Jimmy Reed Albums (9)
'The Blues Is My Business'
Release Date 9/12/2000
Tracks 12
Label Collectables
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Decent LP with several rarities. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
'T'Aint No Big Thing But He Is...'
Release Date 1/1/1963
Tracks 11
Label Vee-Jay
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
"Shame Shame" is only the tip of the iceberg on this hard-rocking blues classic, which ought to be in the collection of every serious fan of the early Rolling Stones, the Pretty Things etc. By the time he went into the studio in 1963 to record the 11 songs that would make up this album, Jimmy Reed had deteriorated a bit in health since his classic '50s sides -- that's obvious from his voice, which sounds more dissolute than it did on his classic early sides. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, given the nature of his repertory and sound -- the guitars, mostly played by Eddie Taylor with some contributions (most notably on "Shame Shame," as well as two other songs) from Lefty Bates, do sort of dominate, along with Reed's harp and his own guitar playing. And the voice is still expressive, if kind of a little scarily deteriorated in quality at this point. His harp playing was also still interesting to hear, if not quite as free ranging in its sound, or as dexterous as it had been on his first few albums. Jimmy Reed, Jr., who was beginning to get featured with the elder Reed at the latter's concerts, handled the bass chores on three of the songs. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Just Jimmy Reed was originally released in 1962 on Vee-Jay Records and reissued by Collectables in 2000. This short ten-track set doesn't include any of Reed's most beloved hits ("Oh John" being the closest), but it does highlight material that could have been. Reed's patented swamp blues guitar and harmonica lines mixed with his uniquely lazy vocal style are in the forefront of tunes like "Let's Get Together," "Kansas City Baby," "In the Morning," and "Good Lover." There are some unusual touches -- the album opens up with the strangely offbeat, organ-dominated and trumpet- and sax-ornamented "I'll Change My Style"; and Mama Reed shows up on backing vocals on "Take It Slow," adding some variety to the singing. Jimmy Reed, Jr., who was increasingly being featured at the elder Reed's shows, is present on guitar on two tracks and on bass elsewhere. And instead of Eddie Taylor, who played on most of Reed's classic sides, much of the guitar here is played by Lefty Bates. But despite this difference, the best of the material on Just Jimmy Reed -- which is most of the contents -- could easily have qualified for placement on Reed's indispensable first two albums. ~ Al Campbell & Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There isn't a bad track on Found Love. Not only are some of Jimmy Reed's biggest hits included -- "Baby What You Want Me to Do," "Big Boss Man," and "Hush Hush" -- but the title track is particularly notable, as it contains a one-note harp wail that proves to be vibrant, heartfelt, and timeless. As with most of Reed's albums of this period -- and most blues albums of this era -- the album contains material from across over a year's worth of sessions, from the spring of 1959 through the summer of 1960, with one track ("I Ain't Got You") pulled from a 1955 session. Eddie Taylor is playing a lot of the lead guitar, but Lefty Bates is also heard on many of the cuts, and Willie Dixon, no less, is playing bass on "Meet Me," "Big Boss Man," and "Come Love." Earl Phillips is responsible for all of the drumming, and Mary Lee "Mama" Reed is heard on the backing vocals of "Baby What You Want Me to Do." Reed's catalog has seen numerous reissues of varying quality across the decades, but the Collectables label did an admirable job in 2000, reissuing both Reed's library and that of John Lee Hooker from the same label with great sound quality and original packaging at a budget price. [Koch re-released Found Love in 2000 and added four bonus tracks.] ~ Al Campbell & Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Now Appearing was originally released in 1960 on Vee Jay Records and reissued by Collectables in 2000. This short 11-track set doesn't include any of Reed's most beloved hits but does highlight material that could have been. Reed's patented swamp blues guitar and harmonica lines mixed with his uniquely lazy vocal style are in the forefront of tunes like "Got Me Chasing You," "You Know You're Looking Good," "In the Morning," and "Tell the World I Do." Any of the Jimmy Reed Vee Jay reissues are recommended. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In deciding where to start listening to Jimmy Reed, the man and his record label made it easy -- at the beginning. His debut LP release, I'm Jimmy Reed, was about as strong a first album as was heard in Chicago blues, but also no stronger (relatively speaking) than the first long-players issued of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and co. As was the case with most bluesmen of his generation, Reed's debut LP was really a collection of single sides than an actual album of new material (though some of it did hail from its year of release), consisting of tracks he'd recorded from June 1953 ("Roll & Rhumba") through March 1958 ("You Got Me Crying" etc.). So it's no surprise that it rivals The Best of Muddy Waters or any of the other 12" platters that were showing up from Reed's rivals at the end of the 1950s -- most of the blues labels put together their LPs the same way at first. But that also turns I'm Jimmy Reed into a treasure-trove of prime material from his repertory, including the songs on which he'd built his reputation over the previous five years, key among them "Honest I Do," "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby," "You Got Me Dizzy," and "You Don't Have to Go," plus their highly relevant B-sides, which help give this album more depth and breadth than a formal hits collection would have had. And in addition to Reed's singing and harp work, the album is also a superb showcase for guitarists Eddie Taylor and John Brim (the latter on the earliest material here), and drummer Earl Palmer. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
