Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy

Last updated
Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy
CommonGroundDavePhilAlvin.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 3, 2014 (2014-06-03)
RecordedDecember, 2013 – January, 2014
Genre Folk rock, country rock, blues
Length42:38
Label Yep Roc [1]
Producer Dave Alvin
Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin chronology
Eleven Eleven
(2011)
Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy
(2014)
Lost Time
(2015)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (81%) [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [5]

Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy is a studio album by rock musicians Dave and Phil Alvin, released in 2014. [6] [7] The album is a tribute to the songs of Big Bill Broonzy; the brothers credit him with writing the first rockabilly song. [8]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 144 on the Billboard 200. [9] It was nominated for a Grammy, in the "Best Blues Album" category. [10]

Reception

AllMusic critic Mark Deming wrote: "While listening to this is a potent reminder of how good Broonzy's songs still sound in the 21st century, it also demonstrates the complementary talents of Dave and Phil Alvin... It's clear the Alvins love this music and know how to mess with it in just the right way, and they don't treat Broonzy's tales of all manner of wild living like museum pieces, but as vital, living bits of American music, and that's how they sound on this album." [3] The New Yorker wrote that "the Alvins have picked a dozen songs that reflect the wide range of Broonzy’s material, from early highlights, like 'Saturday Night Rub', to mature classics, like 'Key to the Highway'. Both brothers sing and play guitar, and both shine." [11]

Track listing

All songs by Big Bill Broonzy unless otherwise noted.

  1. "All By Myself" – 3:28
  2. "I Feel So Good" – 4:09
  3. "How Do You Want It Done?" – 3:00
  4. "Southern Flood Blues" – 4:29
  5. "Big Bill Blues" – 3:19
  6. "Key to the Highway" (William Broonzy, Charlie Segar) – 3:48
  7. "Tomorrow" – 3:21
  8. "Just a Dream" – 3:52
  9. "You've Changed" – 3:12
  10. "Stuff They Call Money" – 4:44
  11. "Truckin' Little Woman" – 3:08
  12. "Saturday Night Rub" – 2:08

Personnel

Production notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muddy Waters</span> American blues musician (1913–1983)

McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". His style of playing has been described as "raining down Delta beatitude".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Joe Turner</span> American singer (1911–1985)

Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him". Turner's greatest fame was due to his rock and roll recordings in the 1950s, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll", but his career as a performer endured from the 1920s into the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Minnie</span> American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter (1897–1973)

Lizzie Douglas, better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "When the Levee Breaks", "Me and My Chauffeur Blues", "Bumble Bee" and "Nothing in Rambling".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bill Broonzy</span> American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist (1903–1958)

Big Bill Broonzy was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African-American audiences. In the 1930s and 1940s, he navigated a change in style to a more urban blues sound popular with working-class black audiences. In the 1950s, a return to his traditional folk-blues roots made him one of the leading figures of the emerging American folk music revival and an international star. His long and varied career marks him as one of the key figures in the development of blues music in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Alvin</span> American singer-songwriter and guitarist

David Albert Alvin is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s and has been involved in various side projects and collaborations. He has had brief stints as a member of the bands X and the Knitters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blasters</span> American rock band

The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described "American Music" is a blend of rockabilly, early rock and roll, punk rock, mountain music, and rhythm and blues and country.

Common Ground may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby, Please Don't Go</span> Traditional blues standard

"Baby, Please Don't Go" is a traditional blues song that was popularized by Delta blues musician Big Joe Williams in 1935. Many cover versions followed, leading to its description as "one of the most played, arranged, and rearranged pieces in blues history" by French music historian Gérard Herzhaft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Alvin</span> American singer and guitarist

Philip Joseph Alvin is an American singer and guitarist known primarily as the leader of the rock band The Blasters. His voice has been described as "robust...powerful...rich, resonant, [and] supremely confident."

"See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 1924, at Paramount Records in New York. The song uses mostly traditional blues lyrics to tell the story of an unfaithful lover, commonly called an "easy rider": "See see rider, see what you have done", making a play on the word "see" and the sound of "easy".

<i>The Blasters</i> (album) 1981 studio album by the Blasters

The Blasters is the second album by American rock band the Blasters. Originally released in the United States by the independent label Slash Records, its strong sales performance required a deal for wider distribution with Warner Bros. Records. The album was well received, being ranked among the top 10 albums of 1982 by Time magazine and peaking at number 36 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie "Big Eyes" Smith</span> American drummer

Willie Lee "Big Eyes" Smith was an American electric blues vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer. He was best known for several stints with the Muddy Waters band beginning in the early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key to the Highway</span> Blues standard popularized by Little Walter

"Key to the Highway" is a blues standard that has been performed and recorded by several blues and other artists. Blues pianist Charlie Segar first recorded the song in 1940. Jazz Gillum and Big Bill Broonzy followed with recordings in 1940 and 1941, using an arrangement that has become the standard.

<i>High Voltage</i> (1975 album) 1975 studio album by AC/DC

High Voltage is the debut studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released only in Australia and New Zealand, on 17 February 1975. Their first international release in 1976 would also be named High Voltage, though with a radically different track list.

"Marie Marie" is a song by American rock and roll band the Blasters. It became an international success after being covered by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens.

<i>Eleven Eleven</i> (Dave Alvin album) 2011 studio album by Dave Alvin

Eleven Eleven is the eleventh studio album by folk rock musician Dave Alvin. It was released on June 20, 2011 on Yep Roc Records, and an expanded reissue was released on April 17, 2012.

<i>Ashgrove</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Dave Alvin

Ashgrove is an album by American artist Dave Alvin, released in 2004. It reached number 38 on the Top Independent Albums chart.

<i>Public Domain</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Dave Alvin

Public Domain is an album by American artist Dave Alvin, released in 2000.

<i>Trouble in Mind</i> (Big Bill Broonzy album) 2000 studio album by Big Bill Broonzy

Trouble in Mind is an album by American blues musician Big Bill Broonzy. It was released on February 22, 2000 by Smithsonian Folkways. The album consists of traditional folk, blues, and spiritual songs featuring Broonzy accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and a guest appearance by Pete Seeger. Suffering from cancer, Broonzy realized his time was limited and hence recorded extensively between 1956 and 1957. While most of the work draws from the album Big Bill Broonzy Sings Country Blues (1957), arranged by Moses Asch and Charles Edward Smith, Trouble in Mind is also sourced from concert broadcasts and interviews recorded late in Broonzy's career.

<i>Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill"</i> 1960 studio album by Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill" is the first studio album, but second overall album by blues musician Muddy Waters, featuring songs by Big Bill Broonzy, released by the Chess label in 1960.

References

  1. "Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Common Ground Yep Roc Music Group Store". yeproc.11spot.com.
  2. "Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy by Dave Alvin" via www.metacritic.com.
  3. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  4. "Common Ground: The Songs Of Big Bill Broonzy - Record Collector Magazine".
  5. "Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin - Common Ground: Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin Play And Sing The Songs Of Big Bill Broonzy". July 9, 2014.
  6. "Dave Alvin | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  7. "In Big Bill Broonzy's Blues, Brothers Find A Way To Sing Together". NPR.org.
  8. "Review: Dave & Phil Alvin toast Big Bill Broonzy at the Troubadour". Los Angeles Times. February 1, 2015.
  9. "Dave Alvin". Billboard.
  10. "Phil Alvin". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020.
  11. Greenman, Ben. "Listening Booth: The Alvin Brothers". The New Yorker.