Legends have mysterious connotations, based on wild tales passed on by word of mouth-sorties often fueled on alcohol and other consumables. The mystique of a legend is the blurring of facts with myth to create a larger than life character. The blues has been running on these fumes and a good blues song or performer is the stuff of legend itself.

Howard Glazer, a Motor City guitar player, has now been elevated to the hallowed position of Liquor Store Legend: a title given by his loving wife after she grew tired waiting for him outside of their local party store. Now Howard could have been picking up bread or milk, but that's not what makes for a good legend and who are we to conjecture. This legend, the spawn of a big band musician and a public school music teacher, has been a lifelong musician himself, playing guitar since his early teens. In recent years Howard has managed and backed up and recorded another legendary blues man Harmonica Shah.

Howard Glazer's new CD Liquor Store Legend has been a long time coming, Joined by Bob Godwin on bass and Charles Stuart on drums, longtime friends and band members the EL 34s are tight and reflects their years of playing together. The title explains what makes a liquor store legend: first off, everyone knows your name, you ways pay your bill and you never come up short. Howard and (the) EL 34s get their point across filling the bill with a rock n blues payoff that doesn't come up short. But, the real legendary status of this CD goes to the guitar playing. Howard can croak out a tune with the best of the liquor store crooners but his guitar has won local awards for decades. When he lets it loose on "Let's Go for a Ride" the band takes you where you wanna go without letting you down.

Most of the writing for this CD is contemporary blues about his real life experiences, tunes like "Gas Pump Blues: everyone can relate to, or "Broken Down Hotel Blues" about a recent European tour express real life struggles that could drive a man to drinking. On "Wonder Why" and "Walking in the Rain" they add Larry Mrek on Hammond Organ. Howard's guitar playing is closer to Albert King. On "Burning Ain't No Fun" and "Got to Get Going" he uses a lap steel in the background echoing his vocals and accenting the leads to get a full nuanced sound that doesn't jump out but caresses your ears.

Towards the end of this recording, Howard unleashes his guitar on the extended riffs of the "Bar Fly Boogie" and "Power" to legendary extremes. Maggie McCabe and Stephanie Johnson provide back up vocals on several other tunes but the guitar stands out as the true power player in the songs. Finally to maintain the legendary mystique of keeping them guessing, the last tune on the CD take a major twist, for something completely different Howard pulls out a resonator guitar and does solo country blues tune "Next Train Out". His studio is near a railroad track, so listen for that train pulling out at the end, as this liquor store legend rides out. Legends always over come insurmountable odds to fulfill their dreams, and for this life long musician after many years of backing singers and recording bands in his studio, this is the record he's always wanted to release.

Roger and Margaret White

Liquor Store Legend from Detroit's Howard Glazer and the EL34s, is raw and rowdy barroom fare with a gritty edge.

Glazer, best known as Harmonica Shah's foil, is a competent vocalist and a serious blues-based guitarist. On "Hanging by a Thread" and "Let's Go for a Ride," he amps up the Chuck Berry template like it's the early '70s. "Gas Pump Blues" and "Burning Ain't No Fun" have a Chicago blues feel, "Got to Get Going" and "Next Train Out" are acoustic Delta, and "Bar Fly Boogie" is power boogie, Top tracks include "Waling in the Rain" and "Take Me Baby."

If your turn-ons include overdirven amplifiers and unassuming, retro blues-rock, this is for you.

Tom Hyslop

Howard Glazer & The EL34's "Liquor Store Legend" (Random Chance) out does Glazer's brilliant debut of a couple of years back. The guitar work is more sizzling, the vocals more controlled and the songwriting more impressive, marking it as one of the premier Detroit blues outings of the year. Given the output of remarkable music emanating from the motor city over the past dozen months, that's going some.

"Wonder Why" is a speaker-melting tour de force. The guitar work here stands up to any player on the planet. This is undoubtedly electric rocking blues but unlike others who have no blues chops to bring to the studio, Glazer's blues pedigree is impeccable. The result is incendiary.

The opening title tune is bolstered by hot licks and a clever storyline ("I shop around and I try to find the best deal"). The following "Let's Go For a Ride" is Chuck Berry boogie channeled through Johnny Winter and "Broken Down Hotel Blue" is a bleak slice of life on the skids. "Hanging By A Thread" reminds of Alvin Lee vocally, with more Johnny Winter guitar licks flying through the air.

Vocally reminiscent of Dylan on much of the program, he blends numerous inspirations into a sound fully his own. On the organic "Got To Get Going" Glazer shines with superb assist from drummer Charles Stuart and bassist Bob Godwin.

The appropriately named "Power" has power chords to spare and "Got to Get Going is a barebones contrast.

The slinky "Gas Pump Blues" takes a look at the lock the fossil fuel industry has on the populace - and this was recorded before the prices got really out of control.

"Bar Fly Boogie" is wah-wah laden and flashes back to early 70's rock replete with the great rock and roll ending. The closing "Next Train Out" showcases Glazer's command of the resonator and slide. This is a superb 10-star recording.

Mark Gallo

HOWARD GLAZER'S back, and he's up to the same old stuff - the same good old stuff that is, as he was just about this time two years ago. His new CD, titled "LIQUOR STORE LEGEND", is full of thirteen new originals performed the only way HOWARD knows how to perform them - hot, hard, rough and rockin'.

Joining HOWARD GLAZER on vocals, electric, acoustic (Howard? on acoustic guitar?), resonator and lap steel guitars are the EL 34's: BOB GODWIN on electric and acoustic bass and background vocals; CHARLES STUART on drums, hand drums and percussion; and extra guests LARRY MAREK on the Hammond organ, THE GREENFIELD STREET SINGERS (SEAN BONDAREFF, MIKE BLASZKIEWICZ, STEPHANIE JOHNSON, BOB GODWIN and MAGGIE MCCABE) on background vocals.

The opening, and title track, "LIQUOR STORE LEGEND", pretty much sets the tone for what you can expect to hear on most of the tracks - lots of blazing guitar leads and good old gruffly sung blues vocals. Hopefully, this track derived from fiction and not real life experiences. It seems that being this liquor store legend means being known in every liquor store from Detroit to NYC. This one's got lots of great background organ work by LARRY.

Being the hard driving, rockin' song that it is, "LET'S GO FOR A RIDE" is appropriately named. I'm just hoping that the ride's not being taken after partaking in some of the merchandise purchased above. HOWARD tears it up ala Chuck Berry on this one.

Some of HOWARD'S best stuff can be heard on "BROKEN DOWN HOTEL BLUES". For some reason this track reminded me of an old T-REX song called "BANG A GONG". Let's hope it's as successful. MAGGIE and STEPHANIE add some nice backup vocals to this one.

Being the real low down blues track that it is, also makes "WONDER WHY" my particular favorite track. Man, when HOWARD gets the blues, watch out. This is pretty much seven minutes of him tearing up some blues riffs. This is the kind of stuff I'd love to see more of on HOWARD'S future projects. More good organ work by LARRY.

The rhythm section OF BOB and CHARLES are on fire on "BAR FLY BOOGIE". On this one they set a frantic pace which HOWARD just takes and runs with. They each get a very impressive bass and drum solo toward the middle of the track.

Other tracks on "LIQUOR STORE LEGEND" include: "HANGING BY A THREAD", "BURNING AIN'T NO FUN". "GOT TO GET GOING", "TAKE ME BABAY", "POWER" "GAS PUMP BLUES", "WALKING IN THE RAIN" and "NEXT TRAIN OUT".

Those of you who like your blues packed with high energy need to add some HOWARD GLAZER to your collection. Of course, you'll tell him the Blewzzman sent ya.

Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro

The Motor City has produced many fine guitar slingers over the years. Howard Glazer is certainly among them. If you like your blues pushed to the boundaries of rock-n-roll and beyond you need to give his new self-released CD a listen. This one is titled Liquor Store Legend.

Glazer runs the gamut on the guitars featuring electric, acoustic, resonator and a lap steel to compliment his vocals. You will notice a definitely Bob Dylan influence in his vocal style. His band mates are Bob Godwin on bass and Charles Stuart on drums.

The music is hot, the recordings well done and the result is a fine, fine product. A long list of guest musicians adds to the excitement. The collection has thirteen songs all of which are Glazer originals.

Wolfgang Spider