Reviews (2)

John Lee Hooker's classic blues...
John Lee Hooker's solo. This is a classics. John Lee Hooker's vocal is so deep. His guitar wheeps. This is as moving as Lightnin' Hooker's "Autobiography in Blues" and Lonnie Johnson's "Another Night to Cry". Those are all recommended.

The greatest coutry blues ever!
Hooker's guitar play in this album seems very simple at a glance. And it actually is. But the sound is so deep. This album reminds guitarists that the great sound is created by a refined sense rather than by techniques or skills. 'click' ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Blowing like crazy
James is called a young man on this CD, but he'd already played with Muddy Waters for a time. Recorded in 1967, it showcases his vocals and harp well. The recording, done at Montreal's Penelope Cafe, is a pretty accurate depiction of James Cotton's raw power and force. The sound quality is OK for the time and really captures the feel of a live performance. Cotton has long been one of the greatest of the Chicago blues harp stylists, and his energy, enthusiasm and sincere love for the blues jumps right out at you from start to finish. The idea of a blues musician doing a recording in a static and heavily controlled atmosphere like a studio seems odd; amplified electric Chicago blues really should be both played AND heard in a loud, raucous, dark, smoky bar-type environment. You can smell the smoke and feel the beer being spilled on you while listening to this CD. I'd heartily recommend it to anyone who loves Chicago blues. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With this surprise two-CD package of rarities and outtakes, the formidable Waters legacy is significantly enhanced yet again. No random collection, the first 30 tracks of this essential set chart Muddy's steady professional and artistic growth at Chess Records. Beginning with early tracks featuring just Waters and bassist Big Crawford, the great bluesman is followed through changing personnel and sounds as his groundbreaking vision is refined. Among the previously unreleased gems on "One More Mile" are 11 tracks from a 1972 Radio Lausanne broadcast featuring Muddy with Louis Myers on acoustic second guitar and Mojo Buford on harp. Covering classics like "Feel Like Goin' Home," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Rock Me," and "Hoochie Coochie Man," Muddy's virtuosic display at this late stage in life provides the rarest of musical pleasures. --Alan Greenberg ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Once you have the essentials, this is where you go for more
"One More Mile" gathes 41 tracks, none of which are found on the Chess Box, and most of which have never before been available on an official US release.

Much of this fine material is equal in quality to Waters' better known output, and "One More Mile" includes lots of rarities and alternates spanning the late '40s to the early '70s, with some special points of interest: the original 1955 version of "I Want To Be Loved", which was covered by the Rolling Stones on the B-side of their very first single, and 11 songs from a previously unreleased 1972 Swiss radio broadcast, showcasing Muddy performing with a drummer-less trio.

The late-40s songs on disc 1 are among the best, showing Muddy's prowess on the slide guitar. On these lean, mean renditions of "Rollin' And Tumblin' pt. 2", "Burying Ground" and "You Gonna Need My Help", Waters is accompanied only by bassist Ernest "Big" Crawford, and this raw slide playing is some of the best I've ever heard him do.
But there are plenty of other highlights on the first disc, including the swinging, band-backed "She's So Pretty" (on which Willie Dixon plays "basss", according to the liner notes), the alternate versions of "I Want To Be Loved" and "Crawlin' Kingsnake", Sonny Boy Williamson's "Elevate Me Mama", and the soulful slow "Lonesome Room Blues".

Muddy's rendition of Junior Wells' (or rather Mel London's) "Messin' With The Kid", which is called "Messin' With The Man", is actually really good as well, in spite the silly attempt to alter the song enough to make it a "Muddy-song" rather than a Junior Wells-song.
Muddy's version of pianist Eddie Boyd's classic "Five Long Years" is not quite as good as Boyds' original, but he does a pretty decent "You Don't Have To Go" (although it doesn't sound quite right without Jimmy Reed's drawling, mush-mouth delivery).

There's also a lot of pianist Otis Spann here, which is alway a good thing, and drummer extraordinaire Fred Below is particularly great on "Oh Yeah". And "One More Mile" also includes the infamous take of "Country Boy", which features Leonard Chess pounding the bass drum. He's not all that great, though.

Disc 2 is highlighted by a fine "Early In The Morning Blues" (a rip-off of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Early In The Morning"), the fine slow numbers "One More Mile" and "Come Back Baby", and an interesting take on Richard Jones' jazz/blues-standart "Trouble In Mind".
The awful organ playing on "Trouble, Trouble" is inexcusable, but the last eleven songs on disc 2, the acoustic trio performance, are quite interesting. Waters, second guitarist Louis Myers, and harpist George "Mojo" Buford lay down raw, stripped-down versions of "My Pencil Won't Write No More", "Rock Me", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "You Can't Lose What You Never Had", and Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go". Most of them are very good, although the two-guitars-and-a-harmonica arrangements are a little bit monotous at times.

All in all, this is a surprisingly good addition to Muddy Waters' already magnificent legacy, and a fine purchase for Muddy-fans. Not the place to start, but a great addition to your collection once you have the essentials.
Definitely recommended.

On par
This is a Muddy compilation, spanning 1948 to '72. Contained are alternate takes, and obscure material. All of the music is on par, if not equaling/bettering Muddy's previous album cuts.

Contains a live radio broadcast from 1972 Switzerland, trio acoustic with MoJo Buford on harp and Louis Meyers on guitar. "Rock Me," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Standin' Round Cryin'," "Baby Please Don't Go," and "Streamline Woman" are familiar tunes done in an unfamiliar atmosphere. Plus 8 or so more tunes. The sound of the acoustic trio is much more cerebral than Muddy's electric cuts.

The second track is an instrumental, "Muddy Jumps One,"(1948) featuring Ernest Crawford on bass, and Leroy Foster on second guitar. This song is pure HISTORY. This is, I believe, the first recorded Rock and Roll tune. It is not a pure blues, that is for sure. This song is the basis for my conclusion that Muddy invented Rock and Roll. Muddy was a cornerstone in Chuck Berry's trend setting band on Berry's first Chess sides, furthering my prior statement.

Other than picking up this double disker up for it's historical value only, offered are alternate versions of "Country Boy," "Rollin' Stone," "She's So Pretty," and "Tiger In Your Tank," among others. All recorded around the time that each was originally released in the '50s/'60s. These takes equal, give an enlightening perspective of, or exceed the standards set by the original album cut of each.

If you dig all things Muddy, this is a must.

Masterful.

Muddy at his purest
Sure, no song sounds much different from the last on any Muddy Waters album. Despite this offering's forty-one tracks timing in at over two hours, it's no exception. But this is the blues. The soulful and perfervid blues from which all of rock music can be linked, performed by one of its undeniable wizards in the form of mostly unreleased jams which are stripped-down from any slick production value to a soothing, raw and undulated form that you know you can't resist even if your favorite bands are the Smiths and Sonic Youth. Recommended for listening to in a CD changer set on random, late in the evening with something good to read and something even better to drink.

Miles More Mud
This album consists entirely of "alternate takes" or tracks "not previously released". But don't let this put you off - There is nothing second rate about this album - This is Muddy Waters at his best.

Disk 1 contains tracks from 1948 to 1963. The first few songs were recorded with simple guitar and bass backing. An instrumental "Muddy Jumps One" is included. Leonard Chess pays bass drum on "Country Boy".

Later tracks, from 1954 onwards, feature the classic Muddy Waters line-up, including Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Otis Spann and Jimmy Rogers. These are all top quality. "I want to be loved" was recorded again in 1977 on Muddy's "Hard Again" album. The catchy "Tiger in Your Tank" was apparently used to advertise both petrol (Remember those "Tiger Tails" people used to hang in the front of their cars before furry dice became the thing) and breakfast cereal (Grrreat!).

Disk 2 starts with more classic Muddy Waters band recordings, then 2 songs "Trouble in Mind" and "Trouble, Trouble" which are included here without the horns that were present on the album "Muddy, Brass and Blues". The remaining 11 tracks were recorded in 1972. They feature Muddy on electric guitar, plus Louis Myers on acoustic guitar and George "Mojo" Buford on harp. Several of Muddy's well known songs are presented in this stripped down format. And they sound excellent. "Feel Like Goin' Home is a reworking of "Walkin' Blues", but Muddy's guitar is unusually tuned to a minor chord. They could have justifiably released an album containing these tracks alone.

This is an essential album for Muddy Waters fans. It covers different stages of his career, and is of top quality throughout. Great value for money. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Once again, Arrow Analog Productions has produced a valuable addition to the annals of American recorded music with this jookin' and jivin' journey through 70 years of Delta blues by the legendary Honeyboy Edwards. He may be 84 now, but when his fingers pluck and bend and slide over the strings of his big acoustic guitar, Honeyboy suddenly becomes 20 again, and those listening are magically transported into a lost world where Robert Johnson, or Sonny Boy Williamson, or Charley Patton might enter any minute. Opening with a vigorous rendition of Patton's geo-sexual take on the great 1927 flood, "High Water Everywhere," followed by down-home standards "Drop Down Mama," "Shake 'Em On Down," and Patton's signature song, "Pony Blues," Edwards informs his voice and guitar work with an unforgettably vital sense of musical expression, particularly of his beloved, ever-thriving country blues. --Alan Greenberg ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Honeyboy is a National Treasure
The voice has seen better days, but the fingers and the spirit of this man are still on fire. Here is a man, a legend, who travelled and performed with Robert Johnson. I have seen him live twice, the most recent time at the Blue Shop in Burlington Iowa, early in 2000. When you here him play you can see the muddy roads of the delta. This Man is the living roots of the blues, as well as rock and roll. His story about the death of Robert Johnson will bring tears to your eyes. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There's a stereotype about the Delta blues. You know the one: some guy sitting on a back porch somewhere, or maybe in a boxcar, with his guitar, singing about some woman who left him. But real Delta blues is far more flexible, creative, and, above all, spooky than that. It takes someone who learned from the style's master--that would be Robert Johnson, in case you're wondering--to explore the music's length and breadth, and that someone is Robert Lockwood Jr. That's why, even though he covers some of the hoariest chestnuts the Delta blues has to offer--yep, there's "Dust My Broom," and yep, there's "Love in Vain," and "Ramblin' on My Mind," not to mention Lightnin' Hopkins's "C.C. Rider," which has been covered by just about everyone who can sling an acoustic guitar--Lockwood keeps the music fresh and appealing. There's no question that he's good at what he does; he's won a W.C. Handy award, been nominated for a Grammy, and remained one of the most respected bluesmen around for decades. It would be hard to select a more clichéd title for a Delta blues album than Delta Crossroads--Lockwood does not, by the way, cover "Crossroad Blues" on this album, but that's fine; he's earned the right. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Delta Lockwood
This cd is an essential Lockwood album. It includes all the great guitar singles and no-one plays a Twelve string Better than Robert Lockwood Jr.

If you enjoy the real roots of blues music you will want to purchase this cd. Robert is a founder of blues music and influenced many. This cd will show you why. Also check out I Got to find me a woman for a band backing Robert up.

The KING OF BLUES

The King of the Twelve String
Robert Lockwood plays a mean 12-string guitar. This album showcases Robert alone with his acoustic 12-string and is a reminder of the power of the song. Robert's voice and guitar ring so loud and clear, it's a pleasure to listen to this disc full of old blues standards and Lockwood originals. Lockwood is an underappreciated blues master. He will probably always live in the shadow of his mentor, Robert Johnson...but he deserves to be honored as a blues original in his own right. The clear and crisp production and sound on this disc only help to make these blues standards sound better than ever. I bought this disc to get some inspiration as an acoustic blues guitar player, and Lockwood's 12-string playing has blown me away! I can only hope to play half as good as Lockwood some day. Great stuff!

He just gets better with age.
At the time or writing, B.B.& Eric are up for a Grammy for "traditional Blues", but in all fairness,they can`t hold a candle to this 85 year-old gent`s latest release! It is Delta Blues as it supposed to be played,and once again shows just how magical the 12-string acoustic guitar can sound when played in this genre. Suffice to say that,if you love the Blues,then buy this album. Mr.Lockwood Jr.can still show the young`uns a thing or two!

So Good!
An updated but authentic blues recording. If you love the blues and are sometimes frustrated by the quality of the old recordings, you'll love this disc. Robert Lockwood, Jr. is a blues master who shows it's possible to reinterpret old standards while remaining true to the blues form. I can't recommend this disc highly enough!

Another gem by a master
Robert Lockwood, Jr., remains a national blues treasure who still sounds as fresh and vital today as he did decades ago. Telarc has issued a new cd, Delta Crossroads, which is surprising in being a solo acoustic album. Robert is heard on fine performances of a number of blues associated with his stepfather, Robert Johnson's songs, several other blues standards and his own originals.This is not his first acoustic blues album. He recorded for a French label, Plays Robert & Robert which has been reissued in the US on Evidence. And he has included tracks on prior albums in a similar vein. Robert has recorded most of the songs heard here in the past, although perhaps under different titles. For example, his This Little Girl of Mine was recorded with his band as Hold Everything on his first Trix album. This writer is familiar with other renditions of most of the Robert Johnson songs. Johnson's 32-20 Blues that opens this album may be the one song I have not heard him on record do before. Lockwood, in fact, recorded Dust My Broom prior to Elmore James, although it was issued later, and he did Rambling on My Mind on his Steady Rolling Man album on Delmark. He plays with his usual skill and sings straightforwardly and without any artifice. Its nice to hear renditions of performances of blues classics he regularly performs including C.C. Rider and Leroy Carr's Mean Mistreater and In the Evening, which is juxtaposed with a rendition of Love In Vain, which uses the latter tune's melody. This is beautifully recorded and produced by Joe Harley and is a worthy addition to his growing body of recordings. Hopefully we will get a new album of Robert with his band real soon. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

A crude, saw-toothed edge defines the man known as T-Model Ford. His record is full of jagged guitar licks and dirty juke-joint aesthetics that bleed from the Delta's dark, lovesick soul. Not bad for a 78-year-old man... but maybe age is the only conduit for this kind of musical wisdom. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent!
OK, call me old and hard to please, but I prefer this stuff to some of the glam blues-rock that is being released today. T-Model Ford was between 78 and 80 years old at the time of this release and if not for the late Robert Palmer and Fat Possum, probably would not ever have been recorded. Like his "contemporary" peers, Cedell Davis, Paul "Wine" Jones and the incomparable RL Burnside, Ford represents one of the last authentic Mississippi Hills bluesmen whose music was often overlooked and underappreciated. As such, many of them never recorded, were poor, hungry and plenty angry. Oddly, it is these very traits that set these individual apart from the better known Texas or Chicago bluesmen.

The music is harsh and primitive and yet tells a story that needs to be heard. Ford nails Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" and presents it in a manner never before heard. While "Leave My Heart Alone" carries a beat not unlike John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom". Ford raises the dead on "Chicken Head Man" and draws attention from punksters with the heart stopping beat on "Take A Ride With Me". T-Model Ford hits you with plenty of down and dirty guitar and thumping drums and presents an attitude befitting of a teen. Grab this one before it's too late.

John Lee Hooker, Call Your Office: Your Successor's Here
Let the world pine away awaiting the new Stevie Ray Vaughan (while imbibing yet plenty more freshly unearthed product from the old Stevie Ray Vaughan), or decide whether Jonny Wayne Duarte are the real deal or a trio of rock and roll poseurs using the blues as their costumery; let it still wonder when Eric Clapton is going to make up his mind between the blues he loves and the pop he's made a devil's bargain with. Here is the most unapologetically elemental and rooted of today's bluesmen (Junior Kimbrough, after all, has gone to his reward). And, here is the proof that, if anyone holds claim to John Lee Hooker's mantle as the blues boogie king, it is he. T-Model Ford is a shamelessly raw, exuberantly menacing blues presence, even when he nicks a line or three from an older blues and strangles it into his own. And if you think you'll be able to sit still through this (or any of his albums), you're either a quadriplegic or an android. Not a single lick of technically brilliant but aesthetically boring shred-rock-style soloing; not a single whelp of ersatz anguished hormonal screaming masquerading as real soul. Just round after round of stripped-to-the-trunk, contemporary north Delta blues with a husky, edgily fried menace underwriting the hit-the-roof-and-dance exuberance. And, it's no huge aggregation cranking out this huge and deep sound - just Ford and his slash-and-burn guitar with a drummer, though an organist slips in for a couple of rounds and rather engagingly. Very well, maybe we'll never really replace John Lee Hooker, but T-Model Ford makes the best case for picking up where the Hook leaves off - and then some. Keep all Jonny Wayne Duarte albums back about five thousand feet... ... Read more

Album Description

“Heavy Timbre” is a reissue of some of the best solo boogie woogie and blues piano recordings to date.Captured for posterity are five legendary pianists recorded at a “studio party” in 1976, where the challenge of having to play in front of one another clearly brought out the best in each player. This reissue also features five bonus tracks that were not included on the original LP, including a special Sunnyland Slim and Blind John Davis duet and back-and-forth banter that takes the listener right inside the moment. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While there's certainly a whole lot more to the music of Scotland, we all want to hear the bagpipes, so it's a nice touch that Alan Lomax's exploration of the Scottish tradition starts with a brief rant by the Glasgow Police Band. This is followed by a solo song by one of the great voices of the nation, Ewan McColl, who contributes a number of traditional songs to the collection. Other a cappella songs include "Glenlogie" by John Strachan, Blanche Wood's "Portnockie Girl," and some "diddling songs" by Hamish Henderson. More informal are a track by a community band and singing group recorded live in the streets of Selkirk, some remarkable singing from a group of women in Glasgow, and a church choir in Dormach. The album is divided pretty equally between songs from the Lowlands and the Highlands, 43 often-brief pieces that preserve the old music in time. Notes by Lomax have been updated (and toned down from Lomax's usual overly effusive style) by Hamish Henderson and Margaret Bennett, and include Gaelic text and English translations where necessary. --Louis Gibson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Powerful and historical
This CD is just about perfect. In fact, it's only defect is also an advantage. Alan Lomax attempted to cram every corner of Scotland's musical tradition onto a single CD. This is a monumental task, and only partly successful.

On the one hand, pretty much every corner of Scotland's musical tradition is represented. Police bands, boy's choirs, professional folk singers, pub carousers, kid's jump rope games, jacobite battle songs, love songs, port-a-buel, waulking songs, English and Gaelic all find there way onto this CD. It truly is amazing how many songs and styles are represented. What a musical country!

On the other hand, "packed" is what you feel like after listening. The songs move quickly from one to the other, with little or no space. A jaunty accordion tune moves into a soulful Gaelic ballad without a breath, then into a peppy English tune with full choir and then into a drunken military rant. It can be a little too much to take in on one sitting.

Still, it is hard to complain about this musical treasure. For Scottish folk music, there is no equal to this CD. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Meet an essential Master of the Delta Blues !!!
I'm in love with Son Thomas' music since I saw him on stage some twenty years ago.
Born in Eden,Mississippi,October 14,1926,James "Son" Thomas happened to be one of the last giants of the country blues.As Brett Bonner wrote in the liner notes of this album,Son Thomas not only sang the blues,he also lived 'em.He "worked as a sharecropper and grave digger,was shot by an ex wife,plagued by emphysema and epilepsy and severely burned after falling onto a space heater".He really started his career in 1968,and appeared in many concerts and festivals in the USA and outside.He was not only a blues musician,he also became a sculptor;you can see one of his works on this album's jacket.
Son Thomas died of emphysema ten years ago,in 1993.This man had one of the most singular voices in the history of blues;a rather high pitched one,with some falsetto effects remembering Skip James ("Standing at the crossroads").Some shades of his hypnotic playing can be found in T-Model Ford today (or maybe it's the contrary,because T-Model is ten years older than Son Thomas).
The tunes of this CD were recorded between 1980 and 1985 at various places: Leland,Ms,where Son Thomas lived,and some dates in Germany.Here are some of the most fascinating Delta blues ever played: Son Thomas' hit,"big fat mama","61 highway blues", Robert Johnson's "Standing at the crossroads",Son's only bottleneck effort here,the traditionnal "rock me mama",the great "Catfish blues" (two versions here: the correct one and the other one;you'll easily make the difference listening to the lyrics),a Muddy Waters' hit,"Hoochie Coochie man";to sum up,very great blues from Mississippi,played and sung by one of the last masters of the genre.I think that Son Thomas should be honored as Bukka White,Fred McDowell or Robert Pete Williams,even if he's younger than these guys and was certainly not the founder of this music,but rather a follower.But,of course,Fred,Bukka and Robert Pete also were influenced by an older generation (Charley Patton,...)which was also influenced by an older one,etc,etc;it I go on like this,I'll soon reach Africa.
Please,don't miss the pleasure of discovering this immense blues artist,one of the last ones who played the great Delta blues.Enjoy Son's music,tap your feet,and have a drink remembering him!!!

"Give me beefsteak when I'm hungry,
"And whiskey when I'm dry,
"A good looking woman when I'm living,
"And heaven when I die"

more recordings are available
He was a wonderful experience to witness live, and a must have for any Blues lover. His acoustic stylings and unique vocals are, unfortunatly, not known to the masses. Congratulations for finding this!
Contact me for more info on the blues!

Blues simply sung without clutter, or pretense.
This is a fine album which showcases Thomas' soft, yet heartfelt blues style. There is no pretense as seen with some modern blues players. This is not "electric blues" as played by many blue artists. Thomas plays the electric guitar in a manner one would play an acoustic guitar. Still, he manages to get into some lively boogy on several cuts. There are two versions of Catfish Blues which stand out, the regular and expurgated versions. The former contains some funky lyrics that his audience eats up. It is unfortunate that this wonderful artist has only one release to share with us. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

One of the best blues CD's I've ever owned! Essential!
This is a wonderful blues CD. One of the best I've ever purchashed. It includes great performances by legendary blues figures such as Tommie Johnson, Willie Brown, Ishmon Bracey, Son House, Kid Bailey, Bukka White and others. This is the true Mississippi Delta Blues from the late 20's and 30's. The guitar work is mesmorizing and is a blueprint for rock and roll. There are 5 Tommie Johnson cuts, recorded for Victor, that are superb. He was as good as Robert Johnson, in my opinion. Yazoo captures these classic recordings with all that old Mississippi dirt with some scratchiness, yet the sound is vibrant and alive. Willie Brown's "Future Blues" and Tommie Johnson's "Canned Heat Blues" are worth the price of admission alone. Essential!

Furious Bottleneck Growl
The Yazoo label does it again!

This CD is essential for rare inclusion of all six demonic Son House performances originally cut on acetate in 1930. It was these recordings that inspired Alan Lomax to look up House in the early 40's for the Library of Congress Archives.

It is worth mentioning that do to Paramount's inferior treatment of the source material, there is considerable auxilliary noise on those six sides. But Son's guitar and voice still threaten to impale you like a hot skewer.

Son House would have been a preacher, but for the fact that he shot a man dead and was banished from Clarksdale for the rest of his life.

This was the belle epoque of Delta Blues, a time when the legendary rivalry between House and Charlie Patton was at a peak, and when another legend, Robert Johnson, would pick up a couple licks from Son House himself. The way of life that existed in the Delta back then is gone forever, and for all of that progress and new found civility, we shall never be fortunate enough to hear anything like this ever again.

For anyone hoping to hear a mellow country rover picking away on his front porch, Son House will send you to intensive care. This is truly "where the soul of man never dies." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This set is the "Real Set"!
I purchased this set last week and went crazy over how great it is. It really took me back to all the time I spent down on the Gulf between Corpus and Mobile when I was in the Merchant Marines. Boy can these selections take you back,it reminds me of my early days when a real treat cooked by a Sea Cook was nothing more then stewed okra and tomatoes. A lot of young kids won't have a clue about this music ,but if you can really dig the likes of the real pros like Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith you will have a ball with this priceless set as these songe are the real orginals not remakes by some new Motown group. I am even playing this stuff for my Grandchildren and they are enjoying it as much as I did when I first heard a lot of it over 40+ years ago ! If you ever lived with the Blues and loves listening to people who made it real then this set will mean as much to you as it does to me. "Enjoy"

If you love & appreciate the Blues, you will LOVE this set!
I have been a blues fan for many years and have attended many blues festivals, including the BEST BLUES FESTIVAL in the United States - the Chicago Blues Festival. This CD box set more than surpasses its expectations of what Blues is meant to represent. A 5 STAR set! The music of today pales in comparison to this truly lost art. If you love Robert Johnson, you will absolutely love this box set. I recommend without hesitation. Do yourself a favor and enjoy life - order this box set!

Chestnut Stew!
It's hard to imagine a better introduction to pre-war American blues than this. It combines the well-known (e.g. Robert Johnson) with the obscure (e.g. Sippie Wallace) in such perfect proportion that anyone with any interest in blues will love it. The accompanying book makes for great history, great storytelling, and drawing the unifying threads. I love the piano-based tunes like Peetie Wheatstraw's "Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp" - don't let anyone fool you into thinking pre-wars is all National Steel Guitar! This and Rhino's Blues Masters series show the astonishing breadth and depth of the blues. A must! ... Read more

Amazon.com

These are the blues as you've never heard them before. Recorded live at Rockford College in 1965 and released 33 years later, is the legendary Big Joe Williams--whose career spanned nearly 60 years--in fine form, playing Delta blues on an electrically amplified nine-string guitar. He uses the tremolo extensively; the result is a shivering, just-right sound on blues classics like "Baby, Please Don't Go" and "Lowdown Dirty Shame." There's also a cover of "You Are My Sunshine" that turns out oddly appealing. The between-song patter is almost as interesting as the songs themselves; among other things, we learn that this performance of "A Man Amongst Men" is dedicated to President Kennedy. If nothing else, is proof positive that the blues and electronics can mix. -- Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Biblical Songs and Spirituals
This is an amazing album. I've never heard anyone sing like this. The songs are beautiful, complex and rebellious. The images in them are as glorious as any found in any literature. My favourite is the description of Noah's dove folding his wings and singing as he lands on the hill after the Flood, which is found in 'Turkle Dove'. The songs also hold memories of African stories and gods. Jesus as he appears in these songs very much in the image of an African holy man. John Davis sings of 'Jesus the magic man:' "Jesus Christ was a doctor/ And he turned the water to wine./ What a mighty doctor." Lomax, as he explains in the liner notes, has not taken a purist approach in recording these songs. He has recorded these songs taught to the singers by their grandparents, many of whom were slaves and which are absolutly part of an authentic oral tradition. (Primary sources from the time of the Civil War confirm this.) However, in making these recordings Lomax has added traditional instrumentalists from a range of places, including the Bahamas, which add new influences. (Lomax makes an interesting case for doing this.) I love these recordings.

correct spelling on my previous review please
Hey I miss spelled hear, spelling it here. It is driving me crazy on my review. Could you please correct it! Thanks it is embarrrassing. Happy Thanksgiving!

PURE,STRONG,BEAUTIFUL
There is something about hearing a voice recorded back in time that tells more about a people than anything you can read in a book. These beautiful, strong and rich voices from the past are something every person should here. What a pleasure! Bessie Jones singing O Death. OH MY! She is a national treasure! Growing up in Georgia I have heard some of these songs sung on St.Simons Island and the power and feeling they evoke are pure and deeply spiritual. It's that deep spiritual center in all humanbeings that these voices sing from.These singers just seem to be a little closer than most of us to that essence. hehe Get this CD. It will make you think about your life and remember theirs. Or forget anything deep about it and just enjoy! ... Read more

Album Description

The late Mississippi-born John Lee Hooker was one of thegreat Blues singers and guitar innovators - he began hiscareer in the '40s and is still going strong today.Originally released on Vee-Jay Records and digitallyremastered, this album includes Lost A Good Girl, Drugstore Woman, as well as one of Hooker's best known andmost-covered songs, Boom, Boom. 11 tracks. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The remarkable two-disc River of Song is the first of a stunning multimedia project (including a four-part PBS documentary, public-radio interviews, and book) on which an array of artists under the tutelage of director-curator Anthony Seeger give voice and share the lore of America's great Mississippi River. The musical journey is parceled into quadrants: from the Northern headwaters, slicing through Twain's heartland; snaking down into the Deep South; wending through Louisiana, where music is king; and culminating at its life-giving, life-taking mouth, the Gulf of Mexico. Prolonged visitation occurs in musical meccas Minneapolis, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans, showcasing the abundant talent and distinct sound of each locale. River of Song celebrates not only the landscapes through which the water traverses but also the colorful cultures that have sprung from and thrive at her banks: Native American, Dutch, African-American, Cajun, and subcultures and hybrids of youth and religion, including indie-rock hipsters, heartland country rockers, Delta blues men, Mexican Dixieland jazz, and both black and white gospel musics from deep believers of faith. Much like driving the Natchez Trace, the journey is profoundly American--deeply affecting in providing not only a sense of the present but of our very roots. --Paige La Grone ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful variety of music
I don't normally write reviews, but since this great CD set has no review currently, I thought I'd make an exception. If you are passing by I urge you to give these tracks a listen. You'll find blues, gospel, rock, and various other tpyes of ethnic music. I've yet to play this to anyone who didn't like it. It's fun, it's moving and it's a great buy. Check out "Hilda the red-headed Swede". ... Read more