Search - Siegel & Schwall :: Complete Vanguard Recordings & More

Siegel-Schwall...it just keeps getting better!!

William H. Haines | Nashville, TN | 07/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At long last, Vanguard Records has released the first four albums recorded by the legendary Siegel-Schwall Band. This has to be the deal of the year, folks, when you consider that you get four classic albums recorded between 1966 and 1970, by the best white blues band ever, spread over three discs and sprinkled with killer previously unreleased outtakes and demos, all in STUNNINGLY CLEAN sound quality (I was so used to my old vinyl albums) and rounded out with a highly informative and eye pleasing booklet, and all for about [...]!! If you don't have this one yet, wait no longer. Buy it today!! And if you do already own it, then you've played it over and over and you know exactly what I'm talking about!The Siegel-Schwall Band came up out of Chicago and learned from and played with the masters. I'm talking about masters like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Otis Spann...the list goes on. They were so good that Sam Charters, (the famous blues historian and archivist) produced thier first couple of albums. If HE was taken with them, you KNOW they have to be good.By the way, the Siegel-Schwall Band are still active today and still play with all the virtuosity and conviction that is represented on "The Complete Vanguard Sessions". And don't forget to check out thier "Wooden Nickel" label output from 1971-1974 (recently reissued on the "Wounded Bird" label). They just kept getting better and better. This is the real deal, folks."

Diary Of A Band's Progress

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 09/11/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was a casual fan of the Siegel-Schwall band back in junior high school but hadn't thought about them in years until I saw this CD on the shelf. What a variety of music is present here!
It ranges from the primitive to the sophisticated, from the serious to the ridiculous, and from the execrable to the fabulous.
Siegel-Schwall has a very distinctive sound defined by Corky Siegel's quirky singing and harp-playing as well as the sometimes brilliant guitar work of Jim Schwall. As a blues band, it is guilty of frequently exaggerated macho posturing and a near-parody of black blues stylings. Despite that, there is much to like about the band.
Let's examine the three discs one by one. The best of disc 1 can be found on Down In The Bottom and I Have Had All I Can Take. Macho strutting is exemplified on When I Get the Time and a real swabby rendition of Hoochie Coochie Man. The lamest tunes are Mama/Papa, I'll Be The Man, Going To New York (really stinks!!),Mary, and So Glad You Are Mine. Those I describe as lame are sometimes musically enjoyable until the singing starts.
Disc 2 isn't much better. The best cuts are You Don't Love Me, the magnificent mandolin-driven Bring It With You When You Come, and That's Why I Treat My Baby So Fine. The obligatory macho statement is Don't Want No Woman. The worst are a lame rendition of I'm A King Bee, a swabby Easy Rider, and a gag-inducing I Like The Way You Rock.
The band's journey from the garage-band style to the night club style and on to the concert hall style is most evident on Disc 3. Most of the songs from the Shake! album show a definite maturing of the band's style. Most of the worst on this disc are from the Siegel-Schwall 70 album. I like Shake For Me, Louise Louise Blues, Wouldn't Quit You, Think, 334-3599, Rain Falling Down, and Tell Me. The macho cuts are You Can't Run That Fast and Get Away Man. The lamest are Jim Jam, Do You Remember, Song, and Walk In My Mind, the last being one of the five swabbiest songs on the CD.
This box set represents the diary of a band's progress during the years it recorded for Vanguard. If you are a die-hard Siegel-Schwall fan, you might well like this compilation but if you want to cut out a lot of musical clutter, I would recommend trying to find Shake! on CD by itself and you would then own most of the best the band has to offer."

Siegal Schwall - The Complete Vanguard Recordings and More

Craig Sutherland | New Zealand | 05/31/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Respite being 50yrs+ I have only recently become interested in the Blues. I stumbled upon these guys while googling and playing samples. I was was rapt when I heard them and watched a couple of videos. I admit to not being a blues 'purist' and I like music to have a tune and a bit of life in it. I find that some traditional blues is a bit depressing and I can only listen to so much before switching off. However, this collection of CDs is great and I have had a lot of pleasure listening to them. Ok, I don't like every track but I don't dislike any. On a 3 CD set such as this there are so many tracks and there are a large number that I am particularly fond of. It has broadened my musical horizons and I have now acqainted myself with the likes of Peter Green, Taj Mahal and others.

I really enjoyed these CDs and rate them highly. How come it took so long to hear of them? I now find out that some of my mates knew about them 30 years or so ago.

I totally recommend them."