Bear Family - Southern roots the original sessions

[PeterC]

Good review by Douglas McPherson in this months country music people
Strange choice of album for cmp to reveiw considering its a jazz album

Jazz album? It's probably more of a soul album than anything, though there are of course also hints of rock & roll, rhythm & blues, gospel & country, among other genres (I can't hear any jazz though!).

[Ulli]

Good review by Douglas McPherson in this months country music people
Strange choice of album for cmp to reveiw considering its a jazz album

Jazz album? It's probably more of a soul album than anything, though there are of course also hints of rock & roll, rhythm & blues, gospel & country, among other genres (I can't hear any jazz though!).

Ok, perhaps not much of jazz, but definetely hints of it in 'Blueberry Hill', Big Blue Diamonds' and 'Margie'.

[PeterC]

I suppose it depends how you define jazz... to me this is just New Orleans rhythm 'n' blues (I certainly wouldn't call Fats Domino a jazz act). Definitely more of a soul album than anything though... certainly more a soul album than "Soul My Way"!

[Ulli]

I suppose it depends how you define jazz... to me this is just New Orleans rhythm 'n' blues (I certainly wouldn't call Fats Domino a jazz act). Definitely more of a soul album than anything though.

I agree. But parts of BH and BBD are 'Old Time' and that's Jazz. But I never would call it a Jazz album. If we have to label it, then Soul.
Fats was / is in my eyes a Rhythm'n'Blues and Rock'n'Roll act, but sometimes, especially live in the long instrumental solos, he gets pretty jazzy.
That is what makes them so special - you can't label artists like JLL or FD on only one style - they are stylists themselves.

[martin bates]

I suppose it depends how you define jazz... to me this is just New Orleans rhythm 'n' blues (I certainly wouldn't call Fats Domino a jazz act). Definitely more of a soul album than anything though.

I agree. But parts of BH and BBD are 'Old Time' and that's Jazz. But I never would call it a Jazz album. If we have to label it, then Soul.
Fats was / is in my eyes a Rhythm'n'Blues and Rock'n'Roll act, but sometimes, especially live in the long instrumental solos, he gets pretty jazzy.
That is what makes them so special - you can't label artists like JLL or FD on only one style - they are stylists themselves.

spot on; I was talking to a pianist the other day - he was playing where Monica & I went for our aniversarry meal - ahhh- & was off to play cruises for a short period then returning to do some session work with Beverly Knight ....we agreed most 'music lovers' may have a particular favourite style, but are generally open to all other sorts and that's true of all the great performers, I think - and partly why they retain a strong appeal. Interesting in the original post that CMP were reviewing the album. Douglas Mc P must have been writing for them for many years now, and was probably interested in the new release; when the original album came out it did very well in the country charts- despite the contents , probably the least country he'd done at that time.

Martin.

[Safc1973]

I suppose it depends how you define jazz... to me this is just New Orleans rhythm 'n' blues (I certainly wouldn't call Fats Domino a jazz act). Definitely more of a soul album than anything though.

I agree. But parts of BH and BBD are 'Old Time' and that's Jazz. But I never would call it a Jazz album. If we have to label it, then Soul.
Fats was / is in my eyes a Rhythm'n'Blues and Rock'n'Roll act, but sometimes, especially live in the long instrumental solos, he gets pretty jazzy.
That is what makes them so special - you can't label artists like JLL or FD on only one style - they are stylists themselves.

spot on; I was talking to a pianist the other day - he was playing where Monica & I went for our aniversarry meal - ahhh- & was off to play cruises for a short period then returning to do some session work with Beverly Knight ....we agreed most 'music lovers' may have a particular favourite style, but are generally open to all other sorts and that's true of all the great performers, I think - and partly why they retain a strong appeal. Interesting in the original post that CMP were reviewing the album. Douglas Mc P must have been writing for them for many years now, and was probably interested in the new release; when the original album came out it did very well in the country charts- despite the contents , probably the least country he'd done at that time.

Martin.

Just googled where the album peaked & can you beileve it peaked at number 6 in billboard

[PeterC]

spot on; I was talking to a pianist the other day - he was playing where Monica & I went for our aniversarry meal - ahhh- & was off to play cruises for a short period then returning to do some session work with Beverly Knight ....we agreed most 'music lovers' may have a particular favourite style, but are generally open to all other sorts and that's true of all the great performers, I think - and partly why they retain a strong appeal.

The same applies to Queen; original thought of as a heavy metal band (particularly in the USA), but their music encompasses rock, glam, pop, funk, electronic & rockabilly, as well as opera & classical influences. Almost certainly the most diverse rock / pop act of all time, even more so than The Beatles.

Interesting in the original post that CMP were reviewing the album. Douglas Mc P must have been writing for them for many years now, and was probably interested in the new release; when the original album came out it did very well in the country charts- despite the contents , probably the least country he'd done at that time.

What number did it reach? I've never seen a country album chart listing for Jerry, but the album was a complete flop in the US pop album charts... and the single 'Meat Man' didn't sell much either.

[PeterC]

Just googled where the album peaked & can you beileve it peaked at number 6 in billboard

What, on the jazz charts?

[Safc1973]

Just googled where the album peaked & can you beileve it peaked at number 6 in billboard

What, on the jazz charts?

No country charts

[Safc1973]

Mind one of the songs I play constantly off this album ' that old bourbon street church'

Great tune if you listen carefully there a little touch of the theme tune minder in there well I think i can hear it anyway ( minder is a uk tv programme about a rouge car trader )

[martin bates]

spot on; I was talking to a pianist the other day - he was playing where Monica & I went for our aniversarry meal - ahhh- & was off to play cruises for a short period then returning to do some session work with Beverly Knight ....we agreed most 'music lovers' may have a particular favourite style, but are generally open to all other sorts and that's true of all the great performers, I think - and partly why they retain a strong appeal.

The same applies to Queen; original thought of as a heavy metal band (particularly in the USA), but their music encompasses rock, glam, pop, funk, electronic & rockabilly, as well as opera & classical influences. Almost certainly the most diverse rock / pop act of all time, even more so than The Beatles.

Interesting in the original post that CMP were reviewing the album. Douglas Mc P must have been writing for them for many years now, and was probably interested in the new release; when the original album came out it did very well in the country charts- despite the contents , probably the least country he'd done at that time.

What number did it reach? I've never seen a country album chart listing for Jerry, but the album was a complete flop in the US pop album charts... and the single 'Meat Man' didn't sell much either.

well , the question has already been answered..but do you mean you've never seen any chart listing or just 'Southern Roots' ? All his albums in the day were country hits , and (like Southern Roots) even the Session went high in the charts despite it's content. 'Best Of' was on the charts for about 8 months.
- and yes Queen were terrific, although I've not heard anything like their full catalogue, but what's in the public domain is impressive.
Martin.

[PeterC]

I've never seen any country album chart listing; I pretty much always rely on the book "Killer!" for any JLL chart info, and country album chart positions aren't in that.

[Dave McKee]

Fireball Mail used to keep fans informed of Jerry's abum chart placings.

[martin bates]

i used to follow the charts myself,so i can remember his albums fared well alongside his hit singles. tony papard's website had some info and I would imagine Paul's books do.I don't have them but his excellent Carl Perkins book shows chart placings as they happened.
Martin

[Maarten K.]

Four stars in Dutch music magazine Revolver's Lust For Live.