For the blues fans. Now spinnin, the only man who ever learnt directly from the great Robert Johnson, the man who ‘made the deal with the devil’ himself. Johnson shackled up with Lockwood’s mother off and on for many years and became something of a mentor and step dad to young Robert. Learning from him, he then began performing with him, and also Sonny Boy Williamson II. So much so that he was called Robert ‘Jr’, somewhat to his chagrin. This record is from a two day blues festival in Tokyo in 1974. Lovely, easy electric blues. The records originally came bundled with a 7inch single (which I sadly don’t yet have).
Robert Jr Lockwood and the Aces, Live Blues. Trio Records, 1975
Hot Tuna was the blues-rock side experiment of Jefferson Airplane’s Jorma Kaukonnen and Jack Casady. It went on to lead a much much longer life than the great Airplane. Hoppkorv is their seventh album and their last on Grunt Records. And although it has a couple of covers of Mud and Chuck Berry, this album is much much more hard classic rock than blues rock. Heavy riffs and lots of waaah-waaah! And appropriately psychedelic 3D cover art to go with the music.
Not pure blues but relevant here. Al Kooper’s quest to introduce a horn section into electric blues gave us this gorgeous band and album. Blood, Sweat & Tears’ debut in 1968 is the only one with him, as he was ousted after this. Nevertheless, Child is Father to the Man is a masterpiece infusing horns into blues rock or perhaps fusing them all. And this is a lush, gorgeous 2007 Speakers Corner pure analogue reissue. Bliss.
Blues-adjacent or blues-infused so I’m posting this here.
When Felix Pappalardi announced he was leaving Mountain, Leslie West and Corky Laing started exploring the possibility of a new band/venture. Pappalardi’s extensive production for Cream meant they all knew each other really well. And so, Jack Bruce joined hands with Laing and West, and in an era of short-lived supergroups one more was added to the roster. Why Dontcha was their first of two studio albums. Clearly the loose, loud, freewheeling Mountain sound with Bruce’s vocals - hard rock with more than a hint of blues a la Cream - good clean fun!
West, Bruce & Laing - Why Dontcha. 1972, Columbia/Windfall, US
