Released in 1970, four years after his last solo sojourn, 'The Originator', 'Black Gladiator' was in the same musical melting pot as Muddy Waters’ 'Electric
Mud' & Howlin’ Wolf’s 'This
Is Howlin’ Wolf’s New Album'. Both records are reactions by original electric bluesmen to the newer, heavier white blues sounds that were dominating the music scene in late 60s America. BB King also released a similar record, 'Live In London' in 1971 using British blues stars of the day.
Bo Diddley however drew on the newer black music of the day. The heavier, funkier sounds coming out of late 60s Motown & Atlantic, the grittier & more socially aware offerings from James Brown, Curtis Mayfield & George Clinton. Diddley sets the tone early with a musical palette of hard edged funk that hits you square in the guts. Black Gladiator could comfortably sit alongside any of the psych blues classics from Funkadelic & Parliament.
Opening
track 'Elephant Man' is a killa psych funk floorstomper & probably my
favourite Diddley track ever. 'Black Soul' is also a funk, freight Soul Train workout.
Keyboard player Bobby Alexis is featured heavily on the album, always comping
& pumping the songs forward, letting Diddley fire some thick funk lead riffs
around the groove. Diddley does however revert to a more standard blues format on a few songs. 'Hot Buttered Blues' & 'Power
House' are more traditional but they don't seem tired, cliched or album fillers as they are all dipped in late
60s goodness, killer guitar tones, & great backing vocals from Cookie Vee.
Album
closer 'I Don't Like You' is crazy. I mean really out there. Opera meets the blues with Cookie and Diddley
exchanging hip hop style smack talk. Apart from the 12 bar misogyny of 'Shut Up
Woman' (weakest track in I'm A Man style) it's a great, overlooked record with
some real classic cuts on it. Blues purists may have dismissed it when it was released, but check it out, frug your acid drenched heart out to gritty, sweaty, funk
blues drenched in psychedelic rain. And not a Diddley shuffle beat in sight.
Errrm nice look Bo.
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