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From the Vault...
01/17/2010
#1186 |
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info
Koko Taylor
"The Earthshaker"
© Alligator Records
Rating:
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track listing
Let The Good Times Roll
Spoonful
Walking The Back Streets
Cut You Loose
Hey Bartender
I'm A Woman
You Can Have
My Husband
Please Don't Dog Me
Wang Dang Doodle
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Koko Taylor related sites:
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Koko Taylor
"The Earthshaker"
There are two genres of music I do not have enough of (as of this date). And that is Blues and Jazz.
Sure, there are some basic Blues and Jazz in my collection, but it always leaves me wanting more, either more
music by certain Blues/Jazz artists, and more of its popular albums that I may not know about. Take the case
of Chicago's own Koko Taylor. I had known she was one of Chicago's greatest Blues singers, and like many other
Blues artists, I only have ONE of her albums. The Earthshaker (on Alligator Records; a label known for
containing many fine great Blues recordings) is one of those albums, where after listening to it (for this
review) I wished I had more of Koko's albums, and more Blues in general.
She was known as the "Queen of the Blues," and listening to The Earthshaker it proves it. (I'm sure
there are some who say this album may or may not be her best.) In reading about her life, The Earthshaker
was the second album (of nine) on Alligator Records. It's amazing to know she started on the Blues music scene
in 1965, playing with the likes of Willie Dixon (who discovered her), Little Walter, and Hound Dog Taylor.
The first track is "Let The Good Times Roll," a song that I remember (by a male artist) being played in
one of the scenes of The Blues Brothers movie. "Spoonful" was a song I remembered by Eric Clapton and
Cream. "Walkng The Back Streets" displays the slow, driven Blues. Gutsy Blues has "Cut You Loose."
"Hey Bartender" is the classic, recorded by such artists as the Blues Brothers and Johnny Lee. (This
song was the main reason why I purchased this album, listening to Chicago's WXRT.) Taylor's gutsy growl returns on
the humourous "You Can Have My Husband," likewise on "Please Don't Dog Me." "Wang Dang Doodle" is
the last track, as Taylor recorded another version of the song for this album that initially became her first hit in
1965/1966 on Chess Records.
One of the best Blues artists of all-time, Koko Taylor indeed was. We lost Koko Taylor in June, 2009, as she
passed away at age 80. Influenced by many artists to follow while she was alive, and there will be more to come.
She leaves behind a legacy of great Blues music, and with my knowledge of her being very limited, it indeeds leaving
me wanting to hear more, especially from her Alligator Records period.
Being from Chicago, I immediately thought of Koko Taylor appearing in the Blues Brothers 2000 movie.
Obviously, she was.
One of many quotes from her website, this truly defines her: "Raucous, gritty, good-time blues... Taylor
belts out blues in a gravel voice with ferocious intensity. Foot-stomping music that’ rough, raw and wonderfully
upbeat." -- People Magazine. The Queen of the Blues was Koko Taylor, and still remains.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Alligator Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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