Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band – Hoodoo Man Blues – Analogue Productions CAPB 034 Stereo-only SACD, 39:59 *****:
(Junior Wells, harmonica, vocals; Buddy Guy, guitar; Jack Myers, bass; Billy Warren, drums)
When recording in a musical genre like the blues, any engineer or remastering engineer is faced with a conundrum. On the one hand, the ideal blues recording, especially of an artist of such visceral intensity as Junior Wells, recreates the experience of a live band. On the other hand, none of the elements of the powerful band should completely overpower the others, as frequently occurs in a live performance. In 1965, when Stu Black engineered Wells’ first LP, Hoodoo Man Blues, he balanced this problem perfectly, allowing the bite of the backing band, including Buddy Guy, to remain intact without detracting from Wells’ dominant performance. Now Kevin Gray, re-mastering engineer for Analogue Productions, has replicated Black’s achievement with his treatment of Wells’ classic album for Analogue’s reissue.
The first track, Snatch It Back and Hold It, immediately demonstrates the quality of Gray’s transfer onto SACD. The fidelity is so high that the listener can hear all of the different quirks of the original studio recording. At several points Wells gets too close to the mike and the sound pops. Guy on guitar, Jack Myers on bass and Billy Warren on drums are all perfectly mixed. Both Myers and Guy ring clear, without any hint of distortion. Wells, on the other hand, playing like he’s in a typical Chicago joint like Theresa’s Lounge, assaults the studio microphone with blistering harmonica and howling vocals. The slight distortion which inevitably occurs only enhances his performance. Played on a high-end CD player without SACD capability, much of the breathiness of Wells’ vocals and harmonica playing is left out, and the feeling of being present in the studio hearing all the mistakes that SACD provides is gone.
On Ships on the Ocean, the balance of the band’s ingredients is re-arranged but still comes out perfectly. The backing band is moved further back in the mix, creating more of a typical, controlled “studio” sound. This juxtaposes excellently with Wells, who again is brought right up to the listener’s ear to wail and blow away. With SACD audio quality, this is certainly the closest thing available to hearing Wells in person since his unfortunate death in 1998.
Good Morning Schoolgirl, the third track, moves into a more up-tempo blues. Myers on bass is exceptionally tight on this song. On a lesser recording, Myer’s playing might blur somewhat into a hum of low-end sound, but Gray keeps every note distinct. When played as a CD, the power of Myer’s playing is lost somewhat in the low end of the recording, and as a consequence the interaction of the rhythm section is less vibrant.
The other half of the rhythm section, Billy Warren, is given his chance to shine on Hound Dog. Warren hits the cymbals so lightly that they are barely perceptible, but they remain audible in the mix and form the spine of the rhythm on this hard blues track. The cymbals are even harder to hear without the benefit of Grey’s SACD remaster. Guy’s guitar sparks and crackles out of both speakers while Wells comes in from the right, giving Guy‘s lean, mean guitar work the primary attention.
In The Wee Wee Hours is a moodier song, and the dynamics of Wells’ more emotive playing are captured beautifully. Wells here uses the studio equipment as a tool to enhance his performance. He moves back slightly from the mike to soften his sound during long, husky melodic lines, but will move sharply in for the crescendo of a particular phrase.
Early In The Morning is, of all the tracks on the album, the one that best showcases Black’s original recording and Gray’s remaster. The deep punch of Warren’s bass drum seems to puncture the low-end of the mix, as if its sound were that much stronger than the rest of the rhythm section. These deep blasts of sound punctuate the end of Wells’ lines. This effect isn’t present on the CD layer, and again much of the breathiness of Wells’ harmonica is lost. The harmonica solo shortly after the three minute mark might be the strongest on the album, with Wells teasing out the melody, sometimes barely blowing into his harmonica.
We’re Ready, asking the band to let him know when they are prepared to unleash their sound. Myer’s bass playing is expressive, at points capturing the playful, cocky mood of the track more than Guy or Wells. Around the time he was recording Hoodoo Man, Wells was experimenting with R&B sounds, augmenting his traditional electric blues with newer rhythms. This hard-driving Chicago approach is in force on this classic album. The backing band is so tight that only the sharper attacks of Guy’s guitar break through its deep groove. With this solid foundation below him, Wells is free to bring the full power of his flamboyant style to bear on the recordings. If any one of the pieces that make up this seminal recording were over-emphasized, the potent mix would be ruined. Luckily, the album was in the hands of an expert like Black, and has been given sure handed remastering from Gray.
TrackList: Snatch It Back and Hold It, Ships On The Ocean, Good Morning Schoolgirl, Hound Dog, In The Wee Wee Hours, Hey Lawdy Mama, Hoodoo Man Blues, Early In The Morning, We’re Ready, You Don’t Love Me, Baby, Chitlin Con Carne, Yonder Wall
— Ethan Krow
