Various Artists - Blues Masters, Volume 3: Texas Blues (1992)

This blues compilation is Volume 3 in an extensive blues series of CDs from Rhino which is slowly finding its way to my collection. The previous Texas blues compilation that appeared in this space focused on the southeastern part of the state, including Houston (that area is represented on the map below in pink/red). This compilation features artists from the central and northeastern parts of the state in a swath that includes Austin, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and parts of East Texas (blue on the map).

Only two artists appear on both compilations: Albert Collins & Gatemouth Brown. It is hardly surprising that the part of the state known for creation of the Texas blues subgenre is on the eastern side, closest to Mississippi, birth of the blues. Chronologically arranged (for the most part), this disc takes us from early Texas blues with its similarity to Texas swing music, through the introduction of boogie and R&B influences in the '50s and '60s, culminating in the rise in the '80s of Stevie Ray Vaughan's scorching electric blues.

Excellent, detailed liner notes by writer and music critic Alan Govenar, author of Meeting the Blues: The Rise of the Texas Sound.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist	Year
1	Matchbox Blues	Blind Lemon Jefferson	1927
2	Cravin' A Man Blues	Lilian Glinn	1930
3	Driftin' Blues	Charles Brown	1945
4	Short-Haired Woman	Lightnin' Hopkins	1947
5	Call It Stormy Monday	T-Bone Walker	1947
6	Lucy Mae Blues	Frankie Lee Sims	1953
7	Texas Hop	Pee Wee Crayton	1948
8	Please Send Me Someone To Love	Percy Mayfield	1950
9	Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night	Zuzu Bollin	1952
10	Hound Dog	Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thorton	1953
11	Okie Dokie Stomp	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown	1954
12	The Freeze	Albert Collins & His Rhythm Rockers	1958
13	Ella Speed	Mance Lipscomb	1960
14	Down On Bending Knees	Johnny Copeland	1962
15	The Stumble	Freddy King	1970
16	C-Boy's Blues	The Fabulous Thunderbirds	1979
17	Flood Down In Texas	Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble	1986
18	Changing Neighborhoods	Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets	1987

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm thankful to my friend Jim for introducing me to Stevie Ray Vaughan's solo work when he bought the Couldn't Stand The Weather album back in 1984. Seventeen year-old me probably said something along the lines of "Hey! That sounds like David Bowie's guitarist on the Let's Dance album!" I may be a little slow on the uptake, but at least I eventually made the connection.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Blues Masters Sampler (1993)
Volume 8: Mississippi Delta Blues (1993)

Various Artists - Crucial Texas Blues (2004)

From 2003 - 2007, the Chicago-based blues label Alligator Records put out a series of 9 Crucial Blues samplers (Crucial Guitar Blues, Crucial Harmonica Blues, etc.). This Texas blues compilation focuses mainly on musicians from the southeastern part of the state: Houston and the "Golden Triangle" of Orange, Beaumont, and Port Arthur. As such, you can hear influences of New Orleans R&B, Texas boogie, and zydeco music.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks (artists from Houston or the Golden Triangle mark with an asterisk *):

	Artist	Title	Year
1	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown*	She Walks Right In	1989
2	Johnny Copeland* & Albert Collins*	Lion's Den	1985
3	Long John Hunter*	Both Ends Of The Road	1997
4	W.C. Clark	Midnight Hour Blue	2002
5	Katie Webster* & Lonnie Brooks*	Those Lonely, Lonely Nights	1991
6	Phillip Walker* with Long John Hunter*	Street Walkin' Woman	1999
7	Johnny Winter*	Tin Pan Alley	1986
8	Floyd Dixon	450 Pound Woman	1996
9	C.J. Chenier*	Richest Man	1995
10	Delbert McClinton	Standing On Shaky Ground	1989
11	Marcia Ball*	I'm Coming Down With The Blues	2001
12	Albert Collins*	Too Many Dirty Dishes	1986

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, although I have a distant connection to Orange, Texas. My mother was born and raised there and my grandfather served as both mayor and police chief in that coastal town. In 1959, my parents were married there at the Presbyterian church, reputedly the first structure west of the Mississippi River to have air conditioning and the only opalescent glass dome in the United States. For the most part, that side of my family has passed on or moved to other locations, but I believe one of my mother's first cousins still lives in the city.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Crucial Acoustic Blues (2007)

The Blue Nile - Peace At Last (1996)

My introduction to The Blue Nile is documented in my post for their 1989 album Hats, but not long after enjoying that album, I bought two other Blue Nile CDs, including this one. The music here is somewhat similar to Hats, but it incorporates some acoustic instruments and many tunes openly embrace gospel influences. Nevertheless, Peace At Last retains the introspective mood of previous albums; mood and atmosphere are as important to the music as melody. I hate to use a word from the album title to describe the album, but I certainly find this one to be quite peaceful.

I don't often mention lyrical content, but the religious overtones here cannot be ignored. Words such as prayers, saviour, peace, Jesus, angels, God, holy, mercy, etc. are liberally sprinkled throughout most of the tracks.

Press of the time:

• NME (3/10): "there are desperately few redeeming features to 'Peace At Last' at all."
• Entertainment Weekly (B): "lacks the poignant urgency of its predecessor."
• CashBox: "a real underground find, even though it's on a major label."
• Rolling Stone (★★): "predictably overwrought"
• Musician: feature article in the August 1996 issue

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Heatseekers: #48

Tracks: I don't often say this about full albums, but this one plays like one long track. Perfectly sequenced. While there's some variance in tempi from song to song, the whole thing is slow to mid-tempo with most cuts below 100 b.p.m.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Man-oh-man I wish I had come across this back in '96. This would have been perfect music for me as I entered my thirties.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Hats (1989)

Various Artists - Tropical Punch: Mambo Beats For Summer Heat (2003)

A 12 track compilation CD sold at Old Navy stores (or maybe giveaway with purchase?). Description from the insert:

Beachside days and balmy nights just got a little cooler. This collection of mambo favorites brings you to refreshingly exotic destinations - and you never have to leave your lounge chair. Just sit back and enjoy the flavors of delicious Tropical Punch.

There's just as much samba as mambo on this disc, but let's not nitpick. It's a fun listen with a nice mix of familiar and unfamiliar. I also like the way they sequenced the thing: 3 newer - 4 older - 3 newer - 2 older.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Title	Artist	Year
1	Tres Amigos	United Future Organization	1999
2	Chicharron N' Boogaloo	Los Chicharrons	1999
3	Hit The Road Jack (Pé Na Éstrada)	Mo' Horizons	2001
4	Soul Sauce (Guachi Gauro)	Cal Tjader	1965
5	So Nice (Summer Samba)	Astrud Gilberto	1967
6	Summer	War	1976
7	Soul Bossa Nova	Quincy Jones & His Orchestra feat. Roland Kirk	1962
8	Coração Tambor	Ian Pooley feat. Rosanna & Zélia	2000
9	Sem Contenção (Sin Plomo Remix)	Bebel Gilberto	2001
10	Reach Inside	Bah Samba	2002
11	Goodbye Sadness (Tristeza)	Walter Wanderly Trio/Astrid Gilberto	1966
12	Crickets Sing For Anamarie	Marcos Valle	1966

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I just installed a new ceiling fan and hammock on the back porch so I'll give this disc another listen during a "balmy night" as described above. In my particular locale, such nights in June always include lots of fluids and a healthy coating of DEET. Temperatures this time of year average about 75 degrees at sunset with about 85% humidity so I'll need plenty of "Tropical Punch" to stay hydrated.

Aztec Camera - Deep And Wide And Tall (2005)

UK import, part of the Warner Platinum series.

Not too long ago, I wrote these words; "Every time I hear a track from Aztec Camera, I always wonder why I don't have any Aztec Camera CDs. Easily remedied, perhaps, but that doesn't explain why I've waited so long." Well, I finally took care of that problem and have been listening to this compilation CD quite a bit lately. I'll let the Allmusic review do the 'splaining about this compilation:

This budget-priced collection of "sophistipop" from Scottish guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame (aka Aztec Camera) is (for the most part) a neutered version of 2001's 16-track Best of Aztec Camera. As digitally remastered anthologies go, WEA International's Deep and Wide and Tall: The Platinum Collection does an adequate job of providing an overview of the hyper-literate, new wave/college rock outfit's nearly 15-year career

I don't hope for "adequate" when buying a CD, but that's an apt descriptor here. I shoulda gone with the aforementioned "Best of" disc or simply a copy of the (oddly expensive) High Land, Hard Rain debut album, but I didn't and here we are. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not exactly thrilled. However, I am cheap and on a fixed income, so I went for the most affordable option. Live and learn.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Album	Year	UK
1	Oblivious	High Land, Hard Rain	1983	18
2	Walk Out To Winter	High Land, Hard Rain	1983	64
3	Pillar To Post	High Land, Hard Rain	1983
4	All I Need Is Everything	Knife	1984	34
5	Still On Fire	Knife	1984	83
6	Deep And Wide And Tall	Love	1987	55
7	Paradise	Love	1987
8	Good Morning Britain (with Mick Jones)	Stray	1990	19
9	The Gentle Kind	Stray	1990
10	Spanish Horses	Dreamland	1993	52
11	The Belle Of The Ball	Dreamland	1993
12	Let Your Love Decide	Dreamland	1993
13	Rainy Season	Frestonia	1995
14	Sunset	Frestonia	1995

I don't think you'll be surprised to read that I prefer the cuts from the '80s, although the tracks from the '90s are "adequate."

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones (1956)

Note: the CD I listened to was a EU import of the 2007 Rudy Van Gelder Edition which includes 2 bonus tracks.

This was the first Blue Note release for Jones as a leader. While he later became more widely known for co-leading the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, The Magnificent Thad Jones remains a high point of his small-group work. According to the Blue Note website, the album "is widely regarded as the greatest small group recording of the trumpeter and composer’s career." The solos throughout make it seem the band was having a great time making the recording. The more I listen to this hard bop CD, the more I enjoy it.

Mono recording at the Van Gelder Studio on July 9 & 14, 1956. Original album liner notes by Leonard Feather and 2007 reissue liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.

Jones - trumpet
Billy Mitchell - tenor sax
Barry Harris - piano
Percy Heath - bass
Max Roach - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "This is the greatest Jones album yet."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• DownBeat Jazz Bestsellers: #20

Tracks:

1. April In Paris: 1932 standard from the Broadway musical, Walk A Little Faster.
2. Billie-Doo: a Jones original
3. If I Love Again: 1933 song from the Broadway musical, Hold Your Horses.
4. If Someone Had Told Me: song from the 1952 movie musical, About Face.
5. Thedia: a Jones original

Bonus tracks:

6. I've Got A Crush On You: Gershwin standard from the 1928 Broadway musical, Treasure Girl.
7. Something To Remember You By: from the 1930 Broadway musical revue, Three's A Crowd.

While the original album is fantastic, I find myself preferring the two beautiful bonus tracks. The final cut, Something To Remember You By, is quite different than anything on the album as it features Jones with a muted trumpet accompanied only by Kenny Burrell on guitar. Sublime.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but when I made a weak attempt at being a magician as a prepubescent boy, I gave myself the nickname "Mark the Magnificent," so Thad and I have that commonality.

Paul McCartney - Driving Rain (2001)

It's not a bad album, it's just not that good - underproduced, undeveloped, lengthy, and hastily written. Add to that the clipping and compression that were popular at the time and even the better parts sound messy. Rightly or unrightly, we have high expectations for McCartney and this one just doesn't measure up. Metacritic has it at 75, which is about 20-30 points too high.

The recording sessions for this album introduced McCartney to guitarist Rusty Anderson and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., who continue to be a part of McCartney's touring band.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #26
• Billboard Top Album Sales: #26

Tracks: 16 tracks over 67 minutes and I believe it would have worked much better as a 10-11 track album. Save the remaining tunes as bonus cuts on the inevitable anniversary reissue. The better tracks are From A Lover To A Friend (#24 AC), and I Do. Your Loving Flame (#19 AC) sounds like a Wings track, while track 6, Tiny Bubbles, is the cut that sounds most like classic late '70s/early '80s McCartney pop. After the tragedy of 9/11, McCartney added an unlisted track to the end of the album entitled Freedom (#97 pop, #20 AC) which was released as a charity single. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Egypt Station (2018)	Press To Play (1986)
New (2013)	Give My Regards To Broad Street (1984)
Memory Almost Full (2007)	Pipes of Peace (1983)
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)	Tug of War (1982)
Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)	London Town (1978)
Wingspan Sampler (2001)	Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
Flaming Pie (1997)	Band On The Run (1973)
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)	Ram (1971)
All The Best! (1987)