Theodore Roosevelt Taylor, Hound Dog Taylor. What is there to say thatīs not been said already? First I thought of giving you the Hound Dog Taylor story but most of you know it already. If you donīt and want to find out you can go to these places:
Alligator Records Hound Dog pages
Blues On-line with some nice Hound Dog pics.
AMG, All music guide. Cub Koda reviews Hound Dogīs albums.

What do you get instead? Well, this may be as meaningless as the above, but Iīll review four Hound Dog Taylor live albums! (I know there exists more but I donīt have them) View this as a buyers guide...
The albums are:

• Live at Florences. JSP 1020 (release year 1981, recorded 1969 or 1971. Rerealesed on CD 1997?)
• Have some fun. Wolf 120.300 (release year 199?, recorded 1972)
• Live at Joeīs place. Fan Club CD 100 and New Rose CD 5100 (release year 1992, recorded 1972)
• Beware of the Dog. Alligator 4707 (release year 1976, recorded 1974)

If youīre interested which one of the albums is my favorite, you can either scroll through the entire list or follow this link!
Or if you want to view the Ultimate Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers Live Album(e.g. my collection of the top ten songs from the 42 I review) just follow this link!

Have Fun!!!

Live at Florences
This is a live recording from the legendary Florences Lounge where Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers where the houseband every Sunday afternoon for many many years. The JSP liner notes says it was recorded in 1969, but Ron Bartolucci states in his liner notes to "Live at Joeīs place" it was recorded in 1971. Is there someone out there who knows when it really was recorded?
The sound quality is not very good and there are far too many instrumentals (8 out of 10 songs) to make this a fantastic album. But maybe this reflects a typical Hound Dog show at the time.

• Stompinī
  This maybe works as an introduction piece at Florences, in your livingroom itīs quite boring... Ted Harvey seems to be in the right mood though and his playing saves this song.

• I held my baby last night (also on Alligator 4701)
  Hound Dog sounds like heīs singing through a harp microphone. Real lowdown sound, I like it! The audience participates and everything is just perfect. Unfortunately Brewer Phillips excellent baselines are buried deep down in the sound fabricate. Ted Harvey's playing is again flawless. A killer version of this song!

• Funky (also on Alligator 4707)
  A little bit more varied than on the Alligator live, but itīs still equals a sleeping pill...

• You canīt sit down(also on Alligator 4704)
  Brewer Phillips and Ted Harvey. Rough, raucous and heavy. Much better than on the second Alligator album.

• Hound Dogīs Blues
  Lots of vibrato on Hound Dogīs guitar. I think this is Hound Dogs interpretation of "I almost lost my mind". Great!

• Coming round the mountain (also on Alligator 4707)
  Fun, but... I didnīt like it on Beware of the Dog and I donīt like it here. A good version though.

• Rock Me (also on Alligator 4707 and Wolf)
  Itīs no big differences between this version and the other two live recordings. Wolf is heavier and Alligator is ...cleaner. This one features some hard singing and is overall quite raw. The least exciting of the three.

• Florencesī Shuffle
  Reminds a little of "Funky" and is as fun as it...

• Juke Joint Boogie
  A medium shuffle with heavy vibrato. More fun than good.

• Goodnight Boogie (also on Alligator 4704 and Wolf)
  I have been listening to Hound Dog Taylor the entire day and may not be objective any more... This is yet another version of Goodnight boogie and it have itīs bright moments. Raw playing from everyone and itīs simply Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers doing their job. Oh Lord, where are my Charles Brown albums?

Have some fun
This album was recorded at Joeīs place 1972 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The sound quality is better than on the JSP and the Fan Club albums but it sounds more tame.

• Gonna send you back to Georgia (5.32). (also on Alligator 47?? (the third one)
  The whole album sounds a bit lame and this song is no exemption... There is no real attack from either Hound Dog or the band. If you want to have this song in your collection get the Alligator album instead!

• Taylorīs Crawl (4.43).
  The lazy late Sunday afternoon feeling continues. The only place I want to crawl after hearing this song is back to bed... After 3.10 something happens in the song, but the intentions to something more wild soon disappears.

• Rock me baby (7.08). (also on JSP and Beware of the Dog)
  Finally something happens! Hound Dog starts the song with talking to the audience for a minute and a half and then he kicks of a slow and heavy version of Rock me baby. The lazy feeling works this time! Real nice singing from Hound Dog too.

• Goodnight boogie (3.18). (also on Alligator 4704 and JSP)
  Well, the mood from Rock me baby continues for awhile. Heavy backing by Brewer and some nice hollers from Ted and Hound Dog and a little heavier slide makes this version of Goodnight Boogie OK.

• Wild about you baby (4.38). (also on Fan Club and Alligator 4701)
  Hound Dog always plays great on the Dust my Broom songs, and this is no exception. Heavy backing, a raw solo and very good drumming by Ted Harvey makes this a gem! Unfortunately (?) for this CD the Fan Club version is even better.

• Jumping with Symphony Sid (4.07). (also on Alligator 4701 as "55th Street Boogie")
  This is the same song as "55th Street Boogie" from Alligator 4701. OK, but nothing real exciting really.

• The things I used to do (4.38).
  Hound Dog has only borrowed some text lines (hmm, if even that...) from Guitar Slims classic. It is more "Freddies Blues" than "The things I used to do"... But Iīm very fond of these slow Hound Dog songs and Brewer Phillips backing is as always perfect, so why be critical?

• Phillips Stomp (3.26).
  I recognize this! But from where? If you know it please send me the information. A rollicking Brewer Phillips instrumental with some nice up-tempo backing by Hound Dog. A dance tune!

• I just canīt take it (3.14) (also on Alligator 4701)
  After some more hard driving tunes Hound Dog seems to return to the uninspired mood in the beginning. Luckily enough for the listener the song gets better in the end.

• What do I say (1.56) (also on Alligator 47??)
  An instrumental version of the Ray Charles standard. Maybe fun in Joeīs place late in the night but on a Sunday afternoon at home...

• Ingleside Blues (7.10) (also on Ingleside Blues as "Ingleside Boogie")
  The opening must be the closest Brewer Phillips ever been to playing elegantly. After two minutes he wakes up and delivers his usual raw notes. Classic Phillips licks. Lord have mercy! But 7.10 is far too long. When four, five minutes have gone nothing new happens.

Live at Joeīs Place (52.45)
This is my favorite Hound Dog Taylor live album! Itīs recorded in the same place and the same year as Have some fun but it sounds at least ten times more inspired. Brewer Phillips gets more time and space and everything is cooking. The only minor drawback is that Ted Harvey donīt sound as "trashy" as he can do. The sound otherwise is OK. The songs:

• Kitchen Sink Boogie (4.18). (also on Alligator 4707 and Ingleside Blues)
  Hound Dog says "Look out Mr Brewer. This is Mr Brewer." and then he hits the low E note with lots of vibrato and then Mr Brewer comes and plays with furious attack! Wonderful! Phillips is not as intense as on the live Alligator but I prefer this one, itīs much more ...cool.

• Phillipīs Crawl (4.18).
  Phillipīs crawl is as good or even better than Kitchen Sink Boogie, but it shouldnīt be the second song. Program your CD player! Fantastic raw guitar from Brewer Phillips and Hound Dog and Ted Harvey delivers absolutely terrifying backup. If Taylorīs Crawl on "Have some fun" made me want to crawl back to bed Phillipīs Crawl makes me wanna crawl to the nearest pub!

• Wild about you baby (5.30). (also on Have Some Fun and Alligator 4701)
  This is a killer! Hound Dogīs guitar sound is not that electric as it can be but the intensity in this version is unmatched. Brewer Phillips hollers "Play your guitar, Oh Lord, Look out" and Hound Dog plays and plays. Near the end Hound Dog sings lines from "Sadie". Shucks.

• Kansas City (5.20). (also on Alligator 47??, the third one)
  "Live at Joeīs Place" is the only one of the four albums where Brewer Phillips sings. Kansas City sounds like the Alligator take, but is much rawer! Brewer and Hound Dog swaps solos, talks and pushes each other to the limit. This is wild. A definitive must in every serious Hound Dog Taylor / Brewer Phillips collection. Live Blues at itīs best.

• Mama talk to your daughter (4.47).(also on Cub Koda and the Houserockers)
  The groove continues. More rhythm here. The band is tight, Brewer and Hound Dog again swaps solos and song lines. What can I say? Itīs Sunday afternoon when I write this and Iīm on my way out to buy some beer and party!

• The Sky is Crying (5.37).
  The rest of the album is straight Hound Dog. Solid backing and inspired singing and playing by Hound Dog. Nothing more to say. Itīs nice to hear the audience reactions. Hound Dog does a very inspired version of this classic song.

• It hurts me too (4.06). (also on Alligator 4701)
  A well performed "It hurts me too". I just love Brewer Phillips boogie lines! The interaction between him and Hound Dog is amazing. Some strange squeaking sounds (some kind of background noise) might irritate some people. Lowdown timeless blues.

• Dust my broom (3.38). (also on Alligator 4707)
  A raw solo near the end and Brewer Phillips shouts "Oh lord, Play your guitar, Do it again, Do it again". And Hound Dog does.

• Freddies Blues (9.28). (also on Alligator 4707)
  Sounds a lot like the one on Alligator. A little bit faster maybe and Ted Harvey donīt comment as much... A little bit too long, but a very moody song.

• Glue me back my wig (3.41). (also on Alligator 4701 and Alligator 4707)
  Glue? Hmmm. "Give me back my wig" is one of Hound Dogīs most "punky" songs. This is as good as it gets. Blues trash!

• Take five (2.27). (also on Alligator 4704)
  My favorite version of "Take five" ends my favorite Hound Dog Taylor album!

Beware of the Dog
The classic Hound Dog Taylor live album and for a long time the only one. Itīs mostly recorded at Smiling Dog saloon in Cleveland, Ohio. Two tracks are recorded at Northwestern University, Evanston. Itīs all taped in 1974. The sound quality is very good. Hound Dogīs guitar is very sharp and the tone is more "metallic" than on the other live albums. What a killer tone it is!

• Give me back my wig (4.34). (also on Alligator 4701 and Fan Club)
  Funky and inspired. Watch out Jon Spencer!

• The sun is shining (4.33). (also on Alligator 47??, the third one)
  This should be an all-time classic! Everything from the mystifying opening remarks, the razor sharp intro to the rough singing is absolutely perfect! Brewers baselines drones in the background and Hound Dog cuts through the smoke in the Smiling Dog saloon with his guitar. Wow!

• Kitchen Sink Boogie (4.17). (also on Fan Club)
  This is Brewer Phillips at his very best. Not as cool as on "Phillipsī Theme" or on the Fan Club recordings,but much more sharper. Jeesus...

• Dust my Broom (3.16). (also on Fan Club)
  An impeccable Dust my Broom with hot guitar from Hound Dog.

• Cominī round the mountain (3.57). (also on JSP)
  As I said in the JSP review, "fun, but...".

• Letīs get funky (5.08). (also on JSP)
  Hound Dog getīs funky and I get sleepy. zzzzzzz... Strange enough, this was the song I dreamt of after listening to Hound Dog for a whole day...

• Rock me (4.04). (also on Wolf and JSP)
  This is my favorite version of the three I have. Hound Dog shines with incredible raw playing and the band does a fade-out manually! (Listen and you will understand what I mean)

• Itīs allright (4.04). (also on Alligator 4701)
  One of my favorite Hound Dog tunes. This version is as good as the one on his first Alligator album.

• Freddieīs Blues (6.31). (also on Fan Club)
  A moody piece with vibrato on Hound Dogīs guitar. Ted Harvey comes in and comments Hound Dogīs serious singing. Fun at first but...

OK. If you have followed me this far and still wonder which album to buy, Iīll help you out!
My ranking of the four reviewed albums:

1. Live at Joeīs Place.
   This one has the best "live feeling". Hound Dog and Brewer swap solos and shouts at each other. The whole band is in very good shape and due to Phillipsī singing on a couple of the tracks this is also the most varied album of the four. This CD is cooking. Itīs tight, wild and just awesome! A definite must!

2. Beware of the Dog.
   Hound Dogīs guitar sound is awesome here. If you want that typical soaring, raucous slide sound from the other Alligator albums this also falls into the category of "have to have albums". On the downside here is a little bit weak songs. "Letīs get funky" and "Freddies Blues" are in my opinion to long and static. With better material and more Brewer Phillips "Beware of the Dog" might could have fought for the first place. But now. Not! This might be the better album for those who have a "rockīnīroll view" of the blues.

3. Live at Florences
   This is not a good album. Itīs low fi and there are to many instrumentals where nothing happens. I like it anyway! Maybe itīs Blues romanticism... Hound Dog Taylorīs legendary gigs at Florences Lounge. Everybody was there! Or maybe the songs that are good are real good. I think itīs a combination. "You canīt sit down" and "I held my baby last night" are very good songs in very good versions. This album is for those of you who are BluesFanatics. (Of course, you have hours of Hound Dog live tapes at home, but itīs nice to have a Florences show on LP...). The rest of the world will be happy if they own one of the two albums above...

4. Have some fun
   Well, someone had to come in the last place. This Wolf album never really starts to burn. I canīt say exactly what is missing but the spark is not there.

The Ultimate Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers Live album!
This was much harder than I thought it would be, but after hours of listening and judging I finally managed to pick out ten songs. Itīs not always the best songs, but they work in the context. My criteria was: If itīs live I want it to sound live, and if itīs a rough band it should sound rough. Hereīs what you get:

1. Phillips Crawl (Fan Club)
2. Wild about you baby (Fan Club)
3. I held my baby last night (JSP)
4. Kansas City (Fan Club)
5. Itīs allright (Alligator)
6. Rock me (Wolf)
7. You canīt sit down (JSP)
8. The sun is shining (Alligator)
9. Take five (Fan Club)
10. Hound Dogīs Blues (JSP)