Thursday, June 16, 2022

Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon - Blueblood (upgrade, repost)



A1 Guitar King
A2 Fast As My Legs Can Go
A3 I Can't Stay Here
A4 Orphan Home Blues
A5 Every Goodbye Don't Mean I'm Gone
A6 Baby Child
B1 Gold Teeth
B2 Worked Hard All My Life
B3 Boogie Till The Break Of Day
B4 The Sky's The Limit
B5 Without You Baby


14 comments:

Alan Balfour said...

Born 12 April 1926, died 17 August 1984 Monroe, Louisiana.

He recorded for Bea & Baby in 1971 and cut an album - Go Get My Baby - for Danish Storyville in 1976.

Somewhere I have the review I wrote for the Dharma LP in 1973. Should I locate it I'll inflict the review on yoy!

Alan Balfour said...

I dug out the LP to give it a spin and inside the sleeve was a promotional 45 thus:

Blueblood McMohan Guitar King/Short Mini Dress Dharma D-18018

Xyros said...

@ Alan Balfour, please do inflict the review on us and maybe it's the reason I bought it at the time.
Mine came without the 45 but I bought that later and it came with a publicity photo

Alan Balfour said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Xyros said...

@ Alan Balfour, come on Alan it's not as bad as you seem to think. Would you really mind if I posted the review?

Alan Balfour said...

Ok, ok, post it.

Xyros said...

and here is Alan's review from 1974:

ANDREW McMAHON 'Blueblood' DHARMA 4401

Guitar King; Fast As My Legs Can Go; I Can't Stay Here; Orphan Home Blues; Every Good-bye Don't Mean I'm Gone; Baby Child; Three Gold Teeth; Worked Hard All My Life; Boogie 'Till the Break of Day; Sky's The Limit; Without You Baby

This LP is to be distributed in the UK by Wellard's jazz shop in South London. In the interim Dharma have supplied Wellard's with white label/plain sleeve LPs plus the above track listing for purposes of review. No biography of Andrew McMahon has been supplied so some research was required. I failed to turn up much more than he was born April 12, 1926 in Delhi, La. and apparently gigged with J. B Hutto and Jimmy Dawkins in 50s. He also played bass in Wolf's band in 50/60s – and that's about it.

Contemporary Chicago blues provide a commendable vehicle for the debut vocal by Wolf's ex bass player, Andrew McMahon. However, much of the appeal lies not in Blueblood's relatively indifferent, loosely tenor-shouted vocals, but in the stella instrumental support. Jimmy Dawkins' guitar is present throughout, Homesick James adds his trademark slide to side one, which is generally tighter, harsher & more uptempo, guitars well to the fore. The second side, includes Hubert Sumlin's immediately recognizable sound and Sunnyland Slim's piano which has graced the recording of Dr. Clayton, Tampa Red and Lonnie Johnson to name a few. Overall a more relaxed and varied, though musically still 'tight'. Slim's piano stays well in evidence with some great rolling runs, giving the whole thing a most congenial atmosphere one can almost ignore the vocals! (did I hear somebody yell 'sacrilege'?) If I had to choose my favorite track it would be Guitar King. Why? It's just so unlike the 1939 barnstorming original by Tommy McClennan. Speaking of 'originals' should Every Good-bye Don't Mean I'm Gone seem familiar it's a poorly remembered version of a 30s crooner anthem of similar title.

Highly recommended.

Alan Balfour (Solid & Raunchy Magazine, issue 99, Oct 1974)

Available from Chris Wellard Ltd, 6 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE15. (£2.99 + l5p p&p)

Thank you Alan for letting it be posted.

Fralego said...

This absolutely IS a great album!

Alan Balfour said...

Franck

I remember you as a contributor to Soul Bag in late 70s/early 80s. Do you still write for them?

Fralego said...

Alan, I haven't written for them or anyone else since the early 80's, I've been focusing on playing.

pmac said...

Gotta grab this. We share the same name.

snakeboy said...

This is good stuff. the real deal as "they" say.

Albert said...

Will you please re-post this album, many thanks...

Albert said...

Thank you so much Xyros !