Reviewed by Paul J Zickler
Released: August 4 1980 The Fabulous Thunderbirds What's The Word Genre: Texas Blues Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paul’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Highlights: Learn to Treat Me Right Last Call for Alcohol Jumpin’ Bad That’s Enough of That Stuff I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that Jake & Elwood converted me to the Church of the Blues. Before “Briefcase Full of Blues” came out, my knowledge of blues music came entirely from a PBS special I watched with my dad and a friend’s set of Time-Life Presents the Blues LP’s. After hearing the first Blues Brothers record, and later watching the movie, I became a huge blues fan, which lasted until sometime in the ‘90’s, when I became exhausted with hearing the same damn chord progression and blues-scale guitar solos and walked away from the genre. While I occasionally spin my John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Muddy Waters records to this day, I’ve mostly remained staunchly uninterested in the kind of white-boy blues the Fab T-Birds specialized in. This does not mean I don’t recognize the appeal. I’m pretty sure Kim Wilson taught Dan Aykroyd to play the harmonica (I seem to remember hearing him say so on MTV), and Jimmie Vaughn’s guitar prowess is undeniable. This album wasn’t a hit, but that seems purely accidental. If songs like Learn to Treat Me Right or That’s Enough of That Stuff had been featured in a movie soundtrack, the record would’ve found its way into the Top 40. The production doesn’t have hit single quality, but the playing and singing are obviously a cut above the bar-band fare featured on other releases of the time. These guys are the real deal, clearly, and they deserved their success and critical acclaim. Even instrumentals like Last Call for Alcohol and Jumpin’ Bad get the toes tapping enough to remain interesting. If you like talented dudes from Texas generating two to three minute bursts of blues energy, this is a solid album. Pour yourself a Lone Star and enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment