Hip-O to release complete Little Walter Chess recordings

[J.A.W.]

Good news for Chicago Blues fans: Universal imprint Hip-O will release a Little Walter 5CD-set, The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967).

I couldn't find anything on Hip-O's website yet.

Edited February 17, 2009 by J.A.W.

[jazzbo]

Thanks for the heads up. CDU has a nice pre-order price.

[J.A.W.]

CDUniverse

[Stefan Wood]

[AllenLowe]

swingin'est harmonica player ever - except for maybe Blues Birdhead, my other favorite (of course I also like Larry Adler) -

[7/4]

I wouldn't mind having this set.

[Shawn]

Little Walter is "da bomb".

[Cliff Englewood]

This is very good news as these guys do very, very nice work, I have this one and it's great,

Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Masters, Vol. 2: 1952-1958

Amazon Link

I have most of the stuff on it but if I'm gonna by jazz stuff over and over again I may as well do it for blues stuff as well.

They have some other goodies on their site that look very tempting too, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry...

By the way, was there ever a more important basement in the history of recorded music than the Chess studios "Echo chamber"?

[felser]

Little Walter is "da bomb".

They're also coming out with the second Chuck Berry box (1960-1966), which is of even more interest to me! I'll grab them both (and the Motown 11B) as long as I'm still employed!

[Cliff Englewood]

A bigger pic of this cool cover, Little Walter had a very "lived in" face.

[Chuck Nessa]

Thanks for the notice Hans. I might have missed this. I hope they continue the Muddy series too.

[johnlitweiler]

Includes alternate takes, which ought to be great news, but Dave Waldman of WHPK says that some important alternates from Walter's mid- and late-'50s prime are missing.

Bob Koester took me to hear Jr. Wells 2-3 times in 1965-6 when Walter sat in. Walter was sober each time and he played glorious music.

[blind-blake]

I am all over this one!!!

[jostber]

I like the look of this! I have the Muddy Waters Hip-O Vol.2 and that one is great!

[J.A.W.]

Here's the tracklisting:

DISC 1

1. Evans Shuffle

2. Juke

3. Juke - (alternate take)

4. Can't Hold Out Much Longer

5. Can't Hold Out Much Longer - (alternate take)

6. Blue Midnight - (alternate take)

7. Blue Midnight

8. Boogie

9. Mean Old World

10. Sad Hours

11. Fast Boogie

12. Fast Boogie (Alternate Take 1)* - (previously unreleased)

13. Fast Boogie (Alternate Take 2)* - (previously unreleased)

14. Fast Boogie (Alternate Take 3)

15. Don't Need No Horse

16. Driftin'

17. Driftin' (Alternate Take)* - (previously unreleased)

18. Don't Have to Hunt No More

19. Crazy Legs

20. Tonight with a Fool

21. Off the Wall - (alternate take)

22. Off the Wall

23. Tell Me Mama

24. Quarter to Twelve

25. That's It

DISC 2

1. Blues with a Feeling

2. Last Boogie

3. Too Late

4. Fast Boogie

5. Lights Out

6. Fast Large One

7. You're So Fine

8. My Kind of Baby

9. Come Back Baby

10. Rocker

11. I Love You So (Oh Baby)

12. Oh Baby

13. I Got to Find My Baby - (alternate take)

14. I Got to Find My Baby

15. Big Leg Mama

16. My Babe (Mercy Babe)

17. Last Night [First Version]

18. You'd Better Watch Yourself

19. Blue Light

20. Instrumental

21. Last Night

22. Mellow Down Easy

23. My Babe

24. My Babe [Overdubbed Version]

DISC 3

1. Thunderbird

2. Roller Coaster

3. I Got to Go

4. Hate to See You Go [Extended Version]

5. Little Girl

6. Crazy for My Baby

7. Can't Stop Loving You

8. One More Chance with You

9. Who

10. Boom, Boom Out Go the Lights

11. It Ain't Right

12. Flying Saucer

13. It's Too Late Brother

14. Teenage Beat

15. Take Me Back

16. Just a Feeling

17. Nobody But You

18. Temperature [Version 1]

19. Shake Dancer

20. Everybody Needs Somebody

21. Temperature [Alternate Take 1]

22. Temperature [Alternate Take 2]

23. Temperature [Take 30]

24. Temperature [Take 35-38]

25. Temperature [Version 2]

26. Ah'w Baby - (alternate take)

27. Ah'w Baby

DISC 4

1. I've Had My Fun - (alternate take)

2. I've Had My Fun [Alternate Take 2] - (previously unreleased)

3. I've Had My Fun

4. Tottle, The (The Toddle)

5. Confessin' the Blues

6. Key to the Highway

7. Rock Bottom

8. Rock Bottom

9. Walkin' On (Rock Bottom Alternate)

10. You Gonna Be Sorry (Someday Baby) [Take 5] - (previously unreleased)

11. You Gonna Be Sorry (Someday Baby) - (previously unreleased)

12. You Gonna Be Sorry (Someday Baby)

13. One of These Mornings

14. Baby

15. My Baby Is Sweeter - (alternate take)

16. My Baby Is Sweeter

17. Crazy Mixed Up World - (alternate take)

18. Crazy Mixed Up World

19. Worried Life - (alternate take)

20. Worried Life

21. Everything's Gonna Be Alright [Take 1]

22. Everything's Gonna Be Alright [Alternate Take 1]

23. Everything's Gonna Be Alright [Alternate Take 2]

24. Everything's Gonna Be Alright

25. Mean Old Frisco - (alternate take)

26. Mean Old Frisco

DISC 5

1. Back Track

2. One of These Mornings

3. Blue and Lonesome - (alternate take)

4. Blue and Lonesome

5. Me and Piney Brown

6. Break It Up

7. Going Down Slow

8. You're Sweet

9. I Don't Play

10. As Long As I Have You

11. You Don't Know

12. Just Your Fool

13. Up the Line

14. I'm a Business Man

15. Dead Presidents

16. Southern Feeling

17. Back in the Alley

18. I Feel So Bad [Take 1] - (previously unreleased)

19. I Feel So Bad [Take 2] - (previously unreleased)

20. Chicken Shack

21. Feel So Bad*

22. Make It Alright*

23. Juke

[J.A.W.]

$58.35 at CD Pacific

[Cliff Englewood]

It's on their website now;

Little Walter: The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967).

Be careful though, their website is as potentially damaging to your wallet as the Mosaic website.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Cliff Englewood

[johnlitweiler]

Includes alternate takes, which ought to be great news, but Dave Waldman of WHPK says that some important alternates from Walter's mid- and late-'50s prime are missing.

A correction, again from Dave: The Walter collection will officially be released a week later, on March 17, and now it truly will include everything.

Dave also sez, notice how much of Walter's playing is interplay with Fred Below's drums. This is true of the tracks with the Aces and also of the Muddy Waters band ca. 1954-55 (w/Walter and Below). Seems Walter liked to use his drummer the way players like Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan used their drummers.

[AllenLowe]

I know it's not Chess, but they shoulda put in Rollin and Tumblin 1 and 2, some of the most amazing blues performances I have ever heard -

Edited March 5, 2009 by AllenLowe

[jostber]

I know it's not Chess, but they shoulda put in Rollin and Tumblin 1 and 2, some of the most amazing blues performances I have ever heard -

Which label and date are these recordings from?

[AllenLowe]

I think it was called Parkway - January 1950 - just incredible performances -

[Chuck Nessa]

I know it's not Chess, but they shoulda put in Rollin and Tumblin 1 and 2, some of the most amazing blues performances I have ever heard -

Which label and date are these recordings from?

The originals were on Parkway - Baby Face Leroy Foster w/ Little Walter and Muddy Waters. Now on a Delmark cd titled The Blues World of Little Walter. Recorded Jan, 1950.

[danasgoodstuff]

I agree, the Parkway Baby Face, Muddy, Little Walter trio version of R 'n T is it/really the blues/raw funk on a plate/whatever. The guys in Cream obviously thought so too since their version mimmicks the drums/harp/guitar/vocals (no bass) lineup...

[jostber]

I think it was called Parkway - January 1950 - just incredible performances -

Thanks! Got to check out those.

[Cliff Englewood]

I can recommend this one if anybody is looking for more harp blues on the Delmark label, if you see it, pick it up, it's class.