Sonny Boy Williamson

[Vinod Shankar <shankar00@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well, since my personal review of Now and Zen went over so well a few weeks
back (it generated a little music, non-bootleg discussion, at least, for a
change), I thought I'd try it again.  This time I dug out something a little
bit rarer though - Jimmy's session backing Sonny Boy Williamson on January 29,
1965.

First, the background story (and I trust Scott will correct any errors :)). 
The session, like I said, was in late January, 1965.  It was one of
Williamson's very last recording sessions ever, as he was to die a short while
later.  The session was backed by a bunch of crack musicians, and was produced
by Giorgio Gomelsky, who had worked/will work with The Yardbirds somewhere
along the way, I think.  The entire session was recorded in two and a half
hours (beat that "ZEP I"!), but it doesn't show, in my opinion.  The musicians
were:

Sonny Boy Williamson (vocals, harmonica)
Jimmy Page (electric guitar)
Brian Auger (organ)
Ricky Brown (bass)
Joe Harriott (sax)
Alan Skidmore (sax)
Mick Waller (drums)

My first impression on hearing the songs was slight disappointment since Jimmy
Page is hardly noticeable on any of them.  Obviously, being a Page fan, I was
hoping for some rip-roaring blues guitar, but that's not what you get here. 
Instead you get 8 moody, jazzy blues songs.  This feeling went away quickly
though because these are easily 8 of the very best songs Jimmy ever sessioned
on (and I've heard a lot of his sessions, believe me.)

1. "Don't Send Me No Flowers" (5:44) - All the instruments take solos except
Jimmy's guitar.  He must have stepped out of the room, because I can't hear any
guitar anywhere.  The song is a slow blues, highlighted by Sonny Boy's
devastating, heartwrenching voice. 

2. "I See A Man Downstairs" (3:13) - Much more upbeat song about a guy climbing
out of the second floor window, which is a little cooler than being a back door
man, no?  Again it's difficult to hear Page's rhythm guitar in there under all
the other instruments, but he does get some licks in.

3. "She Was Dumb" (4:20) - Great harmonica from Williamson... he's one of the
best harp players ever.  Page is a little more prominent here, but still he's
still happy just backing Williamson and the other musicians with some fine
guitar runs popping up now and then.

4. "The Goat" (2:08) - A quick one.  The Goat was one of Williamson's
alter-egos, I think.  His voice is awesome.

5. "Walking" (3:15) - I just realized this review is turning sort of pointless
on a Zeppelin list, because just about all of the songs are sort of similar. 
There's no real indication of anything Zeppelin-wise (like early licks later to
return in LZ, etc.), but it is still vaguely Zeppelin-related.  This song like
all the others has sweet sax solos, a few Page licks, and an amazing vocal from
Williamson.  These songs are becoming routine in how great they are.  

6. "Little Girl, How Old Are You?" (3:16) - The most appropriate song ever to
have Jimmy Page play on it.  :)  "If you're too young baby, I'll have to leave
you alone."... Jimmy could've learned something from the song.  He gets his
first real solo on this song of the session, but it's short, and he vanishes
right back to the background when it's over.

7. "It's A Bloody Life" (3:21)	- The only song where Page actually gets the
spotlight with an excellent blues solo.  It doesn't sound much like Page, but
having listened to 200+ songs of his session work, it is hard to define the
guy's sound (especially pre-Zeppelin).  It's a more meticulous, clean solo and
is relatively long.  Very nice.

8. "Getting Out Of Town" (3:17) - Another harmonica showpiece with a cool
bassline.  These musicians rock pretty hard and I'm sure it was because they
were inspired to be playing behind Sonny Boy Williamson.  I would be curious to
hear from Jimmy Page about what he remembers of this session, as at the time,
he must have considered it a highlight of his career.

So basically this session gets 2 reviews:  Excellent for anyone who enjoys the
blues, as the songs are performed beautifully, maybe only lacking a bit of fire
or passion;  Not very necessary for Page fans (except for completists like
myself), as he's really only noteworthy on 2 of the songs.


later
Vin