Descrizione
PREMESSA: LA SUPERIORITA’ DELLA MUSICA SU VINILE E’ ANCOR OGGI SANCITA, NOTORIA ED EVIDENTE. NON TANTO DA UN PUNTO DI VISTA DI RESA, QUALITA’ E PULIZIA DEL SUONO, TANTOMENO DA QUELLO DEL RIMPIANTO RETROSPETTIVO E NOSTALGICO , MA SOPRATTUTTO DA QUELLO PIU’ PALPABILE ED INOPPUGNABILE DELL’ ESSENZA, DELL’ ANIMA E DELLA SUBLIMAZIONE CREATIVA. IL DISCO IN VINILE HA PULSAZIONE ARTISTICA, PASSIONE ARMONICA E SPLENDORE GRAFICO , E’ PIACEVOLE DA OSSERVARE E DA TENERE IN MANO, RISPLENDE, PROFUMA E VIBRA DI VITA, DI EMOZIONE E DI SENSIBILITA’. E’ TUTTO QUELLO CHE NON E’ E NON POTRA’ MAI ESSERE IL CD, CHE AL CONTRARIO E’ SOLO UN OGGETTO MERAMENTE COMMERCIALE, POVERO, ARIDO, CINICO, STERILE ED ORWELLIANO, UNA DEGENERAZIONE INDUSTRIALE SCHIZOFRENICA E NECROFILA, LA DESOLANTE SOLUZIONE FINALE DELL’ AVIDITA’ DEL MERCATO E DELL’ ARROGANZA DEI DISCOGRAFICI .
THE SIEGEL – SCHWALL BAND
r.i.p. siegel / schwall
Disco LP 33 giri , 1974, wooden nickel / RCA , BWL1 – 0554 , USA
OTTIME CONDIZIONI, vinyl ex++ , cover ex++, piccolo taglio orizzontale (1 cm.) nell’ angolo superiore sinistro / short cut in the high left tip .
Siegel-Schwall Band is the name of a blues band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1964 by Corky Siegel (harmonica) and Jim Schwall (guitar).
Band history
Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall were both students at Roosevelt University, where Siegel studied saxophone music and Schwall studied guitar music. Schwall’s background was mostly in country music, while Siegel was more interested in blues. They combined these two genres, producing a lighter sounding blues as compared to Butterfield Blues Band or John Mayall.
The band originally was the house band at Pepper’s Lounge, but changed
to Big John’s in Chicago after the Butterfield Blues Band began
touring. In 1965, Sam Charters signed the band to Vanguard Records.
In 1966, the band released their first eponymous
album, and began a national tour in 1969. While they weren’t as
commercially successful as Butterfield or Mayall, the band was still
able to perform at large venues such as Fillmore West.
Also around that time, the Siegel-Schwall Band became the first blues
band to ever perform with a symphony, performing “Three Pieces for
Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra” with the San Francisco Orchestra.
After four albums with Vanguard, the band signed to Wooden Nickel (RCA Records). The band won a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover in 1973 for their second eponymous album.
The band broke up in 1974 after releasing the album R.I.P. Siegel/Schwall, and reunited in 1987. Alligator Records
signed them, and they released a live album. The band continues to tour
occasionally, usually during summer because Jim Schwall took a job as a
professor of music. Schwall also unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. The Siegel-Schwall Band also released an album on Alligator Records in 2005, entitled Flash Forward, which was a top 15 hit on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.
- Interprete: The Siegel – Schwall Band
- Etichetta: Wooden Nickel Records
- Catalogo: BWL1 – 0554
- Data di pubblicazione: 1974
- Supporto:vinile 33 giri
- Tipo audio: stereo
- Dimensioni: 30 cm.
- Facciate: 2
- Brown label, white paper inner sleeve
Track Listing
1.: Take Out Some Insurance
2.: Pretty Good
3.: Can’t Believe You Wanna Leave
4.: Wild About My Lovin’
6.: I’m A Hog For You Baby
5.: Night Time’s The Right Time
7.: Tell Me Mama
8.: You Don’t Have To Go
9.: Long Distance Call
10.: It’s Too Short
11.: Women Make A Fool Out Of Me
Before the Siegel-Schwall Band decided to wrap things up, they released
one more album, and it became one of their best. With their bountiful,
down-on-the-farm blues sound led by Corky Siegel’s harmonica, R.I.P.
became an excellent sendoff for one of the most enjoyable groups ever
to play this style of blues music. Most of the cuts belong to the
band’s favorite musicians and songwriters, but are wonderfully molded
in the SSB’s traditional style of rollicking piano riffs and greasy
mandolin. “Take Out Some Insurance” kicks things off with a wallop,
followed by a respectful cover of John Prine’s “Pretty Good.” Although
the lyrics aren’t exactly dead-on, the band’s version of Little
Richard’s “I Can’t Believe You Wanna Leave” fairs as one of the album’s
strongest tracks, and the background vocals on “Night Time’s the Right
Time” give the song its character as the band humorously tries to
imitate a horn section. Little Walter’s “Tell Me Mama” and Jimmy Reed’s
“You Don’t Have to Go” are equally impressive, right down to Sheldon
Plotkin’s loosely knit percussion work, and the whistles and
foot-stomping that fill the album’s last track are proof that these
guys weren’t just another blues band. Every one of the Siegel-Schwall
Band’s albums have something to offer, but they really outdid
themselves on R.I.P., their farewell album.
R.I.P. was the final studio album released by the Siegel-Schwall Band
before they called it quits for good back in 1974. Well, almost for
good…they got back together in 1987 and did a couple of shows which
resulted in a live album (check out “The Reunion Concert” on Alligator
records) and the response was so good that they decided to commit to a
few gigs together every year (much to my extreme delight!!) and are
still going strong.
This record was all cover versions of some of
thier favorite tunes by artists near and dear to them, done the way
they always wanted. This record bursts with joy, to my ears, as they
jam away on some early and contempoary blues by Jimmy Walker, Jimmy
Reed, Muddy Waters, John Prine, and others. They even left in a few
techical clunkers (a flubbed guitar note on “Women Make A Fool Out Of
Me”) which just adds to the charm and goodtime feel that this album
kisses the ears of the listener with. Jim’s version of John Prine’s
“Pretty Good” will get you out of your seat and shakin’ a leg, and
Muddy Water’s “Long Distance Call”, long a crowd favorite at the band’s
concerts, makes it’s first appearance on a Siegel-Schwall album here.
Sung by Rollo Radford, the band’s bassist, he injects the song with his
own special brand of humor and wit. Corky’s harmonica and piano shine
throughout and his vocals on “Take Out Some Insurance On Me” are spot
on.
This is a must own. I love it and you will too, just try it and see.
The Siegel-Schwall Band Live!
Last month, I realized yet another blues dream, one that I’ve nurtured
for more than 25 years since I left the Chicago area for the Pacific
Northwest, and a full house shared in that dream and welcomed the
Siegel-Schwall Band to the Triple Door in their first Seattle show.
[Pictured left to right: Rollo Radford,
Seattle bluesman Jef Jaisun, Corky Siegel, Eric Steiner and Sam Lay at
the Triple Door, 09-23-04]
If you haven’t heard of the Siegel-Schwall Band, a little history
lesson is in order. Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall formed the
Siegel-Schwall Band in the early 1960’s in Chicago, and frequently
played hot blues clubs like Pepper’s Lounge, the Quiet Knight or larger
venues like the Fillmore or the Avalon Ballroom.
During their heyday, they sold out venues large and small as
they shared the
stage with national acts like Sly and the Family Stone and Buddy Guy.
The early years included three blues albums on Vanguard: Siegel-Schwall
Band (1966), Say (Vanguard, 1967), and Shake (1968). The early
seventies releases included Siegel-Schwall (Vanguard, 1970) followed by
a switch to Wooden Nickel Records.
The band’s releases on Wooden Nickel include Sleepy Hollow
(1972), 953 West
(1973), RIP (1973), and Last Summer Live!, and two additional
collections
capture the Siegel-Schwall Band: Where We Walked, a collection of songs
from
1966 to 1970 on Vanguard, and The Wooden Nickel Years. 953 West was the
address of the legendary Quiet Knight club, where Siegel-Schwall held
blues court weekly on Tuesday nights. In 1999, Wounded Bird Records
thankfully has re-released the Wooden Nickels for new generations of
blues fans.
The
band initially disbanded in 1974, but reunited fourteen years later.
Corky and company pursued solo interests, ranging from Radford’s stint
with the Sun Ra Arkestra to Jim Schwall’s doctorate in music (he’s also
running for the Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin this year). Sam Lay
continued to record solo CDs and tour with his Blues Review, and Corky
developed new ways to bridge classical music and the blues, and his
Chamber Blues ensemble crosses that bridge nicely.
The band’s 1988 reunion is captured on Alligator Records’
Siegel-Schwall Reunion Concert Live!, and the band has played
periodically at blues festivals or select club dates frequently ever
since.
The Seattle stop featured the same line up of the 1988 reunion:
Corky Siegel on harmonica and piano and Jim Schwall on guitar, powered
by Rollo Radford on bass and Sam Lay behind the drums. Original drummer
Shelly Plotkin passed away in 1990, and Sam has since added his own
unique style to the band.
Highlights of the Seattle show included extended jams on
Siegel-Schwall hits
like “Hey Billie Jean” and three blues classics: “I’m A King Bee,” “Got
My Mojo Working” and “Long Distance Call.” Throughout the show, Corky
Siegel approached his harp like an aerobic workout, reaching deep for
extended solos, contorting his slender frame that often brought him to
his knees.
Sam Lay and Rollo Radford laid a solid foundation of drum and
bass,
communicating with each other with only a slight smile or wink as they
played. Sam was Howlin’ Wolf’s drummer in the late 1950’s. In addition
to sitting in with Wolf, he’s also played with Little Walter and the
Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Nicknamed “The Shufflemaster,” Sam has
several CDs out as a solo artist, most notably Rush Hour Blues on
Telarc, I Get Evil on Random Chance, and Stone Blues on Evidence. His
resume also includes playing the drums on Highway 61 by Bob Dylan, and
a Heroes’ Award from the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences. He’s also picked up the hardware at the WC
Handy Awards for Best Instrumentalist in 1998, and was inducted in both
the jazz and blues Halls of Fame.
During
the Seattle show, Jim Schwall played acoustic through many of
Siegel-Schwall’s most popular songs and blues covers, and I was hoping
he’d pick up his 1950’s electric Gibson that sat at stage left. His
voice has mellowed with age, but his fiery fingerpicking lit up “Long
Distance Call” and the quirky Sun Ra-influenced “Be There In The
Morning (When The El Comes In The Station)” led by Radford.
After Seattle, Siegel-Schwall headed for the San Francisco
Blues Festival, and November reunites the band for a few dates in
Wisconsin. On November 20th, they’ll do a peace concert at the
Barrymore Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin (and I hope the Mayor will be
playing guitar), followed by two dates in early December in Door
County. After the New Year, look for the Siegel-Schwall Band in Flint,
Michigan at the Whiting Auditorium on January 7th, followed by a show
at the Ark in Ann Arbor the following night.
The Siegel-Schwall Band occupy a special place in the history
of Chicago blues. Reunited every now and then, Corky, Jim, Rollo and
Sam are rocking harder than ever as they rekindle the blues flame for
those fortunate enough to hear anthems like “Hey Billie Jean” or “I
Think It Was the Wine” one more time.
NOTE: Special thanks to Corky Siegel for his assistance with the September 23rd show at Seattle’s Triple Door.
| l’acquisto, paga immediatamente con la tua carta di credito tramite PayPal! |
|
  |
