If SOTW did a rhythm and blues compilation...

[Gordon Neill]

A recent thread prompted me to go and search out the track 'Booze In the Bottle' by the Carter Brothers. It reminded me of how many obscure but great R&B tracks there are out there. I've been ploughing that field for at least 30 years and evey now and then there's something ancient and valuable that still appears amongst the mud of the justifiably obscure.

Are there any other suggestions on great, obscure tracks? These things can be subjective, both the 'great' and the 'obscure' bits. But nothing too obvious. Nothing that turns up on every blues compilation, nothing by the obvious big hitters like Muddy, Wolf etc.... Nothing too modern, because everything modern is rubbish (!) Let's say that it should sound as if it was recorded in the 50s, even if it wasn't. And it has to be truly great. Stuff that would make a bald man buy a comb.

A few examples of what I've got in mind:

'Boogie Twist' Snooky Prior
'I'm Warning You Baby' Lightin Slim
'Mumblin Blues' Sylvester Buckley
'You Got To Love Me' Billy Boy Arnold
'Married Woman' Frankie Lee Sims
'Much Too Late' Tarheel Slim & Little Ann
'If Anybody Asks You' Lonesome Sundown
'Walkin Slippin & Slidin' Big Mike Gordon

[NormanD]

I'll add:
"Jake Head Boogie" Lightning Hopkins
"Cubana Stomp" Ike Turner
"No. 9 Train" Tarheel Slim (without Little Annie)
"Hide & Go Seek" (parts 1 & 2) Bunker Hill

[Ted]

"Wildcat Tamer" - Tarheel Slim

[Rob Hall]

Great thread Gordon. I'm ashamed to say that I can only think of a couple, and I'm not sure they're sufficiently obscure:

Roscoe Gordon - Just A Little Bit
Titus Turner - Baby Girl Pts 1 & 2 (1964, but it qualifies in every other respect)
Wynonie Harris - Destination Love

[Gordon Neill]

Aha! Just the sort of suggestions I was after for squandering my money. I'm ashamed to say that the only ones so far that I've heard are Rosco Gordon's 'Just A Little Bit' and Tarheel Slim's 'No. 9 Train' (and I might have included both in my initial list). Which only goes to show just how rich a vein of music R&B is.

PS So far, that's three suggestions featuring Tarheel Slim. I thought he was quite an obscure figure, but is he due a reappraisal?

[Adam Blake]

"I Sing Um The Way I Feel" by J B Lenoir was just made for SOTW...

[taiyo no otosan]

If SOTW did an R&B comp, do you think one of us could figure out how to spell the 'R' part?

Does Janet & the Jays 'Without a Reason' count? It's on my Hi R&B comp, but it is definitely 60s.

How about:

Charles Sheffield I Would Be A Sinner ('61)
Lonesome Sundown I'm A Mojo Man ('58)
The Gladiolas Little Darlin' ('56)

But, I don't think I really know what R&B is.....

[Gordon Neill]

taiyo no otosan said:

If SOTW did an R&B comp, do you think one of us could figure out how to spell the 'R' part?

It's just a question of trial and error, eventually I'll get it right. I've had another attempt at correcting the thread title, hopefully it's almost there.

taiyo no otosan also said:

But, I don't think I really know what R&B is.....

Me too, but just look at it as an opportunity to include whatever you want. Blues, early soul, 3-minute jazz.... whatever. I haven't heard Janet & the Jays 'Without a Reason' (yet) but, what the heck, if it's good enough for you then it's good enough for me.

Another suggestion:
'Bad Boy' Clarence Palmer and the Jive Bombers

[Alan Balfour]

"I Sing Um The Way I Feel" by J B Lenoir was just made for SOTW...

In 1983 Flyright issued the original stereo takes and, thanks to the two channel separation, one can hear the remarkable interplay between bongo, drum and guitar on this effectively simple number. The guitar is used almost as a third tuned drum to complement the bongos. All of which is completely lost on my Sue 45!

As for the matter in hand, I'll will return.

[NormanD]

"I Need Your Loving" Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford (though this may not count as too much of an obscurity)

editing a typo above, I'll add to Alan's NO flavour with
"Travellin' Mood" Wee Willie Wayne (is he aka James Wayne, Alan?)
"Rich Woman" L'll Millett

[Alan Balfour]

Taking inspiration from Charlie's 1972 Sound Of The City compilation, I'd add a New Orleans flavour with one or two of the following

Snooks Eaglin - Don't Slam That Door
James Wayne - Please Baby Please
Smiley Lewis - Play Girl
Archibald - Great Big Eyes

[Ted]

"Million Dollar Baby" - Helen Humes

[Adam Blake]

"I Sing Um The Way I Feel" by J B Lenoir was just made for SOTW...

In 1983 Flyright issued the original stereo takes and, thanks to the two channel separation, one can hear the remarkable interplay between bongo, drum and guitar on this effectively simple number. The guitar is used almost as a third tuned drum to complement the bongos. All of which is completely lost on my Sue 45!.

Well Alan, if your Sue 45 doesn't sound good enough I'll happily take it off your hands at no cost to you.

Meanwhile, still in New Orleans:
"Longhair's Blues Rhumba" by Professor Longhair, which is exactly what it says it is and how about:
"Jack, That Cat Was Clean" by Dr Horse

[Con Murphy]

Gordon, I hope you'll be gathering these together and dropping a copy into the CD Circle.

[Alan Balfour]

A handful to 'bop around' to:

Magic Sam - 21 Days In Jail (in 1970 Mike Raven called it black rockabilly!)
Arthur Crudup - She Ain't Got No Hair (yep Prof Longhair song)
Jerry McCain - My Next Door Neighbor
G L Crocket - Look Out Mabel
Pee Wee Crayton - Texas Hop