| CD REVIEW |
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| BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 1 - TOO SLIM & THE TAILDRAGGERS |
| Unlike Mississippi Fred McDowell, who "don't play no rock 'n' roll", acoustic bluesman Tim "Too Slim" Langford shows us that he and his Taildraggers can electrify the blues every bit as heavily as Tim's big-time rock idols (Z.Z. Top, Johnny/Edgar Winter, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton) as well as my favourite Canadian kick-ass rockabilly/swing/blues-rock guitarists - Colin James, Brian Setzer, Dylan Wickens, Jack de Keyzer, Rob Tarticcio, Philip Sayce, Phil Kott, Tim Gibbons, Jerry Johnson, etc.! There is, in fact, a "whole lotta shakin' goin' on" here, from start to finish! This is definitely a CD to crank up to "11" and make sure you've got lots of liquid refreshment on hand, because your mouth is going to get plenty dry from the "high"! On the soul-searing, heart-wrenching guitar breaks of Too Slim, especially on the latter half of the CD, which includes revitalized versions of the classic "How Many More Years", "So Many Roads" and the absolutely blistering version of "Shake 'em on Down", you can really appreciate the freedom of expression here that was denied the traditional composers (Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Bukka "Booker T Washington" White, respectively). Rebel blues-rocker Jimi Hendrix refused to be tied down, musically and otherwise, and, in my humble opinion, he was the pioneer of the blues-rock genre. It's great to hear his influence on this band. I'm really going to miss those tromping, full-on, bass lines of Tom "The Stomp" Brimm, who recently left the band, but Tim assures me that Dave Nordstrom, another long-time pal and accomplished instrumentalist/vocalist, is up to the challenge of replacing Tom. Award-winning drummer and elementary school African drum instructor John "Midnight" Cage proves his reputation by being the catalyst that inspires the other band members to greatness, and this live CD is a perfect example. Although I've yet to hear this band in a club/concert setting, many of their fans swear that Too Slim and the Taildraggers are best witnessed live, especially in the great outdoors! If it sounds half as good as the four CDs I own, I imagine I would agree with that! The CD kickstarts with the manic "Western Man" and the energy level ebbs and flows on slide and electric guitar backed by the knock-out rhythm section. "One More Shot" is pure rock'n'roll, followed by "Uranium Rock", a fusion of swing-blues and rock'n'roll. "A Girl Like Mine" and the more manic "I Feel So Good" are both funky, blues-rock number obviously influenced by SRV. There are even a couple of Cajun tracks - "Drinkin' Blues" and "Swamp Opera" (from their CD of the same name), with Tim on appropriately sour c & w harmonica and guitar that would go really well on a Neil Young CD! The ensuing three traditional blues tracks, as mentioned above, get the explosive blues-rock boogie-woogie treatment before temporarily reminding the audience of their softer side with "Swamp Opera" (from an earlier CD of the same name). The next and final track, "Tiger Love & Turnip Green", is Too Slim & The Taildraggers' equivalent to Led Zeppelin's rodeo song, "Hot Dog", at double the speed - whoa, boy! Too Slim & The Taildraggers have just signed a contract with Piedmont Talent Inc. this month, and they are already booked to play in Moscow on March 1/03! I understand that their upcoming (11th!) CD, last rumoured to be called Tales of Sin and Redemption, is going to signal a somewhat radical turn in their modus operandi, so I look forward to hearing it! If you're interested in knowing more about Tim "Too Slim" Langford, email [email protected] to receive an electronic copy of an interview I conducted with him in December/02. |
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