BEAR FAMILY PRESSE Magazin: Big Beat, Finnland Ausgabe 2 - 2019
BCD 17535 LITTLE JUNIOR PARKER "Rocks"
LITTLE JUNIOR PARKER: Rocks (Bear Family Records BCD 17535) 31 raitaa Herman "Little Junior" Parker (1932-1971) ihaili junnuna Sonny Boy Wil-liamsonin harpun soittoa ja roikkui idolinsa perässä niinkin paljon, että heitä luultiin isäksi ja pojak-si. Alkuvaiheessa Parker yritti kovasti kuulostaa blues shouter Roy Brow-nilta, kunnes omaksui pehmeämmän ja moder-nimman laulutyylin. Bear Familyn ansiok-kaiden "Rocks"-kokoel-mien tarkoitus on esitellä nimensä mukaisesti kul-loisenkin artistin rokah-tavampaa puolta, mutta Parkerin vuoden 1952 ensilevytys Modernille "You're My Angel" / "Bad Women Bad Whiskey" on jätetty pois, vaikka biisit olisivat tähän pirtaan so-pineet mainiosti. Hällä väliä, sillä kokoelman kol-me ensimmäistä Sunille tehtyä levytystä ovat juu-ri ne, joista hänet erityi-sesti muistetaan: "Feelin' Good" (jota James Cot-ton on väittänyt omaksi tekeleekseen), "Mystery Train" (joku Elvis Presley levytti tämän) ja "Love My Baby" (Toinen Sun-hemmo Hayden Thomp-son asialla).
Sun Recordsin jälkeen Parker siirtyi gangste-rin elkeistään tunnetun Don Robeyn Duke-mer-kille, ja jännästi useam-malla Duke-äänitteellä tekijänimistä löytyykin Robey tai hänen taiteili-janimensä Deadric Ma-lone (mm. "Mother-In-Law Blues", "Next Time You See Me", "Pretty Little Dolly" jne.). Alku-pään Duke-julkaisuilla otettiin hiukan varman päälle, sillä "Can't Un-derstand" ja "That's My Baby" ammentavat ihan samasta kaivosta kuin "Feelin Good". Myöhem-min Parker levytti varsin vaihtelevaa materiaalia varsin suorasta bluesis-ta (mm. "Pretty Baby", "Sweet Home Chicago") popahtavampaan (mm. "Peaches", "Sweeter As The Days Go By"), rock & rollia (mm. "Barefoot Rock", "The Next Ti-me") ja kevyesti twistaa-vaa kamaa (mm. "Seven Days", "Annie Get Your Jo-Jo" ja "Mary Jo"). Nämä vuosien 1954-1964 levytykset ovat eit-tämättä Parkerin kulta-kaudelta, mutta kannat-taa myös tutustua mie-hen myöhäisempäänkin blues- ja soul-tuotantoon. Rokkaavamman kaman ystävä toki selviää tällä-kin paketilla.
Jack Daw
BEAR FAMILY PRESSE Magazine: Big Beat, Finnland Ausgabe 2 - 2019
BCD 17535 LITTLE JUNIOR PARKER "Rocks"
LITTLE JUNIOR PARKER: Rocks (Bear Family Records BCD 17535) 31 tracks Herman "Little Junior" Parker (1932-1971) admired the son of Sonny Boy Wil Liamson's harp and hanged after his idol so much that they were thought of as father and son. In the early stages, Parker struggled to sound blues shouter Roy Brow until he got a softer and moder-Nimal singing style. The purpose of Bear Famyle's award-winning "Rocks" collections is to showcase the rock-like aspect of the artist's name, but Parker's 1952 first release for Modern "You're My Angel" / "Bad Women Bad Whiskey" has been omitted, even though the songs would be perfect for this. It makes a difference, because the first three recordings of the collection for Sun are yu-ri, of which he is especially remembered: "Feel's" Good "(which James Cot-ton has claimed to be his own)," Mystery Train "(someone Elvis Presley Recorded this) and "Love My Baby" (Another Sun-hunt by Hayden Thomp son).
After Sun Records, Parker moved to the Dang-mer-kings of Don Robey, known for his gangsters, and Robey, or his artistic name, Deadric Ma-Lone (including "Mother-In-Law Blues"), with many Duke recordings. "Next Time You See Me", "Pretty Little Dolly", etc.). The start-up with Duke's releases was a bit confident, as "Can't Un-derstand" and "That's My Baby" are just as good as "Feelin Good". Later on, Parker recorded quite varied material from a fairly straight blues (eg "Pretty Baby", "Sweet Home Chicago") to a more pop-up (eg "Peaches", "Sweeter As The Days Go By"), rock & roll (mm "Barefoot Rock", "The Next Ti-me") and lightly twist-like stuff (including "Seven Days", "Annie Get Your Jo-Jo" and "Mary Jo"). These recordings from 1954 to 1964 have been in the Parker Gold season, but it is also worth exploring the latest blues and soul productions. A friend of the more rocky stuff will surely survive with this package.
Jack Daw
