The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 3 1965 - 1975 (Discs 11 - 13)

Well... this concludes The Chess Story.  I find the latter years to be the weakest in terms of quality.  Clearly compromises were made in pursuit of making money.  Combined with changes in ownership, we are left with really dated and unimportant music.  Still, there are some worthy tunes and overall it's a decent listen.  I guess the point is that, even the worst Chess offerings were better than alot of the music being released during that time.

I have gone through the previous posts and reloaded all of the links.  I hope this will benefit anybody who missed any.  There's a 14th disc featuring interviews with Phil and Marshall Chess, if there's interest I can post it as well... enjoy!!!

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 2 1957 - 1964 (Discs 8 - 10)

More from the heyday of Chess and the last installment of Part 2...  enjoy!!!

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 2 1957 - 1964 (Discs 6 & 7)

Hey Gang!!  Sorry about the large delay with this series.  I suppose I have lost some of you but I assure you, I will keep things movin on this one.

We have reached part 2 of the box, and discs 6 & 7 are really representative of the Chess heyday.  Now the label is firmly established and has found its way.  This means they are pumpin out the hits from their now famous roster.

As far as who's who, the list is much like the last couple of discs we heard.  These artists had much to say and the recordings flowed like wine.  I will give you guys some time to absorb these before unleashing the next batch... enjoy!!!

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 1 1947 - 1956 (Discs 3-5)

With all of the amazing music coming through Chitlins, it's hard to find the right time for a substantial post like this.  Translation:  The time is never right, so here it is!! 

I hope you all enjoyed the first two discs, the next three are even more intruiging as Leonard Chess expands his roster and aspirations.  Individual players from Muddy Waters' band begin succesful recording careers of their own.  New and creative artists like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry arrive, and by disc 5, Chess is a varied and multi faceted label.

Something that you should know, Leonard Chess also began recording jazz around this time as well.  Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt and even the great Benny Goodman were some of the first artists to record jazz on the Chess imprint.  I think it would have been a great idea to include the Chess label jazz sides, just as a measure of Leonard Chess' great taste.  Another area which is omitted, would be comedy LPs.  Pigmeat Markham and Moms Mabley were frequent releases during these early years at Chess.  Most of the sides were recorded live, but the comedy album held much esteem back in the day.

For my personal tastes, these 3 discs are the strongest in terms of all around impact.  Musically, creatively and what would eventually be, historically too.  The next few discs are also incredibly strong, so buckle up...  Enjoy!!!