In early 1966,
blues history was made with the issuance of a three-volume set of new recordings produced by
blues historian
Samuel Charters. This series was known as
Chicago/The Blues/Today! and the release sent shock waves through the world of
rock & roll. Every artist on the three volumes had recorded before (some, like
Otis Rush and
Junior Wells, had actually seen small hits on the
R&B charts), but these recordings were largely their introduction to a newer -- and predominately white -- album-oriented audience. The "Today!" part of the title was no bit of hyperbole, either. This series accurately portrayed a vast cross section of the
Chicago blues scene as one could hear it on any given night in the mid-'60s. Rather than record full albums (which
Charters had neither the budget nor the legal resources to pull off), each artist simply came in for a union-approved session of four to six songs, with each volume featuring three different groupings. With these recordings,
blues suddenly gained respectability as something much more vital and vibrant than just a poor cousin of
jazz. A new market for this music began, one that exists today in full blossom. Their effect on musicians was enormous. It's fair to assume that most
blues-influenced artists had all three volumes in their respective collections, and the songs on them ended up in the repertoires of everyone from
Jimi Hendrix (
Junior Wells'
"Rock Me") to
Led Zeppelin (a note-for-note copy of
Otis Rush's
"I Can't Quit You Baby") to
Steppenwolf (
Junior Wells'
"Messin' with the Kid") and beyond. These recordings have stayed in print and have been reasonably good sellers over the years since their original release, all coming out on compact disc. This new packaging puts all three volumes together, but with no bonus tracks, as no extras were recorded for these sessions.
So if one already owns these sides, what's the incentive this time around? That's easy: the sound is massively improved, with the bass that was rolled off the vinyl and original CD versions now being restored. This makes the tracks truly come alive, especially on the
Otis Rush and
Junior Wells sides, both fortified with some major amounts of badass bass thumping by
Roger Jones and
Jack Myers, respectively. One can really hear the spaciousness of the old
RCA studios where this stuff was cut for the first time, and the detailing of the mix is in sharp focus throughout, although the increased bass causes some unwanted distortion on the
Homesick James Williamson tracks. The other plus is the new packaging, which features a nice booklet with detailed, updated notes from
Charters, a nice appreciation from
Ed Ward, and absolutely eye-boggling session photos taken by
Charters' wife,
Ann, that alone are worth the price of the set. With the glut of
blues reissues out there, it is often a coin toss regarding where best to spend your hard-earned money. Even if you still have the original vinyl or CDs, this is one of the times when it would be best to spend the dough and add this one to your collection, because
blues records seldom come as important, innovative, or just plain pleasurable to listen to as this set. File under "essential." ~ Cub Koda
![Chicago/The Blues/Today! [LP]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888072416789_p0_v2_s600x595.jpg)
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![Late Night Blues [Live at the New Penelope Cafe]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0068944914012_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Late Night Blues [Live at the New Penelope Cafe]")
