| No Strain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Recorded | April 26 & November 15, 1960 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 36:34 | |||
| Label | Bluesville | |||
| Memphis Slim chronology | ||||
| ||||
No Strain is an album by American blues pianist Memphis Slim which was recorded in 1960 and released on Bluesville, a sublabel of Prestige Records. It was reissued by Fantasy in 1972 as part of the double LP Raining the Blues, along with Just Blues , another album from the same sessions. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Cook says "Both at the keyboard and the mic, alone or with company, Slim shows why he was one of the most urbane and original of blues giants." [2]
All compositions by Peter Chatman except where noted.
John Len Chatman, known professionally as Memphis Slim, was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other artists. He made over 500 recordings.
"Mother Earth" is a blues song recorded by Memphis Slim in 1951. A slow twelve-bar blues, it is one of Slim's best-known songs and reached number seven in the Billboard R&B chart in 1951.
Eric Burdon Declares "War" is the first of two original albums by American band Eric Burdon and War, released on MGM Records in April 1970. It peaked at number 18 on record charts in the USA, number 50 in the UK, and number 7 in Australia. The back cover includes this declaration: "We the People, have declared War against the People, for the right to love each other". The album received a gold record award.
Arbee William Stidham was an American blues singer and multi-instrumentalist.
Lafayette Jerl Thomas was an American blues singer, and guitarist.
"Steppin' Out" is a blues-instrumental composition recorded by American blues musician Memphis Slim in 1959. It was released by Vee-Jay Records as a single and on Slim's At the Gate of the Horn album. Although both releases list L. C. Frazier as the writer, Vee-Jay owner James Bracken is often credited on versions by other performers.
Clarence Sims, best known by his stage name, Fillmore Slim, is an American blues vocalist and guitarist with five albums to his credit. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was also a known pimp in San Francisco, referred to several times as "The West Coast Godfather of the Game" and "The Pope of Pimping".
"Every Day I Have the Blues" is a blues song that has been performed in a variety of styles. An early version of the song is attributed to Pinetop Sparks and his brother Milton. It was first performed in the taverns of St. Louis by the Sparks brothers and was recorded July 28, 1935 by Pinetop with Henry Townsend on guitar. The song is a twelve-bar blues that features Pinetop's piano and falsetto vocal. The opening verse includes the line "Every day, every day I have the blues".
Willie's Blues is Willie Dixon's debut album, released in 1959. Given almost equal credit on the album was his piano accompanist, Memphis Slim, who played on all of the tracks, and wrote the two numbers that were not penned by Dixon.
"The Hunter" is a blues song first recorded by Albert King in 1967 for his landmark album Born Under a Bad Sign. It was written by Stax Records' house band, Booker T. and the MGs, and Carl Wells. Along with "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Crosscut Saw", "The Hunter" is one of King's best-known and most-recorded songs. In 1969, Ike & Tina Turner's version reached the singles charts in the U.S.
Born in the Delta is an album by blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, released on May 27, 1997. Perkins was 83 years old when he recorded the album in 1996, having begun his recording career late in life.
Alone with My Friends is an album by American blues pianist Memphis Slim which was recorded in 1961 and released on the Battle label. The album, recorded in London during a European tour, is an exploration of the blues repertoire in terms of songs associated with blues singers Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red and Georgia Tom, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, Curtis Jones, St. Louis Jimmy, Sonny Boy Williamson and Blind Lemon Jefferson.
All Kind of Blues is an album by American blues pianist Memphis Slim which was recorded in 1961 and released on Bluesville, a sublabel of Prestige Records.
Slim's Shout is an album by blues musician Sunnyland Slim recorded in 1960 and released on the Bluesville label the following year.
Just Blues is an album by the American blues pianist Memphis Slim which was recorded in 1960 and released on Bluesville, a sublabel of Prestige Records. It was reissued by Fantasy in 1972 as part of the double LP Raining the Blues, along with No Strain, another album from the same sessions.
Hear My Blues is the debut album by jazz/blues vocalist Al Smith featuring saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis' working group with organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1959 and becoming the first release on the Bluesville label. The album was reissued as Blues Shout! under Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis's name on Prestige in 1964.
Goin' Away is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1963 and released on the Bluesville label.
Smokes Like Lightning is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in Texas in 1962 and released on the Bluesville label the following year.
Lightnin' and Co. is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in Texas in 1962 and released on the Bluesville label. The album was reissued in 1981 on Fantasy Records as a double LP compilation titled How Many More Years I Got, with additional tracks from the sessions.
Brownie's Blues is an album by blues musician Brownie McGhee recorded in 1960 and released on the Bluesville label in 1962.