R.L. Burnside – Mr Wizard (LP, US)

17 March 1997

Fat Possum / Epitaph

80301-1

A1. Over The Hill A2. Alice Mae A3. Georgia Women A4. Snake Drive B1. Rollin’ & Tumblin’ B2. Out On The Road B3. Highway 7 B4. Tribute to Fred B5. You Gotta Move
VIEW:

NOTES:
Black vinyl LP with printed inner-sleeve, also issued as a DigiPak CD, this is the first ‘Stirling’ pressing which lists Epitaph on the label and displays the logo on the rear sleeve next to the barcode. Later reissued on vinyl with download as a Fat Possum only release, blue vinyl (2020) and clear vinyl (2022). The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion perform on Alice Mae and Highway 7 which were recorded at Lunati Farms at the same time as the tracks for A Ass Pocket of Whiskey. Jon Spencer Interview (July 31, 2018): “NUVO: How did your relationship with R.L. Burnside begin? SPENCER: In the Blues Explosion, we were big fans of R.L.’s record, and we were listening to it all the time. This was in the very early days of Fat Possum, the label from Oxford, Mississippi, which was putting out people like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. I was already aware of some of these artists. And then, when Fat Possum started and these new recordings started coming out by these artists, I was snapping them up, and that R.L. record just really blew us away. We were just listening to it all the time. I thought, “Maybe we could play a show together,” so I reached out to Fat Possum and suggested playing some dates together. It was as easy as that. I guess initially it wasn’t that easy because they said no, and then I had to appeal to a common friend to put in a good word. One Memphis filmmaker [either Dan Rose or Robert Gordon] put in a good word with Matthew Johnson at Fat Possum. He told him, “No, the Blues Explosion are okay. This would actually be a good thing. You should do the shows.” So we played a handful of shows, and we hit it off. It was a good formula, so we did a lot more. That was a really great time.” – Nuvo Full Interview: https://nuvo.newsnirvana.com/music/jon-spencer-s-wild-ride/article_cf2b7400-94fd-11e8-843f-67ad9a357545.html
SONG CREDITS:
Assembled: Matthew Johnson All songs published by Mockingbird Blues Publishing (BMI) except “Over The Hill” and “You Gotta Move”. A1. Over The Hill Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Recorded: Bruce Watson at Burnside Palace, Setpember ’95 Run Time: 4:20 A2. Alice Mae Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Guitar/Theramin: Jon Spencer Guitar: Judah Bauer Drums: Russell Simins Recorded: Bruce Watson at Lunati Farms, February ’96 Run Time: 4:20 A3. Georgia Women Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Drums: Cedric Burnside Recorded: Bruce Watson at Lunati Farms, February ’96 Run Time: 4:20 A4. Snake Drive Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Drums: Cedric Burnside Recorded: Bruce Watson at Lunati Farms, February ’96 Run Time: 4:20 B1. Rollin’ & Tumblin’ Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Drums: Cedric Burnside Recorded: Rob Schnapf & Tom Rothrock at Doug Messengers, N. Hollywood, CA, November ’96. Run Time: 4:40 B2. Out On The Road Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Drums: Cedric Burnside Recorded: Robbie Norris at Junior Kimbrough’s Juke Joint, Chulahoma, MS, September ’94 Run Time: 4:40 B3. Highway 7 Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Guitar/Theramin: Jon Spencer Guitar: Judah Bauer Drums: Russell Simins Recorded: Bruce Watson at Lunati Farms, February ’96 Run Time: 4:40 B4. Tribute to Fred Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Guitar: Kenny Brown Drums: Cedric Burnside Recorded: Robbie Norris at Jimmy’s Auto Care, Oxford MS, February ’95 Run Time: 4:40 B5. You Gotta Move Guitar/Vocals: R.L. Burnside Recorded: Bruce Watson at Burnside Palace, Setpember ’95 Run Time: 4:40
SLEEVE NOTES:
“Aren’t they some nice ones. God, they look like an elite unit of Vietnam tunnel crawlers who refused to leave the booby-trapped caves of a war-torn jungle. What is this? The heart of darkness gone bad in a Chevrolet can with captain’s chairs. Cedric Jackson, the youngest of the trio, is R.L.’s grandson. He won’t stop rapping along to the Dr. Dre tape playing through his headphones unless he’s on stage drumming for ‘Big Daddy’. Oo wee, Cedric likes them girls on the road. Kenny Brown, whom some call R.L.’s only white son, is just 25 years older than Cedric and 30 years younger than R.L. Kenny Brown – a man among men, stuffed into a pair of black leather pants, shades on, and long yellow hair just a blowin’ in the wind. The van they ride is Kenny’s. Mauve interior and venetian blides, baby. Kenny Brown – an expert on UFO’s and teh undisputed world renowned expert on slide guitar warfare – is responsible for everything and nothing, at the exact same time. It doesn’t matter the name you know him by, he goes by many: Rule, The Reverend, R.L. or Mr Wizard. It’s him who guides the Cevrolet van towards disaster. Of course he’s tired and cranky, works half drunk; How else can one attempt to do the work of an earthquake alone? Things go wrong wherever R.L. goes – little thinghs like amps exploding, and big things like train wrecks – and they don’t stop until he’s gone. These things aren’t coincidental. They take a lot of work and the Wizard deserves the credit. As with all wizards, the older he gets the more disaster he needs around him so he can, y’know, feel good about himself and relax. That’s why R.L. commands his disciples to carry hum around the world ten times over, in a row and back to back, for the luxury of being able to raise his head out of the top of the custom van, wizard hat flapping, and smile at a tornado on the horizon. R.L. gets tired easily these days and welcomes a tornado’s help in finishing the job he started. Tidal waves, volcanos, and yes, even wars – they are all his buddies. From town to town, country to country, they move on with a consistent beat, guitars, yelling and screaming with the voice of God, and the Wizard sitting on a chair of skulls with any old guitar and moaning, “well, well, well,” at a bewildered audience.”
DETAILS:
ARTWORK: Cover Art: Derek Hess Layout/Design: Con Art BARCODE: 0 4577-80301-1 8 RUN-OUT GROOVE ENGRAVING: A: “RLB-A S-35039 STERLING” B: “RLB-B S-35040 STERLING”