bee enough. Effing brilliant.

Jedey · 05-12-2010, 06:44 AM

B.B. King ~ "Live At The Regal"
Muddy Waters ~ "Folk Blues/More Folk Blues"

jackhammer · 05-12-2010, 05:53 PM

Still kickin' arse in his 80's.

Unrelenting · 05-12-2010, 10:41 PM

Thank you for the recommendations thus far, I will be replying as I listen

ribbons · 05-13-2010, 12:28 PM

VEGANGELICA · 05-13-2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ribbons

Ribbons, since you and several other people have recommended Muddy Waters, I'll try listening to some of his work. I've never actually intentionally listened to blues, so he seems like a good place to start!

I am intrigued by what I read about him at Wikipedia: "Muddy headed to England in 1958 and shocked audiences (whose only previous exposure to blues had come via the acoustic folk/blues sounds of acts such as Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy) with his loud, amplified electric guitar and thunderous beat. "

I like shocking things, so he might be a good place to begin with as an intro to blues, especially since his work was supposed to have influenced so many different genres: rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, folk, jazz, and country.

ribbons · 05-13-2010, 02:29 PM

Hey Erica,

Did you feel that?

Muddy Waters is in many ways an ideal artist to start with in exploring blues, because he was the linchpin of the earlier country/Mississippi Delta blues and the electrified Chicago sound he later pioneered. He was also a respected bandleader with many significant blues musicians (Otis Spann, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Willie Dixon, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy) passing through his band. Muddy was a complex, expressive vocalist as well - there is so much "feeling", depth and color in his singing. An area in which I think Muddy was a bit unheralded was as a slide guitarist. His slide playing had that same microtonal phrasing his voice had. He played a vital role in resurrecting the use of (amplified) slide guitar in the '60s.

The two above albums are the first blues records I ever purchased. I still believe they are good guides for anyone embarking on a discovery of blues.

05-10-2010, 09:01 AM	#1 (permalink)
Unrelenting True to username Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,100	Essential Blues Albums? I'm a blues newbie hoping to venture into the genre. Similar to the essential hip hop thread. __________________ My lastfm

05-11-2010, 03:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
almauro Way Out There Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 850	I can suggest some white-mans blues. John Mayall and the Blues Breakers w/Eric Clapton The Paul Butterfield Blues Band S/T Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74 __________________ rock n music blog

05-11-2010, 05:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	This album is a good starting point. Robert Johnson was one of the most gifted and influential blues musicians. __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound

05-12-2010, 06:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
Jedey Veritas vos liberabit Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Musicapolis Posts: 477	B.B. King ~ "Live At The Regal" Muddy Waters ~ "Folk Blues/More Folk Blues" __________________ My Tunes

05-12-2010, 05:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Still kickin' arse in his 80's. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

05-11-2010, 11:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
reeganyo Groupie Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 11	I'm not all that schooled on the blues but I cannot recommend Muddy Waters' King Bee enough. Effing brilliant.

05-12-2010, 10:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
Unrelenting True to username Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,100	Thank you for the recommendations thus far, I will be replying as I listen __________________ My lastfm

05-13-2010, 12:28 PM	#8 (permalink)
ribbons Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,265

05-13-2010, 02:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
ribbons Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,265	Hey Erica, Did you feel that? Muddy Waters is in many ways an ideal artist to start with in exploring blues, because he was the linchpin of the earlier country/Mississippi Delta blues and the electrified Chicago sound he later pioneered. He was also a respected bandleader with many significant blues musicians (Otis Spann, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Willie Dixon, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy) passing through his band. Muddy was a complex, expressive vocalist as well - there is so much "feeling", depth and color in his singing. An area in which I think Muddy was a bit unheralded was as a slide guitarist. His slide playing had that same microtonal phrasing his voice had. He played a vital role in resurrecting the use of (amplified) slide guitar in the '60s. The two above albums are the first blues records I ever purchased. I still believe they are good guides for anyone embarking on a discovery of blues. Last edited by ribbons; 05-13-2010 at 03:00 PM.