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Elly Roberts reviews
Stateside (EMI)
- Cat.no: 5606302
- Released: March 2005
- Rating: 10/10
Tracks from the huge roster of legendary British pioneering label Stateside, now backed by EMI.
The label began trading in 1962. Its label was black with white print andthe S was written as an American dollar sign. It issued a large number ofUSA labels including ABC, Bell and the Tamla/Gordy/Motown group, which madeit a good label for the Mods to hear new music from the states.
Theres plenty here to raise your spirits, and sober you in an instant withselection from the 1940s and 1950s. It sounds like some of the artists (orwriters) have had some close shaves under the influence as many a song is sungwith genuine conviction.
Tales of high-jinx juxtaposed by the melancloic (or is that alcoholic?) bluespurveyed by many a desperate Bluesman whos having problems with the old troubleand stife. Invariably they gravitate to the nearest bar to drown their sorrowsand suffer the consequences – a hellish hangover or a roasting from the missus.
The love fallouts are littered across the tracklisting e.g. Cheap Old Wine AndWhiskey. Its not just the men whove got problems though because the ladiesthrow their weight behind some swaying jazzy numbers – Little Esther(sounding more like Billie Holliday) on Aged & Mellow Blues which isa gem.
Star tracks included a sublime R&B drifter – Let Me Go Home Whiskyby Amos Milburn and the legendary Jimmy Rogers on the out-and-out R&B rompof Sloppy Drunk.
Just the tonic (ouch!)for the morning after the night before.
No hic-cups here! Classic collection.
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Wine Wine Wine – Floyd Dixon
2. Who Drank My Beer While I Was In The Rear? – Dave Bartholomew
3. Bad Bad Whiskey – Amos Milburn
4. Whiskey Do Your Stuff – Louis Jordan
5. Gin House Blues – Nina Simone
6. Cheap Old Wine And Whiskey – Jack The Bear Parker
7. I Got Loaded – Peppermint Harris
8. One Scotch,One Bourbon,One Beer – Amos Milburn
9. Waiting And Drinking – Calvin Boze
10. I Aint Drunk – Jimmy Liggins
11. Drunk, Thats All – Laverne Ray
12. Battle With The Bottle(Tk1)Piney Brown
13. Beer DrinkinWoman – Floyd Turnham
14. Wine,Women,Whiskey – Papa Lightfoot
15. Everytime We Got Drinkin – Sunnyland Slim
16. DrinkinWoman – LightninHopkins
17. Wino Blues – Floyd Dixon
18. Aged & Mellow Blues – Little Esther
19. Let Me Go Home Whiskey – Amos Milburn
20. All That Wine Is Gone – Big Jay McNeely
21. When Ive Been Drinking – Jay McShann & His Jazz – Men
22. Sloppy Drunk – Jimmy Rogers
23. Looped – Calvin Boze
24. Give me One More Shot – J B Lenoir
25. No More Alcohol – Jimmy Liggins
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.