[Harp-L] Re: Is Junior Wells over-rated?

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Totally over-rated. Excepting the early stuff, which was great. 

  He developed severe mannerisms in his playing and singing style and, possibly (though I haven´t a clue) thought they compensated for a ... lack of interest or whatever; meanwhile posing as a Great Bluesman -- and maybe even buying it himself. Some people loved it and ate it up with both hands.

  

This was up a few years ago and you will find that it´s a something of a blasphemy in the blues harmonica church to denigrate an "authentic" Chicago blues icon, ´cause we´re supposed to love and revere them no matter who lousy they are; but you may, like I did, receive quite a few off-list comments in support of your suspicion.
  The really fascinating thing about Jr Wells is how he got so bad after being so good. I don´t know enough of his life history to say that it´s the same old story as Little Walter et al ("substance abuse" if that´s the going terminology) -- and maybe, just maybe, we´ll have to accept the notion that he thought he continued to live up to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD4TsOTyIw4 while playing those hopelessly sloppy solos that became typical of him -- and your clip is by no means the worst example of that. 

  It´s sad because there was obviously a talent at work in some points in his life. The same development in, say, a modernist jazz musician, would have had him/her laughed right off the stage.


Cheers,
Martin

--------------------------------------------------
Hey everybody. I'm not wanting to start a firestorm of disagreement, just
wanting others' heated opinions on the subject (ha-ha). For several years,
I've tried to listen to and appreciate Junior Wells, but apart from his
playing on the old recording of Messin' with the Kid, I just do not
appreciate his playing. His singing is okay, but his playing (please
forgive me) seems like a lot of sloppy chord work to me, though some of his
syncopation and 'pops' are good. If you appreciate his style, and have
particular songs or youtubes that you think are great, I would like to know
about them, because so far, whenever I hear him play, I think, "meh." I
want to like him, but just don't. I've read elsewhere (can't recall where)
that he tried to claim he wrote 'Juke' and Little Walter stole it... a
claim I find ridiculous, as it certainly doesn't sound anything like the
other examples of Junior's playing I have heard. In fact, I wonder
(tongue-in-cheek, folks) if he played the harp on that recording of Messin'
with the Kid, since it doesn't sound like the other examples of his playing
I have heard. It's fast, furious, precise, rolling... I like it a lot. The
little bit of chord work towards the end of the solo is right on. But I
have yet to see a live version of the track in which Junior plays like he
did on the recording... parts of his live versions sound similar, but
chords are way off... as in this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJhCmvMV3sU ; which contains one of the
longer examples of him soloing, but it definitely is not like the
recording... chords are way off to my ears. Great singer, but mediocre harp
player???
Humbly yours,
Troublemaker Dan.


------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 12:30:54