According to the original liner notes, this 1959 Willie Dixon session was cut during a two hour span in between flights.
This certainly explains the relaxed, jam session feel of the recordings.
Unfortunately, the songs come out sounding sluggish and stilted at times; this is partly due, no doubt, to the makeshift nature of the date, but also, more surprisingly, because of drummer Gus Johnson's overly slick and formalized playing.
On top of this, one has to contend with Dixon's less-then-inspired vocals -- it's Dixon's writing talents and A&R savvy in the blues world that warrant him a place in the pantheon, not his skills at the microphone.
That all said, this still is an enjoyable disc to listen to, not least of all because of the quality of Dixon's many originals and the freshness of pianist Memphis Slim's playing.
And while the vaudevillian comedy of a song like "Built for Comfort" can be traced to Dixon's earlier pop R&B work with the Big Three Trio, rougher blues standouts like "Go Easy" and "Move Me" lead back to the Chicago blues world Dixon shared with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.
Not a first disc for curious listeners, but certainly a pleasant enough addition to the blues lover's collection.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NervousWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 65 MB |
| 2 | Good UnderstandingWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 02:17 | 5 MB | 48 MB |
| 3 | That's My BabyWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 69 MB |
| 4 | Slim's ThingPeter Chatman | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 73 MB |
| 5 | That's All I Want BabyWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 02:18 | 5 MB | 48 MB |
| 6 | Don't You Tell NobodyWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 02:11 | 5 MB | 45 MB |
| 7 | Youth to YouWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 65 MB |
| 8 | Sittin' and Cryin' the BluesWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 67 MB |
| 9 | Built for ComfortWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 02:36 | 6 MB | 53 MB |
| 10 | I Got a RazorWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 81 MB |
| 11 | Go EasyPeter Chatman | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 05:56 | 13 MB | 119 MB |
| 12 | Move MeWillie Dixon | Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 68 MB |
| 40 mins | 92 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 807 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Chatman | Composer |
| 2 | Willie Dixon | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 3 | Memphis Slim | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |