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Otis Waygood

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Otis Waygood Blues Band

Otis Waygood Blues Band

Otis Waygood Blues Band
Otis Waygood Blues Band [LP]

Otis Waygood Blues Band
Otis Waygood Blues Band [CD]

Tracks

  1. You're Late Miss Kate (Deefore/Hitzfield) [2.08]
  2. Watch an' Chain (Trad arr. R Zipper/A Zipper/
    M Jackson/I Rubenstein/L Sager) [4.33]
  3. So Many Ways (R Zipper) [3.48]
  4. I Can't Keep From Crying (Blind Willie Johnson) [6.03]
  5. Fever (Davenport/Cooley) [4.21]
  6. Wee Wee Baby (Trad arr. R Zipper/A Zipper/
    M Jackson/I Rubenstein/L Sager) [2.50]
  7. Better Off On My Own (R Zipper/A Zipper) [2.59]
  8. Help Me (Willie Dixon/Ralph Bass) [5.01]
  9. I'm Happy (R Zipper) [2.42]

    Bonus tracks on CD re-issue (from Ten Light Claps And A Scream):
  10. Devil Bones (Otis Waygood/Harry Poulos) [3.15]
  11. You Can Do (part 1) (Otis Waygood) [4.20]
  12. You Can Do (part 2) (Otis Waygood) [4.30]

Musicians

Release information

LP: May 1970, EMI Parlophone, PCSJ (D) 12063
CD: 22 January 2001, RetroFresh, Fresh CD109

Comments

Long before Metallica or Prince had "black albums", Otis Waygood had this cover which was a gatefold and folded open to reveal... more black! The January 2001 CD re-issue has a much more interesting cover.

We were copying the Beatles. They'd just done The White Album, so we thought we'd do a black album.

Alan Zipper

"You're Late Miss Kate" originally recorded by Jimmy Dee in 1958.

Otis Waygood Blues Band LP Side One
Otis Waygood Blues Band [LP] Side One

"I Can't Keep From Crying" was written by Blind Willie Johnson and not by John Renbourn as listed on album cover.

Shiloh Noone

"Lord, I Just Can't Keep From Crying" (a traditional Gospel Blues tune) was originally recorded by Blind Willie Johnson with Willie B. Harris (his first wife) in 1928 (released in 1929). It has been covered many times including by John Renbourn with Jacqui McShee in 1966 as "Can't Keep From Crying" (and credited as a Traditional song). Al Kooper adapted the song in 1966 as "Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes". The Otis Waygood Blues Band version is very similar to the arrangement released by Ten Years After on their debut album in 1967 (which is credited to Al Kooper).

More information at Second Hand Songs.

Brian Currin, March 2023

Excellent album from one of South Africa's best kept secrets, this is slow acid blues with amazing fuzz guitars and gentle passages with flute playing to die for. Long extended jams on certain tracks get heavier and heavier much like the way Grand Funk built on slower tracks like 'I'm Your Captain'. Co-incidently the album was produced by Clive Calder who also played keyboards with the band after working with said band. Tracks 1-9 are from the self titled debut while 10-12 are from the dark 1971 album 'Ten Light Claps and a Scream'. Highly recommended.

Freak Emporium Website

Otis Waygood