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From the Vault...
10/27/2002
#809 |
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info
Blues Brothers Band
"Red, White, And Blues"
© Turnstile/Atlantic Recor
Year of Release: 1992
Rating:
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track listing
You Got The Bucks
Red White And Blues
Can't Play The Blues
(In An Air-
Conditioned Room)
Early In The Morning
One Track Train
Boogie Thing
Never Found A Girl
Trick Bag
Take You And Show You
Big Bird
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Blues Brothers Band
"Red, White, And Blues"
The year was 1992... Ten years since the death of John Belushi...
Dan Aykroyd (aka Elwood Blues) was putting the band back together...
Despite the loss of Jake Blues (Belushi), Aykroyd found hope in recreating
the interest of the blues to old and new fans alike. He would start with a
syndicated radio show, The House of Blues Radio Hour, an excellent look
at contemporary blues, featuring the music of the blues from the past, present,
and future.
With the spark of the blues already in the works, like in the original
Blues Brothers movie, Elwood was putting the band back together: Steve Cropper,
Donald Duck Dunn, Matt Guitar Murphy, Blue Lou Marini, Alan "Mr. Fabulous"
Rubin (all original members of the Blues Brothers Band in the movie) were
recruited with Birch "Slide" Johnson (trombone), Danny Gottlieb (drums),
Leon Pendarvis (keyboards, vocals) and Larry "T" Thurston (vocals). Elvood
would also have his friends join along; those who were popular in the past,
such as Eddie Floyd ("Knock On Wood"), and other artists currently
in the blues field: George Wadenius, Carla Thomas, and Steve Potts. Call it
a pre-Blues
Brothers and Friends, likewise the beginning stages of what would later
become the Blues Brothers 2000 movie sequel, the Blues was back, and
Elwood Blues and friends released Red, White And Blues. and no mistake
about it, the Blues is definitely one of the greatest sources of music today.
Leon Pendarvis and/or Larry "T" Thurston provide the lead vocals on this
album. Elwood Blues provided additional vocals and rap (!) on only two songs,
the title track (spoken words, yet they call it rap), and "Can't Play The
Blues (In An Air-Conditioned Room)"
"You Got The Bucks" is a true-grit blues-rock number; a good tune
to start out the album, yet the title track may sound like the Blues, but it's
not in the same kind of style of true-spirit standard blues. "Can't Play
The Blues (In An Air-Conditioned Room)" is a good number, much better than
the title track, yet the album's opener is more true-grit and spirited.
The blues standard "Early In The Morning" (Junior Wells) and
"One Track Train" have the credentials of just-good blues tunes,
where they are good, only to be better. However, "Boogie Thing" is a
very well-done jumpin' blues tune, having a more rock approach, similar to the
rock/blues of ZZ Top.
And then it gets better: "Never Found A Girl" (written by Booker T.
and Eddie Floyd) has all the ingredients of a great Soul R&B song. (Eddie
Floyd provides the vocals.) The Earl King "Trick Bag" is another good
tune, as it looks as if the second half of Red White And Blues is becoming
much better as the first half.
"Take You And Show You" has a more updated 1990s Blues sound, and
the album's closing tune is another Booker T./Eddie Floyd composition, "Big
Bird" -- with vocals supplied by Eddie Floyd himself, it's another good
Blues/Rock number.
The Blues is updated as compared to the Soul and Harmonica-driven tunes of
the early years of Blues. What stands out are the horns on Red, White And
Blues. Where some may not see this release as a must-have, it was the
beginning foundations of Elwood Blues bringing back the Blues with an updated
sound, likewise the sequel to the Blues Brothers movie years later. The movie
dialogue was fair, yet the music was excellent. For Red White And Blues,
it is also fair as a whole, yet the lineup of musicians and instrumentation
on various songs are excellent.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Turnstile/Atlantic Records<
and is used for reference purposes only.
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