In 1969 King with his quite noisy guitarsound and heavy Chicago- and Texas-blues played alongside Led Zeppelin and other rock bands at the Texas Pop Festival, in a time when blues had become popular among white people. This album features just that mentioned type of blues and consists of good songs that gets the feet (and more) moving and is full of life. Freddie died way too young in 1976, only 42 years of age.

1)Yonder wall (Elmore James) (7,5)

2)Stumble (8,0)

3)I wonder why (B.B. King) (8,0)

4)Stormy monday (T-Bone Walker) (8,0)

5)I don't know (7,5)

6)What'd I say (Ray Charles) (7,5)

7)Ain't nobody's business what we do (7,0)

8)You don't have to go (Jimmy Reed) (7,5)

9)Woke up this morning (B.B. King) (8,0)

10)The things I used to do (Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones) (8,0)

11)My feeling for the blues (7,5)

Score: 7,68

Freddie King-vocals and guitars (1934-1976)

Music that stay true in some way to the original blues, unlike many others at the time, trying to mix blues with rock. There's no heaviness or virtouso-playing, just real and pure blues (even though it's electric... Depends on what you compare with). There is also variation in different blues-types here and also many own new ideas that was to inspire many bluesartists to follow. The album reached nr. 8  on the Britsh charts, which today sounds incredible. Once there was a good time for the blues!

On the previous album the later to become world famous Eric Clapton played guitar in the band but left to form Cream. The band at this time featured only to-become well known musicians, for example John McVie and Peter Green in Fleetwood Mac and Ansley Dunbar in UFO, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed and many more bands.

This is a partly superb album, from one of the top bluesacts of the time, and after...

1)A hard road (8,0)

2)It's over (7,5)

3)You don't love me (7,5)

4)The stumble (7,0)

5)Another kinda love (6,5)

6)Hit the highway (7,5)

7)Leaping Christine (7,5)

8)Dust my blues (7,0)

9)There's always work (2,0)

10)The same way (5,5)

11)The super-natural (6,5)

12)Top of the hill (6,5)

13)Someday after a while (You'll be sorry) (6,0)

14)Living alone (7,5)

Score: 6,61

John Mayall-vocals, guitars, organ, piano, harmonica (b.1933)

Peter Green (Peter Allen Greenbaum)-vocals and guitars (b.1946)

John McVie-bass (b.1945)

Ansley Dunbar-drums (b.1946)

This albums release is both joyful and sad. Joyful because that at age of 83 he released an album worth of good material. Sad beacause it's probably his last album, his 42nd. The album is very stripped down, suiting BB perfect and with no guestartists as on previous albums. The band is of course great and tight and the songs are mostly covers of old bluessongs listed below. King recieved a Grammy for Best traditional blues album for this album and he was worth it that's for sure. Buy this album and enjoy some great music that's ALIVE!

1)See that my grave is kept clean (Blind Lemon Jefferson) (7,0)

2)I get so weary  (T-Bone Walker) (6,0)

3)Get these blues off me (8,5)

4)How many more years (Chester Burnett) (8,0)

5)Waiting for your call (T-Bone Walker) (7,5)

6)My love is down (Lonnie Johnson) (7,0)

7)The world gone wrong (Mississippi Sheiks) (6,5)

8)Blues before sunrise (John Lee Hooker) (7,0)

9)Midnight blues (7,5)

10)Backwater blues (Big Bill Broonzy) (8,0)

11)Sitting on top of the world (7,5)

12)Tomorrow night (Lonnie Johnson) (7,0)

Score: 7,29

B.B King-vocals and guitars (b.1925)

Johnny Lee Schell-guitars

Nathan East-bass (b.1955)

Mike Elizondo-bass

Jay Bellerose-drums

Jim Keltner-drums (b.1942)

Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack)-piano (b.1940)

"The Originator", the one and only Elllas Otha Bates, as known as Bo Diddley. He recorded his 1st album in 1958 and this album of hard hitting unpolished funk, r'n'b and rock deeply rooted in the blues was released the year before I was born, in 1970. Bo's music has never been a favourite of mine but he inspired many many rockartists to follow.

1)Elephant man (6,0) Hard hitting funky r'n'b.

2)You, Bo Diddley (4,5) Boring and repetitive.

3)Black soul (5,5) Repetitive organbased funky rock. Not much happening.

4)Power house (7,0) A good heavy bluesrocker.

5)If the bible's right (6,5) An okey r'n'b-rocker with nice female background vocals.

6)I've got a feeling (6,0)

7)Shut up, woman (6,5) A heavy and slow blues in Hotchie Kootchie-style.

8)Hot buttered blues (7,0) A slow blues.

9)Funky fly (4,5) Boring funky song.

10)I don't like you (6,0) Crazy spoken song between Bo and a woman.

Score: 5,95

Bo Diddley (Ellas Otha Bates) -vocals and guitars (1928-2008)

Unknown-guitars (Probably Ricky Jolivet, Bo's nephew)

Chester Lindsay-bass

Clifton James-drums

Cookie Vee-vocals

Bobby Alexis-organ

Another great cover on Groundhogs 2nd album and were still in the 1960's when this band continued their bluesy journey, mixing in, for the time, mordern elements of rock and psychadelia in a very raw mix, that reminds of other white bluesbands of the era, like Led Zeppelin, but with an unmistakibly own weird twist. On this album they played more harder rock than blues, compared to the 1st album but I think the best songs are the bluesy ones here. This in not an album I would listen to again, like all the early Groundhogs-albums.

1)B.D.D. (7,0) One of the band's most known songs. Guitar and vocals played and sung simutainesly in a good bluesrocker an not as unpolished as other songs. Nice long guitarsolo.

2)Daze of the weak (6,5) First a slow blues but then it turns into a frentic guitarsolo and crazy highenergy drumming.

3)Times (5,0) This is rather weird with crazy vocals and guitarplaying.

4)Mistreated (5,0) Hard riffing and nice melodic but weird vocal-melody.

5)Express man (7,5) A good blues.

6)Natchez burning (7,5) Slow blues.

7)Light was the day (2,0) Very very weird instrumental with guitar and drum-chaos.

Score: 5,79

Tony McPhee-vocals, guitars, harmonium and mellotron (b.1944)

Pete Cruickshank-bass (b.1945 in India)

Ken Pustelnik-drums (b.1946)

British bluesrockband Groundhogs were formed as early as 1963 and toured heavily during the 60's. The name Groundhogs came from a John Lee Hooker-song, "Groundhog's blues". The band backed Hooker on a 1964 tour in the UK and did so with other bluesartists like Little Walter, Jimmy Reed and Champion Jack Dupree. The Groundhogs released a single in 1965 and this album is their 1st.

The music on this album is definitely rooted in blues. Like many other white bands in the end of the 60's they played the blues harder, with more distortion and just...louder. Groundhogs reminds of fellow bands Yardbirds, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Winter, J. Geils Band etcetera, but they are not as good in my opinon. There are some okey songs here but I feel that it gets too monotonous, noisy, amateurish and too rough. But I like their weird twist of blues and rock, they sound like no other band.

Harmonicaplayer Steve Rye died in 1992, 46 years of age.

1)Rocking chair (6,0)

2)Early in the morning (5,0) (Muddy Waters-cover)

3)Waking blues (4,0)

4)Married men (7,0)

5)No more doggin' (6,0)

6)Man trouble (6,5)

7)Come back baby (6,0)

8)You don't love me (6,5)

9)Still a fool (3,5)

Score: 5,61

Tony McPhee-vocals, guitars, bass and synhesizer (b.1944)

Peter Cruickshank-bass (b.1945 in India)

Ken Pustelnik-drums (b.1946)

+

Jo Ann Kelly-guitars and vocals

Steve Rye-harmonica and vocals (1946-1992)

Sadly Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Dawkins died in april 2013, just when I heard this album, his first, for the first time. It's blues with the typical end of the 60's and beginning of the 70's feel with heavy comp and loud electric guitar playing leaning towards rock popular at the time. For me there's too much noisy guitar playing on the album. It tends to take overhand over the music but there are some really good playing and good songs on the album. Dawkins was born in Mississippi.

Guitarrist Mighty Joe Young had played with many of the bluesmen of the 50' such as Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Rodgers and Magic Sam. He died in 1999.

Lafayette Leake played with Chuck Berry and also with many blues greats as Otis Rush, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Wells and Little Walter. He died in 1990.

1)It serves me right to suffer (6,0) Monotone riff in this slow shuffle.

2)I wonder why (7,5) Uptempo Chicago blues.

3)I'm good for nothing (8,0) Very nice slow blues with great guitarpicking and dark powerful vocals.

4)Triple trebles (6,5) Instrumental shuffle. Too loud and noisy guitarplaying.

5)I finally learned a lesson (6,5) Too much guitar.

6)You got to keep on trying (6,0) Ordinary slow blues.

7)Night rock (7,5) Very nice instrumental shuffle.

8)Little angel child (7,0)

9)I don't know what love is (6,5)

10)Breaking down (7,0)

11)Sad and blues (7,0) New vocals added 1998.

12)Back home blues (6,5) Partly new vocals 1998.

Score: 6,83

Jimmy Dawkins-vocals and guitars (1936-2013)

Mighty Joe Young-guitars (1927-1999)

Joe Harper-bass

Ernest Gatewood-bass

Lester Dorsie-drums

Lafayette Leake-piano and organ (1919-1990)

This album is a 2004 remix of the 1998 album Courtstone Blues. It came together with a book Hoffsten released that year. It includes some versions of old blues classics as well as her own compositions. In typical Hoffsten-style she mixes rock, pop and blues, sometimes it sounds really good but here and there it gets a bit boring and too poppy but that's just her style that so many people in Sweden like about her. She always have feeling in her music, singing and playing though. The bassist Backa Hans Eriksson has played with many many Swedish artists since the 1970's.

1)The seduction of sweet Louise (7,5) Heavy Chicago-blues written by Frankie Miller.

2)Baby don't you tear my clothes (7,0) Nice very slow low key shuffle.

3)Love to love you (6,0)

4)Belly up blues (7,0) Old time slow stomp but with electric guitar.

5)I pity the fool (6,0) Too noisy heavy blues.

6)I guess I'm a fool (8,0) Another sweet and mellow slow jazzy song with nice sensitive vocals.

7)God don't ever change (8,5) Wonderful acoustic blues guitar playing! Shivers... Great vocals.

8)I just wanna make love to you (7,0) A Willie Dixon-classic.

9)Slow down (5,0) Noisy and chaotic.

10)Weak brain, narrow mind (4,0) Strange Willie Dixon song.

11)It serves you right to suffer (6,0) Heavy and funky modern version of John Lee Hookers song, also with modern effects. Spacy!

12)Darling, do you remember me? (6,5) Acoustic root blues.

Score: 6,54

Louise Hoffsten-vocals and harmonica (b.1965)

Stefan Astner-guitars

Backa Hans Eriksson-bass (b.1952)

Christer Jansson-drums