A1 - The Hard Way
A2 - Take A Little Walk With Me
A3 - Otis In The Dark
A4 - Little Boy Blue
A5 - Country Boy
B1 - Beat-Up Team
B2 - My Daily Wish
B3 - Great Northern Stomp
B4 - I Got Rambling On My Mind #2
B5 - Worried Life Blues

Recorded on August 23, 1960 at Fine Recording Studios in New York City by George Piros, the same recording engineer who did many of the great Mercury Living Presence releases. Excellent recording.

Otis Spann (1924 – 1970), was playing in bands in the Jackson area by the age of 14. He moved to Chicago in 1946, where he was mentored by Big Maceo Merriweather. Spann performed as a solo act and with the guitarist Morris Pejoe, working a regular spot at the Tic Toc Lounge. Spann became known for his distinctive piano style. He replaced Merriweather as Muddy Waters's piano player in late 1952 and participated in his first recording session with the band on September 24, 1953. He continued to record as a solo artist and session player with other musicians,

Otis Spann is The Blues is another absolute gem from Alan Bates' Candid label, and may be Otis Spann's finest piece of work on wax. Spann may not have been the blues, but he was sure close to being the blues pianist. Spann provided wonderful, imaginative, tasty piano solos and better-than-average vocals. He was arguably the best player whose style was more restrained than animated. Not that he couldn't rock the house, but Spann's forte was making you think as well as making you dance.

The "golden age" of recordings was from 1955 to 1965, at the beginning of the LP and the stereo era, where pure vacuum tube amplification helped produce recordings demonstrating unparalleled fidelity and warmth, lifelike presence and illumination.

This Pure Pleasure LP was remastered by Ray Staff at Alchemy Studio in Soho, London, using pure analogue components only, from the original analogue studio tapes through to the cutting head, and was pressed at Pallas, Germany.