Search - Various Artists :: Hound Dog Taylor: Tribute

A Worthy Tribute To A Great Bluesman

Michael Strom | Chicago, IL USA | 02/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think anyone with a passion for 'Dog ought to have this. Anyone comparing the CD to Hound Dog's own work has to first specify whether the comparison is to 'Dog on LP or 'Dog live. Live, nobody could do his songs the way Hound Dog Taylor did them. In part, this has something to do with the fact that few people could consume the amount of alcohol 'Dog did between sets and still hold onto the guitar. But in the studio, 'Dog's output was decidedly inconsistent. If we're comparing this to almost any of 'Dog's studio recordings, it holds up really well.Highlights to me are Luther Allison's romp through "Give Me Back My Wig" and Elvin Bishop's amusing (and accurate) tales of playing in 'Dog's band. But there is not a real stiff cut here. All concerned show an genuine affection for 'Dog's underappreciated work. For someone like me who saw 'Dog live many times in the '70's, this is like a letter from a long lost friend. I still miss him."

Solid, well-intentioned fun

John MacLeod | Guelph, Ontario Canada | 06/28/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A Hound Dog Taylor tribute album filled primarily with other Alligator Records artists is a sound idea, because there would be no Alligator without Hound Dog. It's to the credit of each artist here that he manages to sound like himself and not like a Hound Dog imitation. And it's to our benefit that those artists include titans such as Luther Allison and Magic Slim. Sometimes they reach too far afield, as if they're trying to show how far Hound Dog's songs will stretch (Vernon Reid's acoustic number is tasty playing, but electricity was the very soul of Hound Dog's art). All-round, though, the performances range from very-good to excellent, most of Hound Dog's best songs are covered, and it's a great treat to hear George Thorogood sounding like his old indie-label self. (Special mention has to be made of the cover by Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials: one of the hottest, finest blues performances in years!)"

"TRIBUTE"'S A FIVE...AN' THAT'S NO JIVE

G. J. Cook | new orleans louisiana usa | 12/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A GREAT TRIBUTE TO THE DAWG. 14 GREAT SLIDE BLUES NUMBERS PERFORMED BY 14 GREAT BLUES ARTISTS. THERE'S A GOOD MIX OF THE ARTISTS ON THIS DISC: MAGIC SLIM, LUTHER ALLISON, BOB MARGOLIN, AND ON UP THE BLUES LADDER TO MICHAEL HILL, GOV'T MULE AND DAVE HOLE. ALL THE SONGS WERE, OF COURSE, WRITTEN BY THE "DAWG". IT'S MASTERED WELL...NO UPS AND DOWNS BETWEEN SONGS. I LIKE ALL THE NUMBERS, EXCEPT SON SEALS' "SADIE". SEALS DOSEN'T PLAY SLIDE GUITAR.(HEY, MR. IGLAUER-C.E.O. OF ALLIGATOR RECORDS-IF YOU'RE GONNA TRIBUTE A SLIDEMAN,PLEASE USE A SLIDE GUITAR ARTIST,OK?) ANYWAY, LIKE SLIDE BLUES? LIKE HOUND DOG TAYLOR? TRY THIS CD ON FOR SIZE. IT'LL LOOK GOOD ON YA. GA-RONE-TEED. ALSO, IF YOU LIKE SLIDE BLUES TRIBUTES CHECK OUT "MASTERS OF BLUES-TRIBUTE TO ELMORE JAMES". JERSEY SLIM"