An unassailable 18-cut cross-section of the monstrously popular and influential New Orleans jump blues shouter's sides, mostly for DeLuxe and King Records (with the Imperial-released "Let the Four Winds Blow" bringing up the rear). The order is chronological and takes in Brown's seminal "Good Rocking Tonight" (where it all began!), "Rockin' at Midnight," "Boogie at Midnight," and "Love Don't Love Nobody"; the almost unbearably tortured "Hard Luck Blues"; and the unbelievably raunchy two-parter "Butcher Pete." Along the way, ...
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An unassailable 18-cut cross-section of the monstrously popular and influential New Orleans jump blues shouter's sides, mostly for DeLuxe and King Records (with the Imperial-released "Let the Four Winds Blow" bringing up the rear). The order is chronological and takes in Brown's seminal "Good Rocking Tonight" (where it all began!), "Rockin' at Midnight," "Boogie at Midnight," and "Love Don't Love Nobody"; the almost unbearably tortured "Hard Luck Blues"; and the unbelievably raunchy two-parter "Butcher Pete." Along the way, we also hear in very vivid terms the evolution of R&B as a sound, out of the big-band tradition of the '40s and into the leaner accompaniment that would provide the template for a lot of rock & roll to follow: "Good Rocking Tonight" and its direct follow-up/sequel, "Mighty Mighty Man," both from 1947, featured Brown working in front of '40s-style swing orchestras, though still getting great results; but by 1949/1950, he was working in front of smaller bands (sadly, several uncredited) that are playing louder and hotter, and his talent and their sound are firing on all cylinders, playing their strengths full-out from start to finish. The latter goes double on "'Long About Midnight" and "Boogie at Midnight," which are loud, uninhibited rock & roll numbers in all but name, and just about as fine as "Good Rocking Tonight." Brown only seems to have returned to slightly larger ensembles when the song called for some more subtlety, such as on "Hard Luck Blues," and the latter, along with a handful of additional numbers, also points up the diversity of this collection; Brown's music wasn't all jumping and suggestive R&B, but also encompassed slow, achingly lyrical blues ballads that work just about as well as the hotter track here. The sound and production are impeccable and utterly consistent, which is saying something considering the first years covered by this collection also coincided with the biggest switch-over in the music business prior to the compact disc, from 78s to 45s, and lacquer masters to magnetic recording tape. The session information is also very thorough, and the annotation, if not as extensive as on some Rhino releases, is a good read. ~ Bill Dahl & Bruce Eder, Rovi
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