Sufferin' Mind

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Certainly A Commercial Puzzle
This is a collection of the work of Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones' work for the Specialty label. Held in open-jawed awe by fellow New Orleans musicians who marveled at his spectacular stage act, it's one of the great puzzles of the history of R&B music why his records did not do better commercially. Recording prior to Specialty with Imperial and Bullet, he had just the one charted hit in his career. But what a hit. The Things That I Used To Do [b/w Well, I Done Got Over It] went to # 1 R&B early in 1954 [with Ray Charles playing piano] and stayed on the charts for 21 weeks, including FOURTEEN at # 1. So why did he not enjoy more commercial success? Your guess is as good as mine. It's not as if he was with a small label. Both Imperial and Specialty, although not in the class of Columbia, Decca, RCA Victor, Capitol, or Mercury, were nevertheless among the top of the next tier of intermediate labels with numerous other successful artists under their wings like Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Little Richard, and Larry Williams - to name just a few. And his last label, Atlantic/Atco, was another strong outfit who knew how to promote their artists. Just 32 years of age when he died from pneumonia on February 7, 1959, in this collection you will hear a voice made for R&B - hard-edged, at times almost raw, along with guitar playing that at times defies description. In 2007, Guitar Slim was inducted into the Vlues Hall Of Fame.

Great Collection of Songs From A Great Talent
Alcoholism has been the downfall of many people, and creative people more than most. Who knows why? One notable victim was Eddie Jones, who in the mid-1950s was a very popular R&B/Blues artist. Better known as Guitar Slim, Jones rose to prominence with "The Things That I Used To Do," recorded by many blues artists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was extremely famous for his live shows, where he would dye his hair to match the color of his guitar and run out into the street with his 350 feet guitar cord. This collection of Guitar Slim tunes shows the behind the scenes working of recording, and adds charm to an already impressive recording. "Sufferin' Mind," "The Things That I Used To Do," "25 Lies," "Story of My Life," "Done Got Over It," and many more tell a story of a talented musician who didn't persevere, and as a result, we lost the pleasure of his company and music way too soon. "Suffferin Mind" is a great record, and a sad tribute to a great musician.

SOMETHIN' MISSIN
THESE ARE THE BEST KNOWN RECORDINGS OF GUITAR SLIM, BUT LISTENING TO HIS RECORDINGS MADE IN A STUDIO DOESN'T DO HIM JUSTICE. SLIM WAS AT HIS BEST IN A LIVE VENUE. HE USED TO ATTACH AN EXTREMLY LONG CORD TO HIS ELECTRIC GUITAR AND GET DOWN FROM THE STAGE AND GO INTO THE AUDIENCE WHILE HE WAS PLAYING. BUT HIS GUITAR PLAYING IS STILL GREAT.

Blues From Guitar Slim...
Guitar Slim's death at the age of 33 really robbed the blues world of a major talent as evidenced here on these 26 recordings for the Specialty label from 1953-1955. His guitar work was ahead of it's time with it's distorted edge and spiky sound. His impassioned and wailing vocals are comparable only to those of Elmore James in my mind. The vocal he delivers on the final take of "Sufferin' Mind" included on this CD knocks me out every time I hear it. As a general rule I never am able to listen to it just once, I always end up repeating the song again. Also interesting is the fact that Ray Charles is featured as pianist and arranger on four of the songs on this collection, and his influence is apparent when you hear the songs. My only complaint with this collection is that I found the label's insistence on including false starts to be really annoying. I fail to see what purpose it serves to have several false starts prior to the actual take of the song; even for purposes of historical significance I didn't find any of the studio banter between Guitar Slim and the engineers to be particularly interesting. Aside from that though, Guitar Slim is an unsung musician that any fan of the blues should hear, and this collection serves as a good introduction to his music.

Influential New Orleans Bluesman
Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones is probably the most influential New Orleans blues artists ever. This generous anthology collects 26 tracks from his 1953-56 tenure at Specialty (before leaving for Atco). The album kicks off with his 1953 No. 1 "The Things I Used To Do" and hits all the highlights from the period, including "Story of My Life," "Sufferin' Mind" and "Something To Remember You By." [Note: The 1953 recordings (tracks 1-4) include Ray Charles as pianist and arranger.] If you're going to own only one Guitar Slim album, this is the one to get. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED