Shake It And Break It (But Don't Let It Fall Mama) (Charlie Patton)
Come On Mama, Do That Dance (Frankie Half-Pint Jaxon)
Blue Goose Blues (Jessie "Babyface" Thomas)
The Dirty Dozens (Speckled Red)
South Carolina Rag (Blind Willie Walker)
Pussy Cat Blues (Bo Carter)
Searching The Desert For The Blues (Blind Willie McTell)
Cows, See That Train Comin' (Joe Pullum)
West Dallas Drag (Rob Cooper)
Ramblin With That Woman (Bumble Bee Slim)
W.P.A. Blues (Casey Bill Weldon)
Honky Tonk Train Blues (Maede Lux Lewis)
Track Listings (23) - Disc #2
Terraplane Blues (Robert Johnson)
Ice Pick Mama (Walter Cowboy Washington)
Gamblin' Jinx Blues (Black Boy Shine)
Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp (Peetie Wheatstraw)
Good Boy (Big Bill Broonzy)
Alley Boogie (Georgia White)
Meat Shakin' Woman (Blind Boy Fuller)
Railroad Blues (Cow Cow Davenport)
Special Agent (Railroad Police Blues) (Sleepy John Estes)
Roll 'Em Pete (Joe Turner)
Jersey Belle Blues (Lonnie Johnson)
Brown Skin Girl (Tommy McClennan)
Beer Drinkin' Woman (Memphis Slim)
Me And My Chauffeur Blues (Memphis Minnie)
Baby Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams)
Dive Bomber (Pete Johnson)
Carolina Blues (Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee)
Kid Man Blues (Big Maceo)
Boogie Chillen (John Lee Hooker)
You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Dead And Gone) (Muddy Waters)
Rockin' And Rollin' (Lil Son Jackson)
3 O' Clock Blues (B.B. King)
Dust My Broom (Elmore James)
Former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman wants to enlighten people about the great blues of America's musical past. Drawing on his stash of 1,300 albums, the two-CD set Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey makes a strong case fo... more »r the lasting eloquence of the African American blues music recorded in the oppressive South during the Depression and on till 1951. (Wyman has also co-authored a history of the American blues called Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey: A Journey to Music's Heart & Soul.) Blues novitiates and devotees alike will be served well by Wyman's knowing selection of songs, 46 in all, covering an array of styles. Among his heroes are the famous (Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson) and semi-famous (Lonnie Johnson and Memphis Slim, to name two), as well as the unjustly forgotten (several pianists and cross-dressing singer Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon). --Frank-John Hadley« less
Former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman wants to enlighten people about the great blues of America's musical past. Drawing on his stash of 1,300 albums, the two-CD set Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey makes a strong case for the lasting eloquence of the African American blues music recorded in the oppressive South during the Depression and on till 1951. (Wyman has also co-authored a history of the American blues called Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey: A Journey to Music's Heart & Soul.) Blues novitiates and devotees alike will be served well by Wyman's knowing selection of songs, 46 in all, covering an array of styles. Among his heroes are the famous (Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson) and semi-famous (Lonnie Johnson and Memphis Slim, to name two), as well as the unjustly forgotten (several pianists and cross-dressing singer Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon). --Frank-John Hadley
"Leave it to a Rolling Stone to assemble the most generous, distinctive collection of classic blues issued this year. I purchased this set on impulse because I love early blues recordings and heard that Bill Wyman, of the Rolling Stones, had just produced a broadcast series based on the lives and works of early blues musicians. To be honest, there aren't many early blues recordings on CD that have been as carefully researched or as beautifully remastered. There are two disks and 46 cuts on this bargain-priced collection, only about a third of which are performed by die-hard favorites like Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Big Maceo, Lonnie Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Minnie and Blind Lemon Jefferson. The balance of the collection includes performances by musicians you may not have ever heard, or at least listened too very often, from Mamie Smith and Bo Carter to Casey Bill Weldon and Georgia White. But there isn't a bad cut in the bunch. As with most of Wyman's recorded projects, there is a distinctive, laid-back feel to the compilation. The music is intensely personal, and very listenable. Originally remastered in the UK by Denis Blackham, the warmth and presence of the collection is startling. Add to all of this a booklet that is handsome and informative, and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend 20 bucks. PS. You don't have to love the blues to enjoy most of these performances. Anyone who loves vintage jazz or roots music can dive right in. Very strongly recommended."
A Noteworthy Compilation
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 12/26/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm rarely in someone's Amen Corner, but I can't disagree with anything the previous reviewer wrote. Rather, let me expand on it. The Rolling Stones, particularly in their salad days, were heavily influenced by black American blues as were many of their British contemporaries. Here the listener has the chance to hear 46 of the songs which influenced that generation of musicians and which touched Wyman in particular.
Bill Wyman has put together a fine group of old blues that feature a wide range of musicians, both famous and obscure, playing a wide range of blues styles. Rock fans who have never listened to traditional blues will recognize a number of these songs which have been covered by artists ranging from Van Morrison to John Mayall.
The 2-CD set includes an informative booklet containing short biographical sketches of each featured artist. It also contains many rare photos obtained from various sources.
Hats off to Bill Wyman! Blues Odyssey is a noteworthy compilation, very well remastered, that is worth every penny of its price. If you love the blues, buy this one today."
Bill Wyman is giving Ken Burns a run for the money here
mvconsults | San Francisco, CA | 01/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For all of you who enjoyed Ken Burns' epic Jazz series, former Stones bassist Bill Wyman follows it up here with his own study and insight on the musical genre that he obviously loves, the Blues. Besides the handsome coffee table book, this 2 CD set contains most of the legends of the American blues spread over 46 tracks, from Papa Charlie Jackson's 1925 recording of "All I Want is a Spoonful" to 1951 blues tracks from Elmore James and B.B. King. No, "The Thrill is Gone" isn't covered here nor are the newer blues artists like Robert Cray or Stevie Ray Vaughan, just the old masters.One thing I was reminded of was that the blues did not begin with Robert Johnson who emerged in the mid-'30s. Of course! Just like rock and roll didn't begin with Elvis. Get this collection and check out Wyman's commentary on each of the artists. It's very informative and easy to get a grasp on what for many is an arcane musical genre. And yes, as Wyman states, "the Blues are perfect however you feel.""
Bill Wyman's time machine!
KIWRadioFREEblues | Omaha, Ne | 12/24/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"January 30, 2003
When Bill Wyman left the Rolling Stones in the early `90's he claimed there were more important projects he wanted to work on including photography, art, and writing. Wyman was the first Stone to release solo albums that were released on Rolling Stones Records label.
Wyman has excelled in at least one post-Stones arena: writing. While his two books regarding his time as a Rolling Stone offer a sanitized glimpse behind the curtain, Wyman's book, `Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey' and the companion two CD set is nothing short of an excellent narrative of that great American art form, `the blues.' For a brief time a companion television piece also aired on satellite networks.
As an avid, albeit older, music fan, there is nothing I enjoy more than delving back into time and finding a rare gem recorded 50, 60, or 70 years ago. While its like admitting you have fleas on your first date, I have to confess that some of these recordings are so poor that any listening enjoyment is erased. Sure, all those 78 rpm's being transferred onto CD make it easier and the liner notes are fascinating, but even the Yazoo label often releases titles that are so marred with `snaps, crackles, and pops' that I can't bear repeated listening. Which brings me to the point of this column.
Do you remember when Columbia released the 2 disc Robert Johnson box set back in the very early `90's? Anyway, with the dawn of digital recordings, Columbia made the brief and untenable, yet true, boast that the box set recordings, since they had been remixed and remastered, were, "better than the original recordings." Listeners could distinctly hear Johnson rocking in a wooden chair while he recorded. Now I know someone, somewhere is going to tag me with the old lie, "I love the warmth of those old records." O.K. sure. But I like clarity. Wyman's companion two CD set release for `Blues Odyssey' is the finest example I have ever heard representing this era of the recording industry. To put a point on it, the two CD set is a compilation, 46 cuts in all, is of early period blues artists including Bessie Smith, Frank Stokes, Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson contemporary Charly Patton. Within the compact disc is a 22 page booklet with excellent liner notes regarding each artist represented on this collection. The Linear notes are a good indication of how excellent the Wyman's book was written.
The mists of the past are parting.
What Wyman has truly accomplished is to lend his name and credibility within the industry to create well deserved interest in the artists that are unquestionably the pioneers and bedrock of the music industry and rock music in particular. Through the use of video, the printed word, and digitally enhanced audio recordings, Wyman has created a veritable time machine that allows the serious music fan to truly experience this music as it sounded when it was originally recorded. Since purchasing this disc I have been trawling in the 1920's listening to music that is humorous, enlightening, and, "dadgumit" just darn great