Taj Mahal - The Natch'l Blues

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London Includes 3 bonus tracks not on the original release: The Cuckoo (alternate version), New Stranger Blues & Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine. Taj Mahal's second album, recorded in the spring and fall of 1968, opens with more stripped-down Delta-style blues in the manner of his debut, but adds a little more amplification (partly courtesy of Al Kooper on organ) before moving into wholly bigger sound on numbers like "She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride" and "The Cuckoo" -- the latter, in particular, features crunchy electric and acoustic guitars and Gary Gilmore playing his bass almost like a lead instrument, like a bluesman's answer to John Entwistle. Most notable, however, may be the two original closing numbers, "You Don't Miss Your Water ('Til Your Well Runs Dry)" and "Ain't That a Lot of Love," which offer Taj Mahal working in the realm of soul and treading onto Otis Redding territory. This is particularly notable on "You Don't Miss Your Water," which achieves the intensity of a gospel performance and comes complete with a Stax/Volt-style horn arrangement by Jesse Ed Davis that sounds more like the real thing than the real thing. "Ain't That a Lot of Love," by contrast, is driven by a hard electric guitar sound and a relentless bass part that sounds like a more urgent version of the bassline from the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'." This LP reissue includes a trio of bonus tracks: a faster-paced rendition of "The Cuckoo" with a more prominent lead guitar, the slow electric lament "New Stranger Blues" featuring some good mandolin-style playing on the guitar, and the rocking instrumental "Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine," which is a killer showcase for Davis' lead electric guitar and Taj Mahal's virtuosity on the harmonica. Bruce Eder/AMG Personnel: Taj Mahal, Harp(Harmonica) and Miss “National” Steel-bodied guitar. Jesse Edwin Davis, Guitar, Piano and Brass arrangements. Gary Gilmore, Bass. Chuck Blackwell, Drums & also Al Kooper, Piano. Earl Palmer, Drums.

1. Good Morning Miss Brown

2. Corrina

3. I Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll

4. Going Up The Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue

5. Done Changed My Way Of Living

6. The Cuckoo (alternate version)

7. She Caught The Katy and Left Me A Mule To Ride

8. The Cuckoo

9. You Don’t Miss Your Water

10. Ain’t That A Lot of Love

11. New Stranger Blues

12. Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 2 person(s) rated this product.

Sounds Real Nice posted on 02/13/2022 5 Stars Sounds real nice for the most part. The sonics are rich. Large soundstage. The vinyl is quiet and the entire album has great tunes on it. However, like the other review, there seems to be a few areas that do sound just a tad muddy, but only lasts maybe 15 - 20 seconds. Volume seems OK. Vinyl is an imperfect medium. That said, I would still buy.

Volume is low posted on 01/25/2022 5 Stars Reviewer: Grant Terrific album, but my pressing has very low volume and sounds a tad muddy. Has anyone else experienced this with this pressing?

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