Little Walter - Confessin' The Blues (re-up)

 

Side 1:

01. It Ain't Right

02. Rocker

03. I Got To Find My Baby

04. Lights Out

05. One More Chance With You

06. Crazy Legs

07. Temperature

Side 2:

01. I Got To Go

02. Crazy Mixed Up World

03. Quarter To Twelve

04. Confessin' The Blues

05. The Toddle

06. Up The Line

07. Rock Bottom

08. Mean Old Frisco

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Confessin' The Blues (Mega)

Original post (13th August 2012):

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/little-walter-confessin-blues.html

This is a 1982 Italian re-issue of an album originally issued on Chess in 1974. The sleevenotes by Pete Welding are in Italian. Sound quality seems slightly muffled on some tracks. Your intrepid blogger, still reeling from his efforts on the Chess Masters Various Artists post, went back on the discographical trail to round up the info on these tracks.

I swore I wouldn't get involved in original release dates and dates of recording sessions and who was or wasn't present on each track, but what the heck, these are LITTLE WALTER tracks! We must do right by the man, so here's the lowdown as far as I can make it out. Sources: Bruyninckx, www.wirz.de, notes to 2CD set "Blues With A Feeling", and even occasionally my own ears.

All tracks recorded in Chicago. Guitarist Robert Lockwood is variously listed as "Robert Lockwood Jr." and "Robert Jr. Lockwood" depending where you look. Apparently his given name was Robert Lockwood, Jr. but he was also known as Robert "Junior" Lockwood, hence the variation in different discographies.

Track details:

01. It Ain't Right - Checker 833 (B side of "Who"), February 1956. Recorded December 1955. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Lockwood Jr. and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass), Fred Below (drums).

02. Rocker - Checker 793, April 1954. "Little Walter and His Jukes". Recorded February 22nd, 1954. Personnel: Little Walter (harmonica); Robert Lockwood Jr. and Louis Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

03. I Got To Find My Baby - Checker 1013 (B side of "Just Your Fool"), May 1962. Recorded May 22nd, 1954. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Louis Myers and Robert Lockwood Jr (guitars); Otis Spann (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

04. Lights Out - Checker 786, December 1953. "Little Walter and His Jukes." Recorded July 23rd, 1953. Personnel: Little Walter (harmonica); Louis Myers and Dave Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

05. One More Chance With You - Checker 838, May 1956. Recorded December 1955. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Lockwood Jr. and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass), Fred Below (drums).

06. Crazy Legs - Checker 986 (B side of "Crazy For My Baby"), July 1961. Recorded January 1953. Personnel: Little Walter (harmonica); Louis Myers and David Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass), Fred Below (drums).

07. Temperature - Checker 867 (B side of "Boom, Boom Out Goes The Lights"), August 1957. Recorded June 20th, 1957. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Lockwood Jr. and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

08. I Got To Go - Checker 817 (B side of "Roller Coaster"), May 1955. Recorded April 28th 1955. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Robert Lockwood Jr. and Luther Tucker (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

09. Crazy Mixed Up World - Checker 919 (B side of "My Baby Is Sweeter"), March 1959. Recorded February 25th 1959. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Luther Tucker and Freddy Robinson (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); George Hunter (drums).

10. Quarter To Twelve - Checker 780 (B side of "Blues With A Feeling"), September 1953. Recorded July 23rd, 1953. Personnel: Little Walter (harmonica); Jimmy Rogers and David Myers (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

11. Confessin' The Blues - Checker 890 (B side of "The Toddle"), March 1958. Recorded January 1958. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Luther Tucker and Jimmy Lee Robinson (guitars); Lafayette Leake (organ); Willie Dixon (bass); George Hunter or Odie Payne (drums).

12. The Toddle - Checker 890. Recording date and personnel same as per "Confessin' The Blues" except no vocal and Lafayette Leake plays piano instead of organ.

13. Up The Line - Checker 1043, April 1963. Recorded February 5th 1963. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Jarrett Gibson (tenor sax), Donald Hankins (baritone sax); Billy Emerson (organ); Lafayette Leake (piano); Buddy Guy (guitar); Jack Myers (bass); Al Duncan (drums).

14. Rock Bottom - Checker 904 (B side of "Key To The Highway), September 1958. Recorded August 1958. Personnel: Little Walter (harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Muddy Waters (slide guitar); Luther Tucker (guitar); Willie Dixon (bass); George Hunter (drums).

15. Mean Old Frisco - Checker 1117, July 1965. "Mean Ole Frisco." Recorded July 21st 1959. Personnel: Little Walter (vocal, harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Robert Lockwood Jr. and Luther Tucker (guitars), Willie Dixon (bass); Bill Stepney (drums).

CD covers from my collection.

The Proper set is a good overview of Little Walter from his earliest recordings for the Ora Nelle label in 1947, through a couple of early tracks with Sunnyland Slim and then Jimmy Rogers, and then on to the huge hit "Juke" recorded for Chess in May 1952, with backing from the Muddy Waters band billed as Little Walter and His Night Cats. The rest of the tracks are from October 1952, March 1953 and July 1953 sessions by Little Walter and His Jukes. This line up usually consisted of Little Walter (vocal / harmonica); Louis and David Myers on guitars, Willie Dixon on bass, and Fred Below on drums. The July 1953 session had Jimmy Rogers on guitar instead of the Myers brothers. It's all good stuff!

A Proper Introduction To Little Walter: Juke. (Intro CD 2006) Compiled and annotated by Joop Visser. Digipack, 23 tracks. Published 2004.

The 2CD set "Blues With A Feeling" in the Chess Collectibles series is a wide ranging set of tracks from 1952 to 1966. There are many alternate takes (including an alternate of "Juke") and quite a few unreleased tracks in the selection, so this is by no means a comprehensive review of the chart career of Little Walter. One for those who wish to dig deep.

Blues With A Feeling - Chess Collectibles, Volume 3. (MCA Chess CHD2-9357) Compiled and produced by Andy McKaie and Mary Katherine Aldin. Two CD set, 40 tracks. Published 1995.