Robert Nighthawk - And This Is Maxwell Street
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Robert NighthawkEdition: Music CD
Format: Box set
CD Release Date: 2000-10-24
Music Label: Rooster Blues
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Sun Is Shining
- Can't Hold Out Much Longer
- Juke Medley
- That's All Right
- Red Top/Ornithology
- Maxwell Street Jam
- Lucille
- Corrina, Corrina
- Power to Live Right
- Cheating and Lying Blues
- Honky Tonk
- Dust My Broom
- Peter Gunn Jam
- I Need Love So Bad
- All I Want for My Breakfast
- Take It Easy Baby
- Long Gone John
- Mama Talk to Your Daughter
- I'm Ready
- Carey'n On
- When the Saints Go Marching In
- Back off Jam
- John Henry
- Anna Lee/Sweet Black Angel
- Love You Tonight
- The Time Have Come
- Cruisin' in a Cadillac
- Honey Hush
- I'll Fly Away
- I Shall Overcome
Free Music Notes for And This Is Maxwell Street
Free Music Review: A magnificent box set
Hit: 5 Stars
Even the most casual fans of classic Chicago blues need to own a copy of slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk's 1964 album "Live On Maxwell Street".
And those slightly more obsessed will want to check out this wonderful document, the soundtrack, if you will, to Mike Shea's 1964 documentary "And This Is Free". It features all of Nighthawk's recordings, plus another 18 cuts by artists like Johnny Young, Carey Bell and Big John Wrencher, and it is one of the most impressive live blues albums you'll ever come across.
The well-written and exceptionally thorough 62-page (!) booklet includes information about every recording, artist's biographies, interviews, pictures, and all available recording information, and the sound is surprisingly clear and full considering the unusual circumstances. You can sometimes hear a car driving by, a street preacher pops up for a few seconds, and the chatter of the crowd is audible in the background.
This two-hour collection is a rare treat indeed. You can just pop the discs in you CD player and turn it up. No need to program anything out...there is barely the slightest dip in quality along the way.
Disc one opens with singer/guitarist Johnny Young's excellent, gritty rendition of "The Sun Is Shining", all clattering drums and simple but effective boogie-styled rhythm guitar, and one-armed harpist Big John Wrencher's tough "Can't Hold Out Much Longer" is equally wonderful. You can also hear John Wrencher jamming with guitarists Robert Nighthawk and Little Arthur King on his own "Lucille", and inquiring about the drinking habits of his fellow musicians: Tea or coffee? Apparently Robert Nighthawk was a coffee-man ("coffee" meaning whiskey. "Tea" was wine).
Other highlights include "All I Want For My Breakfast" by Johnny Young, and pretty much everything by Robert Nighthawk, including the menacing "Cheating And Lying Blues", an up-tempo "Take It Easy, Baby", and a couple of songs not included on Nighthawk's "Live On Maxwell Street". One is a snippet of Robert Nighthawk doing "That's All Right" (the Jimmy Rogers tune, not the one by Arthur Crudup that Presley recorded); "Honky Tonk" is a swaggering instrumental boogie, and Nighthawk also lays down a thumping "Dust My Broom" which was omitted from previous issues of this material, perhaps because of the flawed mix which allows the repetitive rhythm guitar playing to drown out Nighthawk's fluid leads. Bit of a shame, that.
Still, that's about the only letdown on disc one, and it's a very minor one. And disc two is equally great. A lively performance of J.B. Lenoir's infectious boogie "Mama Talk To Your Daughter" has previously been credited to its composer, the man with no first name, but nothing indicates that Lenoir was present when this music was recorded, and this repacked and expanded edition of the Maxwell Street tapes credits Robert "Big Mojo" Elam as the singer. He supposedly got his nickname because of his ability to pull off a rousing rendition of Lenoir's "Mojo Boogie".
Harpist Carey Bell, who later became a member of the Muddy Waters band (and is still playing), smoulders on the instrumental "Carey'n On", little-known singer/guitarist Arvella Gray does a thoroughly authentic sounding solo performance of "John Henry", and the listener is treated to a couple of gospel numbers:
The James Brewer Gospel Group do a wonderful swinging "When The Saints Go Marchin' In", and a rendition of "Fly Away" which is made all the more remarkable by a very enthusiastic harmony vocal by one of the male singers! Also, the (unfortunately truncated) "I Shall Overcome" by singer/guitarist Fannie Brewer is just beautiful.
But, again, the main attraction is Robert Nighthawk (or "Night Hawk" as the liner notes call him, and as he probably spelled it himself). Nighthawk's magnificent 8 1/2 minute medley of his two biggest hits and best-known songs, "Anna Lee" and "Sweet Black Angel", has been restored...the previously issued version which edited out two minutes of instrumental bridge, and his single-string solo halfway through the supremely tough "The Time Have Come" [sic!] is quite mind-boggling. Nighthawk was as accomplished a lead guitar player as he was a slide slinger, and his single-string picking is pure liquid fire.
The slow grind of "Love You Tonight" is another previously unreleased number by Big John Wrencher, and Robert Nighthawk's powerful rendition of Big Joe Turner's "Honey Hush" takes Turner's bouncy jump blues into new territory.
The dozen songs by Robert Lee "Nighthawk" McCullum do indeed form the centrepiece of this collection, but literally everything is worth a listen. This is one top-notch blues box set...great annotation, great music, nicely packaged. Five stars and no reservations at all.
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