The Essential Otis Rush

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ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 24   Total Length: 74:27

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Down to Earth in an Otherworldly Kind of Way

sigmonky

This might be my favorite collection of blues recordings ever. Rush's vocals have all the soulful gestures you'd expect but performed with a subtltey and precision rarely heard. Ditto on the guitar solos ( which may feature Ike Turner ).Nothing stiff or overly mannered here. It's as real and hardcore as postwar Chicago blues gets but there is an otherness to these performances that set them apart. The studio acoustics capture all the doomy, trance-inducing, quality heard on many of the classic postwar chicago blues recordings but they also seem to shimmer with the ethereal overtones of a gamelan orchestra. Amazing what can happen when all the musicians are saturating tape in the same room at the same time!

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a lot of classics

lwalls1968

There are a lot of the all-time blues classics on this disc. Check this out to hear the songs that inspired Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, SRV just to name a few. They all did covers of songs on this cd, so you know it's worth listening to!

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eMusic Features

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Scene: Chicago Blues, 1948-1968

By John Morthland

Chicago began filling up with blues artists—Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie, Sunnyland Slim, Memphis Slim—in the 1920s and '30s--but what we know as "Chicago blues" is a postwar phenomena, a term mostly used to describe electric band blues with Mississippi Delta roots. Its first true star was Muddy Waters, whose earliest Chicago music was mostly made by himself on electrified slide guitar alongside a stand-up bassist. As he grew successful, Muddy began adding musicians… more »

They Say All Media Guide

The title says it all. This is the essential Otis Rush, the singles recorded for Eli Toscano’s Cobra label between 1956 and 1958. If Rush had never recorded another note, his legendary status would remain intact based solely on these recordings. Backed by players like Willie Dixon and Little Walter, it’s Rush’s impassioned vocals and stinging guitar lines that make “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” “All Your Love (I Miss Loving),” and “Double Trouble” the classics they are. In addition to the A- and B-sides of all eight singles released by Cobra, eight alternate takes are included, four more than the Paula edition of this material released in 1991. Along with a slightly better transfer from the original tapes, this is not only one of the best places to start for someone getting interested in the blues, but a vital part of any blues collection. Outstanding. – Sean Westergaard

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