Audio CD review:
Wet Willie - Drippin' Wet

Wet Willie - Drippin' Wet

Band: Wet Willie Title: Drippin' Wet Rating: Release Date: 1998-03-17 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: That's All Right - Wet Willie, Crudup, Arthur "Big 2: She Caught the Katy (And Left Me a Mule to Ride) - Wet Willie, Mahal, Taj 3: No Good Woman Blues - Wet Willie, Larkin, Milt 4: Red Hot Chicken - Wet Willie, Hall, Jack 5: Airport - Wet Willie, Anthony, John 6: I'd Rather Be Blind - Wet Willie, Russell, Leon 7: Macon Hambone Blues - Wet Willie, Hall, Jack 8: Shout Bamalama - Wet Willie, Redding, Otis

The REAL DEAL! Perhaps the commerciallity of that reached it's peak in England before the celebrated "British Invasion". White boys have been influenced by the black rhythm and blues for about as long as music has been recorded. Those english bands tried to combine that grit with rock and to a certain extent succeeded, yet never fully realized it fully. Enter Wet Willie, a Mobile, Alabama five piece band that seemed to have it right while propelling it to that next level the Brits couldn't seem to quite get. The fact this band ever got a recording contract at all pretty much hinged on how the Allman Brothers made the fledging Capricorn record label able to sign some great unknown talent of which Wet Willie was at the top of that short list. Capricorn had the right connections to both Muscle Shoals and Memphis and Wet Willie fit. Drippin' Wet is almost an anomaly in that it is one of the greatest R&B live albums of all-time, yet will likely remain a minor footnote. If you sense I feel it is almost as important as Allman Brothers Live At Fillmore East you are correct. It's different and cannot be directly compared yet, to this reviewer, is every bit as wonderful. It is ashame that it isn't elevated to that status, but that does little to diminish it's viseral raw intensity and good time power. Wet Willie had the key elements to make "white boy" blues rock in that they had the perfect front man in Jimmy Hall. He could absolutely sound like a possessed Otis Redding eschewing a small, I'm mean small, bit of the blackness for a large dose of incendiary rock and roll. He had his foils in Ricky Hirsch's great guitar work which has that rhythm tastiness I love so much in Keith Richard yet could rip searing leads like an Eric Clapton. Underpining it was a great rhythm section and truly stand out piano player named John Anthony. Those are the elements that made Little Richard so amazing with Bumps Blackwell and that crew and it's the same here. Recorded in New Orleans on New Year's Eve I'm sure it's not a stretch to say the crowd, and perhaps the band, was wound as tight as a rubber band, but that's the chemistry which serves to propell this magic night's performance to a level rarely captured in any performer's recorded output. The fact that it was documented so rawly and in good sound is a minor miracle inded and therefore should not be missed. Please don't miss this if you have any passing interest in this kind of music. It's one of a long list of monumental wrongs in the music industry that this band had so little commercial success, but that you can still enjoy something so "out of this world" right serves to correct that just a little. Go get this and you will be acolyted too!. Smokin' Southern Rock The one thing that set Wet Willie apart is the phenomenal Jimmy Hall. Along with the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker, Wet Willie defined Capricorn-style southern rock. This CD captures this Soul Man (now playing with Hank Williams, Jr. ) in all his glory, blowing inspired harp and saxophone(!) besides his soulful lowdown blues singing. While Left Coast Live is a worthy substitute, the live sound of one of rock's hardest working bands is best captured on this hard to find disc. Though the curious may be leery of a "Keep On Smiling"-less CD, this CD belongs alongside "Live at the Fillmore East" as the quintessential example of Southern Rock in a live setting. Absolutely essential!!!. 100 Percent 5-Star Rating What is wrong with the recording industry that they can not see a problem here? $100 for some music that we crave in remastered format. All these folks commenting cannot be wrong. The artists don't get a penny of that 100 bucks because technically the royalties were already paid when the CDs were first sold to a retailer for 10 bucks. This is gouging that could be prevented by making more of the CD and the artists would get the royalties as well. Anyway this is a a great collection of Wet Willie's work but if you want to save some money while getting your WW fix, pick up a copy of the Left Coast Live CD for about $25 - $35 at Amazon or even ebay. Or get some of the current Jimmy Hall (Build Your Own Fire) or Rick Hirsch (Instrumentality and No Regrets) work available - it ain't Wet Willie but it's great stuff. The artist's work is 10 freeqin starz!. Why Oh Why Why oh why is it not currently available in music stores? The fact that it's selling for a minimum $67. I bought this album in vinyl when it first came out, and was addicted from the opening notes of the first track. 99 for a used copy should tell someone in the music business something. Re-release this classic!. scorching Taken from a New Years Eve show at one of the legendary dungeons in rock history the Warehouse in New Orleans. This cd is hotter than a nymphomanic in a convent. Opening for the Allman Brothers, Wet Willie simply tore the roof off the sucker. Opening with That's All Right, the band sets out a marker-We are going to kick your butt and if you don't like it leave. This is not rock and roll for posers or the faint of heart. They do the definitive version of Taj Mahal's She Caught the Katy, and their version of I'd Rather Be Blind Than to See You Go brings gospel fervor to the roadhouse. No Good Soman Blues is the hottest shuffle I've heard to this day. Of course a man's gotta have a little Red Hot Chicken, and when he's finishsed he will always Shout Bamalama. Musicianship-outstanding. Jack Hall and Lewis Anthony lay down a great groove, Ricky Hirsch plays some tasty guitar and John Anthony puts they keys in exactly the right place. Jimmy Hall-well what can you say-arguably the greatest white soul singer ever-only Eddie Hinton and Felix Cavilere are close The only thing missing from this disc is Grits Ain't Groceries which was a staple of the Wet Willie live show. Every time I listen to this disc I realize how lucky I was to hear this band at their peak-and guys this is it! You gotta have this one . You can see a complete list of all Wet Willie discography, or go back to the Wet Willie tabs