Search - Moon Mullican :: I'll Sail My Ship Alone

X Marks the Spot. needed by everyone with ears!

Tony Thomas | SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA | 11/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"X Marks the Spot. Mullican is the exact spot where blues, Western Swing, r + b, guitar boogie and rock and roll fermented. The moon man, Mr. Mullican was a great star who bridged the gap between bluesy hokum music through Western Swing, into proto Rock and Roll. Anyone who thinks that Elvis was the first person to combine Country music with black blues, or the music didnt rock until the 1950s, needs to examine the work here from the 1930s. Some of the work here from the 1950s like pipeliners blues, is among the best stuff I have ever heard anywhere.

Jerry Lee Lewis claimed the greats were Jimmie Rogers, Hank Williams, and Al Jolson. However, there are so many times in live performance the Killer will talk about Moon Mullican. I have been particularly found of his version of the title track for this set, "I'll Sail this Ship Alone" on one of his Greatest Concerts in History records from the mid 1960s.

This is just good for your ears, forget about the history!"

Comprehensive overview of Moon's career

Patrick Wall | Waterford, Wateford Ireland | 03/31/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is one of the first to put together all of Moon's early career - from the 1930s to the 1950s. While CD 2 is a great introduction to Moon's greatests hits, CD 1 could have been much better. At first glance, you will marvell at the amount of rare tracks on it. But, longterm fans of Moon will be disappointed to see that many of these rare tracks are merely Moon backing up another singer, rather than first time to CD issues of Moon's own work. As great as Buddy Jones and Cotton Thompson are, their work would be better chronicalled on a CD of their own. All the early Moon tracks here (that Moon sings himself) are already available on CD (the Cliff Bruner box set, and many VA CDs). There is no attempt to chronical Moon's work with Bob Dunn or with the Modern Mountaineers (he sang many with these like "Remember", "Blue skies", "Mean mistreater blues", etc.). These I think would be better than reissuing Moon backing up Cotton Thompson on "Milkcow blues" or Buddy Jones on "Red wagon" and the like. It is like, in that regard, compile a Jerry Lee Lewis CD with half of it comprised of Jerry Lee playing behind Carl Perkins or Billy Lee Riley.However, the sound is excellent overall and the tracks that Moon actually does himself are a good introduction. Longterm Moon fans could have done with more rare tracks done by Moon himself, though. However, the hard to find live version of "Blue tears falling" (with Moon to the fore on vocal and piano - playing a style that is a sure precursor of Jerry Lee) is excellent and makes its first appearance on CD. Also, the 1947 blues ballad "Oh she's gone but not forgotten" is presented here in better sound quality than on the Westside CD "Moon's Tunes"."

Fantastic Classic Country

Patrick Wall | 03/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"50 songs from 1936-51, half from the famous King label in Cincinnati. Classic country to start with, and by the end of Disc Two, on 1951's "Cherokee Boogie (Eh-Oh-Aleena)," Mullican is incorporating rhythm and blues boogie-woogie and you're hearing what Jerry Lee Lewis will break out with a few years later. This music is part of the unfortunately neglected period of 1940-1955, when rhythm and blues and country music were each spectacular and were merging to create rock and roll."