CD Review
Various Artists
Chicago Blues Masters
(Fuel 2000 (2003) 302 061 319 2)
2 CDs, 44 tracks, 129 minutes.
by Craig Ruskey
Review date: December 2003
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award"
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by The Blues Foundation
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With a new cover design, unsuspecting consumers might not recognize this two-disc set from Fuel 2000 for what it is, a repackaging of Mr. Dixon's Workshop (2001) and the The USA Records Blues Story (2002). The workshop of Willie Dixon (as A&R man/producer/arranger) consists of 18 tracks by Otis Rush (My Love Will Never Die is over 11 minutes long with Dixon handling the rehearsal and passing off to Otis for a few broken attempts and two complete takes), Harold Burrage, Jesse Fortune, Magic Sam, Buster Benton (the grinding Spider In My Stew), Buddy Guy, and others. The USA Story is a stellar collection of mostly vintage pairings by some major and minor Chicago greats like Eddy Clearwater, Andrew Brown, Koko Taylor, Homesick James, Lonnie Brooks, Willie Mabon, Ricky Allen, Detroit Junior, Jimmy Burns, Junior Wells, and more. There's certainly no shortage of great music here, and Bill Dahl's liner notes are the usual superb work we have come to expect, but as with all Fuel 2000 blues reissues, there are no session details. That's a minor drawback for newcomers interested in a behind-the-scenes look at who's doing what. Sonics are top-shelf and the sharp looking new cover resembles a vintage blues poster.
www.fuel2000.com
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