Top Artists – J.J. Cale

J.J. Cale – 5

More J.J. Cale

The overall sound here is rich, full-bodied and musical with lots of Tubey Magic and a solid bottom end; the perfect sound for this laid-back blues-rock
If you like Dire Straits, try this one – J.J. Cale and Mark Knopfler have a lot in common, probably more than you think
“While Cale remains the ultimate laid-back Blues artist, he still manages to conjure up the spirit of Country, Soul and subdued Funk in each of the tracks on 5, making this album one of the best loved in his catalog.”

J.J. Cale – Troubadour

More of Our Favorite Titles from 1976

Cale fans take note: this early Shelter pressing was doing almost everything right — rich, full and musical with great bass
Eric Clapton described the man as “one of the most important artists in the history of rock.”
4 1/2 Stars: “J.J. Cale’s albums are so steeped in his introspective style that they become interchangeable. If you like one of them, chances are you’ll want to have them all.”

If you’re hankerin’ to hear Cocaine on the authentic original, you will really have to work hard to hear it sound any better than it does on this pressing.

Wikipedia lists his many styles as “Americana, Cajun, blues, swamp rock, country rock, Red Dirt, Tulsa Sound” but we think Americana is probably all you really need.

(more…)

J.J. Cale – Okie

More J.J. Cale

This pressing boasts very good Hot Stamper sound from the first note to last – fairly quiet vinyl too
Plenty of top notch songs that were later covered by other artists — I Got The Same Old Blues, Anyway The Wind Blows and Cajun Moon, to name a few.
If you’re a fan of the low-key bluesy vibe of Troubadour and Naturally, you’ll find much to like here

This vintage Shelter Recording pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records can barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn’t showing signs of coming back. If you love hearing INTO a recording, actually being able to “see” the performers, and feeling as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, this is the record for you. It’s what vintage all analog recordings are known for — this sound. (more…)

J.J. Cale – Naturally

An outstanding pressing of J.J. Cale’s debut, with solid Double Plus (A++) sound throughout – exceptionally QUIET vinyl too
This copy is balanced and natural, with the kind of rich, full-bodied sound that no one seems to know how to record anymore
“Cale included a new version of “After Midnight” on the album, but the true meat of the record lay in songs like “Crazy Mama,” which became a hit single, and “Call Me the Breeze,” which Lynyrd Skynyrd later covered. On these songs and many others on Naturally, Cale effortlessly captured a lazy, rolling boogie that contradicted all the commercial styles of boogie, blues, and country-rock at the time.”

(more…)

Letter of the Week – “Then I put on the Better Records – and proceeded to repeat the word “Wow!” about fifty times.”

One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased recently:

Hey Tom,

As a coda, I just played my existing copies of Troubador and Christopher Cross against new arrivals from the South. [That’s us.]

Troubador was a new heavy vinyl pressing. Cross was my ‘shootout’ winning copy out of 4. Both times I played my copy and said, “Man that’s gonna be tough to beat.”

Then I put on the Better Records – and proceeded to repeat the word “Wow!” about fifty times.