Keno's HOUND DOG TAYLOR Web Site

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NATURAL BOOGIE

Released - 1973, Alligator Records. Produced by Hound Dog Taylor and Bruce Iglauer

Hound Dog Taylor - Lead & Slide Guitar and Vocals

Brewer Phillips - Guitar
Ted Harvey - Drums

(click on song for lyrics)

SONG                                                               RATING

TAKE FIVE (Taylor)   7.6
HAWAIIAN BOOGIE (James)   7.7
SEE ME IN THE EVENING (Taylor)   7.6
YOU CAN'T SIT DOWN (Taylor)   7.5
SITTING AT HOME ALONE (Taylor)   7.8
ONE MORE TIME (Phillips)   7.4
ROLL YOUR MONEYMAKER (Taylor)   8.0
BUSTER'S BOOGIE (Taylor)   8.1
SADIE (Taylor) 10.0
TALK TO MY BABY (James)   8.4
GOODNIGHT BOOGIE (Taylor)   7.6
Average 7.97

For info on how the rating scale is determined, go here.

REVIEW

This was Hound Dog's second release and another dandy! A blaring guitar is the first thing you hear to start off this album, but it does become more tame (for Taylor's style anyway) as the song, 'Take Five", and album itself progresses. "Hawaiian Boogie" follows with a wonderful clean slide, and then we move on to "See Me In The Morning" where Hound Dog mellows big time with his guitar and adds a real fine vocal. Two of the next three songs - "You Can't Sit Down" and "One More Time", have a almost '50s guitar Rockabilly Revival sound to them and they turn out super. Sandwiched between them is "Sitting At Home Alone" with a similar but more distorted riff that can be heard on "Held My Baby Last Night", from his first album.

As this album plays on it only gets better with "Roll Your Moneymaker" starting off a string of great cuts. "Buster's Boogie" has one fine guitar flow to it and then comes the album's best song, "Sadie".  A pure blues tune and according to his manager, this was the first song that Hound Dog ever sat down and wrote the lyrics to. In the past he would just make up lyrics after he had a new riff laid down. But not on this baby, and you can almost feel the difference in the way he sings this song. "Talk To My Baby" followers with even more great blues and then Hound Dog kisses us goodnight with the vibrating guitar sound that accommodates "Goodnight Boogie".

Once again, like the songs found on his first album, every number here fits in just right, they all reach that perfect sound level and flow. There isn't any bad songs on here and it doesn't just contain just one or two outstanding songs either. Really, all of these songs are outstanding in their own way. This is one album where you will boogie to the blues for sure!

- Keno

To listen to some sound clips from NATURAL BOOGIE or to buy it click on: Natural Boogie

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