Travelin' Man

Louisiana blues legend leaves his baby, just because. Intense? You bet.

Robert Pete Williams - Freight-Train Blues

Buzz Awhile

Slim Harpo (1924 -1970) was the man alright. A Louisiana swamp blues king if ever there was one, he never worked full-time as a musician. The trucking business was probably a safer bet. Nevertheless, many of his songs have long since become immortal, and were covered by the Stones, the Yardbirds, Them, and Alex Chilton amongst many others. His old friend and admirer Robert Pete Williams, a legendary bluesman in his own right, paid the 'original King Bee' an impressive tribute on the heartfelt Goodbye Slim Harpo. "Goodbye poor Slim, I see you again..."

Slim Harpo - I'm A King Bee MP3

Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips MP3

Slim Harpo - Te Ni Nee Ni Nu MP3

Slim Harpo - Tip On In, Part 1 MP3

The Rolling Stones - Shake Your Hips MP3

Alex Chilton - Tee Ni Nee Ni Noo/Tip On In MP3

Robert Pete Williams - Goodbye Slim Harpo MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 5

Long live the weekend, the weekend is here. And it´s gonna be another wild one... My iPod shuffle function picks the tunes, and we´ll just have to wait and see what comes up. Ready, set, go.

Let´s get this show on the road with some intense blues from the inimitable Robert Pete Williams. Recorded live in Angola Prison, where the guitarist was doing time for fatally shooting a (white) man in what was probably self-defence. "Some got six months, but me and my buddies got a lifetime here..." These ´59 recordings actually helped to get his case looked at anew and his sentence reduced. Jandek provides another kind of blues: of the outsider variety. Most people find his stuff unlistenable, but I regularly need a shot of the unique Houston loner.

Robert Pete Williams - Some Got Six Months MP3

Jandek - Naked In The Afternoon MP3

The Buzzcocks more or less defined the punkpop genre in the magical year of ´77. They´ve been unrivalled ever since really. To be sixteen again... oh no! Find it on Love Bites, their somewhat underrated second offering. I stupidly forgot to include Tom Russell´s Blood And Candle Smoke in my list of last year´s fave albums. Sorry Tom, won´t happen again. Check out the impressive East Of Woodstock, West Of Vietnam and add this album to your wishlift pronto. Them mariachi-like horns are delicious. "Raise high the roof beams, carpenter boy..."

Buzzcocks - Sixteen Again MP3

Tom Russell - East Of Woodstock, West Of Vietnam MP3

Next up are the Byrds. Makes sense, as I´ve got a lot of their timeless songs on my iPod. One Hundred Years From Now was sung by McGuinn on their groundbreaking countryrock classic Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, as the original vocals of the one and only Gram Parsons were erased for contractual reasons. The version here comes from the Byrds box set, with Gram´s wonderful voice restored. And we bid you goodnight with some intense flamenco from the Jerez Earthquake. "Toma, toma..."

The Byrds - One Hundred Years From Now MP3

Terremoto De Jerez - Fiesta En El Barrio Santiago MP3

With A Feeling

And in the evening, when the sun´s gone down and it´s cooled off a bit, I love to play me some of that old blues. There´s nothing better than sitting on your porch late at night, drink in hand and stars overhead, listening to the masters from the Delta or the windy city. So here´s another tenpack, filled to the brim with blues treasures I´ve been digging recently. First one who writes in to tell me which famous band stole That´s No Way To Get Along gets the For The Sake Of The Song Crossroads award...

Tampa Red - Love Me With A Feeling MP3

Blind Joe - Married Man Blues MP3

Robert Pete Williams - Lord, I´m Going Back Home Soon MP3

Buddy Boy Hawkins - Voice Throwing Blues MP3

Rev. A.W. Nix - Black Diamond Express To Hell - Part 1 MP3

Memphis Minnie - Ain´t No Use Trying To Tell On Me MP3

Johnny Shines - Ramblin´ MP3

Garfield Akers - Dough Roller Blues MP3

Robert Wilkins - That´s No Way To Get Along MP3

Tommy Johnson - Slidin´ Delta MP3