I still remember the day I discovered the music of Hound Dog
Taylor. I had gotten my hands on the original
Genuine Houserockin’ Music sampler from Alligator Records,
and had listened to the ten songs from other artists happily. As
much as I had enjoyed these songs, once the unreleased “Don’t Blame
Me” kicked in, a whole new dimension opened up for me. I was
hooked.
Taylor died in 1975 of cancer, just a short time before the
release of his third album on Alligator – the label’s seventh
release and first live album –
Beware Of The Dog. While it has some rollicking moments that
live up to the kind of blues that Taylor and his band The
Houserockers played on a daily basis, it is a spotty release that
is not always the ideal remembrance of Taylor.
Recorded in Evanston, Illinois and Cleveland, Ohio in 1974,
Taylor, guitarist Brewer Phillips and drummer Ted Harvey rip
through some classic material on the first half of the album.
Tipping a hat to Elmore James, Taylor and crew pull out two of his
songs – “The Sun Is Shining” and “Dust My Broom” – for this
release, and both are performed well. (Incidentally, George
Thorogood – who once was a roadie for Taylor – paid tribute to his
former boss on his own Live album by including his own version of
“The Sun Is Shining”.) “Rock Me” sounds like it could have been
delivered by B.B. King; that’s how powerful Taylor’s vocals are on
this track.
Taylor’s originals that made his debut album and
Natural Boogie so special are also highlights on
Beware Of The Dog. The album’s opener, “Give Me Back My
Wig,” might not have been as powerful of an opener as I would have
liked to have heard, but I’ll take it anyway. “It’s Allright” is
always a welcome track to hear, and the instrumental “Kitchen Sink
Boogie” – featuring Phillips on lead guitar – really kicks things
into overdrive.
Ironically, it’s two of Taylor’s originals that really spoil the
mood. “Let’s Get Funky” is a rambling, aimless piece that doesn’t
seem to know where it wants to go musically. Likewise, “Freddie’s
Blues” is a track that just doesn’t have – oh, who am I kidding, it
has
no urgency like the rest of the material does. It’s almost
mournful in its style, delivery and vocalization – and I highly
doubt this is what Taylor would have wanted as the last song
released prior to his death. (Taylor helped to plan this album,
even though it was released after his death.)
Although
Beware Of The Dog has some moments that leave no doubt as to
why Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers became a legend in the
first part of the ’70s, it is an incomplete portrait of Taylor in
concert.
