„You Gotta Move“ is a very well-known blues song, not only because it is a great, extremely slow drag, but also because cover versions appeared on albums that became cultural touchstones. Probably a traditional, it is an unearthly, moaning slide guitar spiritual usually credited to Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi Fred McDowell. We take a look at the latter’s collection You Gotta Move (1994) which might be the best single disc available by McDowell – legendary recordings from 1964 and 1965 on this one. It features the version the Stones heard first to cover it on 1971’s Sticky Fingers – a great version because it is virtually unchanged, and as opposed to some later bands, the Stones did credit McDowell (on most pressings anyway). We jump to the year 2000: the blind blues and throat singing master Paul Pena digs into the delta tradition on the soundtrack of the documentary Genghis Blues. A weird project that works astoundingly well and „You Gotta Move“ lyrically fits into the film project’s topic.
Text Lambrecht 