Get Wild! is an album by the American musician Lil' Ed Williams, released in 1999.[1][2] It marked a reunion with his band, the Blues Imperials.[3] Williams supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
Production
The album was produced by Bruce Iglauer.[5] Williams recorded it in a basement studio, using mattresses to prevent sound leakage, and overdubbing just twice his guitar parts.[6] He played a Washburn customized guitar.[6] The album title refers to Williams's desired reaction from a live audience.[7] "Once in a Lifetime" is dedicated to Williams's wife, Pam.[8] The covers of "Pet Cream Man" and "Too Late" were written by Williams's uncle, J. B. Hutto.[8][9] "Change My Way of Living" is about Williams's days of hard living; other songs recount his successful battles with addiction.[10][11]
Critical reception
The Washington Post said, "When Lil' Ed Williams starts sliding his silver cylinder up and down his guitar and starts hollering that there's 'Nothing I Wouldn't Do', it doesn't matter how rudimentary the licks are or how modest his baritone; all that matters is the uninhibited fervor that he and the band bring to the song."[10] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the album "fiery, straight-ahead, hard-rocking blues."[16] The Houston Chronicle stated that Williams plays "ferocious, rawboned slide guitar [for] a postmodern era."[14] The Star Tribune called the Blues Imperials "one of the best party blues outfits extant".[17] The Morning Call praised the "ears-back, hard-core Chicago slide approach".[18]
Track listing
| Title |
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| 1. | "Singing Slide" | |
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| 2. | "You Got to Stop" | |
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| 3. | "Standing on the Corner" | |
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| 4. | "Too Late" | |
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| 5. | "Compact Man" | |
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| 6. | "She Don't Love Me No More" | |
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| 7. | "Nothing I Wouldn't Do" | |
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| 8. | "Change My Way of Living" | |
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| 9. | "Independent Superwoman" | |
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| 10. | "The Monkey and the Rabbit" | |
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| 11. | "The Cannonball" | |
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| 12. | "Once in a Lifetime" | |
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| 13. | "Get Out!" | |
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| 14. | "Pet Cream Man" | |
|---|
References
- Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Lake Claremont Press. p. 176.
- Wallace, San Dee (July 29, 1999). "Beyond the blues". The Herald-Palladium. p. D1.
- Cristiano, Nick (October 8, 1999). "Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 19.
- Lammers, Bill (August 20, 1999). "Everything's Rosey for Blues Singer". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 20.
- "Get Wild!". Alligator Records. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- Hammond, Shawn (May 2001). "Pickups: Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials". Guitar Player. Vol. 35, no. 5. p. 56.
- Drew, Tamara (August 20, 1999). "Alligator bash features two legends Wednesday night". The Times. Northwest Indiana. p. D8.
- Guarino, Mark (August 20, 1999). "Stone free Lil' Ed Williams rethinks his blues and life in the suburbs". Time Out. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 4.
- All Music Guide to the Blues (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books. 2003. p. 342.
- Himes, Geoffrey (October 29, 1999). "Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials 'Get Wild'". Weekend. The Washington Post. p. 11.
- Rodriguez, Kenn (May 18, 2001). "Bluesman can back up superlatives". Music. Albuquerque Journal. p. 18.
- Point, Michael (January 2000). "Get Wild!". DownBeat. Vol. 61, no. 1. p. 78.
- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8 (4th ed.). MUZE. p. 687.
- Racine, Marty (August 1, 1999). "Albums". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 16.
- The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 706.
- White, Jim (October 31, 1999). "The Best of a New Batch of Blues Albums". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. G4.
- Surowicz, Tom (August 8, 1999). "Blues". Star Tribune. p. F2.
- Wallace, Bob (October 2, 1999). "Disc Reviews". The Morning Call. p. A53.
[9]