R.L. Burnside – A Ass Pocket of Whiskey [Promo] (CD, US)

This album was also available on vinyl and later released by Fat Possum on vinyl and CD.

This album is a collaboration between the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, R.L. Burnside and Kenny Brown recorded on the “afternoon of 2-6-96 at Lunati Farms in Holly Springs, MS.”

The musical arrangements used on 2 Brothers and Tojo Told Hitler were also used on the song Cool Vee released by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on the 2Kindsa Love UK CD single, a Cool Vee French Promo CD and the Japanese release of Now I Got Worry.

Have You Ever Been Lonely? is based on Vacuum of Loneliness originally released on the 1992 self-titled album.

An mp3 of 20 Miles covering Goin’ Down South was available on judah-bauer.com.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion also collaborated with R.L. Burnside on the songs Alice May and Highway 7 released on his 1997 album Mr Wizard.

Jon Spencer Interview (July 31, 2018):

“NUVO: How did your relationship with R.L. Burnside begin?

SPENCER: In the Blues Explosion, we were big fans of R.L.’s record, and we were listening to it all the time. This was in the very early days of Fat Possum, the label from Oxford, Mississippi, which was putting out people like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. I was already aware of some of these artists. And then, when Fat Possum started and these new recordings started coming out by these artists, I was snapping them up, and that R.L. record just really blew us away. We were just listening to it all the time.

I thought, “Maybe we could play a show together,” so I reached out to Fat Possum and suggested playing some dates together. It was as easy as that. I guess initially it wasn’t that easy because they said no, and then I had to appeal to a common friend to put in a good word. One Memphis filmmaker [either Dan Rose or Robert Gordon] put in a good word with Matthew Johnson at Fat Possum. He told him, “No, the Blues Explosion are okay. This would actually be a good thing. You should do the shows.” So we played a handful of shows, and we hit it off. It was a good formula, so we did a lot more. That was a really great time.” – Nuvo

Full Interview: https://nuvo.newsnirvana.com/music/jon-spencer-s-wild-ride/article_cf2b7400-94fd-11e8-843f-67ad9a357545.html

Recorded on the afternoon of 2-6-96 at Lunati Farms in Holly Springs, MS.

Produced: Matthew Johnson
Recorded: Bruce Watson
Mixed/Sequenced at Waterworks, Tuscon, AZ by Jim Waters and Judah Bauer
Assisted by Saylor Breckenridge

01. Goin’ Down South
Writer: Burnside
Published: Mocking Bird Music (BMI)

02. Boogie Chillen
Writer: Hooker
Published: Duchess Music (BMI)

03. Poor Boy
Writer: Burnside/Explosion

04. 2 Brothers
Writer: Burnside/Explosion

05. Snake Drive
Writer: Burnside
Published: Mockingbird Music (BMI)

06. Shake ‘Em On Down
Writer: Burnside

07. The Criminal Inside Me
Writer: Burnside/Explosion

08. Walkin’ Blues
Writer: Burnside
Published: Mocking Bird Music (BMI)

09. Tojo Told Hitler
Writer: Burnside/Explosion

10. Have You Ever Been Lonely?
Writer: Burnside/Spencer/Explosion

LP – CD in stores June 18, 1996
A Matador/Fat Possum co-release
OLE 214-2P ©(p) 1996 Matador Records
676 Broadway, NYC 10012 Promotional Copy Not For Sale

DISC: Duplicates information on cover sticker and adds “All Rights Reserved All Wrongs Reversed”.

BARCODE: n/a

MATRIX: “3 OLE 0214-2 SRC##01”