Miscellaneous - Chicago Anthology
by Lisa Torem
published: 3 / 5 / 2014

Label:
Select Label
Format: N/A
intro
In our 'Re: View' section, in which we reflect upon albums from the past, Lisa Torem examines 'Chicago Anthology', a recently reissued live compilation album which was recorded at Big John's, a legendary blues club, in 1966
Imagine Big John’s in the mid-1960s; a bursting-at-the-seams Chicago watering hole in the buzzing Old Town neighborhood, where white and black blues legends performed set after set. On any given night, crowds gathered and snaked around the block to hear Little Walter, Sam Lay, James Cotton and many more. ‘Chicago Anthology: Recorded Live at Big John’s, Chicago’, brings back the vitality and raw spirit of that magical era by showcasing tunes made famous by several of those magicians: organist Barry Goldberg, electric guitarist Harvey Mandel, blues harpist Charlie Musselwhite and others. Don’t forget that these musicians are still going strong. Musselwhite was awarded a Grammy for Best Blues Album on his project with Ben Harper this year. Harvey “The Snake” Mandel, who has played with Musselwhite, Canned Heat, the Stones and John Mayall, also still performs and records. Mandel played his ferocious brand of guitar behind Bob Dylan at the famed Newport Folk Festival when the songwriter shocked his audience by playing an electric guitar. As a teen, Mandel played alongside Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and many other Chicago blues greats. Goldberg and Mandel toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion along with Nick Gravenites and Corky Siegel in the mid-millennium and continue to reassemble the band when the spirit moves them. So even though the Chicago powers-that-be tore down the famed nightclub, Big John’s, in September 1966 shortly after this album was recorded, the wider local community, and it appears, the world at large won’t allow these memories to slither away. To that end, ‘Chicago Anthology’ is an important album. It consists of eight songs. ‘Big Boss Man’ is probably the one with the biggest kick and a perfect choice for an opening track. Lead guitarist Bobby Jones adds his creativity to the mix, and we’re introduced to sharp bassist Roy Ruby. The theme is universal. “You got me working, boss man, minding the clock/But I gotta get a drink of water before I drop.” Funky keyboards, fierce drum rolls and gutsy vocals make this an instant inspiration. ‘Times I’ve Had’ is toned down and features Goldberg on acoustic piano and guitarist Dave Brian. Here the album veers off in a different direction and comes off as a quasi-protest song laden with harmonies and an ambling tone. The vocals are sung by the Day Jobbers ASC. (They do a fine job on this song, considering the style, but are miscast when they do lead vocals on the typically passionate ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’.) ‘Funk’ is pure joy. It features the insistent sax line of Cliff Davis, which makes it a bonafide keeper. The call and response between organ and drums is unforgettable. Mandel is at his extroverted and experimental finest on his solo. ‘I Loved and Lost’ features talented Bobby Jones again at the helm. Pay attention to the tear-stained lyrics: “I’m an empty shell to anyone new/ I’ll never love again.” With a set up like that, how can you not melt? The lead vocal, which is so convincing and compelling, is performed in a 50’s style monologue. ‘Slow Down I’m Gonna Lose You’ is another infectious killer. It’s a curious blend of soul/blues with bellowing, muscular guitar and an all-out cacophonous outro thrown in for good measure. ‘Aunt Lily’ and ‘You Got Me Crying’ are performed solely with Goldberg, Ruby and drummer Maurice McKinley. It was a good idea to switch it up. The latter is a delightful, compact instrumental. The penultimate ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ doesn’t hold a candle to the Muddy Water’s version, but is nevertheless vibrant. Unfortunately, the mediocre vocals contributed by the Day Jobbers ASC don’t do this relic justice. Still, the band plays on damn straight. ‘Chicago Anthology' is a natural chunk of integral Chicago history in a neat, bluesy package. It’s a bit roughhewn in places, but that’s exactly how it was back in the day and, thankfully, nobody here has tried to homogenize it.
Track Listing:-
Also In ReView
Bark Psychosis (2018)
Bert Jansch (2020)
Bert Jansch (2019)
Beth Orton (2014)
Big Eyes Family (2021)
Billy Idol (2018)
Bitter Springs (2021)
Blind Mr Jones (2015)
Blue Nile (2014)
Breathless (2016)
Brinsley Schwarz (2017)
Cardiacs (2014)
Chvrches (2014)
David Bowie (2022)
David Gray (2020)
Death and Vanilla (2016)
Donald Fagen (2021)
Earthworks (2020)
Flamin Groovies (2015)
Gene Clark (2019)
Giant Sand (2020)
Giant Sand (2018)
Gong (2015)
Grace Jones (2016)
Grace Jones (2014)
Graham Day and the Forefathers (2019)
Hawks (2021)
Hawkwind (2022)
Hot Pepper (2018)
Ian A. Anderson (2021)
Ian Dury (2021)
Iron Butterfly (2014)
John Cooper Clarke (2016)
Joni Mitchell (2021)
Keith Richards (2022)
Lapre (2020)
Lemonheads (2022)
Loft (2021)
Madness (2014)
McCarthy (2015)
Mercury Rev (2019)
Miscellaneous (2020)
Monochrome Set (2015)
Mothmen (2015)
Neil Innes (2020)
New Leaf (2022)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (2015)
Party Day (2021)
Pele (2017)
Phil Alvin (2015)
Phil Ochs (2016)
Primitives (2015)
Roger Mcguinn (2018)
Rubik (2021)
Sorrow (2018)
Television Personalities (2018)
Terry Allen (2016)
Townes Van Zandt (2015)
Trashmen (2020)
Ty Segall (2022)
Ub40 (2015)
VIPS (2020)
Wolfhounds (2015)
Zz Top (2018)
Picture Gallery:-


most viewed articles
current edition
Sarah Cracknell - InterviewDouglas MacIntyre - Interview
Jann Klose - Sugar My
Jimmy Webb - (With support from Ashley Campbell and Thor Jenson), Cadogan Hall, London. 27/5/2022
Jarvis Cocker - Good Pop Bad Pop - An Exhibition of Objects and Keepsakes of Jarvis Cocker
Tom Newman - Interview
Loop - Interview
Simply Red - La Marina, Valencia, Spain, 7/6/2022
Rolling Stones - Anfield, Liverpool, 9/6/2022
Dwina Gibb - Interview
previous editions
Stewart Copeland - Police Deranged For Orchestra - Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 11/9/2021World Party - Interview
Music Festivals - Profile 2022
Sam Brown - Interview 2008
Cliff Richard - Vs Elvis Presley
Cathal Coughlan - Interview
Gypsy Dave Mills - Interview
Ruskin Arms - The Image That Made Me Weep
Jimmy Nail - Interview
Dire Straits Legacy - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Def Leppard - Diamond Star HalosLucky Ones - Slow Dance, Square Dance, Barn Dance
Various - Heroes & Villains – The Sound Of Los Angeles 1965-1968,
Dave Stewart - Ebony McQueen
Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That...
Gabi Garbutt and the Illuminations - Cockerel
Girls At Our Best! - Pleasure
Emile Sande - Let's Say For Instance
Soup Review - Go and See
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me: 20th Anniversary Edition
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart