Michael Bloomfield - If You Love Those Blues, Play `Em As You Please

Artist:

Bloomfield, Mike

UPC:

025218980128

See Also:

Electric Flag Dylan, Bob Al Kooper/Mike Bloomfield - The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper

Description:

2 LPs on 1 CD: IF YOU LOVE THESE BLUES, PLAY `EM AS YOU PLEASE (1976) / BLOOMFIELD-HARRIS (1979) Personnel: Michael Bloomfield (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, banjo, piano, organ, keyboards, drums); Michael Bloomfield (spoken vocals, bass guitar); Woody Harris (guitar, acoustic guitar); Eric Kris (piano, keyboards); Eric Kriss (piano); Roger Troy, Doug Kilmer (bass guitar); Nick Gravenites (vocals, guitar); Hart McNee (saxophone, baritone saxophone); Rev. Ron Stallings (tenor saxophone); Ira Kamin (piano, organ, keyboards); Dave Neditch, Tom Donlinger (drums). Audio Mixer: Norman Dayron. Audio Remasterer: Kirk Felton. Liner Note Authors: Michael Bloomfield; Norman Dayron; Kenny Berkowitz; Kenny Berkowitz. Recording information: Mill Valley, CA (??/??/1976-07/13/1979). Photographer: Norman Dayron. Arrangers: Michael Bloomfield; Woody Harris. If You Love These Blues, Play `Em As You Please was an unusual project for Michael Bloomfield. Although recorded as a blues guitar instructional album for Guitar Player magazine, it ended up being acclaimed as one of his finest solo recordings, of interest to both guitar players and the general listening public. Bloomfield had been in commercial and artistic decline for years prior to cutting this disc, and there`s the sense that he welcomed the chance to get back to what he knew and loved the best, selecting and laying down material without having to worry about how well it would sell. That relaxed quality comes through on the performances, in which he goes through a wide assortment of electric and acoustic guitar styles, the songs specifically designed to illustrate guitar sounds associated with heroes like B.B. King, Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, T-Bone Walker, Blind Blake, Guitar Slim, Lonnie Johnson, and others. The cuts with band backing are no-frills, straight-ahead affairs that avoid over-production, interrupted by a few showcases for Bloomfield`s considerable and underrated abilities as an acoustic guitarist. His singing, as always, was merely serviceable, but suitably respectful of the material and the styles to which he was paying homage. Sprinkled throughout the program are brief, unobtrusive spoken introductions from Bloomfield himself succinctly explaining the songs, what they`re examples of, and how they`re being played. Long after it was made, it`s still useful as a primer for aspiring blues guitarists, but also reasonably satisfying as a blues record on its own terms. The 2004 CD reissue on Kicking Mule adds a lot of value by tacking on the entirety of his 1979 album Bloomfield/Harris, a joint effort by Bloomfield and acoustic guitarist Woody Harris that`s a nice, if peripheral, wholly instrumental excursion into gospel-oriented folk-blues. ~ Richie Unterberger

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. If You Love These Blues
2. Hey, Foreman
3. Narrative #1
4. WDIA
5. Narrative #2
6. Death Cell Rounder Blues
7. Narrative #3
8. City Girl
9. Narrative #4
10. Kansas City Blues
11. Narrative #5
12. Mama Lion
13. Narrative #6
14. Thrift Shop Rag
15. Narrative #7
16. Death in My Family
17. East Colorado Blues
18. Blue Ghost Blues
19. Narrative #8
20. Train Is Gone, The
21. Narrative #9
22. Alter Song, The
23. I`ll Overcome
24. I Must See Jesus
25. Great Dreams from Heaven
26. Gonna Need Somebody on My Bond
27. I Am a Pilgrim
28. Just a Closer Walk With Thee
29. Have Thine Own Way
30. Farther Along
31. Peace in the Valley

Album Information

Release Date:

10/26/2004

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Blues

Subgenre:

Regional Collections

Label:

Kicking Mule

Producer:

Mike Bloomfield; Norman Dayron; Eric Kris; Mike Bloomfield; Eric Kriss; Norman Dayron

Catalog Number:

9801

Original Release Year:

1976

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

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