It's only been five years since Blind Pig Records' last
anniversary collection, but they've been busy as hell during that time.
Many of these recordings are from albums released within the past five
years, including some of the most well-respected names on the contemporary
scene.
Blind Pig has also dug into the past, bringing
long-forgotten recordings to light; an example is The Lost Tapes, a
collection of live Muddy Waters recordings from 1971 that had languished
in some forgotten vault, due no doubt to the mistaken notion that the
world didn't need another version of "Hoochie Coochie Man." "Honey Bee"
from that recording is included here, featuring Muddy in fine form and a
stellar band that includes Pinetop Perkins, George "Harmonica" Smith (also
represented elsewhere in the collection), Calvin Jones, and other
luminaries. The performance's relaxed intensity shows that, even though
Waters' career wasn't at its highest point when this recording was made,
he certainly was on form.
Most of the collection, though, is aggressively
contemporary, in keeping with Blind Pig's established sound. But the
contemporary blues of Blind Pig isn't the slick, watered-down stuff that's
become prevalent; the music here may be as smooth as greased rails, but
it's not bland. Deborah Coleman's "Bendin' Like a Willow Tree," for
instance, is performed in the husky, understated style that is her
hallmark. Big Bill Morganfield and Taj Mahal team up for a solid acoustic
"Strong Man Holler," and Chris Thomas King's "Cain" has a quiet, even
intensity. Bay Area blues-rocker Tommy Castro gets two entries: the
high-energy "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" and the slightly raunchy "Don't
Turn Your Heater Down," with support from Delbert McClinton.
That still leaves out the CD-ROM, which includes a few
interviews and videos, such as Popa Chubby's grungy blues number "Daddy
Played the Guitar and Mama Was a Disco Queen." For 25 years, Blind Pig
Records has successfully walked the line between obscurity and
commercialism, releasing some fine music along the way. Here's to their
50th.
-- Originally appeared in Blues Revue No. 75,
April/May 2002, p. 56