Search - William Clarke :: Deluxe Edition

Blowin in the blues heaven

howard lee teitel | GLENDALE, NEW YORK United States | 07/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"a great collection of the late william clarke songs by alligator records from pawnboker to the last cut you can hear the greatness that was only hitting the surface. if you love good time blues to the serious side of the blues this cd is a must for all blues/harmonica blues lovers"

From Triumph To Tragedy

Clark Paull | Murder City | 04/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It just seems so unfair that a major talent like the late William Clarke toiled away so lovingly at his craft in relative obscurity (outside the blues world, that is), only to die at such an early age while drivel like the music of Barbara Steisand, Sting, and Madonna is lauded as some sort of offering from the gods. Well, while I get down off my soap box here, fans of blues harp (hell, blues in general) need to hear Clarke wail and this compilation is a good starting point. Another stellar Alligator release, "Pawnshop Bound," "Blowin The Family Jewels," and (chillingly) "Somebody Is Calling Me Home" all deliver the goods."

A valid introduction to William Clarke

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 01/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This "Deluxe Edition" brings together 13 songs from William Clarke's four Alligator albums and three previously unreleased tracks from sessions conducted in 1986 and 1995.

A "pupil" if you will of George "Harmonica" Smith, Clarke was a technically gifted harmonica player who mastered both the diatonic harp and the more difficult chromatic one, and there is a lot of impressive playing here.

The songs are almost all self-penned, and there are numerous highlights, including the slow blues "It's Been A Long Time" and "I Got A Feeling". "Must Be Jelly" won Clarke a W.C. Handy Award (blues song of the year 1991), and the swaggering, piano-driven "Trying So Hard" gets a tremendous groove going. And the previously unreleased "Lose Your Life", which employs the driving Bo Diddley beat, is one of the best songs on the album.



This is still not a five-star compilation, though. Plenty of high-impact amplified chromatic harmonica here, sure, and some nice acoustic thrown in as well, but the overall quality of this material is not quite high enough to put Clarke right at the top of the blues echelon...partly because the musicians that back William Clarke are not particularly interesting or innovative, partly because of a certain lack of truly memorable songs and riffs.

But there are definitely some tasty bits here, especially if you're a harp-lover, and this "Deluxe Edition" works equally well as an introduction and as a career overview for those who just want one William Clarke-disc in their collection.

3 3/4 stars. Nice."