Top Blues: Magic Sam, The Rolling Stones, Otis Rush

Welcome to the Album Nerds podcast with your hosts, Andy, Don, and Dude. I guess that's why they call it the blues. You'll find out what that means. This is the Album Nerds podcast. I am Dude. I got Andy and Don with me. You guys keeping it blue for today's show? Yeah, things are, things are pretty blue over here, man. My woman left me and my dog died. I still got a little Bessie here, so I'll be, I'll be okay. Bessie. It's my cow. Oh, gotcha. How you doing, Don?

Wait, was this supposed to be blues music? Yes, that was blues clues. Well, you are wearing a blue shirt. Am I the only one not wearing blue? You guys are both wearing blue. Yeah. We need to get into the sphere of the thing. This is part of the theme, man. I wore an ACDC shirt because they have some blues riffs. Yeah, I think most bands could qualify in that one. Yeah, that's true. All right. So this is the Album Nerds podcast. We love albums and the album format and yapping about them.

That's what we're going to do today. We're talking about blues music and we're each going to present a wonderful blues record to dig into. And then of course, Don is going to ask us a deep question. Then we're going to do some shout outs to some other albums and album related items that we're digging. And then of course we will spin that wheel of musical discovery to find out what we'll be talking about next time, but this week it's all about them blues. That's what I'm talking about.

I got the blues. My baby done left me. The blues, a genre born from the African-American experience in the deep South has left a mark on the landscape of modern music from its humble beginnings in the late 19th century to its influential role in shaping rock and roll. The blues has produced a wealth of iconic albums that continue to resonate with listeners today.

These classic recordings not only showcase the raw emotion and musical prowess of legendary artists, but also serve as a Testament to the enduring power of this uniquely American art form. So today, each of us will present an album from rate your music's list by some username Eric Fish is list of the best blues albums of all time. Thank you, Eric. Thanks Fish. Yes, it was a long list, 130 something, I think, but it is nice to work from hopefully some experts.

Yeah, just to clarify, Mr. Fish comprised a few different lists together. I think it was 10 different lists and this was kind of like the composite. Yeah. The cream of the crop. It rose to the top. That's right. So how'd you guys do? You know, did you enjoy your week digging into the blues? Yeah, no, I had a great time, man. You know, there's something about, it's about the blues in the autumn, in the fall, you know, the colors. True. It's really pulls on my heartstrings. So yeah, I was into it.

I will mention a couple of records here that I did not pick, but really enjoyed the Paul Butterfield Blues Band 1965 debut self-titled album, really electric, kind of big Chicago blues sound got a lot of really great tracks on there. Like Shake Your Money Maker and Mystery Train that I'm sure will be familiar. Excellent. Excellent record. That was number five on the list. And I wanted to shout out one of the women who appear on the list. There's not, not too many, a couple though.

Coming up number 42 is Big Mama Thornton and her album, which is a compilation record, came out in the late nineties called Ball and Chain. It's a collection of recordings from the late sixties, really electric recordings there, which she is a great voice, just very powerful. And there's some really great guitar and piano on the album as well. So yeah, what did you discover in your listening, Don? Well, I went back pretty far to a guy named Buka White.

I listened to an album called The Complete Buka White, which a lot of these, you know, these early albums are all, you know, compilations of whatever recordings they putting together at the time. So 1937 through 1940, just kind of raw Delta blues. And he plays the, you know, that slide guitar, which is, which is cool. That was number 47 on that list. Number three on the list was Albert King, Born Under a Bad Sign, which I've heard before is one of the kind of legendary blues albums.

Backed by Booker T and the MGs and the Memphis Horns. King is known as the Velvet Bulldozer. Cause he was a, he was a cool nickname. Yeah. He was a large fella, but smooth, but he had like a smooth. Yes, exactly. Um, he's got it. He's known for the, the flying V guitar. Well, those are muddy ducks. No, I missed it. Good one. Didn't think they'd come up in this episode. Yeah, we, I think we talked about Born Under a Bad Sign at one point. Andy and the Old Days, when we did another blues.

So, yeah, I, I do own that one on vinyl. It's a delight. So I, I did really want to get into the original blues men, uh, like Robert Johnson, for instance, albums are tough though. Um, there was a collection King of the Delta Blues. It was released in 1961 as a mono LP, but the recordings were done in 1936 and 1937. So that's why I wanted, you know, it was just fascinating to me how far it goes back. Yeah. He's the one that sold his soul to the devil. Right. The crossroads and all that.

That so that he could be the ultimate blues guitarist and purveyor. Worth it. Yeah. If you've ever seen the, uh, Ralph Macchio movie Crossroads, some of the story of Robert Johnson is laid out there. It's not a good movie, but it's fun. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's, it's so bad. It's good. You know what I mean? And then, uh, and I thought about Eric Clapton, of course. Right. And he's on the list with from the cradle from 1994. That was a, it was a big record.

Um, he, he had kind of had this comeback after the unplugged people were really aware of him again. And, you know, he's inspired by all of the people on this list and his guitar work and vocals. Uh, you can, you know, after some of the listening I did this week, I can hear where Eric Clapton got a lot of his styles from, you know, the amalgamation of it. So that, that was fun to listen to, but I just didn't, I couldn't go with it here. I wanted to go with some more, uh, OG type guys.

So, uh, yeah, it was fun. Well, enough about who we didn't pick and let's get to, uh, our choices. You choo choo choose me? All right.

For my blues selection, we were talking about magic Sam as 1968 album, Westside soul magic Sam's debut album comes from Granada, Condi, Mississippi, born Samuel Maguette. See how I got the name there. He kind of just switched her around, switched around the Maguette and Samuel became magic Sam. Hmm. Did you know that, uh, originally hearts song magic man was, Ooh, he's a magic Sam. Did you know? I can't tell if you're joking, but I can see where you are. All right.

Well, magic Sam's rendition of the blues classic sweet home Chicago has been called the definitive version. Let's play a little bit, you guys are familiar with the sounds of sweet Chicago. Right? Of course. They're sweet. This is very sweet. Yes. It's the tomato sauce. I believe. That's not so much like the headline for Westside soul is the magic man pulls a gem out of his deep dish pizza. I'm going to pull it out before you bite into it. It's important.

Wow. That sounds more like a magic Mike reference in magic Sam. There's a lot of magic going on in the show today. Yeah. This is a very energetic record, man. I think this thing just kind of like jumps off of the album here. It's such a visceral like raw feel to it. I mean, to me, I felt like I was just kind of like hanging on to get to the end of the record.

Luckily it's a fairly short album, but I got, man, it just chugs along at such a great pace and that's hard not to kind of get caught up in it. And I was not familiar with this record or magic Sam, but I was pretty quickly taken over by his voice, his voice, which I think is excellent. It's like a very soaring kind of exuberant, like R and B style voice, as opposed to just like the more stripped down blues vocal.

But, you know, this electrified blues, I think is, you know, the sixties is when it really started the fifties and sixties when it really started to take off. And, and I think that electrified blues is a lot of what fed, you know, your, your Jimmy Hendrix is and stuff. So I hear bits and pieces of what was, you know, what was brewing and, and it's just really cool to kind of get a early glimpse of that, of those sounds.

A lot of that kind of electric blues sound was seemed to be percolating in the Chicago area. It seems like everyone, at least in the South was kind of coming up to that central location and a lot of innovation and experimentation going on in the sound at the time. Why don't we play the opening cut from the album. This is called, That's All I Need. Kind of sounds like Sam Cooke there. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. That made it. It seems like that song could certainly be, you know, on the pop charts.

Yeah, there was, you know, your rhythm and blues, I think. So this album does have a little bit of that as well, not just straight blues. There are some R&B type tunes, which is, which is fun too. That was actually his, that was his first single written at the age of 20, if you can believe that. Got him a little bit of notoriety in the Chicago area. He might've sold his soul too. Yeah, maybe. Maybe. So, That's All I Need is the opening cut of the album.

And you know, so it features kind of Magic Sam's signature elements. So I was kind of reading about, you know, what makes him unique. So his, his guitar work, I guess he is one of the first blues guys to really use the, the tremolo and rapid finger movements. Whereas somebody we talked about later, I think is more about kind of like sustained notes. This, you know, he's moving up and down the, the board and yeah, in his, his vocals are just, I guess you'd say they're emotive.

Yeah. I was going to say unfettered. Oh, wow. Getting out the, the source there. Just listening to him now, I mean, it is like it's restrained for a bit and then it just, he just kind of lets it go. And you can tell he doesn't have total control, which is kind of what makes it sound cool. Yeah. It really does like surprise you sometimes just like chillin along and he's like, whoa, back down the normal again. Whoa. Well, my clickbait headline for West Side Soul is Forget About Da Bears.

Thanks to Magic Sam, Chicago is about the blues. Da blues. Yeah. So it's, I mean, I really enjoyed this album. I don't have like the best history with the blues cause like it's always bored me a bit because I mean, it really all does sort of sound the same. You know, it all has, you know, some variation of that same, you know, chord progression.

I think when the band, when it started becoming bands, like musicians working together, like blues bands as opposed to, you know, your, your fellas sitting there with a guitar and a banjo just singing the blues. And the sound started to fill out. I think that's when it's gotten more interesting for me as well. Yeah. I guess you just kind of learn to appreciate how somebody makes it their own. And so you let them, you know, kind of shine with their, their guitar licks and their, their voice.

And so, yeah, I mean, I am just like thrash metal. I'm starting to warm up to this classic blues sound. No, I think that makes a good point about the blues. So many, so many of these songs are, you know, covers or re-imaginings of previous versions from decades or like a century ago. You really do have to kind of put your own stank on it to make it, make it your own.

I think that's what separates these, these good albums from the mediocre ones is how personalized you can make the sorrow, I guess, from the, from the past. Let's play another cut from the record. This is towards the end of the album. It's called My Love Will Never Die. Yeah, this dirgey sort of, I love those little riffs that just sound like very actively sad, not just being sad, but sad at the, at another level.

You know, I really enjoy how, how that carries emotion, that, that little simple guitar sound. This song captures the essence of an unwavering eternal love. It was originally written by Willie Dixon and the first time it was put to record was by Otis Rush in 1956. Otis Rush. Oh, Otis Rush. Interesting. The lyrics express deep devotion despite the pain of neglect with, you know, images like flowers growing where the singer rests and just a little bluesy darkness for you. Yeah, it's blues stuff.

Yeah. The bands, the vibrato and those clean tones really added nice depth to the guitar sound. There's this plea for reconciliation throughout this song and a good blues performer not only expresses that emotion through his voice, but also through the instrument he's playing and he does a good job with that. My clickbait headline to describe the album. Prepare to be spellbound as Magic Sam's West Side Soul casts a timeless spell over Chicago blues. Spellbound, spellbound.

Yeah, I went with the easy magic reference in my clickbait headline. Yeah, I think it's reminiscent somewhat of BB King, a little, but BB King seems like he's having fun all the time, even when he's singing the blues. And that's not necessarily the vibe I got here. The production of the album, it avoids that kind of polished approach of Motown with, you know, rhythm and blues and R&B and so on.

The R&B songs are more stripped down and a little more raw sounding than a lot of the other music of that basic style. It's less clean sounding. I enjoyed that. I thought it worked well here. And yeah, I mean, I hear some Chuck Berry influenced moments and things, which gives a little bit of a rock and roll flair here and there, which of course that's my bread and butter. So I enjoyed hearing that as well. So yeah, it's a very enjoyable listen.

I didn't really have a bad time with any of the records that came across my player over that week though. Yeah. I think the blues, I don't know, I think like one of the least offensive genres. I feel like almost anyone can find something to like in the blues, but maybe getting that depth out of it is a little bit more challenging. But anyway, let's go back to this record for a second. Magic Sam was on the Cobra label with Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. Cobra!

Yeah, of course that was the first thing that came to mind. Unfortunately, he passed away at the young age of 32, really just a few years after these albums came out from a heart attack. So I didn't really get a chance to explore 70s and how the blues and the widow evolve there. But I think this album, man, if you haven't heard this record, I think it's a really exceptional example of Chicago electric blues and it's definitely worth a listen.

So Magic Sam, West Side Soul. Okay, before we get to our next bluesy pick, why don't we enjoy a word from the Pick A Disc podcast. Do you like music? Do you like podcasts? Chances are you like music podcasts. Take this one for example, Pick A Disc, where every fortnight a guest comes on to talk about an album for whatever reason they want to. Sometimes I like it, sometimes perhaps even something else other than just like it. You just listen to the podcast and find out.

We talk about the album, we talk about the songs, we talk about the artists, we talk about tangent things that are slightly related and sometimes we deviate off tangents. But don't worry, we always bring it back in the end. But you can find us at all your social medias and all the podcast apps for searching for Pick A Disc. You can also find us on the part of the Weedig Podcast Network under Linktree slash Weedig Podcasts. And until then, happy listening to all those discs that you are picking.

Goodbye. Guess who's going to be on the next episode? Who? Me. Whoa. All right. Alvin Ernst Don? Unless he decides to cut it, which is possible. That would be pretty embarrassing. Yeah, especially after you've mentioned it here on the show. Geez. No, I can't wait to hear that. What Al QT's album or is that confidential? Depeche Mode Violator, which is tough because it's out of my comfort zone. Oh yeah, your first time hearing it.

Yeah. You wanted to make sure to go be a guest on a show where you're locked and loaded so you can be the expert. So I don't know, be interested to see if Mr. Adisk knew more about it than you do. His name's Matt. Just have to listen and find out. All right, let's get back to it. Well, nothing says the blues like British white guys.

So my pick is the Rolling Stones. So believe it or not, they ended up on this list, which I was kind of happy about because I wanted to get maybe a super famous artist on the show. But at number 113 on this best blues albums of all time list was the Rolling Stones self-titled debut from April 1964. Rolling Stones were formed in London in 1962.

The original lineup was Mick Jagger on vocals and harmonica, Keith Richards on guitar, Brian Jones on guitar and slide guitar, Bill Wyman on bass and Charlie Watts on drums. So this marked the beginning of the band's career and showcased their raw energy and rhythm and blues origins, kind of captured the essence of their early live performances. So here's the only Jagger Richards penned song on the album.

It's called Tell Me. They were probably still wearing suits during this period before they said, we're not the Beatles, we're just going to dress in street clothes. They do have suits on the album cover. So yeah, they do. Now they're on. So yeah, so I mean, that is probably the least bluesy song on the album. Good choice to beat off this discussion. But I did want to highlight the one song that they wrote. And of course, Jagger and Richards went on to be a prolific songwriting team.

Yeah, they're pretty good. They do all right. This is kind of a, I guess a pop ballad. According to Jagger, they really wanted to show their versatility and willingness to explore different musical styles, kind of an acoustic arrangement, sort of sad sounding at first, but then the tempo and the melody kind of brightens as it progresses, lyrics dealing with lost love and desire to rekindle a relationship. So that's very blues.

Anyway, so my clickbait headline for the self-titled Rolling Stones debut is, please don't polish these stones, leave them raw and blue. Oh God. Oh boy. I mean, typical of the Rolling Stones in general, they are often sort of raw and in that blues vein. I think they're different from the Beatles in that way. So while the Beatles were influenced by the blues and you definitely hear the blues in them, the Stones, I think kind of always wore it on their sleeves.

In fact, we did Exile on Main Street not too long ago and that really seemed like a blues record. But yeah, I think it was recorded over like four days, minimal overdubs, basically 11 cover songs from people like Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye, Jimmy Reid, Willie Dixon, Rufus Thomas. There are two other originals which we'll talk about. But yeah, basically just like a standard blues album for the most part with the exception of a couple of moments. Well, let's hear a little more.

Here's a song called Little by Little. Yeah, I like that the rhythm comes in to help fill in them blues. Yeah, good harmonica there. That's a fun track. It was recorded on February 4th, 1964 and released as the B-side to their hit Not Fade Away on February 21st of the same year. So that song did feature, of course, Mick Jagger on vocals, but he was playing the harmonica. It does have that classic Stones vibe with the bluesy roots.

And I think that particular song made me think of what they were doing moving forward and how they continue to evolve. The song's title plays homage to a track by Junior Wells and Earl Hooker while its rhythm has a nice similarity to Jimmy Reid's Shame Shame Shame which came out the year before. So interestingly, Phil Spector got co-credit for the song, this is what I read, alongside the group's pseudonym, Nanker Felge, which is really a collective effort by the band.

They would all get royalties on those. Interesting they wouldn't put their names on it. I mean, it's not the same by any means. No, but I don't think it was what they wanted their signature Jagger-Richards composition to be. I think it was also a way, I think, to share the wealth so they could feed themselves in this period before they really broke big. Yeah, Nanker is hungry, man. That's right.

My clickbait headline to describe the album, the Rolling Stones debut album rolled the blues rock movement and proved they were anything but moss covered. Wow. Get it? Yep, you got the rolled in there. Stone gathers no moss. Deep. It showcases their deep roots in rhythm and blues, has that spirit of the early British blues boom, which is very interesting that the blues became such an anchor point for British bands that helped build that blues rock sound.

And yeah, it's a lot of covers as Don mentioned, but they were pushing boundaries and exploring their own style and other artists. And I think that's kind of how you had to do it in these days. You had to get yourself on the radio before you could really start to do your own thing. So it's effective.

And I'm glad that it was on the list and I'm glad it was really low on the list because it shouldn't be in the top 10 because this was more informed by the blues less than it helped move the blues forward. It was the beginnings of moving a different tangent of the blues forward. So cool. Glad we got this on here. Yeah, it really does blur the lines between the blues and rock and roll.

And then I think we could debate a lot of these Chuck Berry records and stuff, whether it's the blues or whether it's R&B or it's rock and roll. Right. Anyway, let's hear some more. This is Can I Get a Witness? It's kind of weird hearing Mick Jagger not being as sneery as he got later on. Yeah, sounds like a young lad. Yeah, he's holding it back a little bit. A little bit, yeah. Can I Get a Witness?

Originally sung by Marvin Gaye in 63, since covered by a variety of artists, including Dusty Springfield, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, among a bunch of others. Yeah, Macklickbait headline for the Rolling Stones debut record is, the Stones certainly can rock, but their debut shows, their blues are still green. I think the Stones really love this album because I really love the blues record they put out maybe like seven, eight years ago, like we reviewed it on the show. Called Blues?

Yeah, it was called Blues. Yeah, keeping it simple. This is certainly good. Certainly their level of quality. I just felt like they didn't really add a lot to the covers here. I enjoyed the originals, but I felt like the covers at times were a little bit lackluster. I think it was about being able to play the blues less than it was about contributing to it. Kind of a proof of concept sort of thing, like we can do this, we can have this sound.

Yeah, you know, like when you're a young band, these are the songs they were probably playing when they were gigging and they needed to fill in a record, you know? Yeah. We were talking about like kind of like making these sounds your own. I don't know if they really have a sound yet. Like they don't really, I mean, you can tell the members and their general style, but they don't really have that swagger like you expect from the Rolling Stones at this point.

And I think that's really important for the blues to have that personality and that swagger that kind of like in your face sort of style. And I don't know, there's tracks on here that I think just fall flat for me, like Route 66, the opening cut, even Mona, which is like a big swampy stomp, like Delta blues style song. I just felt like it just sounded kind of lazy here. Kind of get a witness, it's kind of an interesting choice.

It's not really a traditional blues song, but even that I felt like it was kind of, they don't really have the hotspot to pull off some of these songs in my opinion. So yeah, I don't know. I mean, it's a good album, but I would put it kind of lower on my Stones list if I was going to make one of those. The blues record that was more recent, I mean, they are at that point, they have experienced life, right? Right. Isn't that what the blues are about a little bit?

Yeah. And I think, you know, the young Stones, they had experienced some life, but the depths of emotion and despair and happiness that come throughout your adult life, I think, helped flavor the blues. So they just weren't blue enough yet. Yeah. I do think one moment on the album where they do kind of make it their own.

So there's Can I Get a Witness, the Marvin Gaye cover, and then there's Now I've Got a Witness, which I think is based on the same chord sequence, but it's sort of an improvisational jam session that's going on. I think that's one of the highlights of the record, although it's weird that that's on side A and Can I Get a Witness is on side B. It seems like they should have gone back to back or something. Yes, you can get a witness. No, I thought that track was good too, Don. I'm with you.

Yeah. So I mean, I think I agree with Andy. I wasn't that excited by songs like Route 66, but it's the beginning of the Rolling Stones story, I guess, and it kind of makes sense. It shows where they're coming from. It basically just sets the scene for their great careers. So if you want to begin the story of the Rolling Stones, check out their self-titled debut album from 1964. Excuse me.

I'd like to ask you a few questions. Now it's time for Deep Questions by Don. Actually, it should be deep dish questions. So many regions have developed their own distinctive styles of blues music, right? Like Chicago, Memphis, and the Delta, much like how different areas have created unique variations of pizza. So guys, what's your preferred style or type of pizza? That's a good question. That's a tough question. This could divide the nation right now in this discussion.

People get very passionate about their pizza. If we were doing like a New York versus Chicago thing, I would be afraid to pick a side, but... We're not doing any versus discussions. We're just saying things we enjoy. There's a local pizza shop that makes a nice salty crust. It's got a little extra something in it because it leaves your lips smacking. I really enjoy. That's what I look for in my pizza. Yeah. I want to taste it a couple of hours later if possible. I feel a little dehydrated.

Yeah. Whenever I call a pizza place, I ask their lip smacking level as long as it's high. Yeah, me too. So I get that and some broccoli as my go-to. But I'll be honest with you guys, I haven't had pizza in over two years. I think I'm moving on from it. I'm kind of over it. Really? Yeah. Jeez. Wow. It gave me a lot of indigestion. So I just can't... It's not worth it for me at this point. Yeah. That's the age sneaking up on you, my friend.

Does that salty crust pizza, does it have sauce or is it more like a white pizza? No, they do sauce, but I think the star is the crust. Yeah. I used to go to a place that put really big salt, like pretzel salt on the crust. Oh, wow. That's different. Yeah. It was salty. It's like eating a pretzel. Yeah. So for me, it's got to be New York style, New York city, thin crust, floppy, greasy. I don't eat it too often. Not a sparrow.

But you know, like I like as long as... but that crust on the bottom, we've got to have crunch even though it's floppy, you know? I mean, my actual favorite in the life I live now is my wife makes... We don't order pizza really, she makes it and we have like a pizza steel and stuff so you can get your oven a lot hotter and she does this like 24 hour dough. Man. You would... I mean, it's... Worth the wait?

Yeah. It's got, you know, I know it's all fresh stuff that's on it and whatever and... but yeah, pizza good. Yeah. I think we can all agree on that. Yeah. And pizza is one of those things where even like bad pizza is good to me. Like I can eat gas station pizza and I'll still enjoy it and I liked, you know, school pizza. School lunch pizza, yeah, little squares, you know? Practically Elio's, right? Yeah. My favorite pizza is definitely New York style.

Apologies to Chicago. But I do want to mention something that's I think unique to Rochester, New York called the dill pickle pizza, which basically it's kind of like a white pizza. There's no red sauce, but it's got slices of pickle and then it's just loaded with like dill seasoning and it doesn't necessarily sound like something that's delicious, but it's good. I enjoy it. It's worth trying once, I would say, definitely.

I feel like only a vegetarian would try it because you don't have as many options as the omnivores, you know what I'm saying? So it's like, Oh, this doesn't have meat on it. I'll give it a try. It's true. I want peppers again, or I can try this pickle. Yeah. Yeah. When, when Don and I were roommates, like whatever it was 20 plus years ago, his pizza was all like we'd order Domino's or something and it'd be the hottest of hot peppers on it.

And of course it was usually after guzzling Miller Lite for, for 12 hours and we eat that stuff. My esophagus is already upset. Those were rough nights. I'd have to lie down because I ate too much. Well what's your favorite style of pizza? Let us know on Instagram and Facebook or leave a comment on our website, AlbumNerds.com. Alrighty. So Otis Rush has been mentioned a couple of times under the radar in our discussion.

So that's who I went with. I went with his, I guess 1976 album, Right Place, Wrong Time, that was recorded in 1971. We'll talk about that in a second. Otis Rush was born in 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where his early experiences in the rural South influenced his musical style. He was immersed in the sounds of the Delta blues and gospel from an early age.

And then at age 14, he moved to Chicago where he encountered the vibrant urban blues scene and blending deep roots of Delta blues with the electrified sound of the Chicago blues. So this fusion kind of helped him develop a signature style characterized by expressive guitar work, powerful vocals, which is really fun to hear in this space and really innovative phrasing guitar wise. So why don't we jump in, listen to a little bit of Tour Up.

So in Tour Up, which was co-written by Ike Turner and Ralph Bass, or Bass, I'm not sure which, both are equally fine. Otis Rush delivers a powerful performance that blends his expressive guitar work and raw vocals to convey the chaos and regret of a night spent drinking. Probably had some spicy pizza as well. The guitar techniques, including the string bending and dynamic picking, create kind of like emotional intensity throughout this song and others on the album.

It mirrors the narrative and has this call and response elements between the guitar and the vocals, which kind of helps move the song forward. I just love his voice. It's a little more developed, I think, and controlled than some of what we've been talking about previously here on the show today. But my clickbait headline, describe the album. Otis Rush's right place, wrong time is a masterclass in blues guitar and vocals, a testament to the fact that near blues perfection can't be rushed.

Otis Rush. That is of certain ease to the music, I would say that does not feel rushed. Yeah, it's laid back. All right, so why don't we get to another track. This one is called Rainy Night in Georgia. Baby it's raining in Georgia Lord I believe it's raining all over the world Yeah, that'll give you shivers like a cold November rain in Georgia. In Georgia, yeah. You can really just feel his despair, can't you? Yeah. Love it. Seriously. I feed off his despair.

I'm just a bear vampire down over here. Wow, I think that's a thing. That might be my new character. Go ahead. That song originally written by Tony Joe White in 1969, kind of like stops the record in its tracks, I would say. It's kind of in the middle there. It's just so smooth and so soulful, his vocal delivery there. You're like, is this still a blues record? I mean, this is like kind of like straight up soul at this point, but he does it so well, I would say.

It just makes sense as the record unfolds. My clickbait headline for Right Place Wrong Time is Otis delivers a rush of soul to the West Side Chicago blues represent. There you go. What? Exactly. Like I was saying, this record just has a nice ease to it. Not that it's lazy or slow or it takes its time. Everything on it feels impactful and has a purpose, but it just sounds so professional, I guess. They just know what they're doing. Everything sounds very confident.

Everything moves forward very quickly. The band especially is super tight and they're just kind of cruising. There's a couple of nice instrumental tracks. I wonder why it was my personal favorite. They're just so tight and smoking on that track. Yeah. And then he'd throw his voice in there and I was just kind of like, wow, it's like a one-two punch of this is really nice. All right. So why don't we get to the title track, Right Place Wrong Time.

It's the vibrato in his voice I think that makes it so powerful. It's like when you're watching a movie or TV show and someone's lower lip starts shaking and you instantly feel the sadness coming on. The vibrato does the same vocally where it instantly starts making you feel a little tight in the in the throat. So Right Place Wrong Time is one of the longer songs on the album, clocking in at five minutes and 24 seconds.

Not a big deal by Floyd standards, but so the- Only Don could get Pink Floyd on a blues show somehow. Although they're actually named after blues musicians. No, please no, no. Anyway, so the lyrics reflect sort of your classic blues themes of misfortune and missed opportunities. Oh, I'm always at the right place at the wrong time trying to find the one woman I can call mine. Sing it brother. That's the blues.

Yeah, the more I listen to it, the less I care about his guitar and the more I care about his voice. But his guitar is actually pretty impressive. And again, I'm trying to sort of figure out the subtle differences between Otis Rush and Magic Sam. And it does seem like, so you got a little more bending with this guy. Bending the strings. Isn't it Beckham style thing going on here? What's happening? Bend it like Rush. So yeah, he's subtly bending the strings.

He described his sound as being slow burning. So sometimes he's got kind of like longer notes, longer sustained notes that are I think bent, which kind of gives it that expressive sound. Smoldering was the word I came across in one of the reviews I was reading. I was like, yeah, this record is just smoldering. Besides, like if you look at the album cover, besides having a cool prince-like quaff in his hair, him and his guitar are one. And the voice and the guitar like sing together.

It's like duets. And there's just, there is something magical. Sorry, Sam. There is some magic here as well. Yeah, I really fell in love with this record as I continue to listen to it. You're right about it being a duet with the voice and the guitar. The guitar really is another voice in the blues. So my clickbait headline, Rush left his Delta informed Chicago blues in San Francisco, but blues lovers found it at the right time. There you go. The album was recorded in San Francisco for the...

Yeah. Yeah. Well, anyway. Yeah. Well, yeah, I referenced this earlier that the album was recorded in 1971. Capitol Records decided they weren't going to make any money in this blues revival that was happening in the late sixties, early seventies. So it just sat and eventually a record label was formed specifically to release this album because it had been sitting for five years. Damn. Yeah. And this, so both the Magic Sam and this are sort of of that Chicago blues scene.

And I think they're both originally from the South, but for some reason this one feels a little more Delta, a little more of that Southern something or other. Yeah. I mean, especially like if you, the opening riff on Rainy Night in Georgia, it just, it sounds of the South to me. It just, it's just such a nice opening. Yeah. One of my, another favorite moment on the record is that track, Easy Go, which has another just a really long instrumental section.

And I mean, for me, that's really what I want from the blues. I think those are the best moments when they deviate from the song structure itself and just sort of go off on it. That's when it gets fun. And that Easy Go track is really impressive. I thought Take a Look Behind was pretty cool. It's the re-imagined version of Nat King Cole's Looking Back. And it's got great lyrics, but it showcases Rush's guitar work some more.

And yeah, it's just, it's inviting and you can kind of lose yourself in it, which is a lot of times blues can get a little like, I went out of here, but I kept wanting to go back. Yeah. I read that, I guess a fun fact here. So he's actually left-handed. You can see that on the album cover. Like Jimi Hendrix. But I think he's playing, yeah, I think he does it the same as Hendrix where the, it's basically upside down. I guess it's right side up to him.

Yeah. So yeah, this album's a must listen showcasing raw emotion and powerful storytelling that really defines the blues and it's compelling. And the way that Rush blends his Mississippi roots with the electrified energy of Chicago blues is definitely worth checking out. So go listen to Right Place Wrong Time. But don't rush.

Do rush. Can you dig it? Can you dig it? Can you dig it? Well, we've been wallowing in the blues all week, but did you find time to dig anything else? Yeah. I got a couple of things here stored in my deep dish. I could share with you guys. Your personal pan. Yeah, my personal pan. Exactly. All right. First one up, from an artist from Notting Hill, England, talking about Richard Thompson. He had put out an album out earlier this year called Ship to Shore. Kind of a nautical theme album.

Let's play. Open cut freeze. I would never peg that for being British. Really? No, I'm just kidding. I expected it to be like a soundtrack to a Julia Roberts Hugh Grant movie. You're at the right location. Wrong time. This is the 27th-ish studio album for the folk rock artists. It's been around for a minute or two. I really enjoy this record though. I think it's super catchy. It's kind of like a nautical theme, like I was saying. You like those. What was the other guy, the sailor man one?

Yeah, what was that one? Oh, Mike Watt, the steamboat tugboat thing. That was fun too. The other one for me is from a sludge metal band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Is this another version of metal I have to learn? Sledge metal? Yeah, I mean, I guess. I guess it is. This is talking about Thou. They have an album out called Umbilical. Gross. It's their 62 album. Let's play opening cut Narcissus Spirit. Amen. Am I right guys? We balled that in there. And these guys are Amish?

Why would you think they're Amish? Because it's a thou? Yeah. I didn't think about that. That's a stretch. Swing and a miss. What you been digging on, Don? Well, we have a follower on our Instagram, an artist called Riffindots, which I took some time to check out. She has an EP with the song Lockjaw Mountain. Riffindots, they all move down the mountain. Riffindots, they all move down the mountain. It's colorful. It's kind of psychedelic, psychotic. Like I don't know. It's fun. Psychotic.

Yeah. So I would definitely check out some of her works. She's got a lot on there. So it's Riffindots. Another one, right? We just got to Halloween, but the Christmas records are already coming out. So the country group Little Big Town from Homewood, Alabama has a new Christmas album called The Christmas Record. Here's the opening cut, Glow. Oh boy. Wow. Really took a different path on Christmas music than your standard stuff.

It's too early to be digging it, but it's on my radar because I always want to check out what new Christmas stuff is coming out. So I think it's got a lot of originals on it and only a few classic tunes on it. I appreciate that. All right. Dude, what are you digging? Okay. So I'm digging something a little on the sludgy side, not quite metal, but adjacent, I would say. It's Jerry Cantrell's new record called I Want Blood released October of 2024.

It's the fourth solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist. Why don't we check out a little bit of Villified. In his solo works, he often just does the him and the lane parts or William DeVaul, who's the current co-vocalist in Alice in Chains. But it's not just that. It also does blend some rock and punk sounds throughout the record. That song is probably the Alice in Chainsiest of them, which is probably why I enjoyed it so very much. Cool. All right.

So to the vinyl collection, I was at the record store just a week ago and going through the new used selections and came across an album that I can't seem to escape. Don brings it up all the time. We've talked about it on the show. So now I own it. Phil Ox. Yes. I Ain't Marching Anymore from 1965. Let's listen to a little bit of the title track. This appears to be a vintage copy. I got it for only $8. The vinyl's in good shape. Sounds pretty good.

A little crackly, but it's fine to find stuff like this. My friend Benji that owns the store was like, as soon as I went up to buy it, he's like, what's the story on this one, dude? Like why? What made you grab this? So I said, because I've been brow-beaten into it by now on the podcast. I'd love to know the story of that actual copy. Like if it was at some war protest somewhere or something. Oh, wow. Yeah, right. Yes. I'm sure it was.

It's probably Phil Ox own personal copy that managed to get out. Well what are you digging? Let us know. Join us on the socials, Facebook, Instagram, and threads. Also our website, albumnerds.com. It will be a discovery of extraordinary value. Well, it's about that time on the show when I'm reminded of the great American blues legend, B.B. King. Oh yes. Got to get him on the show a little bit here. He said, I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice.

Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed. That was pretty funny. All right. With that in mind, let's bring out my friend in yours, Wodbot, and we'll see what we'll be talking about on next week's episode. Prince's music has inspired countless fans and artists, but behind his sound were legends who influenced him. This time you will explore albums that inspired Prince and helped shape his music. You might even call them Prince Purations. Prince Purations. What?

That's interesting. We've, the wheel just keeps finding ways to get us to talk about Prince, even if it's indirectly. So that should be fun. Albums that may have inspired Prince. Cool. Heard he was a big Floyd fan. Of course he did. I also loved Duran Duran. He actually was a secret member of Metallica. So I'll have to pull one of those out. What's your favorite blues album? What albums do you think inspired Prince? What else are you listening to?

Leave a comment on our website or email us at podcast at albumnerds.com. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and threads at album nerds. And also please subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast app. And if you'd like to support the show, you can do so via PayPal at albumnerds.com slash support. Thank you so much for joining us on the Album Nerds podcast. We'll catch you next time where we are Prince-spired by some albums. Thanks for listening everybody. See you next week.

Let me tell you about a podcast that really rocks and rolls. The Album Nerds podcast with Andy, Don, and Dude. Nice. The wheel of musical discovery tells us where to go. That's all I got so far. Wow. Beautiful. That's pulling on my heartstrings now. Can you feel the pain, the suffering? I felt the pain and suffering. Yes, dude. That's coming through strong. Bye bye.