If you recall how the Fabulous Thunderbirds sounded early on, before "Tuff Enuff" and all that, they were a throwback to the vintage blues-rock bands of years past. Not of the sixties, mind you, but of the fifties; back in the day when rock 'n' roll had just spun off of the electric blues, but the differences between the two were still barely distinguishable.
The success of that single and a couple of more mainstream hits veered the T-Birds away from their original mission, and, not too long after, guitarist Jimmie Vaughan left the band to get back to the basics. Lead singer and harp player Kim Wilson stayed on, but his own solo records revealed he still shared Jimmie's passion for Chicago blues and roots rock. It's why I enjoy Wilson's records more than any Fabulous Thunderbird record from Tuff Enuff on, save for last year's pleasant surprise Painted On.
While they're all enjoyable, of the half dozen or so albums released under the Kim Wilson name, the one that really stands out is his last one, 2003's Lookin' For Trouble. It's here that Wilson, as composer, singer, harmonica player, and producer, painstakingly recreates the sound and feel of a top notch rockin' record out of the late Eisenhower era. It sounds as if he walked into a Chicago studio around 1958 and channeled Louis Jordan, Little Walter Jacobs, and Ray Charles. Wilson manages to replicate a Chess session in virtually every detail, down to the skittering guitar and the uneven miking.
Wilson’s amped up harp wouldn’t scare Little Walter, but his harmonica is probably the closest sound to Mr. Jacobs on the scene today, with apologies to Charlie Musselwhite and Studebaker John. Jump blues, Chicago blues, early rock 'n' roll, the collection is a gumbo of all that was great about plugged in fifties' music.
Article comments
1 - Chuck
Great review. For my money, the very first two Thunderbird records are still hard to beat. I worked (as a producer on the Zuzu Bollin and Henry Qualls recordings) with the engineer who did those sessions, in the same studio and very same room--because I enjoyed the sound so much.
2 - Pico
Hey, thanks for the good vibes, Chuck!
And I agree, The Fabulous Thunderbirds of those first 2 records are unfortunately not the same T-Birds that they're best known for. IMO, Kim and Jimmie's solo records are the closest you can get those classic albums these days.
-P