Sonny Boy Williamson II. - The Chess Years [4 CD, 1991]

 

Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) was one of the most important and enjoyable blues musician that immigrated to Chicago. He'd knocked around the South for up to four decades in cut-down rain boots playing two harps at a time, (one with his nose), and wrote and absorbed many of the songs that are on this box set. Sonny Boy II didn't much influence the electric blues being made in Chicago in the early 50's. His impact was on the bands of young men in England, bands that would change Rock& Roll forever. The Yardbirds, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall and The Rolling Stones were some of the bands that were inspired by "The Goat".
The songs they listened to, and many more are in this box set that was produced by Charly. This box and many more, (Muddy, The Wolf, Little Walter, etc) were produced by Charly when the ownership of the tapes was a cloudy issue. The tapes were copied by an employee of Chess, and removed to Europe, where they were offered up for sale. Charly, probably not delving to the subject of ownership too deeply, got most, if not all, of them and turned out these fantastic box sets. Or so the story goes.
The music wasn't remastered and so the warm, slightly bassy sound that might have been heard coming out of a bar room's jukebox in the 50's on a Saturday night, is still there. Some of the info in the booklet that comes with the box is incorrect, dates and personnel both. So search the internet for the correct info, that's not the reason for this box set. It's the music and lyrics made by one of the most original musicians of the electric blues boom in 50's Chicago.
The process of creativity can be heard on the last disc, when Phil Chess stops the recording of one song in order to give some music advice to Sonny. That pissed Sonny off and he proceeded to cuss Chess out in florid language. For a moment those people come alive, and they're revealed as working and thinking, made real for a moment. Fly on the wall stuff.

Recordings from 1955 to 1964.



  • Bass – Jack Myers (tracks: 3-11 to 3-17), Milton Rector (tracks: 3-7 to 3-10), Willie Dixon
  • Drums – Al Duncan (tracks: 3-7 to 3-10), Fred Below, Odie Payne (tracks: 2-5, 2-6, 2-23, 2-24, 3-1, 3-2)
  • Guitar – Buddy Guy (tracks: 3-11 to 3-17), Eddie King (3) (tracks: 2-15 to 2-18), Eugene Pierson (tracks: 2-1 to 2-4, 4-7, 4-10, 4-17), Jimmy Rogers (tracks: 1-1 to 1-5), Luther Tucker, Matt Murphy (tracks: 3-7 to 3-10), Muddy Waters (tracks: 1-1 to 1-5), Robert Lockwood Jr.
  • Organ – Billy Emerson (tracks: 3-7 to 3-10)
  • Piano – Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann
  • Saxophone – Donald Hankins (tracks: 3-11 to 3-14, 3-18 to 3-22), Jarrett Gibson (tracks: 3-11 to 3-22)



DISC 1

  1. Work With Me
  2. Don't Start Me Talkin'
  3. All My Love In Vain
  4. Good Evening Everybody
  5. You Killing Me (On My Feet)
  6. Let Me Explain
  7. I Know What Love Is All About
  8. I Wonder Why
  9. Your Imagination
  10. Don't Lose Your Eye
  11. Keep It To Yourself
  12. Please Forgive
  13. The Key (To Your Door)
  14. Have You Ever Been in Love
  15. Hurts Me So Much
  16. Fattening Frogs For Snakes
  17. I Don't Know
  18. Like Wolf
  19. This Is My Apartment
  20. Cross My Heart
  21. Born Blind
  22. Ninety Nine
  23. Dissatisfied
  24. Unseen Eye

DISC 2
  1. Your Funeral And My Trial
  2. She Got Next To Me
  3. Wake Up Baby
  4. Keep Your Hand Out Of My Pocket
  5. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
  6. Unseeing Eye
  7. The Goat
  8. Cool Disposition
  9. I Never Do Wrong
  10. It's Sad To Be Alone
  11. Open Road
  12. Santa Claus
  13. I Can't Do Without You
  14. Checkin' Up On My Baby
  15. Temperature 110
  16. Peach Tree
  17. Lonesome Cabin
  18. Somebody Help Me
  19. Down Child
  20. Trust My Baby
  21. This Old Life
  22. Too Close Together
  23. Too Young To Die
  24. She's My Baby

DISC 3
  1. Stop Right Now
  2. The Hunt
  3. Too Old To Think
  4. That's All I Want
  5. One Way Out
  6. Nine Below Zero
  7. Got To Move
  8. Bye Bye Bird
  9. Help Me
  10. Bring It On Home
  11. One Way Out
  12. My Younger Days
  13. Tryin' To Get Back On My Feet
  14. Decoration Day
  15. Stop Cryin'
  16. (I Want You) Close To Me
  17. One Way Out
  18. I Can't Be Alone
  19. Don't Make A Mistake
  20. Understand My Life
  21. Find Another Woman
  22. My Name Is Sonny Boy

DISC 4
  1. The Key (To Your Door)
  2. Hurts Me So Much
  3. Cool Disposition
  4. Dissatisfied
  5. Cross My Heart
  6. "99"
  7. She Got Next To Me
  8. Fattening Frogs For Snakes
  9. Nine Below Zero
  10. Your Funeral And My Trial
  11. Cool Disposition
  12. The Goat
  13. Ninety Nine
  14. Cross My Heart
  15. Hurts Me So Much
  16. Nine Below Zero
  17. Your Funeral And My Trial
  18. Checkin' Up On My Baby
  19. Little Village



Menovky: ,