Hardly have we savoured the full taste of “Rhythm ’n’ Bluesin’ By The Bayou” than here comes another bucketful of steaming South Louisiana gumbo and this time it’s “Bluesin’ By The Bayou” – a spicy mix of guitars, harmonicas, and even the occasional accordion, accompanying those tales of despair or machismo that are the recipe for the blues. All the tracks stem from the studios of J.D. Miller in Crowley and Eddie Shuler in Lake Charles. These two men were wonders at spotting talent and getting the best out of the performers, as illustrated on the 28 tracks on this CD.
In the U.S., the album has sold 1.7 million copies as of April 2007. It went 4x Platinum in Taiwan, 3x Platinum in Canada and New Zealand, and 2x Platinum in Austria, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia and U.S. It has sold over 6 million copies to date. It produced the hit singles: "Salvation", "Free to Decide" and "When You're Gone". It reached number one on the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia.
Gef Lucena writes of this new release featuring a compilation of Irish and British dance music curated from previous Saydisc albums and the catalog of Peter Kennedy: “It will probably be a brave or dedicated listener who plays all of these tracks at one sitting. However, drawing on our extensive archives of this genre we have arranged the dances with the greatest variety of instrumentation, provenance and periods of history. Many of the tracks are from Peter Kennedy’s renowned mono recordings from the 1950s and 60s with the remainder from Saydisc’s own stereo and digital recordings over the decades. Dip into this exhilarating selection or go for the long haul, but, however you listen, we hope that you enjoy the rich heritage of sound from the British and Irish traditions.”
Raw blues gems trawled from the swamps of South Louisiana, plus a touch of zydeco. Ten tracks are previously unreleased or alternate takes, while the other 18 are extremely rare. Baton Rouge was arguably the blues centre of Louisiana and just about all of the artists featured in this compilation spent part of their lives there. Long-time favourites Lightnin’ Slim, Lazy Lester, Slim Harpo and Silas Hogan certainly honed their skills in its clubs and bars, although they travelled some 70 miles west to record at J.D. Miller’s studio in Crowley. Everything here emanated from Miller’s studio or from his close rival Eddie Shuler’s facility in Lake Charles, except series newcomer Chris Kenner’s track, which was cut in New Orleans. Other artists new to the series are Henry Gray, Juke Boy Bonner, Elton Anderson, Ramblin’ Hi Harris and Schoolboy Cleve.
Nick Tosches once famously described Wanda Jackson as "the greatest menstruating rock & roll singer whom the world has ever known," and while he doubtless chose those words for comic effect, the nervy crudity is not entirely inappropriate. At her best, Wanda Jackson sounded wild and ravenously sensual in a way that few artists dared in the mid-'50s, especially not female vocalists, and sides like "Let's Have a Party," "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," and "Fujiama Mama" run neck in neck with Jerry Lee Lewis or Billy Lee Riley for sheer frenzied rockabilly energy.
Beneath the Skin – Live in Paris is a concert video by Irish rock band The Cranberries from their "Bury the Hatchet" tour. Recorded on December 9, 1999 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy on the band's stop in Paris, France, it was released on DVD in January 2001. The DVD includes documentaries of the band and technicians, promotional videos for the singles from Bury the Hatchet ("Promises", "Animal Instinct", and "Just My Imagination") and live performances of "How" (1993), "Yesterday's Gone" (MTV Unplugged, 1995), "Hollywood" (1996) and "Saving Grace" (1999).