23. Go Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley.
Here we go again. Take two. The actual album included in the original Rolling Stone list is "Go Bo Diddley". But if you read the entry on the RS website, it includes his eponymous first album. There was a reissue in 1990 of these two albums, and that is what Rolling Stone included at number 214 on the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. I think. The matter is further confused with Rolling Stone using the cover art only from "Go Bo Diddley", as opposed to the repackaged 1990 set that was included on the list. Since it really doesn't matter anyway, I have bought the reissue and will now proceed to post about it.
Having just listened to the two albums for the fifth or sixth time, I have to say that I am not as enamored with these albums as the one that I previously posted about. I think these albums are more what I was expecting; mostly blues with a little rock and roll thrown in. There isn't the genre bending to the extent that appeared on the later album. The production seems to be a little bit slicker on these first two albums, I don't get the rushed feeling that I mentioned in the last post.
Bo Diddley has a great guitar sound. Our pal Willie Dixon is back on the bass, which is hardly a shock. He is also credited with two tracks on the first album. The transition between the albums is seamless, they are headed in the same direction. Together they consist of twenty five songs; or an hour of very listenable music. George Thorogood famously covered "Who Do You Love?" and was immediately brought to mind when I heard "I'm a Man". There is a catchy track called "Bring it to Jerome" and great rhythms and esoteric guitar playing on "Bo's Guitar". The popular track "Before You Accuse Me" is a blues standard and is arguably one of the best songs on the compilation. Particularly amusing is "Say Man", where two voices take turns running each other down, or taking the piss out of each other, as our British friends say. The albums wraps up with "Bo Meets the Monster" where he encounters a purple people eater! That's what I said, a purple people eater. He gallantly gets in his plane to check this thing out, but, upon returning home, he finds that it has taken his baby away. A tragic tale, but the song is rather upbeat with funny sounds, so you won't need a box of Kleenex to listen to the track. I figure this is a novelty add on for the reissue, as the monster does not appear on the track listing of the original release of "Go Bo Diddley".
The overall sense that I get from these albums is experimental guitar work in terms of tones and feel, tied in with a signature rhythm pattern. I would imagine that at the time these were released that the music was very progressive; Mr. Diddley was not concerned with conforming to the established music patterns, developing his own sound, borrowing from jazz, blues and rock and roll. This trend, as described in the last post, continued and expanded the range of his music, and ultimately his influence, on the music that was to follow.
Having just listened to the two albums for the fifth or sixth time, I have to say that I am not as enamored with these albums as the one that I previously posted about. I think these albums are more what I was expecting; mostly blues with a little rock and roll thrown in. There isn't the genre bending to the extent that appeared on the later album. The production seems to be a little bit slicker on these first two albums, I don't get the rushed feeling that I mentioned in the last post.
Bo Diddley has a great guitar sound. Our pal Willie Dixon is back on the bass, which is hardly a shock. He is also credited with two tracks on the first album. The transition between the albums is seamless, they are headed in the same direction. Together they consist of twenty five songs; or an hour of very listenable music. George Thorogood famously covered "Who Do You Love?" and was immediately brought to mind when I heard "I'm a Man". There is a catchy track called "Bring it to Jerome" and great rhythms and esoteric guitar playing on "Bo's Guitar". The popular track "Before You Accuse Me" is a blues standard and is arguably one of the best songs on the compilation. Particularly amusing is "Say Man", where two voices take turns running each other down, or taking the piss out of each other, as our British friends say. The albums wraps up with "Bo Meets the Monster" where he encounters a purple people eater! That's what I said, a purple people eater. He gallantly gets in his plane to check this thing out, but, upon returning home, he finds that it has taken his baby away. A tragic tale, but the song is rather upbeat with funny sounds, so you won't need a box of Kleenex to listen to the track. I figure this is a novelty add on for the reissue, as the monster does not appear on the track listing of the original release of "Go Bo Diddley".
The overall sense that I get from these albums is experimental guitar work in terms of tones and feel, tied in with a signature rhythm pattern. I would imagine that at the time these were released that the music was very progressive; Mr. Diddley was not concerned with conforming to the established music patterns, developing his own sound, borrowing from jazz, blues and rock and roll. This trend, as described in the last post, continued and expanded the range of his music, and ultimately his influence, on the music that was to follow.
Buy it here.
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