Juke Joints 3 / Various Juke Joints 3 / Various CD

Juke Joints. Dark and noisy rooms bursting with loud music, drunken revelry and an air of imminent violence. A reality which few of us have experienced. Many then present held their lives cheap and carried guns and knives that were used to redress a momentary disagreement or a long-held grudge. Eddie Burns reckoned, 'Mississippi was a rough place. I've seen them gamble and everybody would lay their guns up on the table in the lamplight. There wasn't no electricity back then. So everybody get to shooting in there and the lights go out 'cause the lamplight got a tendency to don't stay lit. A lamp don't when they're shooting in a house.' The music seems to perfectly match the times. Tough, loud and raucous, it was intended to command the attention of people with plenty of distractions. Titles like Alley Special, Locked In Jail Blues and Broke And Hungry tell it like it was. But that's not the only story - songs like Ride My New Car With Me, You'll Always Have A Home and I'm Gonna Love You suggest it wasn't all misery. Here by popular demand is a further collection of sides that might otherwise have been forgotten. So compelling are they that we might - for an incautious second or two - wish ourselves back in those dives. Selection and notes are by Neil Slaven, so you know you're in safe hands.

1. I'm a King Bee 2. My Woman Has a Black Cat Bone 3. Steady 4. Late Hours at Midnight 5. Ludella 6. Sail on, Little Girl 7. Alley Special 8. Play My Juke Box 9. Chicago Blues 10. Shackles Round My Body 11. Throw a Little Boogie 12. Dial 110 Blues 13. About to Lose My Mind 14. You Better Move on Away from Here 15. Applejack Boogie 16. Seems Like a Million Years [TK 1] [Take] 17. Western Union Man 18. Silver Haired Woman 19. She Got Me Walkin' 20. Ride My New Car with Me 21. After Hours 22. 1958 Blues 23. Bad Feeling Blues [Alt] [Alternate Take] 24. Feel So Worried [TK 2] [Take] 25. I Want a Roller 26. Gary Stomp 27. Operator Blues [TK 3] [Take] 28. My Baby Left Me 29. Lookin' for My Baby [TK 5] [Take] 30. I'm Gonna Love You 31. She's Gone with the Wind 32. Eula Mae 33. Ardelle 34. Happy Home Blues 35. I've Got Love If You Want It 36. That's All Right 37. Hello Central, Please Give Me 209 38. Crying 39. I'll Move You 40. Awful Shame 41. Cadillac Blues 42. Hollywood Boogie 43. Chicken Stuff 44. Please Mam Forgive Me 45. You Better Watch That Jive 46. Walking Talking Blues 47. Locked in Jail Blues 48. Highway 51 49. Jet Black Woman 50. I Had a Dream 51. Got a Letter This Morning 52. Down South 53. She's Tough 54. Baker Shop Boogie [TK 1] [Take] 55. Ridin' Home 56. Sad and Lonely 57. Crawdad 58. No One to Love Me 59. Wonderin' and Worryin' 60. Lightnin' Slim Boogie 61. A ; B Blues 62. Homesick Blues 63. Fat Mouth 64. Number Writer 65. King's Highway 66. John Henry 67. Jammin' 68. Take It Easy 69. Mr Ticket Agent 70. Which One Do I Love 71. Little School Girl 72. Excuse Me Baby 73. Have You a Match 74. Goin' to New Orleans 75. Want to Boogie-Woogie 76. Love Me Mama 77. Log House on the Hill 78. You'll Always Have a Home 79. Jimmie's Boogie 80. Rather Be Sloppy Drunk 81. G-Man Blues 82. No One to Love Me 83. Y M ; V Blues 84. Sittin' Here Wonderin' 85. Strange Love 86. Size 4 Shoe 87. I'm in Love 88. You Gotta Lay Down Mama 89. Jelly Roll Man 90. Cold in the Evening 91. Mistreated Blues 92. My Baby's Gone 93. Forgive Me 94. Don't Do It Again 95. Good Lookin' Woman 96. Goin' Back to Mama 97. Truck 'Em on Down 98. Goin' Back Home Today 99. Uncle Sam Blues 100. Harlem Women 101. Don't Want Me Blues 102. Broke and Hungry 103. I Don't Know Why 104. Boogie