I’ve already written about how my first impressions of Elmore James actually came through a song by Eric Burdon from his solo career, in which he bemoans the loss of the blues great in “No More Elmore.” There was also the little mention by The Beatles in “For You Blue” – with George egging on John’s lap steel playing with “Elmore James got nothin’ on this baby.”
The thing with Elmore James is that, yes, there is a distinctive Elmore James style – Fleetwood Mac’s “Mr. Wonderful” goes to the Elmore well too many times – but it wasn’t the only lick Elmore James could play. In fact, he had considerable range as a slide player, shown on this beautiful collection, which includes the original “Blues After Hours” album from Elmore James and the Broom Dusters as well as a series of singles by the group and by Elmore solo. High quality re-release from Vinyl Passion.
I bought this just this past June from Forever Changes here in Phoenixville, PA. The owner, Shawn, has taken a real interest in expanding his blues selections and, for better or worse, has allowed me to give him some suggestions on what blues to carry – so if you’re in the area, stop by and see what’s up.
