Search - Nick Moss & the Flip Tops :: Live At Chans - Combo Platter No. 2

Nick & the guys rock !

R. Malines | Asnières sur Seine France | 06/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nick Moss & The Flip Tops

With special guest Lurrie Bell

Live At Chan's - Combo Platter n° 2

Blue Bella Records - BBCD 1012

2009

(79'09")



If a bunch of guys deserve the title of torch bearers as far as Chicago blues is concerned, they're definitly Nick Moss & the Flip Tops. Not that they slavishly copy note for note their illustrious elders with a quest for the exact sound from those times, in a scholar-like and dusty behaviour. No. Although these fellows have played with some of the Windy City legends, they have done their homework, but their sound is their own. Nick and his companions proved it through a growing number of albums, their most remarkable probably being the first Live At Chan's and the double Play It Til Tomorrow. Until this new page in the band's history book was written on a July 2008 night in the same Chinese restaurant, Chan's, that decidedly seems to bring them success. It's a fact that the sum of talents gathered among the Flip Tops could make the most biased bandleader drool with envy. As if that wasn't enough, several members of the group are multi-talented too ! Indeed, not only is Nick himself a perfectly convincing singer, added to his delicious guitar playing, but he also plays the harmonicas, as well as bass, only not on this album for the latter. Basically, Gerry Hundt is the Flip Tops bassist. But do you think this role in the shadow is enough for him ? Nooo ! He sings, plays harp, mandolin, even piano on occasions, but, again, not on this CD for the latter.

But why would a band that has Willie Oshawny on keyboards want to deprive itself from this pleasure ? Willie who also plays bass and sings, but, as you may have guessed by now : not on this opus. But... come to think about it... who plays bass then, when Nick and Gerry fullfill other positions in the band ? Handsome Kate Moss, of course ! She does on 5 out of 10 tracks of the CD. Oh, yes, there's also Bob Carter, who only plays drums. But he does it so well, we won't hold it against him. And our gang throws in some Chicago blues so thick you could cut it with a knife, during 6 tracks that span from 3 mns plus to almost 9 mns and a half. Waddaya mean, 6 tracks ? Didn't you just say there were 10 ? Oh yes, of course, but starting with the seventh song, Lurrie Bell comes in, and what already was quite the party turns into a blast ! A stronger than ever singing, almost agressive, but in a good sense of the word, supported by some guitar playing in which every single note counts, that sink into your flesh as would arrows. Knowing that Ronnie Earl, who was present that night, sat in for a couple of tunes, one would regret that he's not on the CD - probably some contract issue - but listening to this album, you'll let Mister Bell, Mister Moss and the others take you on a ride that will make you completely forget about the virtuoso's absence. Now that should tell you something about the level of excellence here ! When you'll know Misses Moss is responsible for the CD design and that the liner notes are from the excellent Craig Ruskey, it shouldn't be too hard for you to make the right decision. René Malines

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RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "NICK MOSS DEFINES LIVE CHICAGO

Rick Shaq Goldstein | Danville, Ca, USA | 04/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am an ELECTRIC-BLUES-FANATIC and spend ½ my free time listening to... researching... investigating... hunting... and praying for new electric blues. I should point out... and this review is a perfect example... that when I say "NEW"... new can fall into two categories. New to the electric blues community itself... or just new to me. Though I live for electric blues I'll be the first to admit I haven't heard it all. One of the ways I make a decision on buying a "new" to me electric blues performer is I try to reverse engineer the performer's historical recordings to see what he's made of. When I say I research, etc. to find new "classic" talent... my research includes listening to XM stations... listening to samplers that I acquire... looking on Amazon... going to blues festivals... and reading trade publications. The way I found this *UNBELIEVABLE-ELECTRIC-BLUES-PERFORMER" was from reading an interview with Nick in a blues magazine. Nick told his life story in blues as he was pushing his new CD. (Note: this all-time classic that I'm in the midst of reviewing is "NOT" his new CD... but keep reading!) What I garnered from this article was that as much as Nick lived for electric blues... economics and reactions at some of his recent performances indicated to him that he needed to move a little away from his true love... "Chicago style electric blues" and gravitate more to rock, etc. this is not what I was interested in so I "reverse-engineered" his career back in time and found this CD.



One of the parameters that I have found to be true during my love affair with electric blues is that it's a good chance that longer blues songs normally have a better chance of being what I term a classic. And "live"-"long" blues has even a higher percentage of rising above the ordinary. Admittedly this is not a fail-safe technique... but in my own... personal... travels... in the electric blues world... my greatest successes have resulted with this criteria at its core. And this CD... "LIVE AT CHANS-COMBO PLATTER NO.2"... I am claiming as one of my greatest successes. This CD is immediately ranked in my top fifteen electric blues CD's of all-time! First of all there are ten songs totaling *SEVENTY-NINE-MINUTES-TEN-SECONDS*! This song selection combines covers of classics and five songs written by Nick. Every song on a 1-10 scale is 10-plus except #3 "Whiskey Makes Me Mean" which ?coincidentally? is the shortest song on this CD at 3 minutes 12 seconds. (Kind of like a riverboat or Chuckie Cheese song) I don't mean to overuse the term classic but when you have a THIRTEEN-MINUTE string bending version of "FIVE LONG YEARS" led by guest Lurrie Bell... that is different than Buddy Guy's classic... and different than Freddie King's classic... and I tip my hat to it... let me tell you it's good. When you have an EIGHT-MINUTE-TWENTY-THREE-SECOND version of "DON'T LIE TO ME" that will keep any blues aficionado glued to the speakers with your foot tapping and head bopping... you got a winner. (Note to electric blues lovers: this song was one of the classic cuts that Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan performed on my favorite CD of all-time "In Session".) All the other songs have a variety of "growling-clear-vocals"... great "harp" blowing... just the right amount of "ivory" tickling... and of course "axe" bending to Chicago perfection... and the entire live set is recorded crystal clear.



In sales there's an old saying: "THE LAST STEP IN YOUR FIRST SALE... IS YOUR FIRST STEP IN YOUR NEXT SALE!"... and I am so impressed with this *LIVE-CHICAGO-ELECTRIC-BLUES-CD* that the minute I type in the last word of this review... I am reverse engineering one step further "BACK" in time and am ordering "LIVE AT CHANS" which was recorded three years before this. Counting delivery time from Amazon be looking for my review on that CD in about two weeks. If that CD is as good as this I will be reporting from *ELECTRIC-BLUES-HEAVEN*!



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