Jimmy McCracklin & His Blues Blasters - The Modern Recordings Vol.1 + 2 [1999/2004]

  

Although Jimmy McCracklin had already been recording for a few years, his association with Modern marked his first reasonably long tenure with an established label. This 25-track disc covers his first stay with the company, covering a half dozen singles, three songs that first showed up on the 1981 Ace album And His Blues Blasters, and ten demos, outtakes, and alternate takes that were previously unissued. It's solid small-combo West Coast jump blues, sometimes embellished by the tenor saxophone of Maxwell Davis.



1. Reelin' & Rockin' aka Rockin' All Day (2:43)
2. Deceivin' Blues (Alternate Take) (3:42)
3. Beer Drinkin' Woman (3:00)
4. I'll Get A Break Some Day (2:16)
5. Love When It Rains aka Rainy Weather Blues (2:36)
6. Deceivin' Blues (2:55)
7. I Think My Time Is Here (3:02)
8. Josephine (2:37)
9. Bad Condition Blues (3:18)
10. Blues Blasters' Shuffle (Instrumental) (3:05)
11. Oh! I'm In Love (2:49)
12. You Deceived Me (3:25)
13. Gotta Cut Out (2:28)
14. Up And Down Blues (3:04)
15. Racket Blues (Take 2) (2:39)
16. Bad Health Blues (3:25)
17. Just Won't Let Her Go (2:56)
18. Don't Mistreat Me (Take 1) (3:08)
19. Cold Hearted (Take 2) (2:58)
20. Your Heart Ain't Right (3:02)
21. Hamburger Joint (3:00)
22. Crying Blues (3:01)
23. Mistreating Me (Demo) (2:00)
24. Bad Health Blues (Demo) (2:32)
25. 1942 Boogie (3:12)

Jimmy McCracklin's body of work for the Modern label, done in two separate stints - one in 1948-1950, the other in the mid-'50s - actually didn't yield all that much material, adding up to ten singles. However, by piling on a load of outtakes, tracks that appeared years later on other compilations, and some other odds and ends, Ace managed to stretch McCracklin's Modern output out to two lengthy CDs. This, the second of the pair, focuses on his mid-'50s Modern work, including both sides of the four singles he put out with the company in 1954 and 1955, one track ("My Mother Said") that didn't appear until a 1962 LP compilation, eight previously unreleased outtakes, and six cuts from Modern singles by three guys who performed as McCracklin accompanists at various points (guitarist Jerry Thomas, saxophonist Johnny Parker, and Baby "Pee Wee" Parham).

1. Gonna Tell Your Mother (2:35)
2. I Got Eyes For You (2:20)
3. The Panic's On (3:34)
4. Couldn't Be A Dream (2:54)
5. My Mother Said (2:36)
6. Blues Blasters Boogie (2:56)
7. That Ain't Right (2:51)
8. Darlin' Share Your Love (Oh Baby) (3:31)
9. Give My Heart A Break aka You Don't Seem To Understand (3:04)
10. Please Forgive Me Baby (2:56)
11. Let's Get Together (3:02)
12. It Ain't No Use (3:25)
13. Cold Hearted (Take 1) (3:02)
14. Deceivin' Blues (Take 3) (2:51)
15. Rockin' All Day (Take 1) (2:59)
16. Oh! I'm In Love (Take 2) (3:02)
17. I'll Get A Break Someday (Take 1) (2:42)
18. Hamburger Joint (Take 3) (3:08)
19. Lost Mind aka Standing In The Back Door Crying (Jerry Thomas) (3:14)
20. Don't Have To Worry aka Jumpin' In The Heart Of Town (Jerry Thomas) (2:43)
21. Tired Of Everybody (Johnny Parker) (3:11)
22. What You Did To Me (Johnny Parker) (2:28)
23. I've Got A Feeling (Baby Pee Wee Parham) (3:14)
24. People Are Wondering (Baby Pee Wee Parham) (2:27)