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By Jazzrook
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Despite the misleading title, Memphis Slim recorded this magnificent album not at The Gate of Horn 'folk club' but in a Vee-Jay studio in Chicago on August 18, 1959.
Slim is in superb form on vocals & piano with a powerful band including John Calvin(alto & tenor sax); Alex Atkins(alto sax); Ernest Cotton(tenor sax); Matt Murphy(guitar); Sam Chatman(bass) & Billie Stepney(drums). Highlight is a wonderful version of 'Mother Earth' originally recorded by Slim in 1951.
There are 4 bonus tracks featuring a similar band from 1958 and this overlooked Memphis Slim album deserves a place in every blues collection.
Slim is in superb form on vocals & piano with a powerful band including John Calvin(alto & tenor sax); Alex Atkins(alto sax); Ernest Cotton(tenor sax); Matt Murphy(guitar); Sam Chatman(bass) & Billie Stepney(drums). Highlight is a wonderful version of 'Mother Earth' originally recorded by Slim in 1951.
There are 4 bonus tracks featuring a similar band from 1958 and this overlooked Memphis Slim album deserves a place in every blues collection.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An overlooked classic
9 April 2009
By Docendo Discimus
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Judged solely on merit, this magnificent blues record should be the best-known (and best-selling) Memphis Slim album.
So why isn't it?
He he...here's the catch, I have no idea. It makes no sense.
"Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" has everything - rocking arrangements, great sound, great songs, and the deep, burnished voice and masterful playing of the 6'6" John L. "Memphis Slim" Chatman.
This is a better and more immediately accessible introduction to Slim than just about every available compilation. It features almost all of his very best songs: "The Come Back", "Blue And Lonesome" "Sassy Mae", "Mother Earth", "Messin' Around With The Blues" and a powerful "Rockin' The House". The only one missing is the endlessly covered "Nobody Loves Me" (which everybody besides Slim calls "Every Day I Have The Blues").
"Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" is not a live album, despite the title. It's a 1959 studio recording, featuring Slim and a tough R&B unit with Matt "Guitar" Murphy and a couple of saxophones playing well-measured, punchy riffs.
It is also one of the best blues LPs of the 50s, and Slim rocks harder than on any other release.
So why isn't it?
He he...here's the catch, I have no idea. It makes no sense.
"Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" has everything - rocking arrangements, great sound, great songs, and the deep, burnished voice and masterful playing of the 6'6" John L. "Memphis Slim" Chatman.
This is a better and more immediately accessible introduction to Slim than just about every available compilation. It features almost all of his very best songs: "The Come Back", "Blue And Lonesome" "Sassy Mae", "Mother Earth", "Messin' Around With The Blues" and a powerful "Rockin' The House". The only one missing is the endlessly covered "Nobody Loves Me" (which everybody besides Slim calls "Every Day I Have The Blues").
"Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" is not a live album, despite the title. It's a 1959 studio recording, featuring Slim and a tough R&B unit with Matt "Guitar" Murphy and a couple of saxophones playing well-measured, punchy riffs.
It is also one of the best blues LPs of the 50s, and Slim rocks harder than on any other release.
›
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5.0 out of 5 stars
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