[.ca] Stone Crazy

From Amazon.co.uk:
Cut during a period when Buddy Guy was rarely recorded, this blustery and breathtaking live set is full of idiosyncratic solos that dart after virtually any musical urge that strikes him. Such unpredictable improvisational impulses are more familiar to jazz than blues, but along with his whisper-to-scream singing, that's what makes Guy commanding onstage. His fevered take on the standard "Outskirts of Town" is outright incendiary. This album was originally released on Isabel, a French label named--at the singer-guitarist's insistence-- after his late mother who never had a chance to see her son perform. --Ted Drozdowski

Amazon.com essential recording:
Cut during a period when Buddy Guy was rarely recorded, this blustery and breathtaking live set is full of idiosyncratic solos that dart after virtually any musical urge that strikes him. Such unpredictable improvisational impulses are more familiar to jazz than blues, but along with his whisper-to-scream singing, that's what makes Guy commanding onstage. His fevered take on the standard "Outskirts of Town" is outright incendiary. This album was originally released on Isabel, a French label named--at the singer-guitarist's insistence--after his late mother, who never had a chance to see her son perform. --Ted Drozdowski

perfectionists stay away, blues fans line up:
If you prefer happy, slickly-produced blues records, I suggest you pass on this one. If, however, you don't mind things a little loose and close-to-the-edge, I suggest you make the purchase immediately. I bought this record because it was described as the only Buddy Guy studio album that captured the passion and spontaneity of his live shows, and I think that's a fair assessment. This isn't a by-the-numbers groover: it's something darker and more explosive. Buddy really loses himself on these performances, but while going very near the deep end, Buddy is able to keep it remarkably coherent and deeply groovy. Occasionally, he solos with such explosive energy that he loses the tempo, and there are certainly plenty of stock phrases here, but it doesn't really reduce the enjoyment. It's certainly not his best collection of songs, but you won't hear many of these anywhere else, and I think it's indispensable.

Well, Albert King's dead, and so is Albert Collins,:
Stevie Ray Vaughan's gone, too, and Peter Green never really came back from his insanity; so when Clapton calls Guy the greatest (blues?) guitarist living, it's not as absurd a statement as it recently would've been. But still a false one. This man has ruined some of his own best tracks with his out-of control ,(I know, that's what you like about him), out of tune, out of time, juvenile lead work. Anybody heard of B.B.? The best lead I ever THOUGHT I heard from Buddy was on his version of "Mustang Sally", and that turned out to be JEFF BECK. Heck, even Clapton's better.

Unbelievalbe energy and fire:
I recieved this Buddy Guy cd when I was moving away from popular music and goin to classic rock, blues, and jazz. This cd still is constant rotation after owning it for over 6 years. All the songs on here are impressive and makes one wish that Buddy Guy payed less attention to the crowd and more attention to his guitar. If you prefer more hooked oriented, pop sounding contemporary blues than this isn't your thing. But then again blues isn't suppossed to sound contrived and too radio friendly. When I listen to this cd I wonder where Buddy Guy gets all this energy...it's almost like straight ahead Chicago blues with the energy of Hendrix....lotsa funk, random jazz type phrasing and interaction, tons of jamming. This is one of those cds you listen with your mouth wide open in full attention of his crazy guitar. Five years ago I picked up my Fender strat with this cd in the background. There are very few things that will make you break your guitar strings as much as trying to recreate the sounds and intensity on this cd. This is the over-the-edge style of playing that only Buddy Guy can create.

The Blues Giant:
The original French issue title, the Blues Giant, more accurately reflects the greatness of this recording, which I would have to rank as one of my favorite blues recordings. All of the six tracks are superb, though over the years my favorite came to be the concluding slow blues, When I Left Home, which is startling in its passionate ferocity. I Smell a Rat is actually Damn Right I've Got the Blues, in another guise, by the way. Apparently blues purists often dislike this recording, but if you love electric blues guitar, don't listen to them. When Buddy is at his best (and he is pretty near so on this recording), only Hendrix can compare. Lovers of this recording might also want to pick up Pleading the Blues, an excellent Junior Wells recording featuring the very same band and recorded on the very same day. Two classic albums recorded in one day, no less.

Buddy Guy: Stone Crazy!:
While Guy's last album was an all star jam recorded with long time musical partner Junior Wells, featuring Eric Clapton, Dr. John and the J. Geils Band, this album returns the focus to Guy's raw, nearly out of control guitar playing and soulfully gutwrenched vocals, without any studio musicians or special guests, garnering it his "cut loose" album. Guy displays his brand of Chicago blues with the rhythmic force of his own touring band including brother Phil Guy on rhythm guitar. This album finds Guy in top form as he performs hard hitting blues numbers with a live feel, like the thumping "I Smell A Rat", where he vents his frustrations with relationship infidelity; i.e: "I smell a rat in my house, I believe he's walkin' round' on just two legs." As well, Guy delivers a feverish rendition of "Stone Crazy", a song which he recorded for the Chess label in 1961, though on this album is re-titled "Are You Losing Your Mind?." Additional tracks like the upbeat funky rock of "You've Been Gone Too Long" and the sorrowful vocals of "When I Left Home" are some of the best on the album. Throughout the album Guy yells and moans, seeming to fly into fits of joy and sorrow between guitar breaks, leaving one with the impression of a man possessed, or totally consumed by his music. Maybe both. "Buddy Guy, Stone Crazy!" captures everything Chicago blues is supposed to be - raw, soulful, and energetic - proving Guy to be one of the most charismatic and passionate performers of the blues genre.

• I Smell a Rat
• Are You Losing Your Mind?
• You've Been Gone Too Long
• She's Out There Somewhere
• Outskirts of Town
• When I Left Home