Rating 5.0
Fine collection of Walker's Imperial sidesNot quite as seminal as "The Complete Capitol/Black & White Recordings", this is nervetheless an excellent collection of T-Bone Walker's 52 sides recorded for Lew Chudd's Imperial Records.Unlike the Capitol and Black & White-waxings, this double-disc set features almost no alternate takes, just the masters and a couple of 78 versions (the only exceptions being a few alternates that have been chosen over the original masters).
And there is plenty of great stuff here...no "Mean Old World" or "Stormy Monday", sure, but a lot of excellent songs like "Glamour Girl", "The Hustle Is On", "Tell Me What's The Reason", "I'm About To Lose My Mind", "Cold, Cold Feeling," and the classic instrumental "Strollin' With Bones". This music is not meant to be listened to in one long sitting, obviously...even lead guitar innovator Walker's smoky, jazz-flavoured blues isn't quite varied enough for that, and if you're looking for a place to start, you should go for Rhino's "Blues Masters: The Very Best Of T-Bone Walker", or the excellent "T-Bone Blues" album from Atlantic.
But these 136 minutes of music is a very fine collection for the fan who wants more, and a great tribute to the most influential electric guitar player of all time, the idiom's first true lead guitarist, and still one of its best. truly excellent valueThis 2-CD set was such a pleasant surprise. It's not rough, raw blues, which has its place, but more soft, gentle blues, with a marvelous jazz feel to it. Most of the tracks are backed by a fine, but not in-your-face horn section. The guitar playing is superb, bluesy but melodic, and the guitar tone is perfectly adjusted to the material. Sound quality is excellent--I'm playing it through a valve amplifier and the sound is very satisfying. I can't quite put my finger on it, but this music is almost a bridge between jazz and blues. T-Bone, Well DoneThis collection is a great, and economical way to experience one of the giants, not only of blues gutar, but guitar period. T-Bone was one of the pioneers of electric guitar along with Charlie Christian. His Imperial works are smooth and urbane, but still pack a solid wallop. The price is right! |
