If You Love These Blues, Play 'Em As You Please

Michael Bloomfield

CD ~~$18.98~~ $13.98

RELEASE DATE: 05 Oct 1995

KMCD-9801-2

Best known for his contributions to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Electric Flag, Bob Dylan, and Al Kooper's classic Super Session projects, Michael Bloomfield stands alongside Eric Clapton and Peter Green as the very greatest of the first generation of white blues guitarists. The two albums reissued here demonstrate the true breadth and depth of his passion and personal expression. If You Love These Blues, Play 'em as You Please (1976) is an ardent labor of love and perhaps the finest single work of his solo recording career. On this unusual album, Bloomfield's magical guitar playing honors his musical heroes and inspirations as he invokes bluesmen B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Blind Blake, Howling Wolf, Guitar Slim, Lonnie Johnson, and Eddie Lang. On Bloomfield/Harris (1979), Michael and fellow guitar master Woody Harris delve into the acoustic roots of gospel blues, Bloomfield's stinging electric slide guitar contrasting with the warm, organic tones of Harris's fingerstyle picking

If You Love These Blues; Hey, Foreman; Narrative #1, WDIA, Narrative #2, Death Cell Rounder Blues, Narrative #3, City Girl, Narrative #4, Kansas City Blues, Narrative #5, Mama Lion, Narrative #6, Thrift Shop Rag, Narrative #7, Death in My Family, East Colorado Blues, Blue Ghost Blues, Narrative #8, The Train Is Gone, Narrative #9, The Altar Song, I'll Overcome, I Must See Jesus, Great Dreams from Heaven, Gonna Need Somebody on My Bond, I Am a Pilgrim, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, Have Thine Own Way, Farther Along, Peace in the Valley

The Michael Bloomfield Kicking Mule session that opens this twofer CD (tracks 1 through 22) was originally intended to be an instructional album for Guitar Player magazine. In accordance with Kicking Mule Records' long-standing practice of making tablature books and other instructional material available with their LP releases, spoken commentary by Bloomfield himself precedes each performance.

with Tom Donlinger, Nick Gravenites, Woody Harris, Ira Kamin, Doug Kilmer, Eric Kriss, Hart McNee, Dave Neditch, Ron Stallings, Roger Troy, Doug Kilmer