THE HOLLYWOOD BLUE FLAMES/THE HOLLYWOOD FATS BAND: Road To Rio/Larger Than Life (2-Disc)

The Hollywood Blue Flames/The Hollywood Fats Band

Road To Rio/Larger Than Life (2-Disc)

© 2006 DELTA GROOVE PRODUCTIONS

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Double cd release with special guests Kim Wilson, Junior Watson, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Roy Brown, as well as previously unreleased live recordings by the original Hollywood Fats Band.

notes

THE HOLLYWOOD BLUE FLAMES/THE HOLLYWOOD FATS BAND
"ROAD TO RIO/LARGER THAN LIFE"
(DOUBLE CD & COLOR POSTER)

DISC ONE: Brand new recordings by the Blue Flames featuring Kirk "Eli" Fletcher on guitar, a guest appearance by Kim Wilson on harp, plus three bonus tracks with Junior Watson!

2ND BONUS DISC: Includes never before released vintage live recordings of the original Hollywood Fats Band from '79-'80 - their first new release in over 30 years!!! Also features special guests Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Roy Brown, plus a rare vocal performance by the one and only Michael "Hollywood Fats" Mann on the song " Nasty Boogie Woogie ".

The Hollywood Blue Flames emerged from the smoldering embers of The Hollywood Fats Band, arguably the best young blues band to come out of the 1970s, led by guitar phenomenon Michael “Hollywood Fats” Mann. Along with bassist Larry Taylor (fresh from Canned Heat), drummer Richard Innes (ex-Rod Piazza), Lloyd Glenn protégé Fred Kaplan on piano, and featuring the multi-talented Al Blake on harmonica and vocals, Hollywood Fats almost single-handedly ignited a traditional blues revival that still echoes loudly to this day. Whenever you hear the warm retro sounds of classic Chicago blues coupled with a swinging rhythm section and tasty-but-nasty guitar, you’re hearing the legacy of the Hollywood Fats Band. Sadly, Fats passed away unexpectedly in 1986, and the band members all went on to other successful musical ventures.

Their 2005 reunion release “Soul Sanctuary” on Delta Groove – with acclaimed young blues guitarist Kirk Fletcher ably filling the shoes of Fats - earned universal rave reviews. Their new Delta Groove release “Road To Rio” picks up without skipping a beat, and includes several very welcome extras: two previously un-recorded songs co-written by Hollywood Fats and Al Blake that point in a roots-rock direction the band was just beginning to explore before Fats’ untimely passing; collaborations with fellow West Coast blues guitar pioneer Junior Watson, and Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson; and an entire CD of previously un-released vintage live performances by Hollywood Fats in his prime, including guest appearances by Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, and legendary blues shouter Roy Brown!

The Hollywood Blue Flames / Hollywood Fats Band music contained on “Road To Rio” and “Larger Than Life” stands on its own as some of the most enjoyable blues and roots music to be released in recent memory, but with the inclusion of the previously unheard live recordings, it’s also an important and historic document of musical geniuses whose likes we will not see again.

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  • A very satisfying record!
    author: Kyle Deibler (Blues Bytes)

    Road to Rio by itself is a very satisfying record. The inclusion by Delta Groove of the second cd, ‘Larger Than Life’, by the Hollywood Fats Band almost makes it mandatory that any blues fan buy this record. Culled from cassette recordings horded by Al Blake for the last 25 years, ‘Larger Than Life’ is a virtual treasure for any blues fan to enjoy. There are very few recordings featuring the guitar work of Hollywood Fats in existence and just the opening instrumental, “Fats Fries One”, is worth the price of admission alone. The rest of the record is just a testament to the greatness of one of the West Coast’s most legendary bands, the Hollywood Fats Band.

  • Traditional album of the year!
    author: Przemek Draheim, Poland

    The new album by The Hollywood Blue Flames and it's bonus disc with Hollywood Fats' tracks is a real winner - for me traditional album of the year! No other comments are needed.

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