Record Lection #61-Jimmy Reed “The Best Of Jimmy Reed”

To me, Jimmy Reed’s whisky dipped tenor is undeniable, and his list of of influencees has chiseled his name on to the hall of blues immortals (and the hearts of Velvet Underground fans) However, I have found it hard to convince people of his genius and when I put a magnifying glass on this situation one can see how a casual listener may be resistant. First of all, a trip through his extensive catalog shows little want or need to deviate from his snail like tempos and the tiny handful of characteristic riffs and chords in his cache. As a matter of fact, most of his songs sound like he was literally hoping to drain all of the athleticism out of Chuck Berry’s frentic machinations. Furthermore, his legendarily catastrophic alcoholism prevented him from even being able to perform some of his most beloved recordings without the coaxing assistance of his faithful wife, who whispered those classic lines into his fading ears to enable his destroyed memory. One you take a step back from all of these frivolous criticisms and simply enjoy the music whats left is an infectious and bubbly blues bounce set to a pleasant cruise control. His gentle voice is both fragile and confidant and his way with a few choice words rivals even Hank Williams timeless and relatable poetry. The punks of 60’s swinging London may have injected a much needed dose of amphetemine into Jimmy’s loping stroll but not one of them was able to match his uniquely approachable personality. I didn’t fully understand Jimmy Reed’s music until I really got a full understanding of what Blues music meant and was able to appreciate it’s subtlety. Unless you are able to take the long but rewarding time it takes to do this also, it might be hard to get you see his greatness. Any greatest hits collection will do just nicely and my copy of this one is very well worn.