Search - Hound Dog Taylor :: Release the Hound

It's Hound Dog Live -- It's Alright!

Michael Strom | Chicago, IL USA | 12/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The late, great Hound Dog Taylor was one of the best live acts ever. This CD brings him back in all his ragged, raunchy live glory. Hound Dog's appeal had nothing to do with his modest abilities as a guitarist or singer. His self-assessment was: "They'll say he couldn't play s___, but he made it sound good." Amen. Don't let any references to "sound quality" deter you here -- the plain truth is that Hound Dog's "sound quality" was never that much to begin with, so this CD is a pretty fair representation of what he sounded like live. He never had good equipment, and it wouldn't have mattered if he did. He just wanted everybody to have as good a time as he was having. We did. He had the most fun of any musician I ever saw. Also the most alcohol.



For the uninitiated, the most obvious comparison is Elmore James. The comparison used to annoy Hound Dog, who insisted "I don't sound like no ___ ____ Elmore James!" Well, musically he did, but Elmore James never sounded anywhere near as joyful. `Dog played the same style loud electric slide boogie, but never had a horn section or bass player. Given the low-tech, stripped-down nature of Hound Dog's act, if a bass part was needed, it got played by whoever wasn't playing lead. At times, it sounded like rhythm guitarist Brewer Phillips was playing bass, even though he apparently didn't have a bass guitar. If Phillips was playing lead on one of his songs, `Dog played a passable bass line on his legendarily cheap Silvertone guitar.



It's hard to be fully objective if you ever saw Hound Dog live, because it is impossible to hear this CD without strong visual memories of just how much joy he had and gave. Hound Dog had an impossibly large grin that remained in place no matter how low-down, sad or abused the subject matter of the song was. He was the happiest looking man on earth, despite (or because of?) the fact that The HouseRockers gigged constantly for peanuts.



At times, it seemed that `Dog might be the most easily amused man, too, although again the level of his alcohol consumption might explain it. I recall a show where Blind Jim Brewer was the opening act. `Dog was absolutely beside himself about the fact that the warm-up dude and his rhythm guitarist shared the name Brewer. He kept saying: "We got two Brew' tonight. We got Blind Jim Brew' and ..." By then he was in hysterics. He tried at least three times, but just couldn't get through it without falling out laughing. When he couldn't even say "two Brew" without cracking up, he just went on with the show. You probably had to see it to appreciate it. I wish I could go see him tonight, but I'll treasure this great live CD to remember the good times.

"

"Rough-rough!"

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 08/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Raw, Rough And Reckless" the back cover proudly proclaims, and that's no lie.



Theodore "Hound Dog" Taylor only released two LPs in his lifetime, but several posthumous albums have added to that sparse legacy, and "Release The Hound" is the latest addition to the Hound Dog catalogue. It brings together 11 previously unreleased live recordings and three studio outtakes, and while this is NOT the place for newcomers to start, those who are already in the doghouse will be delighted by this gritty close to the catalogue of one of Chicago's most legendary bluesmen.



Hound Dog Taylor and his extremely loose bass-less trio sound like they're about to lose it at times, but they never do, and while the sound quality is not excactly stellar, nothing is anywhere near unlistenable.

Hound Dog tears through well-known songs ("Sadie", "See Me In The Evening", "It Hurts Me Too", the instrumental "Walking The Ceiling" which has been equipped with a drum solo) and less well-known ones (the slow grind of "Sitting At Home Alone", a live ten-minute "Things Don't Work Out Right", the tough "Dust My Broom"-ripoff "Wild About You Baby"), and the set ends with a "hidden" track, Hound Dog, Brewer Phillips and Ted Harvey bantering with the audience ("I'm gonna streak tonight", says co-lead guitarist Brewer Phillips, "gonna get buck nekkid!")



We don't know if that particular threat was carried out or not, but it sounds like the audience had a good time either way. Hound Dog fans will, too, once they pick up this slice of supremely gritty, gutbucket blues."

The joy that is the blues

Tim Holek | 03/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hound Dog Taylor

Release The Hound



Alligator is the house that Hound Dog Taylor built. On 14 previously unreleased shufflin' boogies, mostly recorded live between 1971 and 1975, he depicts the joy that is the blues using his raw guitar and sloppy vocals. These 70 manic minutes were primarily compiled from radio broadcasts and board tapes. There are imperfections such as hiss and distortion but don't be put off as the sound is remarkable good.



You can't visually witness the band's alcohol-induced, wild entertainment as described in Bruce Iglauer's liner notes but you easily sense it via numbers like "She's Gone". Many of the tunes such as "Wild About You, Baby" feature Taylor's simple musical template. Taylor often gets too wrapped up in a song's hypnotic rhythm, e.g., "See Me In The Evening". However, "Sitting At Home Alone" makes you fall in love with the blues all over again.



If you've already been attacked by the Hound, this collection may not offer enough to be added to your library. Big time Dog fans will want and cherish these historical recordings. Almost 30 years after his death, this disc further proves Hound Dog was not one of the greatest but was one of the best.



-- Tim Holek

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