Have Mercy - Boodlam (Digital-Album)

The songs can be downloaded at the end of the order.

Groundbreaking first album from the true inventors of folk punk

Steve Baker came to Germany in 1976 with Have Mercy, a crazy Anglo-American acoustic blues and jug band whose members also included Henry Heggen and Rory McLeod. The German blues expert Werner Weber, who saw the band live in London and spontaneously invited them to play in his hometown of Aachen, aptly described their music as "rocking harmonica blues." In spirit, however, it was in some ways closer to the energy of the then-burgeoning punk rock scene. Have Mercy later landed in Hamburg, the northern German port city that played a crucial role in the development of British Beat music. Here, their unbridled interpretations of blues and jug band classics helped the band establish a reputation as one of the hottest live acts on the Hamburg scene at the time.

Thanks to their idiosyncratic and authentic playing style and their captivating live shows, Have Mercy quickly gained a certain amount of notoriety in their adopted hometown, and the band was soon offered a record deal. Antagon Records had recently released LPs by Scottish folk icon Alex Campbell and jazz singer Bill Ramsey, and now Have Mercy joined the lineup. As luck would have it, Boodlam was recorded in Hamburg during the same two weeks in February 1977 that The Clash were recording their self-titled debut album in London.

In addition to the title track, the album includes rip-roaring versions of Leadbelly's "Midnight Special," Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee's "Poor Man But A Good Man," and JBL Lenoir's "Mojo Boogie," as well as several originals, including Steve Baker's "Hustle On Down," and two early Rory McLeod songs, "Collector Man" and the quirky "Somebody Else Will." Driven by the sound of blasted blues harps, with the formidable voices of Heggen and McLeod, supported by the backing vocals of the others, and carried by the dual dobros of Brian Barnett and Dick Bird, the album brims with youthful energy. It's easy to suspect that Have Mercy are the true inventors of folk punk. After 40 years, these groundbreaking recordings are finally available again, as a download from Timezone Records.

Steve Baker: harmonica, vocals, kazoo, guitar
Brian Barnett: guitars, vocals, kazoo
Dick Bird: guitar, vocals, mandolin, washboard
Jon Echols: harmonica, vocals, percussion
Henry Heggen: lead vocals, harmonica, jug, washboard, kazoo
Rory McLeod: Lead vocals, harmonica, jug, washboard, spoons
Werner Weber: rhythm guitar (Dallas Rag)

1. Mojo Boogie (JB Lenoir)
2. Hustle On Down (Steve Baker)
3. Somebody Else Will (Rory McLeod)
4. Poor Man But A Good Man (Terry / McGhee)
5. Stealin' (Gus Cannon)
6. Biggest Kick (Henry Heggen)
7. Dive Bomber (Have Mercy)
8. Viola Lee (Noah Lewis, Gus Cannon)
9. Dallas Rag (Trad. Arr. Dick Bird / Werner Weber)
10. Blind Man (Lafayette Leake)
11. Collector Man (Rory McLeod)
12. Wine (Sticks McGhee)
13. Midnight Special (Leadbelly)
14. Boodlam Shake (Trad. Arr. Have Mercy)