Skip to main content

The Blues Brothers Original Soundtrack Recording

You didn't have to love the blues, to love The Blues Brothers. When the movie dropped in 1980 it was a perplexing experience (in a good way) and so over the top it quickly became must see viewing among the cool kids. I wasn't one of the cool kids, but I still saw the movie. Trying to explain to kids how cool Jake and Elwood Blues were is like trying describe what water tastes like.

I wasn't a big blues fan, but bow howdy these guys were the real deal, and while their personas were over the top there was a reverence and respect to the source material. While Dan Aykroyd's Elwood was played as the straight character, it was John Belushi's Jake who had the swagger and chops. Listening to the songs on the record it's Jake who delivers the goods. Whereas the concept and the movie was written by Dan and director John Landis. These boys loved the blues, and they surrounded themselves with the best of the best.

I've seen the movie many times over the years, but this is actually the first time I've actually sat and listened to the soundtrack outside the context of the film. Of course in my mind's eye the songs here are intertwined and it evokes a lot of nostalgia for me.

There's something about hearing Cab Calloway holding sway with "Minnie the Moocher" that's still riveting. Apparently it was a bone of contention at the time when John Landis and Dan had him deliver the song with the big band as Cab had wanted to do an updated disco version that would have been more current ... he'd have been wrong. The other showpiece here is the extended "Sweet Home Chicago" that is stretched out and gives the band a chance to really show their stuff. 

To some this may have just been a skit that took on a life of it's own. The Blues Brothers helped pull the blues into the mainstream. The soundtrack would go platinum and introduce a new generation to the blues.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

6 Cylinder

As a kid we had one radio station, not counting CBC, and generally there was very little that was worth listening to, although there were times something would come on that would make you pay attention. It was 1979 and on a couple of occasions I heard "There Ain't Nobody Here But Us  Chickens" and it cracked me up, and I always wanted to get a copy for myself. A few years ago when my niece was dancing, they did a performance to this song, and now I can't separate my niece from a bunch of dancing chicks in chicken suits. Such is life. When I found this in the dollar bin I actually let out a little chirp, my goodness could it be? It was, and it was in great shape - including the inner sleeve.  Score. I had no idea what to expect, for all I knew there was only one song worth listening to, and if that was the case it was still a dollar well spent. If I could buy an album by Showdown and enjoy it, odds are I'll find something to enjoy here to. Before I put this on I...

Brave Shores - La Hoo La La

I love pleasant surprises. This popped up on an auction site and it looked interesting, so I put in the minimum bid and forgot about it ... until I got a message telling me I'd won and should go pick it up. It was still sealed which was a bonus. Of course the cardboard dust and tight fit was irritating and I'm sure the extra bit of unwanted scuffing as on the record as I tried to get it out of the sleeve is just the way things are nowadays apparently. This is why I seldom buy new stuff. Still, this was about the music, and I had deliberately not looked up the band in advance. I was sort of expecting so indie artsy fartsy stuff, but honestly I had no idea what to expect. From the opening notes of the title track, the album was one unexpected surprise and another. Brave Shores is a synth-pop duo comprised of Jay and Stefanie McCarrol. The credits are a little sparse which is too bad. It merely says Jay vocals / production and Stefanie vocals. Then a little further down it says th...

Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

File under: TLDR Note to the reader. First sorry, second not really, but I am sorry I don't have the ability to edit. Oh happy Valentine's day.  To celebrate let's take a gander at Meat Loaf's 1977 Bat Out of Hell. Over forty three million people disagree with me but for decades I thought this album was, and continues to be, one giant disappointment. I'll be the first to admit that despite decades of baggage the overwhelming power of nostalgia managed to erode even the hardest of convictions and I found that Bat Out of Hell was one of those albums I wanted to have in my collection, but I wasn't looking all that hard. It was an album I knew more about than I actually knew about. So at this moment in time I'm still holding firm on my long held opinion. But before I get into things, it's time for some meanderambling blurbage ... I remember seeing the cover when I was a kid and thinking it was the single greatest cover I had ever seen. What wonders were to b...