Just Pickin'

These cuts are RAW RON THOMPSON...years known as a MAGIC SAM recording but was clearly not...if you know Ron's sound you will know....the only problem with this album is RON DID NOT MAKE A DIME ON IT...NO ROYALTIES....so in other words this is an unauthorized BOOTLEG of Ron's recordings. How do I know this? I bought this cd and took it to him tonight (2/23/06) to get him to autograph it. He said he would not...it IS HIM on the cd...but HE GOT NOTHING FOR IT and HE DID NOT AUTHORIZE IT...and HE RECEIVED NO ROYALTIES or license fees for its release...so while its cool to get these songs by Ron...I AM AGAINST IT if Ron does not get paid for it.

THIS IS ONE OF MY WORST SLIDE GUITAR CDS. IT'S ALL INSTUMENTAL. AND, ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE 18 TRACKS SHOW GOOD SLIDE PERFORMANCE, ON THE WHOLE IT'S FAR FROM RON THOMPSON'S BEST WORK. REAL FAR. I HAVE SOME OTHER RON THOMPSON CDS..."JUST LIKE A DEVIL" IS ONE. IT'S REAL GOOD STUFF. BUT THIS ONE....WELL, I READ THAT HE WOULDN'T EVEN AUTOGRAPH THIS CD. I ALSO READ THAT IT WAS "UNAUTHORIZED" BY HIM. HERE'S A GOOD TIP FOR NEW AND UPCOMING ARTISTS: IF DON'T WANT SOMETHING YOU CREATE TO END UP IN THE PUBLIC'S EYE (OR EAR)LATER ON IN LIFE....DON'T CREATE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. WANT TO REALLY DIG RON THOMPSON'S ARTISTRY? BUY "JUST LIKE A DEVIL". THAT....YOU'LL DIG. JERSEY SLIM

I thought I had overlooked buying one of Ron's releases. Bought it before I read reviews suggesting it was an unauthorized release. Just received it, and I have no reason to believe it was authorized. Sounds like someone took some recordings of Ron playing guitar, shoved them into a computer program with a variable speed feature and an incessant drum machine feature.I'm glad the back sleeve correctly listed eighteen tracks versus the "25 blistering blues guitar workouts" listed on the front sleeve. Torture to listen to when you know what Ron sounded like playing solo, or in a group setting.

Ron Thompson is one of the most underrated musicians in the country. From his days as a Bay Area staple, to the present in the Central Valley, he has always been one of, if not the best independent musician out there. And on top of all that, he is a genuine nice guy. He has NOT authorized this CD, nor does he get one penny in royalties. Bottom line...DO NOT BUY IT!!! Help Ron out by buying his real stuff. Thanks

Why is this "unauthorized" CD being sold on Amazon in the first place? This is just SO wrong. Definetly not fair to Ron. I would hope that Amazon would use a little bit more discretion when allowing people to sell items on their site or is it all about profit? Come on Ron, get some MP3 Downloads out there and give people a real choice. If this DWEEB can do it, so can you. And I for one, would rather you recieved the royalties you so justly deserve. GBY Ron. Looking forward to seeing those real downloads available to us Magic Sam diehards.

My husband and I listen to Ron at Porky's every Thursday night. We feel SO fortunate to have such an awesome talent in Fresno. Thank you for your review and making us aware that Ron is not receiving any royalties. He is such a hard working musician. This is SO wrong!

Ron Thompson spent seven years in John Lee Hooker's West Coast backing band so its no surprise to hear his tight and inventive playing in a variety of blues stylings. This is a fully instrumental album that has been available on numerous cheap labels frequently credited to Magic Sam. Quite why anyone would mistake Ron for the late great Sam is a mystery as their styles are so different. What you get are 18 crisp blues readings in double quick time as the album weighs in at less than 45 minutes so there really is little chance of boredom. The sleeve gives zero credits and states that you will hear "25 blistering blues guitar workouts". Well the latter is true but the back sleeve only lists 18. The iffy quality goes further as the album must have been dubbed from an LP as one track has a clearly audible vinyl crackle. But that's a small quibble as it remains great value for a really enjoyable set.It would however be great to hear the master tapes digitised - if they exist - as Ron can really play.