Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1975
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Time: 53:51
Size: 124,1 MB
Art: Front, Tray, CD, Inside
(3:43) 1. I'm a Country Boy
(4:00) 2. Seems Like a Million Years
(2:57) 3. Gamblin' Man
(3:25) 4. After Hours
(2:45) 5. Sloppy Drunk
(3:30) 6. Ready for Eddie
(3:17) 7. You Don't Love Me
(4:37) 8. Too Late to Cry
(3:19) 9. You'll Always Have a Home
(3:04) 10. Playboy Boogie
(4:02) 11. My Little Machine
(4:37) 12. Cross Cut Saw
(5:05) 13. I Used to Have Some Friends
(5:24) 14. I Know My Baby
Eddie Taylor was the man for whom the word 'underrated' was invented. The anger and resentment had set in long before, as Eddie had stood by and watched lesser talents reap rewards that he could only imagine. A modest and shy man, he was a brilliant guitarist, his downhome blues feel combining with his unique modern sound. But he also was not a comfortable man to be with, showing no patience to fellow musicians and little to other folk. On stage he was a immaculate performer, his highly accomplished guitar work was a joy, his rhythmic drive irresistible, his singing passionate, moving, from another time. Born in Mississippi, as a child he would hang around outside the juke joints, before getting his first guitar at thirteen. He started playing fish-fries and house parties, moving on in 1943 to live and play in Memphis and on to Chicago in 1948. He played Maxwell Street with Snooky Pryor and Floyd Jones. Taylor teamed up with Jimmy Reed in 1953 and they auditioned for Vee Jay. He put his stamp on the majority of Reed's recordings between 1953 and 1964, but he also accompanied John Lee Hooker, Sunnyland Slim, Muddy Waters and Elmore James. Becoming one of the most in-demand musicians in Chicago, Taylor toured Europe in 1968 and remained the driving force of many fine bands. Back in Europe in 1973 with the Chicago Blues Festival and the American Blues Legends 1974 tour, he recorded this 'Ready for Eddy' album in London, accompanied by The Blueshounds (Bob Hall, Roger Hill, Graham Gallery, Bob Brunning and Peter York).
On the exterior "Ready for Eddie" is a great electric Chicago blues outing which certainly doesn't disappoint in it's own right with lots of great guitar fills by Taylor and well picked material but at times such as the main highlight, the almost jazzy sounding bursting instrumental title track, it hints at going even deeper which really gives this album an edge over many other standard Chicago blues affairs. If only Bob Brunning (bass) was playing on that track, that would have been the cherry on top as I think it would have suited his busy stylings very well but it was not to be. He does play on many fine tracks here though like the opening tumbling blues-funk of "I'm a country boy", the rumbling shuffle of "Gamblin' man", a meaningful slow blues instrumental called "After hours" (which one may recall from Brunning's De Luxe Blues Band album "A street car named deluxe"), a slow stroller called "Too late to cry", "You don't love me" (which here has the strong punch but not the roll needed to pull it off), another clucking rumble called "You'll always have a home" and the tough closing tumble of "Playboy boogie". The others do deserve attention though as the howling stroll of "Seems like a million years" shows Taylor's overlooked vocal abilities and his version of "Sloppy drunk" measures up very closely to Jimmy Rogers & Left Hand Frank's.
On the exterior "Ready for Eddie" is a great electric Chicago blues outing which certainly doesn't disappoint in it's own right with lots of great guitar fills by Taylor and well picked material but at times such as the main highlight, the almost jazzy sounding bursting instrumental title track, it hints at going even deeper which really gives this album an edge over many other standard Chicago blues affairs. If only Bob Brunning (bass) was playing on that track, that would have been the cherry on top as I think it would have suited his busy stylings very well but it was not to be. He does play on many fine tracks here though like the opening tumbling blues-funk of "I'm a country boy", the rumbling shuffle of "Gamblin' man", a meaningful slow blues instrumental called "After hours" (which one may recall from Brunning's De Luxe Blues Band album "A street car named deluxe"), a slow stroller called "Too late to cry", "You don't love me" (which here has the strong punch but not the roll needed to pull it off), another clucking rumble called "You'll always have a home" and the tough closing tumble of "Playboy boogie". The others do deserve attention though as the howling stroll of "Seems like a million years" shows Taylor's overlooked vocal abilities and his version of "Sloppy drunk" measures up very closely to Jimmy Rogers & Left Hand Frank's.
Ready for Eddie
Ready for Eddie artwork
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