T-Bone Walker - T-Bone Blues

T-Bone Walker — T-Bone Blues

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) (Mono)

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records!

An indispensable release for T-Bone Walker fans!

180-gram 45 RPM double LP

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at Cohearent Audio from the original master tape

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings

Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing

"Blues fans — rejoice! One of the most revered and influential blues albums of all time has been given the royal audiophile treatment. Chosen as part of the limited edition Atlantic 75 Series, which celebrates the label's 75th anniversary through the release of 75 historic titles, T-Bone Walker's 1995 masterpiece T-Bone Blues has been meticulously remastered directly from the original master tapes by top sound engineer Matthew Lutthans at Cohearent Audio in Los Angeles and cut at 45 r.p.m. on a stunning all-analog, two-LP set. Beautifully packaged in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket (which opens to reveal two vintage full-page black and white photos of Walker). The records were pressed on heavy 180-gram vinyl by Quality Record Pressings in Salina, Kansas.

"Originally culled from three sessions for Atlantic in Chicago and Los Angeles over a two-and-a-half-year period in 1955, 1956, and 1957, T-Bone Blues magnificently captures Walker on the heels of his most creative period of the mid-to late 1940s and 1950s when he recorded for Black & White, Capitol, and Imperial and was still at the height of his powers both vocally and instrumentally. What is so unique and special about these Atlantic sessions was not only the superlative quality of the studios where he recorded, but also the varied combination of ace musicians who backed him. In his 1955 Chicago session, his band included Muddy Waters band members Jimmy Rogers and Junior Wells, as well as veteran blues and jazz bassist Ransom Knowling. His 1956 and 1957 Los Angeles sessions featured numerous top jazz and rhythm and blues session players including tenor sax giant Plas Johnson and his brother Ray Johnson on piano, master jazz guitarist Barney Kessel, pioneering rhythm and blues drummer Earl Palmer, as well as Walker's nephew and guitar disciple R.S. Rankin, otherwise known as T-Bone Walker Jr.

"...So considering that a good portion of LB's readers will likely have this release in one format or another, why should fans who own a turntable buy it again? Two words: sound quality. This is the closest thing to listening to the original master tapes that fans will get to experience. Analogue Productions, a world leader in audiophile recordings, spent considerable time, money, and effort making sure the release sounds as good as possible. ... the sound quality is simply astounding. Walker's vocals and guitar have so much life and presence it's as if he's standing beside you. You can clearly hear such subtle details as Walker's gasps of elation that were accidentally picked up through his guitar mic during instrumentals. But not only does Walker sound better from the improved sound, the entire band benefits as well. The quality and naturalness of the drums is immediately apparent. The bass lines warmly pulsate and the horns sound richer and more dynamic than ever before. ... the backgound of the recording itself is also exceptionally quiet thanks to the high quality of vinyl and QRP's superior pressing process, making this release sonically superior to all before it, including the original deep groove first pressing from 1959.

"... T-Bone Blues is an essential recording that belongs in the music library of every blues and jazz fan alike, and the Atlantic 75 Series release from Analogue Productions now firmly stand as the definitive pressing of this 1959 masterpiece." — Gene Tomko, Living Blues, November 2024

T-Bone Walker's T-Bone Blues, was recorded during three widely separated sessions in 1955, 1956 and 1957 and released by Atlantic Records in 1959.

AllMusic calls the album "the last truly indispensable disc of the great guitar hero's career" and says the tracks on the album (5 Stars) "boast magnificent prescence, with T-Bone Walker's axe so crisp and clear it seems as though he's sitting right next to you as he delivers a luxurious remake of 'Call It Stormy Monday.'"

Atlantic took some chances with Walker, dispatching him to Chicago for a 1955 date with Junior Wells and Jimmy Rogers that produced "Why Not" and "Papa Ain't Salty." Even better were the 1956-1957 L.A. dates that produced the scalding instrumental "Two Bones and a Pick" (which finds Walker dueling it out with nephew R.S. Rankin and jazzman Barney Kessel).

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at Cohearent Audio in Los Angeles from the original master tape. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in a tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing.

Note: The hum on Side 2, Track 2 — "Blues For Marli" is caused by T-Bone Walker's guitar amp buzzing during the recording session

Side 1

1. Two Bones And A Pick

2. Mean Old World

3. T-Bone Shuffle

Side 2

1. Stormy Monday Blues

2. Blues For Marili

Side 3

1. T-Bone Blues

2. Shufflin' The Blues

3. Evenin'

Side 4

1. Play On Little Girl

2. Blues Rock

3. Papa Ain't Salty

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