(West Coast Blues/Blues-Soul) Lowell Fulson (Fulsom) - 18 Albums - 1988-2013, MP3, 320 kbps

While several fine compilations have already been issued containing Lowell Fulson's earliest material from the late 40's and early 50's, this JSP 4-CD set pulls almost all of the early tracks together for the first time, and for a very easy price.
Fulson is likely best known for his mid-50's stint with Chess where he put down "Reconsider Baby" and "Hung Down Head", then later for some of his more "funky" recordings on Modern-Kent like "Tramp" and "Too Many Drivers" but these early sides define the man and explore the Texas blues sound that had blossomed in California (Fulson was actually born in Oklahoma) during the 1940's.
Lowell was a comtemporary of Gatemouth Brown and Pee Wee Crayton. Each of these 3 guitar titans enlarged and popularized the "Front-of-the-Bandstand" style that T-Bone Walker had carved out his reputation with on the West Coast. On this set we are treated not only to Lowell the "Electric" bluesman but also to the hypnotically simple but effective two-guitar duets with his brother Martin. Those duets clearly show Lowell's south-western roots laying firmly in the tradition established by Lemon Jefferson and Texas Alexander 2 decades earlier.
This set contains a number of superlatives of which there are too many to discuss in a short review. Fulson's bands from this period included Jay McShann, Maxwell Davis (later to become B.B. King's arranger), Lloyd Glenn, Earl Brown, Bob Harvey, and Billy Hadnott, each of them session stalwarts of the West Coast R&B scene. McShann of course, was already an established star from Kansas City with his own big band.
Lowell was not one to stick to a singular format and his 40 year plus career owed its longevity to his ability to adapt his sound to the changing times. It is interesting to note on this set, the influences from the big players of the times like Nat Cole, T-Bone Walker, and Charles Brown.
These sides were culled from the dozens of recordings that Lowell made in San Francisco and Los Angeles for independent record company owners Bob Geddins (Big Town) and Jack Lauderdale (DownBeat/Swing Time). Among the included titles are his earliest hit "Trouble Blues" from 1946, "Three O'Clock Blues" from 1948, and his beautiful rendition of "Every Day I Have the Blues" from 1949, both of which pre-dated B.B.'s versions by several years. Lowell had a big tough voice that was well-suited to singing the blues but he could be a master of the guitar instrumental just the same and this is demonstrated by the fine "Low Society", "Guitar Shuffle" and "Juke Box Shuffle".
Several of the songs from Fulson's early period were to be revisited several years later when he went to Chess although the basic arrangements were little changed on the Chess versions.
Neil Slaven's liner notes to this set detail the problems with attempting to establish the recording chronology for many of the titles since the record companies involved didn't maintain much written history for the sessions and after 30 and 40 years, the participants had forgotten a lot.
Lowell Fulson passed on over 5 years ago. Finally we have a compilation that does justice to the rich legacy that he laid down. JSP needs to be commended for issuing this material. Every Fulson fan will be rewarded with years of pleasure by putting this one in their collection.
By Curtiss Clarke.

#777Продолжительность: 1:19:40
Трэклист:
01. Crying Blues (Crying Won't Make Me Stay)
02. You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Gone)
03. Miss Katy Lee Blues
04. Rambling Blues
05. Fulson Blues
06. San Francisco Blues
07. Crying Blues
08. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
09. Miss Katie Lee Blues
10. Rambling Blues
11. Fulson's Blues
12. San Francisco Blues
13. Trouble Blues
14. I Want To See My Baby
15. Black Widow Spider Blues
16. Don't Be So Evil
17. I Want To See My Baby (Alt)
18. Don't Be So Evil (Alt)
19. Scotty's Blues
20. The Train Is Leaving
21. Jelly, Jelly
22. Mean Woman Blues
23. 9.30 Shuffle
24. Thinkin' Blues
25. Fulson Boogie
26. Mean Woman Blues
27. Thinkin' Blues
28. Tryin' To Find My Baby

#777Продолжительность: 1:18:44
Трэклист:
01. Let's Throw A Boogie Woogie
02. Highway 99
03. Whiskey Blues
04. Tell Me Baby
05. Fulson Boogie
06. Highway '99'
07. Trying To Find My Baby
08. Midnight Showers Of Rain
09. So Long, So Long
10. Wee Hours In The Morning
11. My Gal At Eight
12. The Blues Got Me Down
13. Black Cat Blues
14. Just A Poor Boy
15. Sweet Jenny Lee
16. My Baby
17. Television Blues
18. Don't You Hear Me Calling You
19. Demon Woman (I Had A Little Woman/Hear Me Calling You (Angel Smile))
20. Tears At Sunrise
21. Jam That Boogie
22. Blue And Misery
23. My Woman Can't Be Found
24. Three O'Clock Blues
25. Wild About You Baby
26. Prison Bound
27. My Baby Left Me

#777Продолжительность: 1:18:40
Трэклист:
01. Night And Day
02. Double Trouble Blues
03. Stormin' And Rainin'
04. Good Woman Blues
05. Western Union Blues
06. Lazy Woman Blues
07. River Blues (Part 1)
08. River Blues (Part 2)
09. I Walked All Night
10. Between Midnight And Day
11. The Blues Is Killing Me
12. Did You Ever Feel Lucky
13. Ain't Nobody's Business
14. Jimmy's Blues (I've Got A Mind To Ramble)
15. Every Day I Have The Blues
16. Rocking After Midnight
17. Rock This House (Alt)
18. Cold Hearted Mama
19. Mama Bring Your Clothes Back Home
20. Low Society Blues
21. Blue Shadows
22. Back Home Blues
23. Baby Won't You Jump With Me
24. Come Back Baby
25. Country Boy
26. Rainy Boy Blues
27. Miss Lillie Brown
28. Sinner's Prayer (Alt)

#777Продолжительность: 1:17:37
Трэклист:
01. Sinner's Prayer (Alt)
02. Blues With A Feelin'
03. Why Can't You Cry For Me
04. Let Me Ride In Your Little Automobile
05. Lonesome Christmas (Part 1)
06. Lonesome Christmas (Part 2)
07. I'm A Night Owl (Part 1)
08. I'm A Night Owl (Part 2)
09. Fillmore Mess Around (Fulson's Guitar Boogie)
10. Let's Live Right
11. Guitar Shuffle (The Day Is Passing On)
12. Mean Old Lonesome Song
13. The Day Is Slowly Passing (Alt)
14. The Highway Is My Home (Why Can't You Cry For Me)
15. Upstairs
16. I Love My Baby
17. I've Been Mistreated
18. You're Going To Miss Me When I'm Gone (Alt)
19. I've Been Mistreated
20. I've Been Mistreated (Diff Song)
21. It's Hard To Believe (Alt)
22. Ride Until The Sun Goes Down
23. Christmas Party Shuffle
24. The Blues Come Rollin' In
25. My Daily Prayer
26. Juke Box Shuffle (9:30 Shuffle)
27. Is Your Friend Really Your Friend
28. Let Me Love You Baby
29. Cash Box boogie (AKA Lowell Jumps One)
30. Best Wishes