It was by sheer coincidence we found Bottleneck John in September 2012 and for that we are very, very glad!
After a nice first meeting in my studio, everything was settled!
We had very similar ideas how to go about the album, and Bottleneck John made a great selection of songs and with a good variation.
On many tracks we also hear his blues brothers playing grand piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer, resonator & upright bass, percussion, fiddle, mandolin etc.
With a fantastic voice and great slide guitar playing on all his resonator guitars - just have a look below or in the CD-booklet!! - this album is Bottleneck John´s debut on Opus 3 Records.
We are fortunate to have a very unusual and unique blues album, with so much authenticity and inspiration from the first half of the 20th century, when many legendary blues musicians were active.
In the CD-booklet, you find a lot of background and history of both the songs and the instruments used on the album, which is not that usual nowadays.
Back in the summer of 1999 I first heard Eric Bibb’s album “Spirit & The Blues”, released on Opus 3 Records, and it totally and utterly changed the way I look upon and perform music.
Everything I did turned acoustic and I’ve stayed in the acoustic blues realm ever since.
I’d been singing the blues for a long time in electric settings and for me something illusive was missing. When I listened and searched back through the years I found my musical home in the old recordings from the late 1920’s and early 30’s.
The heart of my music is the genuine tone of resonator guitars, I just love the mechanically amplified sound.
Bottleneck John: Voice, 6 & 12-str. Resonator & Acoustic Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin, Electric guitar, Foot Stomp & Kazoo
Mattias Nordqvist: Grand Piano, Hammond Organ & Wurlitzer
Kent Ögren: Resonator & Double Bass
Lars Åstrand: Mandolin & Fiddle
Mattias Olofsson: Percussion
Stefan Swén: Harmonica
Karl Eneland: Tuba
Patrik Idell: Guitars
Listen to music samples
01. Lonesome Valley (Trad.) |
02. Come On In My Kitchen (Robert Johnson) |
03. No matter How She Done It (H. Wittaker / T. Dorsey) |
05. Do You Call That A Buddy? (Raye / Wilson) |
06. Jesus Gonna Be Here (Tom Waits) |
08. All Around Man (Armenter Chatmon) |
10. Mandolinferno (Johan Eliasson) |
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01. Lonesome Valley (Trad.) 2´25
02. Come On In My Kitchen (Robert Johnson) 4´29
03. No matter How She Done It (H. Wittaker / T. Dorsey) 3´30
04. Autumn Rime (Johan Eliasson) 2´29
05. Do You Call That A Buddy? (Raye / Wilson) 4´36
06. Jesus Gonna Be Here (Tom Waits) 4´32
07. Out Of The Rain (Tony Joe White) 6´08
08. All Around Man (Armenter Chatmon) 3´08
09. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues (D. Coverdale / B. Marsden) 4´42
10. Mandolinferno (Johan Eliasson) 3´18
11. How Long, How Long Blues (Trad.) 4´01
12. Only A Woman (Johan Eliasson) 3´40
13. You Can´t Get That Stuff No More (H. Whittaker / T. Dorsey) 3´36
14. Wade In The Water (Trad.) 3´52
3 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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Excellent artist
And for me a joy hearing this talented musician who honors the misica blues, I hope you publish another album.
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Brilliant record!
Wonderful guitar playing and the vinyl pressing is superb. Pity he doesn't have more recordings available to buy.
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Great performances
I had never heard of Bottleneck John, but when I sampled his album, I had to purchase it. Very gritty, bluesy and talented performer, with some unique interpretations. A modern version of some classic tunes.