중고음반가게에 갔다가 발견하고 한꺼번에 구입한 음반입니다. 당시 1~4집까지 있길래 다 샀는데 인터넷 뒤져보니까 6집까지 발매됐었네요. 내용물은 타이틀 제목 그대로 시카고 블루스를 모아놓은 컴필레이션입니다. 솔직히 저는 아직도 시카고 블루스랑 모던 일렉트릭 블루스 구분 잘 못합니다. 꼭 할 필요도 없는거지만요. ^^;;; 근데 이 앨범 넉장 다 듣고 나니깐 일단은 어느정도 구분이 될 거 같더군요.(이 앨범이 시카고 블루스의 전부라곤 할 수 없지만요)
이 앨범은 1, 2집은 1978년, 3, 4집은 1980년에 발매되었습니다. 그러니 아무리 최근거라두 최소한 1980년 이전의 곡들이란 소린데 잼있는건 1990년대에 앨리게이터 레이블같은데서 발매된 시카고 블루스 계열 음반들이랑 비교했을때 별다른 차이를 못느낀다는 점입니다. 그만큼 블루스란 장르가 유행을 타지 않는다는 소리가 되는 동시에 12소절이라는 편리한 틀이 블루스의 형식적인 발전에는 저해가 된다는 소리도 될까요? 정통 블루스 수호자라면 12소절만 가지고도 얼마든지 모든 것을 표현할 수 있다고 하겠지만, 그리고 제 생각도 크게 다르지 않지만 헐헐... 백년 가까운(혹은 넘는) 세월동안 한가지의 진행 형식으로 수천 수만의 뮤지션이 활동을 한거 보면... 암튼 블루스는 참 오묘한 음악인듯 합니다. ^^
쭈욱 보면 저는 아는 뮤지션보다 모르는 뮤지션이 훨씬 많습니다. 캐리 벨, 로니 브룩스, 매직 슬림, 루더 기타 주니어 존슨정도밖에 모르겠네요. 그런데 그 외에 처음 들어보는 뮤지션들도 상당히 잘합니다. 그리고 정말이지 Left hand Frank & his blues band란 이름은 인간적으로 너무 구수하지 않습니까? ㅜㅜ
약간 컨추리블루스 휠나는 간단한 편성도 몇곡 있지만 전체적으로 기타 베이스 드럼 피아노 하모니커 정도의 편성으로 간결하면서도 구수한 시카고 블루스를 들려주고 있습니다.

Vol. 1

1. Your Turn to Cry performed by Jimmy Johnson Blues Band - 5:49
2. Serves Me Right to Suffer performed by Jimmy Johnson Blues Band - 3:56
3. Ain't That Just Like a Woman performed by Jimmy Johnson Blues Band - 3:11
4. Feel Like Breaking up Somebody's Home performed by Jimmy Johnson Blues Band - 4:41
5. It's Alright performed by Shaw, Eddie And The Wolf Gang - 2:50
6. Out of Bad Luck performed by Shaw, Eddie And The Wolf Gang - 3:19
7. Stoop Down Baby performed by Eddie Shaw - 3:58
8. Sitting on Top of the World performed by Shaw, Eddie And The Wolf Gang - 3:39
9. My Baby's So Ugly performed by Shaw, Eddie And The Wolf Gang - 3:27
10. Come Home, Darling performed by Left Hand Frank And His Blues Band - 3:59
11. Blues Won't Let Me Be performed by Left Hand Frank And His Blues Band - 2:29
12. One Room Country Shack performed by Left Hand Frank And His Blues Band - 4:27
13. Linda Lu performed by Left Hand Frank And His Blues Band - 4:09
14. Too Late performed by Carey Bell's Blues Harp Band - 2:39
15. Laundromat Blues performed by Carey Bell's Blues Harp Band - 4:30
16. One Day performed by Carey Bell's Blues Harp Band - 2:49
17. Woman in Trouble performed by Carey Bell's Blues Harp Band - 4:42

Vol.2
1. Don't Answer the Door performed by Brooks, Lonnie Blues Band - 4:13
2. Two Headed Man performed by Brooks, Lonnie Blues Band - 3:27
3. Cold Lonely Nights performed by Brooks, Lonnie Blues Band - 4:42
4. Move over, Little Dog performed by Brooks, Lonnie Blues Band - 4:10
5. Would You Baby? performed by Walker, Johnny Big Moose - 2:58
6. Worry, Worry performed by Walker, Johnny Big Moose - 4:13
7. Sunnyland Blues performed by Walker, Johnny Big Moose - 2:48
8. Cry, Cry Darling performed by Walker, Johnny Big Moose - 2:38
9. Stranded on the Highway performed by Magic Slim & the Teardrops - 4:24
10. Dirty Mother for You performed by Magic Slim & the Teardrops - 5:07
11. Spider in My Stew performed by Magic Slim & the Teardrops - 4:20
12. Don't Say That No More performed by Magic Slim & the Teardrops - 3:42
13. Take It Easy Baby performed by Pinetop Perkins - 3:29
14. Blues After Hours performed by Pinetop Perkins - 5:01
15. Little Angel Child performed by Pinetop Perkins - 5:17
16. How Much More Long performed by Pinetop Perkins - 3:31

Vol.3
1. Hard Times performed by Reed, A.C. & The Spark Plugs - 3:18
2. She's Fine performed by Reed, A.C. & The Spark Plugs - 4:18
3. Moving Out of the Ghetto performed by Reed, A.C. & His Spark Plugs - 3:52
4. Going to New York performed by Reed, A.C. & The Spark Plugs - 3:32
5. Big Leg Woman performed by Scotty And The Rib Tips - 3:39
6. Careless With Our Love performed by Scotty And The Rib Tips - 3:02
7. Road Block performed by Scotty And The Rib Tips - 2:48
8. Poison Ivy performed by Scotty And The Rib Tips - 3:15
9. I Dare You performed by Lovie Lee / Carey Bell - 2:48
10. Nobody Knows My Troubles performed by Lovie Lee / Carey Bell - 5:17
11. Sweet Little Girl performed by Lovie Lee / Carey Bell - 3:13
12. Naptown performed by Lovie Lee / Carey Bell - 3:02
13. Drown in My Own Tears performed by Lacy Gibson - 4:39
14. Crying for My Baby performed by Lacy Gibson - 2:47
15. Feel So Bad performed by Lacy Gibson - 3:52
16. Wish Me Well performed by Lacy Gibson - 2:54
17. Have You Ever Loved a Woman performed by Sons Of Blues - 6:07
18. Berlin Wall performed by Sons Of Blues - 4:24
19. Prisoner of the Blues performed by Sons Of Blues - 4:16

Vol.4
1. If I Hadn't Been High performed by Detroit Junior - 4:07
2. Some Nerve performed by Detroit Junior - 3:05
3. Somebody to Shack performed by Detroit Junior - 5:22
4. I Got Money performed by Detroit Junior - 2:38
5. Somebody Have Mercy performed by Johnson, Luther "Guitar Jr." - 3:03
6. Got to Have Money performed by Johnson, Luther "Guitar Jr." - 3:19
7. Just Like Mama Said performed by Johnson, Luther "Guitar Jr." - 3:02
8. Look What You Done performed by Johnson, Luther "Guitar Jr." - 3:50
9. Going Upstairs performed by Sylvia Embry - 5:02
10. Blues This Morning performed by Sylvia Embry - 2:07
11. Tired of Being Pushed Around performed by Sylvia Embry - 2:55
12. Please Let Me Stay performed by Sylvia Embry - 4:32
13. Blues for a Real Man performed by Brooks, Big Leon - 3:34
14. Thirteen Years in Prison performed by Brooks, Big Leon - 3:04
15. Country Boy performed by Brooks, Big Leon - 4:23
16. My Life Ain't the Same performed by Brooks, Big Leon - 3:19
17. I Got News for You performed by Andrew Brown - 5:01
18. Morning, Noon and Night performed by Andrew Brown - 3:43
19. Two Years performed by Andrew Brown - 4:01