•
Rating:
Leonard and Philip Chess, Polish brothers who immigrated to the United States in the early years of the last century, with their record production, made history in Blues, Doo Wop, R&B, and Rock & Roll. In '47 they founded Aristocrat, then in '50 Chess. The architects of their label's success were (just to name a few) Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, but especially Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon, the latter of whom are already legends. Chuck Berry contributed to the development of Rock & Roll as much as Elvis Presley, to whom, although less talented, the merit of spreading the "new" music worldwide cannot be denied. Waters and Dixon, one a great interpreter, the other a composer, producer, bassist, and talent scout, provided a greater contribution to the affirmation of Chicago Blues than anyone else. Waters' great successes, such as "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I Just Want To Make Love To You," came from Dixon's pen, who wrote dozens of classics for other artists too, "Evil," "Spoonful," "I Ain't Superstitious," "Little Red Rooster," and "Back Door Man" for Howlin' Wolf, "My Babe" was sung by Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson performed "Bring It On Home."
Dixon was not only a composer, but acted as a bridge between Blues, Rock & Roll, as well as the Rock we all know, with Doors, Cream, Aerosmith, and Rolling Stones having reinterpreted his pieces. Even the most famous exponents of Hard Rock, Led Zeppelin, reinvented some of his compositions, among others "You Need Love," which became one of their most famous tracks titled "Whole Lotta Love." The piece, which I personally believe is superior to the original, was not, however, credited to the real author, who sued them and won the case. Why Page claimed authorship of this composition (and others) I do not know, but I know that if he had acted honestly, Zeppelin would have still been the torchbearers of Hard Rock, without having this blemish on their career as musicians. Driven by this experience and his love for the Blues, Dixon founded the "Blues Heaven Foundation," an organization that aims to safeguard the tradition of this wonderful music, with various initiatives, among other things providing scholarships for young Bluesmen.
This collection, which includes two CDs for a total of 36 tracks, is highly recommended for those who want to approach this musical genre, both for the variety and value of the compositions and for the sound quality. While being a good interpreter, Dixon is present in only five tracks, probably because he worked mainly behind the scenes, his most famous pieces were sung by other artists. Those I have already mentioned are all present. Not to overload the review with names and titles, I just add "I Can't Quit You Baby" by Little Milton, "You Know My Love" by Otis Rush, and "This Pain In My Heart" by Willie Dixon. Although, in my opinion, some basic tracks from his discography are missing, overall, these two CDs present a very important slice of post-war Chicago Blues, a Bluesman at his best, but also the Blues at its best. In 1989 his autobiography "I Am The Blues" was published, a more appropriate title has never been, he died of a heart attack in '92 at the age of 77.
Tracklist and Lyrics
17 29 Ways (02:09)
I got 29 ways to make it to my baby's door
I got 29 ways to make it to my baby's door
And if she needs me bad
I can find about two or three more
I got one through the basement
Two down the hall
And when the going gets tough
I got a hole in the wall
CHORUS
I can come through the chimney like Santa Claus
Go through the window and that ain't all
A lot of good ways I don't want you to know
I even got a hole in the bedroom floor
CHORUS
I got a way through the closet behind her clothes
A way through the attic that no one knows
A master key that fits every lock
A hidden door behind the grandfather clock
CHORUS
Loading comments slowly
