1. Somebody Changed The Lock
2. Feel So Good
3. Bad Luck Baby
4. You're Breaking My Heart
5. Just Like A Fish
6. Sweet Sixteen
7. Memphis Girl
8. Feel So Bad
9. Nobody Sleepin' In My Bed
10. I Gotta Find My Baby

LITTLE AL THOMAS - vocals
THOMAS "MOT" DUTKO - drums
T. EDWARD GALCHICK - bass
JOHN EDELMANN - guitar
MYRON HARVEY - alto sax
BILL VOLTZ - tenor sax

Ausserhalb seiner Heimatstadt war Little Al Thomas bis zur Veröffentlichung seines 1999er Debütalbums "South Side Story" (auf dem mittlerweile gescheiterten us-amerikanischen "Cannonball"-Label) nahezu unbekannt.
Im Jahre 2000 stellte er sich im Rahmen des jährlichen "Lucerne Blues Festivals" in Luzern, Schweiz erstmals einem grösseren europäischen Blues-Publikum vor.

Der Stil von Little Al Thomas & The Crazy House Band will nicht so recht in die klassische Chicagoer Southside Blues-Schublade passen.
Das Repertoire besteht grösstenteils aus Coverversionen, die von Thomas und der Band jedoch durchaus eigenständig arrangiert werden

Dieses Album präsentiert einen hervorragenden Bluessänger, dessen Stimme an Junior Parker und dessen Stil an Sänger wie B.B. King oder Bobby 'Blue' Bland erinnert.

««« »»»

Little known outside his hometown until the release of his 1999 debut, "South Side Story" on the now-defunct Cannonball label. In November 2000, Little Al Thomas made a festival appearance at the "Lucerne Blues Festival" .
The style of the band doesn't really fit into the Chicago blues category, southside style. Their repertoire consists mostly of cover tunes. But Thomas and the band know how to re-make them into their own style.
This album shows Little Al Thomas in great shape, backed by an excellent young band.

Reviews 11068

Little Al Thomas before is one hell of performer. Not only he knows how to sing the blues but he can entertain like no other. He kicked off the show with a lot of energy and kept that perfect contact with his listeners till the very end. I was trying to figure out The Crazy House Band’s sound and what I can say is that they do have the sound of their own. It has a lot of West Coast blues in it, especially when it comes to John Edelmann’s guitar playing and the horn section, but it’s truly unique. Not only the music is absolute high class (...) but the sound quality, production values and packing also set high standards. I love this kind of live production, real concert played from the first song to the last one, no silence or fading. If there is something as good as being there in Lucerne, sitting in a first row and listening to the blues, this is it, "In The House". This series is as essential as "The Bluesville Years" classic blues series releases some years ago by the Prestige/Fantasy label. A must have for all serious blues fans.
Radio Brawo
2008-05
Przemek Draheim

Everyone provides hefty support for Thomas' gritty and grinding voice. (...) They also take off on B.B. King's Sweet Sixteen and I Gotta Find My Baby, where Edelmann turns on the jets with broomdusting work, and a smoldering Nobody Sleepin' In My Bed, with a storehouse of crippling guitar. Thomas has proven himself to be a top-shelf singer, and he's certainly more than that here. He's got passion in spades and the outfit behind him delivers a barnstorming set of blues.
Various (Living Blues/Internet)
Dezember 2002
Craig Ruskey

Thomas ist ein guter Sänger (...), und Edelmann spielt eine kraftvolle Gitarre (...). Anders als bei den anderen CDs dieser Serie hat man das Gefühl, wohl vor Ort gewesen sein zu müssen (...)
German Blues Circle Info
02/2003
Klaus Kilian

Ebenfall aus Chicago kommt Sänger Little Al Thomas, dessen eleganter Stil allerdings wenig ins rauhe Klischée des Blues aus Chicagos Southside passt.
Bei seinem Auftritt in Luzern im November 2000 präsentierte sich die Band in Spiellaune und lieferte ein Programm quer durch die verschiedenen Stile des Blues. Die Einflüsse liegen weniger in Chicago (obwohl es eine Magic Sam Nummer zu höre
Dieses kurzweilige Livealbum stammt von einer Band, die in Europa noch nahezu unbekannt ist.
http://www.good-music.ch
Herbst 2002
Rene Maeder

 

Little Al Thomas wurde 1930 in Chicago geboren, und wuchs auf der South Side in direkter Nachbarschaft der Maxwell Street auf. In den 60er und 70er Jahren spielte er in den Clubs der Stadt, oftmals im Vorprogramm von Größen wie Bobby "Blue" Bland. Bis in die 8 Die momentane Besetzung besteht u.a. aus: - Tom "Mot" Dutko - Schlagzeug Er spielte in den Bands von Jimmy Rogers, Big Walter Horton, Sunnyland Slim, Homesick James, Jimmy Walker, Erwin Helfer, Eddie Taylor und Billy Branch - John Edelmann - Gitarre Lebt jetzt in Florida, und spielte vor seiner Zeit mit der Crazy House Band mit Willie Smith, Sam Lay und Little Mike & The Tornadoes

 

Little Al Thomas was born in Chicago in 1930. He grew up on the South Side, in the Maxwell street area. In the 1960s and '70s he played the clubs in the Windy City, opening for major acts like Bobby "Blue " Bland. Until the mid-'80s he worked with guitarist Lacy Gibson before he started his long-lasting relationship with the Crazy House Band. The Crazy House Band current line-up includes: - Tom "Mot" Dutko drums He has played behind Jimmy Rogers, Big Walter Horton, Sunnyland Slim, Homesick James, Jimmy Walker, Erwin Helfer, Eddie Taylor, and Billy Branch - John Edelmann guitar Now living in Florida, Edelmann has worked for Willie Smith, Sam Lay, and Little Mike and the Tornadoes before joing the Crazy House Band