You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog

Sometimes, just like my boys at Twelve Bar, you have to take things back to the source. I myself have been undergoing something of a Blues renaissance recently in my listening pleasures and felt that it was apt to share with you news of a tune that may other wise go criminally unnoticed. "Make It Funky" by Chicago Blues legend Hound Dog Taylor is one of the finest live cuts you will ever come across and drips sweaty funk from its every note. Released as part of the posthumous live album "Beware of the Dog" in 1975, this tune is just a gem built around Taylor's slashing slide guitar and is one of those live recordings that make you wish you were there in person. The good vibes really do fly out of the speaker and I urge you to track it down. Taylor's backing band, the House Rockers, only consisted of two men, guitarist Brewer Phillips and drummer Ted Harvey, but such is the energy that it feels like the stage is packed with jamming good-time musicians. It is raucous, frenetic, controlled, loose and tight all at the same time but comes together to form an imperfectly perfect whole. Sound confusing? Listen to the track and it will all become clear.