[1] Back Door Man (W.Dixon) - 6:08
[2] I Can't Quit You Baby (W.Dixon) - 6:40
[3] The Seventh Son (W.Dixon) - 4:15
[4] Spoonful (W.Dixon) - 4:56
[5] I Ain't Superstitious (W.Dixon) - 4:03
[6] You Shook Me (W.Dixon/Lenoir) - 4:15
[7] (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (W.Dixon) - 4:48
[8] The Little Red Rooster (W.Dixon) - 3:36
[9] The Same Thing (W.Dixon) - 4:40
LAWRENCE COHN - Reissue Producer
DAVID MITSON - Remastering
VIRGINIA TEAM - Cover Design
HOWARD FRITZSON - Art Direction
ADAM BLOCK - Project Director
PETE WELDING - Liner Notes
1970 LP CBS CS-9987
1993 CD Columbia/Legacy 53627
1993 CS Columbia/Legacy 53627
1990 CD Mobile Fidelity MFCD-872
1990 CD Mobile Fidelity 872
1995 CS CBS PCT-9987
1995 CD Columbia PCT-9987
The material is superb, consisting of some of Dixon's best-known songs
of the 1960s, and the production is smoothly professional, but none of
the performances here are likely to make you forget the hits by Howlin'
Wolf, Muddy Waters et al. Reissued on CD by Mobile Fidelity and more
recently by Sony Music — unfortunately, none of the unreleased
tracks from the session seem to have survived.
If one man embodies, indeed is, the blues, it's Willie Dixon, though
he's too classy to make such a claim. Thankfully, this American
treasure (unlike other seminal bluesmen) is alive and able to reap the
rewards of a lifetime of musical achievement. I Am The Blues, the
Mobile Fidelity CD, returns to circulation a 1970 Columbia studio
recording featuring Dixon popping the bass and singing a batch of his
best-known songs (among them "Back Door Man," "Seventh Son,"
"Spoonful," "The Little Red Rooster" and "I Can't Quit You, Baby") with
a team of crack Chicago players. This CD's one demerit is its failure
to credit the sidemen. But its major strength, in addition to the
presence of Dixon's best songs, is the thrill of hearing him sing them.
Dixon is duly credited as a master songwriter, bassist and producer-as
the Chess box makes abundantly clear-but his deep, expressive singing
voice is itself a magnificent instrument. The MCA/Chess set, a three-LP
boxed package with a 12-page booklet, showcases 36 of Dixon's
compositions (spanning 1951-65) as performed by the likes of Howlin'
Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Bo Diddley,
Koko Taylor and Otis Rush. Only six songs feature Dixon recording under
his own name, but two of them ("Violent Love" and "Weak Brain, Narrow
Mind") are issued here for the first time. Overall, these renditions,
remastered from Chess' original mono and stereo masters, never sounded
better, and MCA reissue producer Andy McKaie merits high praise for the
intelligence and sensitivity he has brought to this set and to the many
other splendid Chess classics he has repackaged.
Originally released in 1970, this disc has the legendary songwriter
singing nine of his classics as his hand-picked Chicago band makes the
changes. Dixon's nothing special, even if he is the blues personified,
since his dryly charming voice lacks tonal inflections and his way with
rhythm is less than fluent. Whatever glimmers of expressivity these
performances have are due to harp player Carey Bell. In spite of Mobile
Fidelity's exemplary sound technology, the instruments at the original
session sound like mysterious things thumping on the roof in the dead
of night.
"I Am The Blues" zählt nicht zu den nennenswerten Arbeiten von
Willie Dixon, der mit diesem Album einst dem "Electric Blues"-Boom
seinen Tribut zollte. Da zeigt der schwergewichtige Sänger mit
seiner Filmmusik zu "Ginger Ale Afternoon" (Colosseum VSD-5234, 1989,
ADD, 49:13, I:06-09, A- K:08, R:07) weit mehr von jener hintersinnigen
Kammermusikalität, die diesen Ziehvater des Chicago Blues
auszeichnet.
I am, a back door man
I am, a back door man
Well the, men don't know, but the little girls understand
When everybody's tryin' to sleep
I'm somewhere making my, midnight creep
Yes in the morning, when the rooster crow
Something tell me, I got to go
I am, a back door man
I am, a back door man
Well the, men don't know, but little girls understand
They, take me to the doctor, shot full o' holes
Nurse cried, please save the soul
Killed him for murder, first degree
Judge's wife cried, let the man go free
I am, a back door man
I am, a back door man
Well the, men don't know, but little girls understand
Stand out there, cop's wife cried
Don't take him down, rather be dead
Six feets in the ground
When you come home you can eat, pork and beans
I eats mo' chicken, any man seen
I am, a back door man
I am, a back door man
I CAN'T QUIT YOU BABY
We-ell, I can't quit you baby, but I got to put you down a little while
We-ell, I can't quit you baby, but I got to put you down a little while
We-ell you done made me mess up my happy home, made me mistreat my only child
Ah, when you hear me moanin' and groanin', whoa you know it hurts me way down inside
Whoa when you hear me moanin' and groanin', you know it hurts way down inside
Oh when you hear me howlin', ooh you know my love will never die, alright
Well when you see me cryin', don't let my tears fall in vain
Well when you see me cryin, darlin', please don't let my tears fall in vain
Lord, I don't know what to do, you know my heart is filled with pain
Whoa, when you hear me howlin', baby, you know it hurts way down inside
THE SEVENTH SON
Well now everybody cryin' 'bout the seventh son
But in the whole round world there is only one, and
I'm the one, yes, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one,
I'm the one they call the seventh son
Well I can tell your future before it comes to pass
And I can do things for you that make your heart feel glad
Look at the skies and predict the rain
I can tell when a woman's got another man
I'm the one, yes, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one,
I'm the one they call the seventh son
Now I can hold you close and I can squeeze you tight
And I can make you cry for me both day and night
And I can heal the sick and even raise the dead
And make you little girls talk out of your head
I'm the one, yes, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one,
I'm the one they call the seventh son
Now I can talk these words that sound so sweet
I can make your little heart even skip a beat
I can take you, baby, hold you in my arms
And make the flesh quiver on your lovely bones
I'm the one, yes, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one,
I'm the one they call the seventh son
Well now everybody cryin' 'bout the seventh son
But in the whole round world there is only one, and
I'm the one, yes, I'm the one
I'm the one, I'm the one,
I'm the one they call the seventh son
I'm the one they call the seventh son
I'm the one they call the seventh son
SPOONFUL
It could be a spoonful of coffee
It could be a spoonful of tea
But one little spoon of your precious love
Is good enough for me
Men lie about that spoonful
Some cry about that spoonful
Some die about that spoonful
Everybody fight about a spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
It could be a spoonful of water
To save you from the desert sand
But one spoon of love1 from my forty-five
Will save you from another man
Men lie about that spoonful
Some cry about that spoonful
Some die about that spoonful
Everybody fight about a spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
It could be a spoonful of sugar
It could be a spoonful of tea
But one little spoon of your precious love
Is good enough for me
Men lie about that spoonful
Some cry about that spoonful
Some die about that spoonful
Everybody fight about a spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful
I AIN'T SUPERSTITIOUS
Well, I ain't superstitious, black cat just cross my trail
Well, I ain't superstitious, oh the black cat just cross my trail
Don't sweep me with no broom, I might get put in jail
When my right hand itches, I gets money for sure
When my right hand itches, I gets money for sure
But, when my left eye jumps, somebody's got to go
Well, I ain't superstitious, black cat just cross my trail
Well, I ain't superstitious, black cat just cross my trail
Don't sweep me with no broom, I just might get put in jail
Well, the dogs are howlin, all over the neighborhood
Whoa, the dogs are howlin, all over the neighborhood
That is true sign of death, baby, that ain't no good
Well, I'm not superstitious, blow that black cat across my trail
Well, I'm not superstitious, a black cat across my trail
Don't sweep me with no broom, I just might get put in jail
That's bad luck for me
YOU SHOOK ME
You know you shook me, you shook me all night long
Didn't even
Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Couldn't rest a bit
Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home
You know you move me baby, just like a hurricane
(Boy & that's a strong wind)
Oh, you move me, pretty mama
(You know you move me)
Just like a hurricane
(Didn't have a chance)
Oh-oh , you know you move me, pretty mama
Just like a earthquake move the land
(Oh, she shook me all over)
Sometimes I wonder
Oooh
What's gonna happen to my poor wife and chile
Lord, sometimes I wonder
Oooh
What's gonna happen to my poor wife and child
Now baby, you done made me love you
Lord, I just can't be satisfied
You know you shook me, you shook me all night long
Didn't even
Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Couldn't rest a bit
Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home
(I'M YOUR) HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN
The gypsy woman told my mother
Before I was born
I got a boy child's comin'
He's gonna be a son of a gun
He gonna make pretty women's
Jump and shout
Then the world wanna know
What this all about
But you know I'm him
Everybody knows I'm him
Well you know I'm the hoochie coochie man
Everybody knows I'm him
I got a black cat bone
I got a mojo too
I got the Johnny Concheroo
I'm gonna mess with you
I'm gonna make you girls
Lead me by my hand
Then the world will know
The hoochie coochie man
But you know I'm him
Everybody knows I'm him
Oh you know I'm the hoochie coochie man
Everybody knows I'm him
On the seventh hours
On the seventh day
On the seventh month
The seven doctors say
He was born for good luck
And that you'll see
I got seven hundred dollars
Don't you mess with me
But you know I'm him
Everybody knows I'm him
Well you know I'm the hoochie coochie man
Everybody knows I'm him
THE LITTLE RED ROOSTER
I had a little red rooster,
too lazy to crow for day
I had a little red rooster,
too lazy to crow for day
Keep everything in the barnyard,
upset in every way
Oh, them dogs begin to bark,
hounds begin to howl
Oh, them dogs begin to bark,
hounds begin to howl
Oh, watch out strange kin people,
little red rooster's on the prowl
If you see my little red rooster,
please drag him on home
If you see my little red rooster,
please drag him on home
There ain't no peace in the barnyard
since my little red rooster's been gone
THE SAME THING
What makes you men go crazy when the woman wear her dress so tight
What makes you men go crazy when the woman wear her dress so tight
Must be the same old thing that makes the tomcats fight all night
Why do all these men try to run these big-legged women down
Why do all these men try to run these big-legged women down
Must be the same old thing that makes the bulldog pit the hound
Why that same thing
Why that same thing
Now tell me who's to blame
The whole world's fightin' 'bout the same thing
Why do we feel so good when our woman wear her evenin' gown
Why do I feel so good when my baby get her evening gown
Must be the same old thing that makes the preacher throw his bible down
Why that same thing
Why that same thing
Now tell me who's to blame
The whole world's fightin' 'bout the same thing
What makes you men go crazy when the woman wear her dress so tight
What makes you men go crazy when the woman wear her dress so tight
Must be the same old thing that makes the tomcats fight all night
Why that same thing
Why that same thing
Now tell me who's to blame
The whole world's fightin' 'bout the same thing
Why that same thing
Why that same thing
Now tell me who's to blame
The whole world's fightin' 'bout the same thing
