メンフィス・ブルースを捉えた決定版ボックス!
1914年から1969年までメンフィスとその地域のミュージシャンをフィーチャーしたメンフィスの録音。CD20枚に収録された534もの驚異的なトラックをLPサイズのボックスに詰め込んだブルース・ファン歓喜の逸品。
発売・販売元 提供資料(2023/10/20)
Memphis is one of the handful of cities that have a legitimate claim as the epicenter of the blues -- maybe not the place where it was born but certainly a town where it thrived throughout the 20th century. Bear Familys mammoth 2023 box set The Memphis Blues Box: Original Recordings First Released on 78s and 45s 1914-1969 tells the citys story in exacting detail, pairing a hefty hardcover book with 534 tracks spread out over the course of 20 CDs. Its a long journey from W.C. Handys "Mr. Crump and the Memphis Blues" to Ike & Tina Turners funky "Crazy Bout You Baby," but the pleasurable thing about The Memphis Blues Box is that it takes its time to both linger on the main roads and venture down detours. A good portion of the box is devoted to jug bands and their offshoots, the rollicking sound thats at the foundation of the Memphis blues. Its not until the box is well past its halfway point that driving boogie and electrified rackets come into the mix, a combination ushered in through the emergence of B.B. King and Joe Hill Louis, heightened by the appearance of Howlin Wolf, then sent into the stratosphere with "Rocket 88," the Jackie Brenston 45 that arguably fathered rock & roll. The Memphis Blues Box hardly ignores rock & roll and its many ramifications. The compilers take a broad view thats welcome, finding space for jumping rockabilly from Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins, plus the laid-back groove of Booker T. & the M.G.s. These elements arent overly emphasized. Rather, theyre included next to soul-blues and funk, not to mention that blues revival coda of Gus Cannon singing "Walk Right In" in 1969, to show how the original sound of Memphis blues evolved and ingrained itself into the culture. That makes The Memphis Blues Box invaluable as a historical document, but its also simply a straight-up blast, particularly if its taken in 20 individual segments instead of a day-long binge. Breaking up this 20-CD set into smaller segments allows both the minute developments and the big picture to resonate strongly, a sequencing that gives The Memphis Blues Box a real wallop. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rovi