TOM WAITS Gravel voiced singer songwriter with a drunk hobo image, who mutated
into an eccentric genius. His later stuff is excellent, and incorporates
many diverse influences, for instance Beefheart, marching bands, and Jewish
music, to name but a few. Wrote some excellent songs covered by others.
"Downtown Train", was that rare thing, a great Rod Stewart record, and
"I Don't Wanna Grow Up" was the best track on the Ramones
final album.
Essential "Swordfishtrombones", "Raindogs", "Frank's Wild Years", and "Bone Machine"
l.p.s.
MUDDY WATERS (No relation!) King of the Chicago blues. His voice and his very bearing
have a regal authority about them. Always played with extremely talented
and expressive musicians.
The 1968 album "Electric Mud", while not to everyone's taste, is one
I really like. It was his answer to the white blues guitar heroes of the
time, and it pretty much wipes the floor with them. In the late 70s he
made a trio of albums with white blues guitar hero Johnny Winter. "I'm
a Man. (Mannish Boy)" from the first of these stands as a mighty testament
to his awesome power and authority.
Essential Anything.
http://www.muddywaters.com/ WILD TCHAPICHOULAS Gang of negroes who dress up as Indians and parade through the streets
of New Orleans on Mardi Gras day, competing with the other gangs. Made
a great album, backed by the Meters, full of wonderful harmonies , call
and response coded fighting "my gang's better than your gang" songs.
Essential "Wild Tchapichoulas" l.p.
SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON I'm talking about No.1 here, though there's nothing wrong with No.2.
Infectious, joyful, primitive genius blues harp player and singer.
Always sounds like he's having a lot of fun, even on a sad song.
Essential Anything.
JAH WOBBLE Oh yes. The mighty Jah. The Bassiest of all Bass players, by several
hundred miles. Has an instinctive feel for his chosen instrument, and his
lines, though not especially complicated, get right inside you , making
an almost physical connection with your insides. The Bass becomes the most
important part of the music, which is something we bass players have always
known, but with Wobble all the other instruments bow down before his insistent,
repetitive loping lines. He always knows just where the pulse is, even
if it's not obvious to you.
Has made a bewildering number of records on various labels, and collaborated
with all sorts of diverse artists.
If you only get one of his records, make it "Without Judgement".
I wouldn't call it song orientated, though there are songs on it. It's
a journey into your deeper consciousness. Starts with spacey sounds and
atmospherics, voices drift in and out, after a while it just falls beautifully
onto a tight drumbeat. We're several minutes into the album before we hear
the first bass note, which will shake your speakers off their shelves .
Each track merges with the next. It's one continuous voyage. It's got humour,
but it's serious stuff . Only Wobble sounds like this. . Oh yeah
and it's live.
Saw him 3 times, all in Brighton. Best time was the 2nd, which
was the Without Judgement band and set.
Essential Everything.
Wobbles own label site HOWLING WOLF The most powerful voice in blues. On his best stuff there is a kind
of spirituality driving the music, a delicious spooky voodoo groove that
transcends the individual parts that make it up. I have to say that he
did a fair amount of bog standard unremarkable 12 bar blues as well though.
http://www.furious.com/perfect/wolf/index.html ROBERT WYATT Ex drummer of Soft Machine and Matching
Mole. After an accident that left him partially paralysed, he
made several wistful, beautiful solo albums. Has a mournful, cracked voice.
A lot of the songs are very personal, and moving, but he also has a playful,
experimental side.
Essential Anything.