Black Jack Davey - John "Spider John" Koerner, Traditional
Shout, Sister, Shout - John "Spider John" Koerner, Rachel, Y.
Shenendoah - John "Spider John" Koerner, Traditional
Terra Mae - John "Spider John" Koerner, Ross, E.
Shortnin' Bread - John "Spider John" Koerner, Traditional
With Body and Soul - John "Spider John" Koerner, Monroe, B.
Deliah's Gone - John "Spider John" Koerner, Traditional
France Blues - John "Spider John" Koerner, Hull, H.
Dodger - John "Spider John" Koerner, Traditional
'Way Back Down Home - John "Spider John" Koerner, Sproule, F.
Power Tool - John "Spider John" Koerner, Glover, T.
Pick Poor Robin Clean - John "Spider John" Koerner, Jordan, L.
Boys Were Shooting It Out - John "Spider John" Koerner, Koerner, "Spider" J
You Got to Move - John "Spider John" Koerner, Davis, G.
I Ain't Blue - John "Spider John" Koerner, Koerner, J.
Black Dog Blues - John "Spider John" Koerner, Traditional
In the early '60s, Koerner, Ray, & Glover released their first album, which had an influence on a young Dylan and countless other nascent roots artists. Here were three guys--white guys, at that--playing blues and rags... more », and having a good time. The world has never been quite the same since. Well, the three musical musketeers are back again, with their first disc in over thirty years, and they carry on right where they left off. They're still having a good time, and it comes across. Not everything is perfect; their version of the beautiful "Shenendoah" is a little flippant for my tastes, but in the main, it's a welcome, joyous stroll through years and years of music, helped by superbly picked acoustics, harps that won't quit, and voices that have aged like fine wine. --Chris Nickson« less
In the early '60s, Koerner, Ray, & Glover released their first album, which had an influence on a young Dylan and countless other nascent roots artists. Here were three guys--white guys, at that--playing blues and rags, and having a good time. The world has never been quite the same since. Well, the three musical musketeers are back again, with their first disc in over thirty years, and they carry on right where they left off. They're still having a good time, and it comes across. Not everything is perfect; their version of the beautiful "Shenendoah" is a little flippant for my tastes, but in the main, it's a welcome, joyous stroll through years and years of music, helped by superbly picked acoustics, harps that won't quit, and voices that have aged like fine wine. --Chris Nickson
"I fell in love with Blues Rags and Hollers as soon as I heard it. It wasn't just the music, but the glimpses of these three men that you catch behind the music. Every time I pop in the cd, the stories start up in my head. This cd picks up thirty-odd years later, and the feeling is still there. The heart behind the music hasn't changed, although the voices have. Tony Glover's harp has gotten better, if anything, and Dave Ray's guitar is still shuffling along in some mystic other space. John Koerner? Why, he's just Spider John, till the day he dies... and after that, I'm sure."
And One Foot in Blues Nirvana
R. J MOSS | Alice Springs, Australia | 09/21/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a solid set from renowned performers who've improved like seasoned timber through the decades. Given their reputation as jocular raconteurs, I'm surprised that a little of their banter with the invited audience didn't make it onto the tapes. After all, it is a live recording, and yet there's something restrained about the air of the night, and even the performances. I hanker still for the elan of,'Music Is Just A Bunch Of Notes', and urge its release as a CD. All the covers are rejuvenated and Fred McDowell's,'You've Got To Move' is inspiring. Koerner's,'I ain't Blue, and Glover's,'Power Tool' demonstrate that their own material is at one with the traditional material. A continuing revelation with KR & G is the density of their playing. What they fit in 2.50 minutes is more potent than many artists achieve in twice the duration. These stories fan out in the mind; deltas of deeply lived feeling."