VA - Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice [2017] (2 x CDs)

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VA - Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice [2017] (2 x CDs)

Released in 2017 by Not Now Music, Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice is a two-CD compilation subtitled 40 Tales of Gambling, Money & Hard Liquor. It’s a thematically tight set that pulls together vintage blues, country, rockabilly, and early R&B tracks from the 1940s through the early ’60s, all orbiting around the vices that shaped American music’s grittiest narratives.

CD1 opens with Sticks McGhee’s “Whiskey, Women and Loaded Dice”, a 1950 jump blues stomper that sets the tone with swagger and lyrical bite. From there, the disc rolls through classics and curiosities: Frankie Laine’s “Moonlight Gambler,” Jimmy Dean’s “The Darktown Poker Club,” and Little Richard’s “Get Rich Quick” all lean into the compilation’s theme with theatrical flair. There’s a strong presence of traditional material too, like Ed McCurdy’s “The Gambler’s Song” and Tex Johnson’s “Jack O’ Diamonds,” arranged with folk-blues grit.

CD2 continues the dive with Charlie Rich’s “Easy Money” and Amos Milburn’s barroom anthem “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer.” The disc features deeper cuts from Link Wray, Dave Van Ronk, Jimmy Reed, and Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, alongside legends like Ray Charles, Hank Williams, and John Lee Hooker. The sequencing is sharp, balancing storytelling with swagger, and the mastering retains the analog warmth of the original recordings.

This isn’t a budget throwaway,it’s a well-curated set that digs into the cultural underbelly of American roots music. Gambling, drinking, heartbreak, it’s all here, pressed into 40 tracks that feel lived-in and loud. For fans of vintage grit, this one’s worth the spin (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Sticks Mcghee - Whiskey, Women and Loaded Dice 2:43

02 Frankie Laine - Moonlight Gambler 2:30

03 Jimmy Dean - The Darktown Poker Club 3:14

04 Elvis Presley - Good Luck Charm 2:25

05 Bob Dylan - House of The Risin’ Sun 5:13

06 Hank Snow - Gambling Polka Dot Blues 2:20

07 Annette - Lucky, Lucky 1:44

08 Rusty Draper - Gamblin’ Gal 2:28

09 Little Richard - Get Rich Quick 2:13

10 Ed McCurdy - The Gambler’s Song 1:26

11 Wilbert Harrison - Broke 2:33

12 Tex Johnson - Jack O’ Diamonds 2:48

13 Jimmy Witherspoon - Card Playing Blues 3:49

14 Johnny Cash - In The Jailhouse 2:23

15 Ray Charles - Blackjack 2:19

16 B. B. King - Bad Luck 2:50

17 Hank Thompson - Drunkards’ Blues 2:57

18 Frankie Laine - The Man Who Broke The Bank at Monte Carlo 1:56

19 Amos Milburn - Bad Bad Whiskey 2:56

20 George Melachrino and His Orchestra - The One-Armed Bandit (Nevada) 2:35

CD2

01 Charlie Rich - Easy Money 2:50

02 Marvin Rainwater - Gamblin’ Man (Roving Gambler) 2:20

03 Frankie Laine - Deuces Wild 3:16

04 Amos Milburn - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer 2:54

05 Link Wray and His Ray Men - Ace of Spades 2:16

06 Hank Locklin - Born to Ramble 2:21

07 Lloyd Price - Stagger Lee 2:21

08 Staple Singers - Gambling Man 2:41

09 Hank Thompson - Left My Gal in The Mountains 2:17

10 Ned Miller - From A Jack to A King 2:13

11 Johnny Cash - Drink to Me 1:52

12 John Lee Hooker - Whiskey and Wimmen 2:44

13 Frankie Laine - Ace in The Hole 2:24

14 Dave Van Ronk - Gambler’s Blues 2:25

15 Jimmy Reed - I’m Mr. Luck 3:21

16 Hank Williams - Lost Highway 2:43

17 Ray Charles - Losing Hand 3:12

18 Johnny 'guitar' Watson - Broke and Lonely 2:55

19 Wink Martindale - Deck of Cards 3:53

20 Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra - A Game of Poker 2:15

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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