"The Complete Imperial Recordings, 1950-1954" by T-BONE WALKER (September 1991 US EMI Records USA 2CD Compilation of Ron McMaster Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"MANNISH BOY" 

BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, DOO WOP, ROOTS

RHYTHM 'n' BLUES and ROCK 'n' ROLL ON CD 

Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters 

Thousands of E-Pages

All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

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"...Strollin' With Bone... "

"...I'm too lazy to work and too nervous to steal..." or how about 

"...It's a coldblooded world when a man has to pawn his shoes..." 

Poor T-Bone Walker, always having it hard with the ladies (if you know what I'm saying). 

It may be old (in July 2021, September 1991 is almost 30 years ago and therefore ancient in the digital domain), but if you'll forgive the loose lips sinks ships gaudy line of chatter-patter, "The Complete Imperial Recordings, 1950-1954" is a solid gold one nonetheless. 

The grandfather guitar-playing template for most all of modern-day Blues - T-Bone Walker's tunes were always fun too - a self-deprecating wry social commentator where (guess what) - it always appeared to be her fault - with our hero (oddly enough) blemish-less in the aforementioned shenanigans. As you no doubt catch from the lyrics to "Too Lazy" and "Alimony Blues" quoted above, T-Bone was also an uncannily good wordsmith - like say Chuck Berry was to 50ts Rock 'n' Roll. 

Jammed with Fifty-two tracks in great audio (given their vintage and rarity) - T-Bone Walker was also an accomplished 40 year-old Blues and R 'n' B man in the early 50ts zipping up and down the fretboard of his big daddy of a guitar. There's a whole mess of hustle to be documenting, so let's have at the evil-hearted gals and their cruel-cruel alimony blues...

US released 10 September 1991 - "The Complete Imperial Recordings, 1950- 1954" by T-BONE WALKER on EMI Records USA CDP-7-96737-2 (Barcode 762185124628) is a 52-Track 2CD Compilation of Remasters in the EMI Blues Series that plays out as follows:

CD1: 70:18 minutes, 26 Tracks 

1. Glamour Girl 

2. Strollin' With Bone 

3. The Sun Went Down 

4. You Don't Love Me 

5. Travellin' Home 

6. The Hustle Is On (78 RPM Version)

7. Baby Broke My Heart (78 RPM Version) 

8. Evil Hearted Woman (Alternate Take)

9. I Walked Away 

10. No Reason 

11. Look Me In The Eye (78 RPM Version) 

12. Too Lazy (Alternate Take) 

13. Alimony Blues 

14. Life Is Too Short 

15. You Don't Understand (Alternative) 

16. Welcome Blues (Hey Pretty Baby) 

17. I Get So Weary 

18. You Just Wanted To Use Me

19. Tell Me What's The Reason 

20. I'm About To Lose My Mind  

21. Cold, Cold Feeling 

22. News For My Baby 

23. Get These Blues Off Me 

24. I Got The Blues Again

25. Through With Women 

26. Street Walking Woman

CD2: 68:48 minutes, 26 Tracks

1. Blues Is A Woman 

2. I Got The Blues 

3. Here In The Dark

4. Blue Mood 

5. Every Time 

6. I Miss You Baby 

7. Lollie Lou 

8. Party Girl 

9. Love Is Just A Gamble (No Horns) 

10. High Society 

11. Long Distance Blues 

12. Got No Use For You 

13. I'm Still In Love With You 

14. Railroad Station Blues 

15. Vida Lee (No Horns)

16. My Baby Is Now On My Mind 

17. Doin' Time 

18. Bye Bye Baby 

19. When The Sun Goes Down 

20. Pony Tail 

21. Wanderin' Heart 

22. I'll Always Be In Love With You 

23. I'll Understand 

24. Hard Way 

25. Teen Age Baby 

26. Strugglin' Blues 

Part of the 'EMI Blues Series', the 16-page booklet inside the fat double jewel-case has informative, affectionate and detailed liner notes by PETE WELDING followed by track-by-track session details. His swinging band consisted of Eddie Hutcherson on Trumpet, Edward Hale on Alto Saxophone, Eddie Davis on Tenor Saxophone, Jim Wynn on Tenor and Baritone Saxophones, Zell Kindred on Piano, Buddy Woodson on Bass with Robert Sims on Drums. Other musicians included Wilard McDaniel on Piano, Oscar Lee Bradley and Robert Sims on Rhythm Guitars with T-Bone handling all Lead Guitar and Vocals. That famous shot of him doing his showman-acrobatics by playing the guitar behind his head is synonymous with T-Bone Walker and of course influenced so many Rock Musicians that followed including the big guy - Jimi Hendrix. 

Throughout the songs - most being slow Blues punctuated with dancing R&B shufflers - his guitar playing is that of a more sophisticated B.B. King and the Disc Transfers by RON McMASTER at Capitol Recording Studios brings this out. The first ten to twenty sides feature controlled clicks and pops from those uber-rare 1950 and 1951 Imperial 78s but thereafter, the transfers and Audio is impressively clean. By the time you get down to "Through With Women" on Disc 1 - your speakers are filled with guitar-flicking piano-rolling horn-moaning Blues where the gals are (of course) entirely to blame for T-Bone's woes (the good book says so you know). His "Street Walking Woman" is filled with great fun tales of a gal with a fifth shot of whiskey and a jug full of wine and she don't stop drivin' the boys wild even when the sun goes down.

The kind of artist who deserves a 5CD Bear Family 12" x 12" all-consuming monster hardback book tome Box Set – but if you want your stroll with T-Bone Walker – then settle-in with this early exemplary 2CD anthology. Just know that love is a gamble and she (evil-hearted and gin sozzled) has loaded the dice in her double-dealin' favour (don't they all)...