Bo+diddley

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger (1960) {2004 Remastered and Expanded Edition, Geffen B0001761-02}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 166 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 93 Mb
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© 1960, 2004 Chess Records / Geffen Records | B0001761-02
Rock and Roll / Rhythm and Blues / Doo-Wop / Electric Chicago Blues

The most flamboyantly packaged and distinctively themed of Bo Diddley's original albums, this record has always had unusual appeal, freely mixing truly wild R&B originals and distinctive covers (Bo even cops a legitimate arranging credit on "Sixteen Tons"). In this remastered edition, his and Peggy Jones' guitars have a resonant, bell-like clarity on top of their patented crunchiness, and the voices are up-front and in your face (check out the remastered "Do What I Say" for the combined virtues).

This is easily a "super super blues bust." Power trios, of course, were hip in the late '60s – even at down-home Chess Studios, where ad hoc "supergroups" were assembled for 1967's Super Blues and its sequel, Super Super Blues Band. (No one ever accused Chess Records of being subtle.) The band on Super Super Blues Band included two-thirds of the original Super Blues headliners – Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley – with Howlin' Wolf replacing Little Walter to round out the trio. Unlike Walter, who was willing to cede the spotlight to Diddley and Waters on Super Blues, Wolf adamantly refuses to back down from his rivals, resulting in a flood of contentious studio banter that turns out to be more entertaining than the otherwise unmemorable music from this stylistic train wreck.

This is the first of two super session albums that Chess produced in the late '60s. Time has been a bit kinder to this one, featuring Muddy, Bo Diddley and Little Walter, than the one cut a year later with Howlin' Wolf standing in for Walter. It's loose and extremely sloppy, the time gets pushed around here and there and Little Walter's obviously in bad shape, his voice rusted to a croak and trying to blow with a collapsed lung. But there are moments where Bo's heavily tremoloed guitar sounds just fine and the band kicks it in a few spots and Muddy seems to be genuinely enjoying himself. Granted, these moments are few and way too far between, but at least nobody's playing a wah-wah pedal on here.

This funky LP by blues guitarist Bo Diddley was released in 1974 on Chess Records, it was produced by Esmond Edwards, horn arrangements by Wade Marcus, personnel is Bo Diddley on vocals & guitar, John Tropea and Carl Lynch on guitar, Ernest Hayes on electric piano, Wilbur Bascomb Jr. on bass, Jimmy Johnson Jr. on drums and Montego Joe and Esmond Edwards on percussion, plus horns & background vocals.