Pure Blues

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Andy McKaie (Compilation)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Digitally remastered by Doug Schwartz (Audio Mechanics). Recording information: Brookline &Watertown, MA (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Chiucago, IL (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Cincinnati, OH (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Detroit, MI (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); LA, CA (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Memphis, TN (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Miami, FL (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Minneapolis, MN (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Montreux, Switzerland (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Muscle Shoals, AL (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); Nashville, TN (08/12/1952-06/??/1997); New York, NY (08/12/1952-06/??/1997). The "pure" in the Pure series initially suggested the unadulterated, soothing dulcet tones of new age in the Pure Moods discs, but as the series took off, Universal Music realized they had a real marketable brand name here, so they decided to use it for different genres. The one thing that all the collections shared was that they were exceptional collections that summarized the genre remarkably well. Pure Blues, one of the latter-day installments, is actually one of the very best of the series, and it's one of the best general blues overviews available, especially for the rock fan that wants to dabble in the genre. This is because Universal's catalog runs deep and contains not just the Chess label, but also such labels as Duke, Peacock, Cadet, and ABC, plus they have the licensing muscle to pull in key tracks from other majors. That means Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Freddy King, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Koko Taylor, Etta James, Bobby Blue Bland, B.B. King, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray are all here, all represented by some of their finest songs. If there is any problem here, it's when the record tilts toward modern blues-rock, but while Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Susan Tedeschi don't quite fit alongside these blues titans, the selections from the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan (a relatively rare live version of "Flood Down in Texas [Aka Texas Flood]" from an Atlantic album, Blues Explosion, from 1986), and a duet by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman on "Mean Old World" fit right in with the rest of the record. There's really nothing unexpected here, and if you have a large blues collection, there's not much reason to pick this up, but as a sampler, this is first-rate. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine This across-the-board blues compilations attempts to be all things to all blues fans, and comes as close to succeeding as any single-disc collection possibly could. Part of the reason is a series of cross-licensing coups that bring together tracks from a disparate group of labels, but mostly it's good old-fashioned taste. For the rock fans there's the Eric Clapton/Duane Allman duet "Mean Old World" and Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Flood Down in Texas." Those hungry for new, young blues heroes are offered the likes of Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Susan Tedeschi. The meat of the compilation, though, is taken up by classic Chicago blues cuts, including Muddy Waters' gloriously salacious "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man," Jimmy Reed's proletarian shuffle "Big Boss Man," and Howlin' Wolf's vicious-but-wise take on the Willie Dixon-penned blues standard "Spoonful." As a broad introduction to the various strains of mainstream blues, PURE BLUES is an excellent primer.

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