Sunnyland SLIM - Slim's Got His Thing Goin' On 1968

Sunnyland SLIM - Slim's Got His Thing Goin' On 1968
WPS-21890

Blues

This album was recorded on October 1968 in Los Angeles with cast of stars blues and rock. This was possible thanks musicians of Canned Heat. Released in World Pacific in 1969 as LP, was reissued on CD by British Seguel records in 1992. Look on name of the musicians. George Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Luther Allison, Shakey Jake, young British Bluesbreaker in this time - Mick Taylor and legendary guitarist from Canned Heat - Al Wilson, Henry Vestine and bassist Larry Taylor. Today this album is unique and rare.
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He was born on a farm near Vance, Mississippi. [2] He moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1925, where he performed with many of the popular blues musicians of the day. His stage name came from a song he composed about the Sunnyland train that ran between Memphis and St. Louis, Missouri. [2] In 1942 he followed the great migration of southern workers to the industrial north in Chicago.
At that time the electric blues was taking shape there, and through the years Sunnyland Slim played with such musicians as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, [3] Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Little Walter. [2] His piano style is characterised by heavy basses or vamping chords in the left hand and tremolos with his right. His voice was loud and he sang in a declamatory style. [4]
He began recording in 1946 (his first solo date was in 1947) and continued performing until his death, aged 87.
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Sunnyland SLIM- Piano, Vocals
George 'Harmonica' SMITH- Harmonica
Luther Allison, Mick Taylor- Guitars 
Mojo Elem- Bas
Francis Clay- Drums
Henry Vestine- Guitar
Alan Wilson- Guitar
Larry Taylor- Bass
Paul Lagos- Drums
Luther Allison- Guitar
Curtis Tilman- Bass
Gus Wright- Drums
Larry Fullerton- Guitar
Shakey Jake- Harmonica
Big Mama Thornton- Drums

A1. Going Back to Memphis   3:10
A2. Miss Bessie Mae   3:45
A3. Got to Get to My Baby   3:02
A4. You Used to Love Me   3:39
A5. She's Got a Thing Going On   3:48
A6. Substitute Woman   3:25
B1. Dust My Broom   3:39
B2. Everytime We Get to Drinkin'   3:45
B3. Little Girl Blues   2:42
B4. Unlucky One   4:40
B5. My Past Life   2:45
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Sunnyland SLIM - Chronological Classics

Sunnyland SLIM (Chronological Classics)
**Info´s Are In The Files**

Blues

Exhibiting truly amazing longevity that was commensurate with his powerful, imposing physical build, Sunnyland Slim's status as a beloved Chicago piano patriarch endured long after most of his peers had perished. For more than 50 years, the towering Sunnyland had rumbled the ivories around the Windy City, playing with virtually every local luminary imaginable and backing the great majority in the studio at one time or another.

He was born Albert Luandrew in Mississippi and received his early training on a pump organ. After entertaining at juke joints and movie houses in the Delta, Luandrew made Memphis his homebase during the late '20s, playing along Beale Street and hanging out with the likes of Little Brother Montgomery and Ma Rainey.

He adopted his colorful stage name from the title of one of his best-known songs, the mournful "Sunnyland Train." (The downbeat piece immortalized the speed and deadly power of a St. Louis-to-Memphis locomotive that mowed down numerous people unfortunate enough to cross its tracks at the wrong instant.)

Slim moved to Chicago in 1939 and set up shop as an in-demand piano man, playing for a spell with John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson before waxing eight sides for RCA Victor in 1947 under the somewhat misleading handle of "Doctor Clayton's Buddy." If it hadn't been for the helpful Sunnyland, Muddy Waters may not have found his way onto Chess; it was at the pianist's 1947 session for Aristocrat that the Chess brothers made Waters's acquaintance.

Aristocrat (which issued his harrowing "Johnson Machine Gun") was but one of a myriad of labels that Sunnyland recorded for between 1948 and 1956: Hytone, Opera, Chance, Tempo-Tone, Mercury, Apollo, JOB, Regal, Vee-Jay (unissued), Blue Lake, Club 51, and Cobra all cut dates on Slim, whose vocals thundered with the same resonant authority as his 88s. In addition, his distinctive playing enlivened hundreds of sessions by other artists during the same timeframe.

In 1960, Sunnyland Slim traveled to Englewood Cliffs, NJ, to cut his debut LP for Prestige's Bluesville subsidiary with King Curtis supplying diamond-hard tenor sax breaks on many cuts. The album, Slim's Shout, ranks as one of his finest, with definitive renditions of the pianist's "The Devil Is a Busy Man," "Shake It," "Brownskin Woman," and "It's You Baby."

Like a deep-rooted tree, Sunnyland Slim persevered despite the passing decades. For a time, he helmed his own label, Airway Records. As late as 1985, he made a fine set for the Red Beans logo, Chicago Jump, backed by the same crack combo that shared the stage with him every Sunday evening at a popular North side club called B.L.U.E.S. for some 12 years.

There were times when the pianist fell seriously ill, but he always defied the odds and returned to action, warbling his trademark Woody Woodpecker chortle and kicking off one more exultant slow blues as he had done for the previous half century. Finally, after a calamitous fall on the ice coming home from a gig led to numerous complications, Sunnyland Slim finally died of kidney failure in 1995. He's sorely missed. 
By Bill Dahl, All Music Guide.
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Sunnyland SLIM - Smile On My Face 1999

Sunnyland SLIM - Smile On My Face 1999

Blues

One of the ten infamous Ralph Bass sessions from 1977, this teams Slim up with guitarist Lacy Gibson and the top-notch rhythm section of Willie Black and Fred Below for a loose and inspired session. The songs are tried-and-true staples from Sunnyland's songbook, and while Gibson sprays more modern licks, it's still the elder piano man who's the real star here. An extra bonus has guitarist Lee Jackson fronting the band on three tunes from the same session. A good one.
By Cub Koda, All Music Guide.
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Sunnyland Slim didn't just tickle the ivories, he made them sing as few pianists can. This album, originally recorded in 1977 and never released in the U.S.(it was released in England in the mid-1980s), is full of everything that made Slim a legend in his own time, despite the fact he never had a hit in a half-century of recording. Topnotch musicianship, seamless integration with his band, and a playful inventiveness make Smile on My Face a real treat. Part of a series of Delmark albums produced by Ralph Bass, Smile shows Slim still at the top of his form in his later years.
By Genevieve Williams. AMG.
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Sunnyland Slim- (Vocals, Piano);
Lacy Gibson, Lee Jackson- (Vocals, Guitar);
Willie Black- (Bass);
Fred Below- (Drums).
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01. Bessie Mae 3:47
02. Everytime I Get to Drinking 3:26
03. Hard Luck Blues 3:41
04. Smile on My Face 4:06
05. I Had It Hard 3:29
06. Juanita 5:05
07. Be My Babay 4:29
08. Cryin' for My Baby 4:07
09. Soft and Mellow Stella 4:16
10. Lonely Girl 3:46
11. Depression Blues 2:53
12. Lee's Boogie 4:34
13. Everytime I Get to Drinking (Take Two) 4:12
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Sunnyland SLIM - Live, At The D.C. Blues Society 1995

Sunnyland SLIM - Live, At The D.C. Blues Society 1995
Label: Mapleshade Records

Blues

Sunnyland Slim's brand of weary blues, punctuated by rolling piano accents and boogie riffs, predates both the rise and fall of Delta blues and the emergence of its urban successor. Slim toured the South in the '20s, '30s, and early '40s, then left for Chicago and has been there ever since. This blend of Delta and urban sensibilities has been infused in his songs since he began recording and permeates the 14 selections (recorded in 1987) on Live at the D.C. Blues Society. Although long since past his vocal peak, Slim still spins a nifty yarn and mournful lament.
By Ron Wynn, All Music Guide.
**
MOST of the Mapleshade CDs have the highest of recording-quality, though some of their CDs are not to my MUSICAL taste. But this particular CD could hardly be better. It's simply great,the best of all the Mapleshades, at least musically. Sunnyland Slim's voice sounds weak, if not utterly ruined, but that does not matter, because his piano playing is so remarkably good and fun. I have heard few CDs, of any genre, that I enjoy as thoroughly as I do this one. This is great music excellently recorded, in fact, I have never heard piano better recorded than this.
By Joseph Reader.
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01. Got a Thing Going On  3.21
02. Every Time I Gets to Drinking  4.16
03. Got to Get to My Baby  3.04
04. Lend Me Your Love  6.04
05. When I Was Young  3.10
06. I Won't Do That No More  3.32
07. My Baby, She Don't Love Me No More  3.44
08. Blues Improvisation  3.19
09. Gonna Be My Baby  2.44
10. Blues Improvisation  2.51
11. If I Done You Wrong  2.36
12. Dust My Broom  3.50
13. Run Here Baby  4.46
14. Be Careful How You Vote [Instrumental] 2.35
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Sunnyland SLIM - The Sonet Blues Story 1974

Sunnyland SLIM - The Sonet Blues Story 1974
Label: Universal

Blues

This 1974 session was originally released on the beloved blues label Sonet Records as LEGACY OF THE BLUES, part of a series of albums featuring blues artists performing their own material in intimate settings. The set, recorded as a live-in-the-studio ...    Full Descriptionsession during a 1974 Scandinavian tour, features Sunnyland Slim (Albert Luandrew) on piano and vocals, rolling through a loose but never lazy procession of favorites like "I Had It Hard" and "Get Hip To Yourself" with sly, easy good humor and palpable emotional depth.
CD Universe
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In this charming solo piano session recorded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1974, Sunnyland Slim works the empty studio exactly as he would a small blues club, casually (but not without purpose) introducing several of the songs, setting them up with what would initially appear to be random piano trills and vocal asides, and then the song slips in and begins as the most natural thing in the world. This kind of up close intimacy makes this set, which was originally released in 1974 as part of Samuel Charters' Legacy of the Blues series, a particularly compelling portrait. Although Slim's songs can appear on the surface to be tossed-off exercises in the usual blues clichés, they were actually carefully written, and pieces here like the powerful "Couldn't Find a Mule" and the equally as striking "Days of Old" emerge as deeply personal accounts of racism and social injustice, both delivered with a relaxed approach that greatly adds to their impact. On the flip side, the bright "I Had It Hard" manages to be upbeat and redemptive while still being very much the blues. Sunnyland Slim had a long career (he made his first recordings in 1947 for RCA and worked virtually up until his death in 1995) and made countless recordings, as well as being an in-demand Chicago session player on piano (although his piano style, at least here, is all Memphis), but this wonderful solo set gives him the full stage, and he knows exactly what to do with it.
By Steve Leggett, All Music Guide.
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01. Couldn't Find A Mule 05:07
02. Gonna Be My Baby 02:36
03. Woman I Ain't Gonna Drink No More Whiskey 03:14
04. Days Of Old 06:04
05. She's Got A Thing Goin' On 04:36
06. She's So Mellow 03:41
07. Get Hip To Yourself 02:49
08. Bessie Mae 04:39
09. I Had It Hard 03:04
10. She Used To Love Me 02:58
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Sunnyland SLIM - Sunnyland Train 1995

Sunnyland SLIM - Sunnyland Train 1995
Label: Evidence
Recording Date: Jan 26, 1983,Jan 29, 1983
 
Blues

There are definite signs of Slim's increasing frailty on this solo outing from the 1980s, but the majestic power of his aging frame comes through frequently nevertheless.
By Bill Dahl. AMG.
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Sunnyland Slim was born Albert Luandrew on September 5, 1907 in Vance, Mississippi. He taught himself to play piano on a pump organ and began working at jukes and movie houses in the Delta area in the early 1920s. Sunnyland played in Memphis on Beale Street as a solo act and a sideman. He often he played with Ma Rainey and Little Brother Mongomery. In 1928, Sunnyland wrote "Sunnyland Train" and earned his nickname.

In the 1940s, Sunnyland moved to Chicago working with Jump Jackson's band and Muddy Waters. He recorded under pseudonyms such as Dr. Clayton's Buddy and Delta Joe. He also worked with John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson before cutting eight sides for the RCA Records label. He continued to record for a vast number of labels between 1948 and 1956 while also performing regularly in clubs around Chicago.

In 1963, Sunnyland toured Europe and recorded for a variety of labels including Delmark, Liberty, Storyville, and Spivey. Sunnyland Began his own record label in 1970 called Airways and continued to record, tour, and play clubs at a grueling pace. He enjoyed a long career as a blues musician and was perhaps the most enduring artist of blues. Sunnyland continued performing in the Chicago area well into his eighties until his death in 1995.
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01.Sunnyland Train  4:30
02.Be My Baby  2:59
03.Sometime I Worry  4:01
04.Decoration Day  3:45
05.All My Life  2:34
06.Tin Pan Alley  3:47
07.Unlucky One  3:08
08.Pinetop's Boogie Woogie  2:21
09.Worried About My Baby  3:05
10.Highway 61  4:32
11.Backwater Blues  4:18
12.Sad and Lonesome  3:15
13.She Used to Love Me  2:54
14.Sitting Here Thinking  3:08
15.I Feel So Good  2:43
16.Patience Like Job  3:06
17.Goin' Down Slow  3:49
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Sunnyland SLIM And Johnny SHINES - The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 2008

Sunnyland SLIM And Johnny SHINES - The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 2008
Label: Blue Horizon

Blues 

This February 2008 UK released 23-track CD features two very rare blues albums in their entirety with three previously unreleased outtakes from the 1968 sessions - and all of it in digitally remastered form.

Here's a detailed breakdown (78:36 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 are the 10-track SUNNYLAND SLIM album "Midnight Jump" issued in January 1969 on Blue Horizon S 7-63213 in the UK; it wasn't issued initially in the USA, but was re-issued in 1972 in the USA with a different cover and name - it was called "Blues Masters Vol.8" and was on Blue Horizon BM 4608

Tracks 14 to 23 are the 10-track JOHNNY SHINES album "Last Night's Dream" issued in January 1969 on Blue Horizon S 7-63212 in the UK; like the Sunnyland Slim album, it was also re-issued only in 1972 in the USA with a different cover and name - "Blues Masters Vol.7" on Blue Horizon BM 4607

The three outtakes issued on this CD for the first time are:
Track 7, "Get To My Baby" [Take 2 - Previously Unreleased]
Track 10, "Midnight Jump" [Take 3 - Previously Unreleased]
Track 13, "Heartache" [Alternate Version - Previously Unreleased]
(All tracks were recorded at Chess's "Ter-Mar Recording Studios" in Chicago on 10 June 1968 - corrected from the album's sleeve notes which mistakenly credited the recording date as May 1968)

The band for both sessions were:
SUNNYLAND SLIM (Albert Luandrew) on Piano & Vocals (Tracks 1 to 13 only)
JOHNNY SHINES on Guitar (All tracks except 3, 5 and 13)
WALTER "SHAKEY" HORTON on Harmonica (All tracks except 3 and 13)
OTIS SPANN on Piano (Track 19 only)
WILLIE DIXON on Upright Bass (All tracks except 13 to 17, 20, 22 and 23)
CLIFTON JAMES on Drums (All tracks except 13, 14, 17 and 22)

The original master tapes were transferred and remastered by SEAN LYNCH at Torch Music in Berkshire and SIMON WOOD at Dubmaster Studios in Hampshire and while Sunnyland Slim's album is clean, clear and ballsy sounding - the Johnny Shines album is very hissy on a good few of the tracks. Don't get me wrong - his music is very good - eerie almost - but the hiss level and tape glitches on "I Don't Know" and "I Had A Good Home" do detract a little (four session reels are missing).

The 16-page booklet is written by label boss MIKE VERNON and features detailed biographies on the two main men and each of the session players, album recording details, photos of the original LP covers - all of it in the usual card wrap on the outside - superbly presented as ever.

Musically, this is a deceptive release - at first I honestly thought it was all a little dull - merely workmanlike - but after a few listens - it's eaten into me - especially the Shines tracks. Badly recorded or not - they're wonderfully evocative of lone-guitar-blues - the ghost of Robert Johnson hanging over every long-fingered string bend. And even more enticing is that 17 of the 23 tracks are self-penned by both artists (the other 6 are covers) - which is impressive indeed given their overall quality.

Both men had great voices and are complimented to the ninth degree by both DIXON and HORTON. Highlights include the Harmonica Driven instrumental "Lowland Blues" and a mighty Johnny Shines version of Robert Johnson's "Baby Don't You Think I Know (aka Sweet Home Chicago)" with Horton again blowing up some great Harmonica fills. The shuffle of "I Will Be Kind To You" is as infectious as blues gets - just lovely. Can't stop playing it. The three outtakes are complete versions too and it's hard to know why Take 3 was used and not Take 2 - they're equal to each other.

To sum up - yet another classy release from the Blue Horizon camp - in a long line of them.
Give this CD a chance - it has rewards aplenty - it really does.
Recommended.
By  Mark Barry.
**
01.Layin' In My Cell Sleepin'  3:13
02.I Am The Blues  4:14
03.Sunnyland Special  3:46
04.Heartache  3:04
05.Lowland Blues  4:41
06.Stepmother  2:58
07.Get To My Baby  2:43
08.Get To My Baby  3:11
09.Stella Mae   3:43
10.Midnight Jump   3:35
11.Midnight Jump   3:18
12.Depression Blues  2:53
13.Heartache  2:45
14.Solid Gold  3:13
15.From Dark Till Dawn  4:06
16.I Will Be Kind To You  4:04
17.Last Night's Dream  3:49
18.Baby Don't You Think I Know  2:55
19.Pipeline Blues  3:00
20.I Don't Know  3:31
21.Black Panther  2:53
22.I Had A Good Home  3:16
23.Mean Fisherman  3:32
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