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- Artist:
Various Artists - Release Date: April 04, 2006
- Type: Collection (various artists), Compilation (best of)
- Genre: Blues
Review
After 35 years and the release of over 2800 contemporary blues tracks, it's safe to say that Bruce Iglauer's Alligator Records is the world's premier blues label, particularly if sheer numbers are factored in, and while the label's releases tend to sound mind-numbingly similar sometimes, this two-disc overview of Alligator's history shows how much raw vitality the blues still has in its tank. Alligator Records 35X35, arranged chronologically and featuring a selection drawn from each of the artist's debut albums with Alligator, gets rolling right where it all began, with Hound Dog Taylor's "She's Gone" from 1971, and marches through to 2004, closing the second disc with a stunning version of "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" (here called "A Dying Man's Plea") by the great Mavis Staples, who makes clear the deep affinity of gospel to the blues, or vice versa, since the two forms philosophically complete each other, the way Saturday marches straight into Sunday. In between these two tracks are a whole lot of barnburning moments, including the bayou blues of Lonnie Brooks on "Voodoo Daddy" from 1979, a selection from Professor Longhair's final session (1980's "In the Wee Wee Hours"), Lonnie Mack and Stevie Ray Vaughan trading guitar solos on "Satisfy Suzie" from 1985, and Roy Buchanan's jaw-dropping electric guitar intro to "When a Guitar Plays the Blues," also from 1985. There is variety here, too, with C.J. Chenier's zydeco blues romp "Bad Luck" from 1995, Corey Harris' acoustic slide guitar reenactment of Blind Willie Johnson's classic "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" (also from 1995) and the Holmes Brothers' wonderful blend of gospel, blues, and R&B on "Speaking in Tongues" from 2001. All of this adds up to a completely satisfying set, and makes a fitting testament to Alligator's decades-long devotion to the preservation of the modern blues form. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| She's Gone (Lyrics) | Hound Dog Taylor | (3:51) | |
| Have a Good Time | Big Walter Horton | (3:48) | |
| Your Love Is Like a Cancer | Son Seals | (4:34) | |
| Texas Flood | Fenton Robinson | (4:21) | |
| I Got What It Takes | Koko Taylor | (3:44) | |
| Honey Hush (Talking Woman Blues) | Albert Collins | (4:28) | |
| Voodoo Daddy | Lonnie Brooks | (4:43) | |
| In the Wee Wee Hours | Professor Longhair | (3:23) | |
| Are You Losing Your Mind? | Buddy Guy | (6:35) | |
| Don't Take Advantage of Me | Johnny Winter | (5:24) | |
| High Compression | James Cotton | (2:41) | |
| Satisfy Suzie | Lonnie Mack | (4:32) | |
| When a Guitar Plays the Blues (Lyrics) | Roy Buchanan | (6:39) | |
| Pride and Joy | Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials | (3:43) | |
| She Winked Her Eye | Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown | (5:17) | |
| Poor Tarzan | Little Charlie & the Nightcats | (4:15) | |
| Can't You Lie | Tinsley Ellis | (3:51) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Lord, I Wonder | Katie Webster | (4:03) | |
| Can't Lie to Me | Elvin Bishop | (3:06) | |
| Lollipop Mama | William Clarke | (3:49) | |
| Wild Women Don't Have the Blues | Saffire -- The Uppity Blues Women | (2:42) | |
| River Hip Mama | Charlie Musselwhite | (4:09) | |
| Short Fuse Blues | Dave Hole | (5:16) | |
| Lonesome Stranger | Carey Bell | (4:04) | |
| Bad Love | Luther Allison | (6:24) | |
| Bad Luck | C.J. Chenier, |
(4:08) | |
| Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning | Corey Harris | (2:55) | |
| Salt in My Wounds | Shemekia Copeland | (4:10) | |
| I Need Your Love in My Life | Coco Montoya | (4:04) | |
| Mean Old Lady | Michael Burks | (4:26) | |
| Spreaking in Tongues | The Holmes Brothers | (4:06) | |
| Let the Tears Roll Down | Marcia Ball | (5:44) | |
| That's Right! | Roomful of Blues | (2:26) | |
| Old School | Guitar Shorty | (4:00) | |
| A Dying Man's Plea | Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Traditional | Mavis Staples | (3:49) |
