So you’ve seen the film. And if you heaven’t, well you can go see it now. It’s okay, we’ll wait.
… Back? Awesome film right? Good. Now, how about owning the LP that started the whole thing? Briefcase Full of Blues is the debut album by The Blues Brothers, composed of the two comedic actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. What began as a musical sketch, consisting of an affectionate yet tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Blues genre, on Saturday Night Live in the late 70s soon spiralled into the release of this very album in 1978.
The album features delicious (and not to mention infectious) covers of songs by Otis Redding, Junior Wells, King Floyd, Sam & Dave and Big Joe Turner (amongst others) and performed with a series of seasoned – and several famous – blues artists. The slightly tongue-in-cheek tribute was a musical triumph, showcased by it reaching #1 in a number of countries, and selling Double Platinum. In 1980 Jake and Elwood – as their characters were named, and as they performed and recorded under – had a self titled feature length film – which achieved cult status. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Why do you need this LP?
This is a vinyl record which is important for fans of both audio and visual. The Blues Brothers film, and the act itself, is both a visual and sonic feast (not to mention, very funny indeed) and it was inspired entirely by the release and overwhelmingly positive critical and commercial response of this very LP. A relic for both film and for blues music, this is the LP that brought a genre which tended to rumble in the background to the mainstream’s attention. Featuring some of the best blues tracks up until that point, this album is a great way of bringing some light-hearted blues to your repertoire, all the while owning something that did a lot of good for the genre. Now, everybody sing along…