For Collectors Only

AMG Review of For Collectors Only

Mark Deming
All Music Guide

Lonnie Mack cut his first album, The Wham of That Memphis Man, in 1963 after his instrumental version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" became an unexpected hit. In 1970, after Mack had recorded a pair of fine albums for Elektra Records, the label had Bruce Botnick remix the debut album in stereo and they reissued it under the title For Collectors Only. Regardless of the name, Mack's first album is a soulful stew of hot guitar picking and blue-eyed lues wailing that finds a comfortable and satisfying middle ground between country, R&B, and ock & roll. Mack's rough, blazing guitar tone and high-speed picking steal the show on numbers like "Wham," "Chicken Pickin'," and "Bounce," but Mack was more than just a flashy guitarist; his versions of "Where There's a Will There's a Way," "I'll Keep You Happy," and "Further on Down the Road" show he was a top-rank white soul shouter, and he could write a great tune when he felt like it, as "Why" and a clutch of inspired instrumentals on this LP make clear. Mack had a tight and sympathetic band for these sessions (including Ron Grayson on drums and Wayne Bullock on bass), and the performances are soulful and in-the-pocket throughout, giving Mack plenty of room to strut his stuff with all the support he needed. Cut at a time when an album usually featured a couple hit singles and a bunch of padding, The Wham of That Memphis Man/For Collectors Only is surprisingly satisfying stuff, an early triumph in white-boy lues with a truly superior guitarist and singer in the spotlight.