Deluxe Edition

by Charlie Musselwhite

Overview

Calling this retrospective by Charlie Musselwhite a "deluxe edition" may be a little misleading. Twelve of the album's 14 tracks come from three albums he recorded for Alligator in the early '90s. There are four each from Ace of Harps (1990), Signature (1991), and In My Time (1993). The sequencing is beautifully done and representative. The true curiosities are two unissued cuts. The first is "Lotsa Poppa," an outtake from the In My Time sessions. The cut itself isn't such a revelation, but Musselwhite's harp playing and singing is. His delivery is signature in that he is always slow and relaxed yet just underneath. There in the grain of his voice is something else, something that smolders. The final cut here is from Musselwhite's private collection of tapes and it was recorded at home in the early '60s. It features the legendary Will Shade instructing a very young Musselwhite on guitar and singing with him. It's ragged but moving and poetic. This is priceless archival blues history and is a fine bookend. Hopefully this will inspire the bluesman to find a venue to release more of his personal archives in the future. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2005
Label:	Alligator Records
UPC:	0014551561224
Rank:	123890

Tracks

1. River Hip Mama
2. Mean Ole Frisco
3. Blues Got Me Again
4. Bedside of a Neighbor
5. When It Rains It Pours
6. Lotsa Poppa
7. Movin' and Groovin'
8. .38 Special
9. Mama Long Legs
10. The Blues Overtook Me
11. My Road Lies in Darkness
12. If I Should Have Bad Luck
13. Make My Getaway
14. Newport News Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Charlie Musselwhite   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica
Will Shade   Primary Artist,Vocals
The Blind Boys of Alabama   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
Steven Hodges   Drums
Artis Joyce   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Mike Watson   Guitar
Clarence Fountain   Vocals
Gene Taylor   Piano
Stephen Hodges   Drums
Lew Soloff   Trumpet
Jimmy Carter   Vocals
Tommy Hill   Drums
Felton Crews   Bass
Art Baron   Trombone
Larry Taylor   Bass
Lenny Pickett   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Curtis Foster   Vocals
Michael "Junior" Watson   Guitar
Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones   Guitar
Bobby Butler   Vocals

Technical Credits

Jimmy Rushing   Composer
Craig Silvey   Mixing Assistant
Fred Kevorkian   Assistant Engineer
Charlie Musselwhite   Mixing,Composer,Producer
David Horowitz   Photography
Jay Shilliday   Mixing,Engineer
Sam Fishkin   Mixing
Scott Strain   Assistant Engineer
Bob DePugh   Series Producer
Dan Stout   Remastering
Art Baron   Horn Arrangements
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup   Composer
Bruce Kaphan   Engineer
Will Shade   Composer
Larry Brewer   Assistant Engineer
Samuel Lehmer   Mixing,Engineer
Bruce Iglauer   Mixing,Liner Notes,Remastering,Series Producer
Joseph A. Rosen   Photography
David Forte   Series Producer,Series Design
Robert Whitall   Photography
Pierre Degeneffe   Cover Photo
Kevin Niemiec   Design Producer
Henri Musselwhite   Photography
Bob Conlon   Assistant Engineer
Jim Capfer   Mixing
Drew Waters   Assistant Engineer
John DeLeon   Photography
Jerome Petit Jacques   Photography
Dave Leucinger   Photography
Peter Amft   Photography
Chuck Winans   Photography
Caroline Scott   Photography
Dean Reynolds   Photography
Tony Eckert   Assistant Engineer
M.T. Silvia   Mixing Assistant
Patrick Ford   Producer
Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones   Composer
Ira Tucker   Composer
Kevin Morrow   Producer