Disc 1
The first disc begins with four original songs recorded on June 8, 1953, beginning with “Cut That Out,” which was released as his first single. Right away this track gives us some great stuff on harmonica. Here Junior Wells offers some advice: “Now when you get drunk/You want to fuss and fight/You shouldn’t get drunk/Because you know that ain’t right/You better cut that out/Yes, cut that out.” Johnny Jones delivers some nice work on piano. Dave Myers is on bass, and Odie Payne is on drums. Interestingly, there is some question about just who plays guitar on these first four tracks. It is either Elmore James or Louis Myers. Either way, it is the harmonica that is focus here anyway. “Cut That Out” is followed by “Eagle Rock,”a fun, hopping instrumental tune, led by Junior Wells on harmonica. This song was introduced as the flip side to “Cut That Out.” Junior Wells then slows things down with “Hodo Man (Hoodoo Man),” a classic gem featuring some cool work on guitar and piano, and of course plenty of power behind that harmonica. In this song, he addresses himself in the line “Everybody tells little Junior.” The final of the original numbers from 1953 is an instrumental tune titled “Junior’s Wail.” And indeed, his harmonica wails, and that is over a relatively easygoing blues rhythm, which seems to put even more focus on the power of that harmonica.
There is one more track from 1953, but first this disc takes us to 1954 for the album’s first cover, “‘Bout The Break Of Day (Early In The Morning),” which was written by Sonny Boy Williamson (one of only a few instances of stepping out of chronological order regarding recording dates). By the way, there is a record being re-issued later this month titled Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol. 1, which includes five tracks from The Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band, recorded in 1965, beginning with “A Tribute To Sonny Boy Williamson.” That record also includes tracks by Otis Spann. Otis Spann is on piano here, and as you might expect, he delivers some wonderful stuff. And Muddy Waters is on guitar, and Willie Dixon is on bass. What more could you want? This is a seriously enjoyable rendition, and obviously a track of some historical importance. That’s followed by an original tune, “Lawdy! Lawdy!,” where he asks, “How come you do me like you do?” Fair question, I suppose. But it is the harmonica that speaks most eloquently here, and over a cool rhythm. Then “Tomorrow Night” is the last of the 1953 tracks. It features some energetic work on harmonica. Then we go back to 1954 for “So All Alone,” its first line being “Prison bars all around me” (more on that in a bit). This is a slow, sexy blues number, featuring a strong vocal performance. And Otis Spann delivers again on piano. Every track in this collection is great, but this one still manages to stand out.
Then we move to 1957 for four tracks recorded in autumn of that year, beginning with “Two Head Woman (Two Headed Woman),” which was written by Lucious Porter Weaver and Willie Dixon. This one features a delicious groove, plus some great stuff on guitar. Syl Johnson and Dave Myers play guitar on these 1957 tracks. Eugene Lyons is on drums. That’s followed by “Lovey Dovey Lovey One,” a totally fun track written by Mel London and containing more excellent work on guitar. “You are just one big bundle of joy, and I’m so glad you’re mine.” “I Could Cry” is an original composition with a more intimate vocal performance and some cool work on drums. Plus, it includes some great stuff on guitar. That’s followed by “Cha Cha Cha In Blue (Cut My Toe Nail Instrumental),” which has a kind of goofy, playful vibe, particularly that percussion. This is an instrumental track.
The first disc includes a couple of tracks recorded in 1959, beginning with an original composition titled “Little By Little,” a very cool song. Willie Dixon and Mel London provide backing vocals here. Lafayette Leake is on piano, and Earl Hooker is on guitar, along with Dave Myers. This is another of my personal favorites. It has a Stroll-like vibe and pace. The harmonica wails at the beginning of “Come On In This House,” the other 1959 track, also written by Junior Wells. The first disc then concludes with a couple of songs from 1960. The first is “You Don’t Care,” a fun song that rocks and grooves. Then “Prison Bars All Around Me” of course reminds us of “So All Alone,” for they both open with the same line, “Prison bars all around me.” This one has a livelier vibe, but seems to be a reworking of the earlier song. The two songs share many lines. Interestingly, Junior Wells shares writing credit on this one with Mel London, while he alone is credited for writing “So All Alone.”
Disc 2
The second disc picks up where the first one left off, in 1960. The first six tracks are all from that year, but are not quite in chronological order with regards to recording date. The first track, “Galloping Horses A Lazy Mule,” was recorded in August of that year. This is a playful number, and it features Earl Hooker on guitar and Johnny Walker on organ. “Now come on, mule/What’s the matter with you?/I ain’t gonna kiss you.” He then changes his mind: “I don’t know, I just might kiss just you/But you’re so ugly though.” A.C. Reed is on tenor saxophone on this track, and on the one that follows, “Calling All Blues,” a good instrumental track recorded in May 1960, and featuring Earl Hooker on guitar. The next few tracks are from October of 1960 and feature Jarrett Gibson and Donald Hankins on saxophone. “So Tired” is another of this release’s highlights, an original composition. That ache in his voice is believable as he tells us, “So tired of being alone/Oh, my baby’s gone/Yes, my baby’s gone.” Junior Wells changes gears for “Love Me,” which is also an original tune. This one has a much more cheerful vibe, in part because of the work on piano. That’s followed by “Messin’ With The Kid,” one of the songs Junior Wells is known for. Another version of this song is included on Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol. 1. He clearly is having a good time with it here. Then “Universal Rock” is a delicious and lively instrumental track that moves at a good clip and features some good work on saxophone.
“I’m A Stranger” is seriously cool, raw blues number recorded in 1961 and featuring Lafayette Leake on piano, Johnny Walker on organ, Earl Hooker on guitar, Earnest Johnson on bass, and Bobby Little on drums. That’s followed by “The Things I’d Do For You,” which was written by Mel London. This is one of those glorious declarations of love, in which he claims, “Now I would fight with a tiger and wrestle with a lion/If it would make you happy and make you mine” and “Well, I would crawl across the country on my hands and my knees.” I love that saxophone. Julian Beasley is on alto saxophone, and A.C. Reed is on tenor saxophone. We then return to 1960 for “You Sure Look Good To Me,” another delicious, slow number that has that Stroll vibe, particularly in the vocal work. That’s followed by “It Hurts Me Too,” a song that I love. A different version of it is included on that Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol. 1 compilation. The version here has more of a raw sound. Then some delicious work on guitar begins this version of “I Could Cry,” the only song to be included twice in this compilation (unless you count “So All Alone”/“Prison Bars All Around Me”). Interestingly, it is the eleventh track on both discs. A different group of musicians is backing him on this rendition, and I especially like Johnny Walker’s work on organ on this version. “Seems like everything I do, baby, everything I do is wrong.” The final of the 1961 tracks, “I Need Me A Car,” begins with a knocking upon the door and a bit of spoken word silliness. Oh, is there a more serious woe than that caused by a lack of car? Not sure, but this song is fun. “Every time I come to see you/You’re gone for a whirl/The guys with the cars/Seem to get all the girls.”
The next four tracks were recorded in 1962, and all of them were either written or co-written by Willie Dixon. There is no information on the musicians that back Junior Wells on these tracks. “I’ll Get You Too” was written by Willie Dixon and William Emerson, and features some nice work on saxophone. I love the playful way Junior Wells sings the word “baby” just after the one-minute mark. Little touches like that make this track stand out. That’s followed by “Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone,” also written by Willie Dixon and William Emerson. This is another fun track, the organ playing a prominent role. Then “She’s A Sweet One” has a good groove, and is a song that makes me smile every time I listen to it. There are a couple of false starts, and just a bit of studio banter at the beginning of “When The Cat’s Gone The Mice Play.” And once it gets going, this track features some nice work on harmonica. This compilation then concludes with a live track from 1966, a cover of “What’d I Say.” This track contains some good energy, including some great stuff on drums, the audience clapping along.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Cut That Out
- Eagle Rock
- Hodo Man (Hoodoo Man)
- Junior’s Wail
- ‘Bout The Break Of Day (Early In The Morning)
- Lawdy! Lawdy!
- Tomorrow Night
- So All Alone
- Two Head Woman (Two Headed Woman)
- Lovey Dovey Lovey One
- I Could Cry
- Cha Cha Cha In Blue (Cut My Toe Nail Instrumental)
- Little By Little
- Come On In This House
- You Don’t Care
- Prison Bars All Around Me
Disc 2
- Galloping Horses A Lazy Mule
- Calling All Blues
- So Tired
- Love Me
- Messin’ With The Kid
- Universal Rock
- I’m A Stranger
- The Things I’d Do For You
- You Sure Look Good To Me
- It Hurts Me Too
- I Could Cry (1961 Version)
- I Need Me A Car
- I’ll Get You Too
- Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone
- She’s A Sweet One
- When The Cat’s Gone The Mice Play
- What’d I Say (Live 1966)
Blues Legend was released on July 8, 2022 through Cleopatra Blues, and is available on both CD and vinyl.
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