For today's offering we're headed to the Mississippi delta for a little delta blues. Cross Road Blues was recorded by Robert Johnson in 1936 and is considered to be somewhat autobiographical - legend has it, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his wicked prowess on the guitar. And prowess it was - guitar powerhouses such as Brian Jones (Rolling Stones), Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), John Mayall and the divine Jimmy Page all credit Johnson as being a major influence on their style and career. Eric Clapton said that Johnson is the most important bluesman who ever lived, even 'plugging in' his own version of the song with Ginger Baker and the late great Jack Bruce as part of their repertoire with Cream (heard here).
No one really knows too much about Robert Johnson, he was a bit of a mysterious and shady character, which adds the whole Faustian mysticism. No one is quite sure when he was born, but they know that when he left his hometown he was a mediocre musician and when he returned, he was the Robert Johnson we know today, adding fuel to the 'deal with the devil' fire. Unfortunately, Johnson's life was cut short when it is believed he was poisoned by the jealous husband of a girl with whom he had an affair, making him the first member of the '27 club'.
Go Holly go!
Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson): 5/5 Wait a minute, this is an Eric Clapton song! This was my very anachronistic first thought. Obviously, it’s been around much longer than Clapton! Robert Johnson looks like and sings like a total badass. I really like his voice, and I love blues that sounds so high energy and kind of grinding like his voice sometimes gets. His guitar playing sounds so ahead of its time too. So much intensity in this song. Robert Johnson died at 27, he was poisoned by a jealous boyfriend of one of his many lady friends. It’s sad to imagine all of the innovation to the blues he could have brought had he lived longer. Before listening to this song, I knew of Robert Johnson, but had never really sat down and listened to anything he’d done. He definitely has one new fan now.
Kelly time!
Being the nerdy rock guitar fangirl that I am and have been since my early teens, I've known about Johnson for quite a long time, I just never took the time to listen to any of his stuff. In this recording his guitar sounds ENORMOUS, with like, 96 strings and a great big resonating chamber, and the way he just clunks away at it when he strums is SO bluesy. Apparently his hands we gigantic, which is probably how he gets such breadth in his sound. His voice is so wail-y and grind-y and so good! So good. I can imagine a very young Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton hearing this for the first time in their native England and losing their shit. Great stuff. 4.5/5
Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Can The Circle Be Unbroken (By and By) - The Carter Family
Today we listened to an American classic by the very prolific Carter Family - Can the Circle Be Unbroken. The original Carter Family lineup of the 1920s and 1930s consisted of A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter and her cousin Maybelle, who also happened to be married to A.P.'s brother Eck (who had a daughter named June Cash, who went on to marry Johnny Cash and become June Carter Cash). The Carter Family came from the Appalachian mountains in Virginia and are seen as the foundation of country music and bluegrass. A.P. would dig up songs for the group to perform and Sara and Maybelle would put together the arrangements and do most of the performing, with Sara singing lead and Maybelle singing harmony and playing guitar. This song was released in 1935 and 1936 saw the dissolution of A.P's and Sara's marriage (she went on to marry his cousin), so some of the mourning in the song could be for the loss of a relationship as opposed to the literal loss of a loved one.
So the song itself was adapted from the hymn of the same name by A.P. Carter. It is sung from the viewpoint of an individual who has lost their mother, attends the funeral and returns to the empty house (cheery stuff). The song has been covered a bajillion times and almost all of the cover versions use 4/4 meter, whereas the Carter Family recording from 1927 has them in 3/4 at the end of each verse (who do they think they are, Rush?). Anyhow, the song is such a big deal that it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. And here's what we think of it:
Holly:
Can the Circle be Unbroken (The Carter Family): 3/5 This is the first of likely many songs on this list that brings me straight back to my childhood. I definitely remember many Saturday mornings with this song coming on. Not this version, though. This is the first time I’ve heard The Carter Family version. I had no idea growing up how incredibly sad this song is. Listening to the lyrics, it came as a big surprise. The Carter Family sounds like classic American folk music, plain and simple. Energetic rhythm guitar, drawling nasal voices, a clear story being told through the music. I really like it because of its historical importance, and I enjoyed The Carter Family’s sound, but I wouldn’t rush out to listen to more. I also found the ending to be such a cop out. It just kind of…..stops.
Kelly:
Ohhh, this one hits me right in the childhood! I'm pretty sure the version that we were familiar with is done by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (featuring Johnny Cash) which can you hear here, and please take note of the fantastic fashions. Anyhow, this version is pretty good - I feel like it is pure Americana and I picture them sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of their Blue Ridge Mountain cabin and thumb picking and singing this, all it's missing is someone playing the jug and the spoons. The version that I really like and prefer is that of the Staple Singers (although I'm sure they could take a song as heinous as Stupid Hoe and make it great) which can be heard here. I appreciate how important the song was, but if I'm going to purchase the song, it's going to be someone else's version. And I agree with Holly about the end of the song. It was like, 'so how do you want to end this? Meh, we'll come up with something after lunch'. 3/5
Fun fact about the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: they appeared as the backing band on SNL for Steve Martin's million selling song King Tut. They were billed as the 'Toot Uncommons'.
Here is the 1927 recording:
Can the Circle Be Unbroken 1927
And here is the 1935 version:
Can the Circle Be Unbroken 1935
So the song itself was adapted from the hymn of the same name by A.P. Carter. It is sung from the viewpoint of an individual who has lost their mother, attends the funeral and returns to the empty house (cheery stuff). The song has been covered a bajillion times and almost all of the cover versions use 4/4 meter, whereas the Carter Family recording from 1927 has them in 3/4 at the end of each verse (who do they think they are, Rush?). Anyhow, the song is such a big deal that it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. And here's what we think of it:
Holly:
Can the Circle be Unbroken (The Carter Family): 3/5 This is the first of likely many songs on this list that brings me straight back to my childhood. I definitely remember many Saturday mornings with this song coming on. Not this version, though. This is the first time I’ve heard The Carter Family version. I had no idea growing up how incredibly sad this song is. Listening to the lyrics, it came as a big surprise. The Carter Family sounds like classic American folk music, plain and simple. Energetic rhythm guitar, drawling nasal voices, a clear story being told through the music. I really like it because of its historical importance, and I enjoyed The Carter Family’s sound, but I wouldn’t rush out to listen to more. I also found the ending to be such a cop out. It just kind of…..stops.
Kelly:
Ohhh, this one hits me right in the childhood! I'm pretty sure the version that we were familiar with is done by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (featuring Johnny Cash) which can you hear here, and please take note of the fantastic fashions. Anyhow, this version is pretty good - I feel like it is pure Americana and I picture them sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of their Blue Ridge Mountain cabin and thumb picking and singing this, all it's missing is someone playing the jug and the spoons. The version that I really like and prefer is that of the Staple Singers (although I'm sure they could take a song as heinous as Stupid Hoe and make it great) which can be heard here. I appreciate how important the song was, but if I'm going to purchase the song, it's going to be someone else's version. And I agree with Holly about the end of the song. It was like, 'so how do you want to end this? Meh, we'll come up with something after lunch'. 3/5
Fun fact about the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: they appeared as the backing band on SNL for Steve Martin's million selling song King Tut. They were billed as the 'Toot Uncommons'.
Here is the 1927 recording:
Can the Circle Be Unbroken 1927
And here is the 1935 version:
Can the Circle Be Unbroken 1935
Monday, January 26, 2015
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956)
This past week we listened to the king - Elvis Presley. This is Elvis' first LP and is sewn together from a couple different recording sessions - a few from the Sam Phillips' country styled Sun sessions in 1954 and 1955, and the rest are more R&B fuelled RCA recordings in '56 from when they bought out his contract. The book tells us that every reissue of this album included Presley's huge hit Heartbreak Hotel, but the original release of the album did not. Elvis runs the gamut of genres here - country, bluegrass, blues, R&B and gospel.
The album spent 10 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard charts, considered the first rock 'n roll record ever to make the top spot and the first to hit the one million marks in sales. As for personnel, there are some greats on this album including Shortly Long on piano, Chet Atkins on acoustic guitar and Scotty Moore plucking away on his Gibson ES 295 (he didn't start playing is enormous Gibson Jumbo 400 until Elvis' unfortunate post-army years). Scotty had said that Elvis was not an exceptionally talented musician, but he did have a remarkable feel for rhythm and timing.
Fun gear-head fact: the guitar that Elvis is playing on the cover is a Martin D-28.
Reviews!
Kelly:
I loooooove early Elvis, and this is a great record. You can totally tell that it's been pieced together, as some songs sound like Elvis was singing in a high school gymnasium, others a studio. He has such great enthusiasm and you can really hear the youth and energy in his voice, a far cry from his fat-bloated-dead on a toilet seat years. I can kind of see why people went so apeshit for Elvis when he first came out - after listening to the dreadful Sinatra records for a week, this was a breath a fresh air. The one thing that kind of makes me sad is that there was probably a TON of black musicians who were just as talented at singing this kind of music as Elvis was, but got little to no recognition due to their race.
I have a few favourite songs on this album - I Got A Woman, One-Sided Love Affair and Trying To Get To You. A lot of us probably will recognize I Got A Woman thanks to Kanye West and Jaime Foxx, but I didn't realize that Ray Charles had co-written it and recorded it. I feel like the song is exactly how Elvis should sound and if someone crawled out from the rock under which they had been living for the last 60 years and asked me what Elvis Presley sounds like, I would play them this song. Like my sister mentions below, I also love the cheesy half-time ending! I love One-Sided Love Affair because I love a good, dirty honky-tonk boogie-woogie piano and the second this song started, I was totally hooked. Besides the piano and drums, whatever other instruments are playing are quiet so it's almost like a duet between the saloon pianist and Elvis. Trying To Get To You is a fantastic vocal performance by Elvis, and we get to hear Scotty Moore wail on the guitar!
Did anyone else out there think Da Doo Run Run when they heard the intro to Money Honey?
To be honest, I'm not super crazy about the ballads on this album. I prefer high-energy Elvis. I'm really glad we got to listen to this album, and I think I'll be adding it to my 'to buy' list! 8/10
Holly:
This week we are listening to: Tragic Songs of Life - The Louvin Brothers
The album spent 10 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard charts, considered the first rock 'n roll record ever to make the top spot and the first to hit the one million marks in sales. As for personnel, there are some greats on this album including Shortly Long on piano, Chet Atkins on acoustic guitar and Scotty Moore plucking away on his Gibson ES 295 (he didn't start playing is enormous Gibson Jumbo 400 until Elvis' unfortunate post-army years). Scotty had said that Elvis was not an exceptionally talented musician, but he did have a remarkable feel for rhythm and timing.
Fun gear-head fact: the guitar that Elvis is playing on the cover is a Martin D-28.
Reviews!
Kelly:
I loooooove early Elvis, and this is a great record. You can totally tell that it's been pieced together, as some songs sound like Elvis was singing in a high school gymnasium, others a studio. He has such great enthusiasm and you can really hear the youth and energy in his voice, a far cry from his fat-bloated-dead on a toilet seat years. I can kind of see why people went so apeshit for Elvis when he first came out - after listening to the dreadful Sinatra records for a week, this was a breath a fresh air. The one thing that kind of makes me sad is that there was probably a TON of black musicians who were just as talented at singing this kind of music as Elvis was, but got little to no recognition due to their race.
I have a few favourite songs on this album - I Got A Woman, One-Sided Love Affair and Trying To Get To You. A lot of us probably will recognize I Got A Woman thanks to Kanye West and Jaime Foxx, but I didn't realize that Ray Charles had co-written it and recorded it. I feel like the song is exactly how Elvis should sound and if someone crawled out from the rock under which they had been living for the last 60 years and asked me what Elvis Presley sounds like, I would play them this song. Like my sister mentions below, I also love the cheesy half-time ending! I love One-Sided Love Affair because I love a good, dirty honky-tonk boogie-woogie piano and the second this song started, I was totally hooked. Besides the piano and drums, whatever other instruments are playing are quiet so it's almost like a duet between the saloon pianist and Elvis. Trying To Get To You is a fantastic vocal performance by Elvis, and we get to hear Scotty Moore wail on the guitar!
Did anyone else out there think Da Doo Run Run when they heard the intro to Money Honey?
To be honest, I'm not super crazy about the ballads on this album. I prefer high-energy Elvis. I'm really glad we got to listen to this album, and I think I'll be adding it to my 'to buy' list! 8/10
Holly:
Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley (1956): 7/10
It was a lot of fun to listen to early Elvis this week! This album was pieced together from a couple of different recording sessions, even a few years apart, and it definitely sounds a little bit slap-dashed together, but it’s totally forgivable.
I really like Elvis from the 50s. He has so much energy in his singing, and though sometimes it almost sounds like he’s parodying himself, it’s just so much better and more genuine than later Elvis. Well, that’s what I think anyway.
There are some definite highlights to this album, and some tracks I just didn’t enjoy. Let’s start with my favourite tracks. Trying to pick a favourite was kind of tough, but I think I’m going to go with Trying To Get To You, because I enjoy his singing the most on this one. It’s a great example of what Elvis’ voice can sound like, and I think it’s maybe the most skillfully sung song. I also just liked the song itself. It’s a good listen.
I also really liked I Got A Woman, mainly because it’s such an enjoyably cheesy version. I can’t help but hear Kanye somewhere in the distance, though. The very end of this version goes into this super cheesy half time feel thing. I want to hate it because it’s so terribly tacky, but I kind of secretly love it!
Just Because is probably my third favourite. Elvis is always just so close to being too tacky in this one, but he never quite gets there. I like the interaction between Elvis and the guitar in this one, and I like the high energy, quick pace.
The track I liked the least is definitely I’ll never let you go. The recording quality is terrible. It sounds like he recorded it in a tunnel, and it has lots of syrupy touches that too closes resemble fat, Hawaiian shirt-wearing Elvis. That one definitely did not do it for me.
All told, this was a fun album to listen to for a week. I’m not going to rush out and buy it, but I’m glad we had to listen to it!
Unfortunately we couldn't find the whole album on youtube, so here are links to each individual song:
This week we are listening to: Tragic Songs of Life - The Louvin Brothers
Hula Girl - Sol Ho'opi'i
Aloha! Now in 1934 our list brings us to the islands of Hawaii and the steel guitar virtuosity of Sol Ho'opi'i. By this point in the 20th century Hawaiian music had become a huge fad (I would assume the largest sales in ukuleles until the hipster revival of the current decade) and the people were clambering to see the girls in their grass skirts and hear the strains of the steel guitar. Sol was a native Hawaiian born in Honolulu (to what looks like a Duggar-type situation - he was child number 21) and early on learned to play the ukulele and in his teenage years the guitar. Sol mastered the lap-steel guitar and developed the open tuning which is still used today and in Hula Girl we get to hear him improvising. In 1938 Sol found religion and added hymns to his steel guitar repertoire. Anyway, his recording of the Gershwin brother's Fascinating Rhythm was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2012.
Kelly:
Oh man this shit is cheesy. I'm actually surprised we never learned this song in ukulele back in the day, as it's the sort of high energy cheese-ball shit that we would perform. Anyway, I really like Hawaiian music, but this song doesn't bring me back to the Islands. I do, however, love the vaudevillian/barbershop style backup singers and harmony and I love that ukulele is keeping the energy in the song up enough that no drums are involved in this song. I really like the extended solos too, we get to hear a bit of Sol's virtuosity. Alas, there are other Hawaiian performers and songs that like better than this one. 3/5
Holly:
Kelly:
Oh man this shit is cheesy. I'm actually surprised we never learned this song in ukulele back in the day, as it's the sort of high energy cheese-ball shit that we would perform. Anyway, I really like Hawaiian music, but this song doesn't bring me back to the Islands. I do, however, love the vaudevillian/barbershop style backup singers and harmony and I love that ukulele is keeping the energy in the song up enough that no drums are involved in this song. I really like the extended solos too, we get to hear a bit of Sol's virtuosity. Alas, there are other Hawaiian performers and songs that like better than this one. 3/5
Holly:
Hula Girl (Sol Hoopii): 3/5 Ah. Hawaiian music. I feel like I should sit back and let Kelly review this one, since she has much more experience with it than I do. I actually had to try 3 times before even spelling Hawaiian right, so…
I liked this song! I found it really full of energy with kind of quirky guitar playing, and definitely unmistakeably Hawaiian. I don’t know if I’m just falling for the kitsch factor of the guitar playing, but I really liked the guitar solos. On the other hand though, I just can’t help but feel like it sounds a little bit like a novelty song!
It does have some historical significance, though, since the slack-key guitar playing craze influenced blues slide guitar playing later on, which is a really cool connection between these two styles.
Mal Hombre - Lydia Mendoza
Time for a little Tex-Mex! So this song is performed by Texan born Mexican Lydia Mendoza and this recording is from 1934. Turns out she was a very adept musician and made her own guitar of a plank of wood and nails when she was a kid. She was a good singer and learned the guitar and mandolin (that's her playing the 12-string guitar in this recording) and she got the lyrics for this song from a bubble gum wrapper, which was apparently a thing. This was her biggest hit and made her super popular in the south-west United States. The song, which means 'Evil Man' in Spanish tells the tale of horrible womanizer and features such lines as 'you crushed the flower of my innocence' and 'You are a pig, you are evil, you are a cold-hearted man'. This was on a gum wrapper? Oh my. REVIEWS:
Holly:
Mal Hombre (Lydia Mendoza): 4/5 I feel like I recognize the name Lydia Mendoza, but maybe I’ve never heard her before. So when I read in the 1,001 Songs book that said she is one of the great pioneers of American music, I felt a little dumb. I really enjoy her singing voice, she has a really sweet sound that goes well with the more intense tango rhythms in the guitar playing. This song is really simple, but super effective. For those of you following along at home, did you guys know of her?
Kelly:
Ooo, I love the sound of a 12-string guitar, so full. And she has it perfectly in tune, which is a bit of a bitch to do, so kudos to Lydia. I'd never heard the song or of Lydia until now, so it's kind of cool to hear one of the first pioneers of Mexican-American music. Her singing is really good and strong, shows how angry she is. Alas, I was not crazy about the song itself and I felt it was about a minute too long, so her score has to suffer. Sorry Lydia. 3.5/5
Mal Hombre
Holly:
Mal Hombre (Lydia Mendoza): 4/5 I feel like I recognize the name Lydia Mendoza, but maybe I’ve never heard her before. So when I read in the 1,001 Songs book that said she is one of the great pioneers of American music, I felt a little dumb. I really enjoy her singing voice, she has a really sweet sound that goes well with the more intense tango rhythms in the guitar playing. This song is really simple, but super effective. For those of you following along at home, did you guys know of her?
Kelly:
Ooo, I love the sound of a 12-string guitar, so full. And she has it perfectly in tune, which is a bit of a bitch to do, so kudos to Lydia. I'd never heard the song or of Lydia until now, so it's kind of cool to hear one of the first pioneers of Mexican-American music. Her singing is really good and strong, shows how angry she is. Alas, I was not crazy about the song itself and I felt it was about a minute too long, so her score has to suffer. Sorry Lydia. 3.5/5
Mal Hombre
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? - Bing Crosby
So we're upon 1932 and the Great Depression is in full swing. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? tells the tale of men of different professions who have now fallen on hard times - farmer, railroad worker, soldier. Written for the musical 'Americana' by Yip Harburg (who also wrote the mammoth hit 'Over the Rainbow') it apparently overshadowed the rest of the show.
Bing Crosby is kind of a big deal. Even though he died in 1977, Harry Crosby Jr. is still, to this day, one of the biggest selling artists of all time. Part of the reason he was so popular is because he helped usher in a new style of singing - crooning. Before Bing, singers performed in more of a 'belting' style but with advancements in microphone technology, Bing was able to take advantage of the intimacy the amplification provided. Bing sang 4 Academy Award winning songs ('Sweet Leilani', 'White Christmas', 'Swinging on a Star', and 'In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening) and won a Best Actor Oscar for his depiction of a Catholic priest and teacher in the 1944 film 'Going My Way'. 1941's recording of the song 'White Christmas' is still the best selling single of all time. Unfortunately, it seems that Bing was a major d-bag in real life, with accounts of horrendous physical and psychological abuse from his children and two of them ended up dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
FUN NERD FACT - Bing Crosby's granddaughter Denise Crosby played Tasha Yar on the hit TV series Star Trek - The Next Generation. Awesome!
Thoughts by us:
Kelly:
This song hit me right in the feels. I've really liked Bing's singing for a long time, but this is a relatively early Bing recording and he really lets it rip. I'm used to Bing's fluid, pretty Irish lilting-style of singing, but at this end of this tune when he opens up with 'I'm your pal!' - goosebumps. I didn't realize he had that much power behind his voice! Also, I think this song still stands up today. Aren't we still talking about benefits for veterans and how poorly they've been treated? 'Half a million boots sloggin' through hell' and then 'why don't you remember? I'm your pal!' - heartbreaking. I listened to the Tom Jones version (love me some Tom Jones) but it just isn't as good. Bing is king. 5/5
Holly:
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (Bing Crosby): 4/5 We’re on a roll of great songs right now! This might not be my favourite example of Bing Crosby, but man, he’s a great example of what a crooner can sound like! The orchestra in the background is just that, background; Bing steals the show in this one. He does a great job at slowly increasing the simmering anger as the song moves along. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is apparently from a musical (Americana), and blew away the audience. It's a pleasant sounding song with angry, disenchanted lyrics. That formula seems to have stuck around pretty well!
Der Binger:
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Bing Crosby is kind of a big deal. Even though he died in 1977, Harry Crosby Jr. is still, to this day, one of the biggest selling artists of all time. Part of the reason he was so popular is because he helped usher in a new style of singing - crooning. Before Bing, singers performed in more of a 'belting' style but with advancements in microphone technology, Bing was able to take advantage of the intimacy the amplification provided. Bing sang 4 Academy Award winning songs ('Sweet Leilani', 'White Christmas', 'Swinging on a Star', and 'In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening) and won a Best Actor Oscar for his depiction of a Catholic priest and teacher in the 1944 film 'Going My Way'. 1941's recording of the song 'White Christmas' is still the best selling single of all time. Unfortunately, it seems that Bing was a major d-bag in real life, with accounts of horrendous physical and psychological abuse from his children and two of them ended up dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
FUN NERD FACT - Bing Crosby's granddaughter Denise Crosby played Tasha Yar on the hit TV series Star Trek - The Next Generation. Awesome!
Thoughts by us:
Kelly:
This song hit me right in the feels. I've really liked Bing's singing for a long time, but this is a relatively early Bing recording and he really lets it rip. I'm used to Bing's fluid, pretty Irish lilting-style of singing, but at this end of this tune when he opens up with 'I'm your pal!' - goosebumps. I didn't realize he had that much power behind his voice! Also, I think this song still stands up today. Aren't we still talking about benefits for veterans and how poorly they've been treated? 'Half a million boots sloggin' through hell' and then 'why don't you remember? I'm your pal!' - heartbreaking. I listened to the Tom Jones version (love me some Tom Jones) but it just isn't as good. Bing is king. 5/5
Holly:
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (Bing Crosby): 4/5 We’re on a roll of great songs right now! This might not be my favourite example of Bing Crosby, but man, he’s a great example of what a crooner can sound like! The orchestra in the background is just that, background; Bing steals the show in this one. He does a great job at slowly increasing the simmering anger as the song moves along. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is apparently from a musical (Americana), and blew away the audience. It's a pleasant sounding song with angry, disenchanted lyrics. That formula seems to have stuck around pretty well!
Der Binger:
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Need A Little Sugar in My Bowl - Bessie Smith
Well if it isn't our old friend Bessie again! This time it's Bessie 'unplugged', as it's just her voice and the piano. This song came out in 1931 and was part of a genre known as 'dirty blues' (the same genre that gave us the term 'rock 'n roll'). Since we've already learned about Bessie in a previous post and there's not a whole lot of info on the song itself, let's get to the reviews:
Holly:
Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl (Bessie Smith): 4/5 “I need a little hotdog between my rolls”. Oh, Bessie! I’m so glad there’s another Bessie Smith recording on this list, because this one does a way better job of portraying Bessie Smith as a singer. She has the exact perfect voice for this dirty, innuendo-filled blues song! It’s so weird that it’s countered by this prim and proper piano playing, though. I have to say, I find this song way dirtier than the overtly sexual songs that are on the top 40s today. Thanks, Bessie, this song thoroughly entertained me.
Kelly:
OH MY GOD THIS SONG IS DIRTY. And I like it. Hearing it for the first time left me blushing and a little gobsmacked at how overtly sexual it is and that it only came out in 1931. How was the public at large not totally scandalized by this? Possibly it didn't get a lot of airplay back then. I agree with Holly that this is a much better showcase of Bessie's voice and the power behind it. I like that it's only her and piano and I would be interested to hear what it would have sounded like with a raunchy horn section backing her up! 'Tired of being lonely' - me too Bessie. Me too. 3.5/5
FILTHY:
Need A Little Sugar in My Bowl
Holly:
Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl (Bessie Smith): 4/5 “I need a little hotdog between my rolls”. Oh, Bessie! I’m so glad there’s another Bessie Smith recording on this list, because this one does a way better job of portraying Bessie Smith as a singer. She has the exact perfect voice for this dirty, innuendo-filled blues song! It’s so weird that it’s countered by this prim and proper piano playing, though. I have to say, I find this song way dirtier than the overtly sexual songs that are on the top 40s today. Thanks, Bessie, this song thoroughly entertained me.
Kelly:
OH MY GOD THIS SONG IS DIRTY. And I like it. Hearing it for the first time left me blushing and a little gobsmacked at how overtly sexual it is and that it only came out in 1931. How was the public at large not totally scandalized by this? Possibly it didn't get a lot of airplay back then. I agree with Holly that this is a much better showcase of Bessie's voice and the power behind it. I like that it's only her and piano and I would be interested to hear what it would have sounded like with a raunchy horn section backing her up! 'Tired of being lonely' - me too Bessie. Me too. 3.5/5
FILTHY:
Need A Little Sugar in My Bowl
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