Blows Crazy!

by Joe Houston

Overview

Joe Houston's discography in the 1950s was a mess to work out, as he recorded for more than a dozen labels, and sometimes did the same songs under different titles. Without access to all of those records -- and probably very few people on the planet have heard all of them -- it's impossible to determine whether any given 1950s compilation, such as this one, is the "best." However, considering that this has 24 recordings from the early '50s to the early '60s that were done for (or licensed by) Modern, and that it has his best and most definitive honk blaster ("All Night Long"), this makes a pretty fair bid for that choice. In addition to Houston's very first single (1951's "Blow Joe Blow"), it also contains several of his 1950s Modern/RPM 45s; a few songs recorded for twist and surf albums for Crown in the early '60s; and half-a-dozen previously unissued alternate takes of Modern singles (although, oddly, the original takes of most of these are not included). As in the case of many vintage up-tempo R&B/blues albums that are mostly instrumental, you couldn't say this is the most varied listening experience, though a few jazzy accents (including vibes and organ) are thrown in on the more subdued later sessions. It's better for nonstop car cruising, and who can afford to do that for the length of this CD when, as of this writing, gas in California costs $2 or more per gallon? But as relentless rompin' stompin' sax-driven R&B verging on rock & roll's birth goes, it's one of the better single-artist comps around, never lacking in energy. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/17/2000
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667177221

Tracks

1. All Night Long
2. Blow Joe Blow
3. Houston's Hot House
4. Have a Ball
5. Doin' the Lindy Hop
6. Dig It
7. Boogie Woogie Woman
8. Blowin' Crazy
9. Goin' Crazy
10. Celebrity Club Stomp
11. Sentimental Journey
12. Shitiggy Boom
13. Joe's Gone
14. Riverside Rock
15. Joe's Gone
16. Yessiree
17. Blowin' Crazy
18. Turn Around
19. Stompin' With Joy
20. Crazy Twist
21. Chitlun's Twist
22. Roy's Twist
23. Celebrity Club Stomp
24. Limbo and the Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Joe Houston   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Lois Butler   Composer
Lew Brown   Composer
Louis Butler   Composer
Sam Ling   Composer
Jules Taub   Composer
Peter Gibbon   Coordination,Archive Research
Buck Ram   Composer
Bud Green   Composer
Ben Homer   Composer
Roy Hayes   Composer
Al Jarvis   Composer
John Gray   Composer
Jim Dawson   Liner Notes
Leo Diamond   Composer
Joe Josea   Composer
Joe Houston   Composer