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Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best of the Fire Sessions | 
 enlarge | Artist: Elmore James
Label: Buddha
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $6.82
You Save: $5.16 (43%)
New (29) Used (13) from $5.85
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 56469
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 99781
UPC: 744659978128
EAN: 0744659978128
ASIN: B000059RWK
Release Date: March 20, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | Shake Your Moneymaker | | • | Look on Yonder Wall | | • | The Sky Is Crying | | • | Rollin' and Tumblin' - Elmore James, Robinson, Morgan | | • | Held My Baby Last Night | | • | I'm Worried | | • | Done Somebody Wrong | | • | Fine Little Mama | | • | Anna Lee | | • | Stranger Blues | | • | Something Inside Me | | • | Early One Morning | | • | Sunnyland | | • | Standing at the Crossroads | | • | My Bleeding Heart | | • | Dust My Broom |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Classic is a word tossed around so frequently and carelessly these days it's hard to recall the time when it accurately described truly stellar songs. Well, this compilation of 16 sides by Chicago slide-guitar master Elmore James, recorded in New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City between 1959 and 1961, includes real, honest-to-god classics such as "The Sky Is Crying," "Done Somebody Wrong," "Shake Your Moneymaker," and "Look Up Yonder Wall." James's grainy vocals and stinging guitar powerfully express pain and regret. His recording studio band, Broomdusters, sometimes with the great drummer Belton Evans present, reveals emphatic feeling in a supporting role. Only "My Bleeding Heart," sullied by noisome horns and a general sluggishness, and "Something Inside Me," on which an unidentified sax player wears out his welcome fast, fail the test of time. --Frank-John Hadley
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| Customer Reviews:
Five stars - with reservations December 2, 2003
Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Why the reservations?
Well, this collection only focuses on Elmore James' recordings for Bobby Robinson in the early 60s. He did remake many of his early hits for Robinson's Fire, Fury and Enjoy labels, and often in even better versions, but a few early-50s classics are missing, so "Shake Your Moneymaker" doesn't really work as a definitive Elmore James-compilation.
But let's forget about what's not here for a moment, and look at what is:
"Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best Of The Fire Sessions" gathers sixteen songs from the "King Of The Slide Guitar" box set, perfectly showcasing Elmore James' incredibly intense, slide guitar-driven electric blues. James was equally at home playing a smouldering slow blues like "The Sky Is Crying", and laying down raw, rollicking numbers like "Look On Yonder Wall" and his magnificent, fiery take on Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom". He always sang like he meant it, and he possessed a huge, emotional wail of a voice, imbuing everything from slow numbers and mid-tempo grinds to up-tempo ravers with passion and power.
The track selection is not 100% perfect, but it's very good, and several of these songs rank among the very best of electric Chicago blues, right up there with the greatest of Muddy Waters' and Howlin' Wolf's songs: "Shake Your Moneymaker", "Sunnyland", "Dust My Broom", "The Sky Is Crying", "Standing At The Crossroads", and a great rendition of Robert Nighthawk's "Anna Lee". ("It Hurts Me Too" is missing, though, which is a crime.)
"The Sky Is Crying: The History Of Elmore James" from Rhino Records remains the ultimate Elmore James-collection, featuring 21 songs and spanning his entire career, but this is a very good overview of his superb Fire, Fury and Enjoy recordings. Just remember that if you opt for this one, you need "The Best Of Elmore James - The Early Years" from Ace Records as well. That terrific 28-track compilation is the best place to go for all of James' gritty early-50s classics for the Meteor, Modern and Flair labels.
Influential, classic recordings August 1, 2002
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Elmore James is one of the most influential and imitated guitarists of all time. He is probably the most influential electric slide-guitarist of all time. His recordings have been covered many, many times throughout music history, including many on this CD. This is a collection of James' best recordings from his late-50's, early 60's stint with Fire Records. Many of his classics can be found here including Dust My Broom (one of the most covered blues songs of all time), The Sky is Crying, Done Somebody Wrong, Shake Your Money Maker, Anna Lee, I'm Worried, and Look On Yonder Wall. There are some classic songs missing from this CD, however, so this should not be your only Elmore James collection. There are informative liner notes, and the remastered sound is excellent. Some of the rock artists that were influenced by Elmore James are the Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, Canned Heat, George Thorogood, The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix and Paul Butterfield. This is a great CD to introduce anyone to Elmore James. Just don't stop here.
Mississippi Has Got Just the Prettier Women November 3, 2001
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Elmore James I could listen to every day; there's something very reassuring about him. This is his best stuff, recorded for Bobby Robinson around 1960. Blues don't get no better than "Shake Your Moneymaker" and "Look On Yonder Wall" and "Stranger Blues." For years I've owned various LPs, some of which sound as though they were mastered from records in Denmark...and it's great to have this collection, with excellent sound. My favorite Elmore James moment, though, isn't on this compilation, but you can find it on the Collectables LP "The Complete Fire and Enjoy Sessions, Part 4," something called "Back in Mississippi." Elmore discourses on where to find the best-looking women: "I'm gonna tell you one damn thing, Jack, Mississippi has got just the prettier women than there is any goddamn where in the United States...and brother, I've been around."
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