2239 - BIG TWIST & THE MELLOW FELLOWS - Live From Chicago! Bigger Than Life! (1987)

BIG TWIST & THE MELLOW FELLOWS
''LIVE FROM CHICAGO! BIGGER THAN LIFE!''
1987
46:55

1/Sweet Sound of Rhythm and Blues
Pete Special/3:13
2/Funky Tom's Place/4:02
3/Steamroller Blues/8:08
4/Too Much Barbeque/5:33
5/I Live the Life I Love/5:00
6/Turning Point/4:30
7/I'm Coming Home/5:40
8/Built for Comfort/3:37
9/Polk Salad Annie
Tony Joe White/3:44
10/300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy
Willie Dixon/3:28

Gene Barge /Arranger, Producer, Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Steve Cobb /Drums
Steve Eisen /Sax (Baritone), Saxophone
Bob Halaj /Bass, Bass (Vocal)
Marvin Jackson /Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm)
Eric Jensen /Drums
Larry "Big Twist" Nolan /Vocals
Terry Ogolini /Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Pete Special /Arranger, Guitar, Producer
Don Tenuto /Trumpet
Sidney James Wingfield /Keyboards

REVIEW
by Bill Dahl
Recorded live in 1987 at Biddy Mulligan's, a longtime Chicago blues institution that fell on hard times not too long thereafter, Live from Chicago! Bigger Than Life! showcases Big Twist & the Mellow Fellows' strengths in front of a rabidly devoted crowd. "300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy," "Turning Point," and the playful "Too Much Barbeque" rate among the highlights, as Twist's on-stage charisma makes the show go.

DOWNLOAD

2238 - BIG TWIST & THE MELLOW FELLOWS (1980)

BIG TWIST & THE MELLOW FELLOWS
''BIG TWIST & THE MELLOW FELLOWS''
1980
36:16

1/(It Would Be) You and Me
Peter Bunetta / Steve Goodman / Hank Neuberger/3:18
2/Who's Cheating Who?
Raynard Miner / Mira Smith/3:15
3/Till the Morning Comes/4:26
4/Slave for Love
J.B. Lenoir/3:33
5/(That's the Sound of A) Happy Man/3:45
6/Turn Back the Hands of Time
Jack Daniels / Warner Tamerland / Bonnie Thompson/2:25
7/Nobody Wants to Lose/4:24
8/The Sweet Sound of Rhythm and Blues
Pete Special/2:48
9/Here in This City/3:15
10/Children's Blues/5:07

Ruben Alvarez /Percussion
Melvin Crisp /Drums
Jessy Dixon Singers /Guest Artist, Vocals (Background)
Ron Friedman /Trumpet
Mike Halpin /Trombone
Terry Ogolini /Sax (Tenor)
Corky Siegel /Guest Artist, Harmonica
Pete Special /Guitar

REVIEW
by Bill Dahl
The upbeat rhythms and charismatic persona of Big Twist always afforded this group an accessibility greater than that of most hardcore Chicago blues acts. This debut set followed the same formula, mixing time-tested favorites such as Tyrone Davis' "Turn Back the Hands of Time" with the inevitable crowd-pleaser "The Sweet Sound of Rhythm & Blues."

DOWNLOAD