Junior PARKER - Way Back Home: The Groove Merchant Years / Funny How Time Slips Away

Album: Way Back Home: The Groove Merchant Years
Styles: Electric Memphis Blues, Soul-Blues
Recorded: 1969/1971/1972
Released: 2000
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 179.44 MB
Time: 77:26
Art: Full

1. Blue Shadows Falling - 4:13
2. Love Ain't Nothing But A Business Goin' On - 3:24
3. The Outside Man - 3:17
4. Darling Depend On Me - 3:47
5. The River's Invitation - 2:45
6. Five Long Years - 3:02
7. Look On Yonders Wall - 2:58
8. You Know I Love You - 3:42
9. Lady Madonna - 2:17
10. Man Or Mouse - 2:55
11. Pretty Baby - 4:16
12. Sweet Home Chicago - 2:13
13. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong - 4:32
14. Way Back Home - 4:01
15. I Like Your Style - 3:15
16. I Need Love So Bad - 3:19
17. A Losing Battle - 3:17
18. That's Alright - 3:10
19. Tin Pan Alley - 3:41
20. Drowning On Dry Land - 3:06
21. Oh Darling - 3:38
22. Workin' - 3:46
23. Ain't That A Shame - 2:48

Personnel: Junior PARKER - Harmonica, Vocals
Jimmy McGriff - Organ
Horace Ott - Piano
O'Donel Levy - Guitar
Fats Theus - Tenor Saxophone
rest unknown

Note: A 23 track compilation of tracks drawn from 2 Junior Parker albums: 'Blue Shadows Falling' (possibly also released as 'You Don't Have To Be Black To Love The Blues') from 1971 and 'Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin'' On from 1971, and from the Jimmy McGriff/Junior Parker album 'Good Things Don't Happen Every Day' from 1972.

Scattered through this 23-track selection from Parker's last few albums are the ten tracks originally grouped as 'You Don't Have To Be Black To love The Blues', later as 'Blue Shadows Falling'; either way, his finest album. Given small-group settings that left room for his harmonica, these quiet, pastoral performances of genre standards like 'Sweet Home Chicago' and 'That's All Right' could be used as a manual of blues singing; 'Five Long Years', in particular, is exquisite. The half-dozen tracks from 'The Outside Man' and seven from a pair of albums with the organist Jimmy McGriff are generally busier and occasionally date-stamped by funk cliches, but Parker's own performance is consistently rewarding.

                                          Way Back Home: The Groove Merchant Years
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Album: Funny How Time Slips Away
Styles: Electric Memphis Blues, Soul-Blues  
Recorded: 1968
Released: 1991
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 129.62 MB
Time: 55:17
Art: Full

1. Funny How Time Slips Away - 8:05
2. Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On - 3:20
3. The Outside Man - 3:12
4. Darling Depend On Me - 3:43
5. Taxman - 3:42
6. The River's Invitation - 2:45
7. (I Wonder) Where Our Love Has Gone - 3:38
8. Just To Hold My Hand - 3:51
9. You Know I Love You - 3:33
10. Lady Madonna - 2:12
11. Tomorrow Never Knows - 3:25
12. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin' - 3:39
13. No One Knows (What Goes On When The Door Is Closed) - 5:20
14. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong - 4:34

Personnel: Junior PARKER - Harmonica, Vocals
Jimmy McGriff - Organ
Horace Ott - Piano
O'Donel Levy - Guitar
Saint Jenkins - Drums
with
Four Horn Section

Notes: This is one super-cool album. The band is phenomenal. What really stands out for me is Jimmy McGriff on the Hammond, Butch Levy on guitar, and the sadly uncredited bass player laying down the fat, funky bottom throughout. Junior is, of course, eminently cool, whether singing or blowing his harp. The piano and horns add nice, tasteful punches that don't otherwise dominate the sound. There are even occasional strings. This is definitely a soul album, more blues than jazz, and funky through and through.

A solid set of soul-jazz and blues numbers from what proved to be a popular and artistically successful collaboration: blues singer Jr. Parker and organist and bandleader Jimmy McGriff. They got together for these sessions in the '60s and managed to reach both jazz and blues audiences.

                                                         Funny How Time Slips Away
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