Search - Sonny Boy Williamson :: UK Blues

Hmmmm....

J. Daily | Fort Worth, Tx United States | 08/17/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Probably one for the serious collectors of Sonny Boy. The production qualities on this one are pretty bad. The liner notes even talk about how difficult it was to record these tunes live with the equipment they had on hand at the time. Having said that, I wouldnt count that against the album if that were the only problem. The blues are meant to be a bit raw, but as the liner notes also tell you, Sonny was smashed through most of the songs as well. These two facts coupled together make this a more than raw recording. I have factored in that we live in a polished world nowadays and probably expect too much, so that is why I didnt rate it lower. I mean after all, the quality of recording equipment that was available when most of these blues legends were around was not what it is today. Dont expect much from the Clapton and the Yardbirds. If the album didnt tell you who Sonny Boy was playing with on these tunes, you wouldnt even know it. Williamson sings the songs and there is not much of Claptons signature sound. There is a definite Animals influence on their tracks, and you can see that Eric Burden is going to be a blues powerhouse, as he does sing in a couple of songs. Williamson's signature harp playing is also a little rough around the edges, probably due to his self- medicating."

The Real Deal

J. Daily | 08/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wow! This record blew me away. Theonly reason I didn't give it a higher rating is what some might call pretty poor sound quality, understandably. The equipment may not capture the sound at it's best, but it captures the rawness of Sonny Boy along with fellow British blues guitarists Eric Clapton and Eric Burdon.Sound quality aside this record is great. The noticeably intoxicated Sonny Boy represents what blues is all about, being real baby."