Chicago/The Blues/Today! [LP]

by Chicago

Overview

In early 1966, blues history was made with the issuance of a three-volume set of new recordings produced by blues historian Samuel Charters. This series was known as Chicago/The Blues/Today! and the release sent shock waves through the world of rock & roll. Every artist on the three volumes had recorded before (some, like Otis Rush and Junior Wells, had actually seen small hits on the R&B charts), but these recordings were largely their introduction to a newer -- and predominately white -- album-oriented audience. The "Today!" part of the title was no bit of hyperbole, either. This series accurately portrayed a vast cross section of the Chicago blues scene as one could hear it on any given night in the mid-'60s. Rather than record full albums (which Charters had neither the budget nor the legal resources to pull off), each artist simply came in for a union-approved session of four to six songs, with each volume featuring three different groupings. With these recordings, blues suddenly gained respectability as something much more vital and vibrant than just a poor cousin of jazz. A new market for this music began, one that exists today in full blossom. Their effect on musicians was enormous. It's fair to assume that most blues-influenced artists had all three volumes in their respective collections, and the songs on them ended up in the repertoires of everyone from Jimi Hendrix (Junior Wells' "Rock Me") to Led Zeppelin (a note-for-note copy of Otis Rush's "I Can't Quit You Baby") to Steppenwolf (Junior Wells' "Messin' with the Kid") and beyond. These recordings have stayed in print and have been reasonably good sellers over the years since their original release, all coming out on compact disc. This new packaging puts all three volumes together, but with no bonus tracks, as no extras were recorded for these sessions. So if one already owns these sides, what's the incentive this time around? That's easy: the sound is massively improved, with the bass that was rolled off the vinyl and original CD versions now being restored. This makes the tracks truly come alive, especially on the Otis Rush and Junior Wells sides, both fortified with some major amounts of badass bass thumping by Roger Jones and Jack Myers, respectively. One can really hear the spaciousness of the old RCA studios where this stuff was cut for the first time, and the detailing of the mix is in sharp focus throughout, although the increased bass causes some unwanted distortion on the Homesick James Williamson tracks. The other plus is the new packaging, which features a nice booklet with detailed, updated notes from Charters, a nice appreciation from Ed Ward, and absolutely eye-boggling session photos taken by Charters' wife, Ann, that alone are worth the price of the set. With the glut of blues reissues out there, it is often a coin toss regarding where best to spend your hard-earned money. Even if you still have the original vinyl or CDs, this is one of the times when it would be best to spend the dough and add this one to your collection, because blues records seldom come as important, innovative, or just plain pleasurable to listen to as this set. File under "essential." ~ Cub Koda

Product Details

Release Date:	09/16/2022
Label:	Concord / Craft Records
UPC:	0888072416789

Tracks

1. Help Me (A Tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson)  -  Wells
2. It Hurts Me Too (When Things Go Wrong)  -  Wells
3. Messin' with the Kid  -  Wells
4. Vietcong Blues  -  Wells
5. All Night Long (Rock Me Baby)  -  Wells
6. Going Ahead  -  Hutto
7. Please Help  -  Hutto
8. Too Much Alcohol  -  Hutto
9. Married Woman Blues  -  Hutto
10. That's the Truth  -  Hutto
11. Marie  - Otis Spann
12. Burning Fire  - Otis Spann
13. S.P. Blues  - Otis Spann
14. Sometimes I Wonder  - Otis Spann
15. Spann's Stomp  - Otis Spann

Album Credits

Performance Credits

J.B. Hutto & the Hawks   Primary Artist
Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band   Primary Artist
Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet   Primary Artist
Johnny Shines   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar
Memphis Charlie   Primary Artist
Otis Spann   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals
Homesick James Williamson   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Johnny Young   Primary Artist,Vocals,Mandolin,Guitar
Otis Rush   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Big Walter Horton   Primary Artist,Harmonica
Buddy Guy   Guitar
Willie Dixon   Bass
Junior Wells   Vocals,Harmonica
Elga Edmonds   Drums
Willie Lion   Drums,Drums
Robert Crowder   Alto
Hayes Ware   Bass
James "Pee Wee" Madison   Guitar
Frank Kirkland   Drums
Herman Hassell   Bass
James Cotton   Vocals,Harmonica
Charlie Musselwhite   Harmonica
Robert "Sax" Crowder   Sax (Alto)
Roger Jones   Bass
Floyd Jones   Bass
Luther Tucker   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Jack Myers   Bass
J.B. Hutto   Guitar,Vocals
Fred Below   Drums
S.P. Leary   Drums

Technical Credits

Ralph Bass   Composer
Mel London   Composer
Milton Campbell   Composer
Tom Vickers   Reissue Producer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Junior Wells   Composer
Barry C. Ridge   Design
Drew Cartwright   Graphic Design
Johnny Young   Composer
Hudson Whittaker   Composer
Sonny Boy Williamson II   Composer
B.B. King   Composer
Big Walter Horton   Composer,Performer
James Johnson   Composer
James Cotton   Composer
James Cotton Blues Band   Performer
Johnny Shines   Composer
Ray Flerlage   Photography
Memphis Charlie   Performer
Ann Charters   Cover Art,Photography
Curtis Reginald Lewis   Composer
Clifton Chenier   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Samuel Charters   Producer,Liner Notes,Audio Production
Jules Taub   Composer
Captain Jeff Zaraya   Engineer
Memphis Minnie   Composer
Oliver Sain   Composer
Otis Spann   Composer
Ed Ward   Liner Notes
J.B. Hutto   Composer,Performer
Jackie Brenston   Composer
John Lee Hooker   Composer
Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band   Performer