Reviews (1)

A must for any blues collection - or rock 'n roll roots
History of Texas Blues from the beginning. Everyone from Blind Lemon Jefferson to SRV and the Fab T'birds! Love that Lucy Mae Blues and Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night! Here's some authentic deep real blues. You won't regret buying this one. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Lesser work of a great artist
James' 1960s recordings are inferior to his 1930 sides, and yet they're still some of the best recordings of the 60s blues revival. His guitar and especially his piano skills had diminished, and so had his musical imagination. His voice, often an eerie falsetto, is remarkably changed from the earlier recordings and is the most fascinating and compelling aspect of this record. The music here is chilling, the songs are worth hearing, and they don't undermine James' status as one of the greatest musical artists of the century, but to the James neophyte, I maintain that the early recordings availbale on Yazoo are unequivocally the place to start.

One Of His Best
Clear, crisp modern recordings of the spooky, mysterious style of Blues Skip James developed early last century. His guitar playing is perfect. His high haunting voice floats and then holds and makes the hair on the back of your neck crawl. His piano playing is unpredictable yet concise. His unique style, which recorded earlier in his life (1930) sounded almost archaic (positively so), now sounds strangely modern due to the increased fidelity of the magnetic tape used for the recording. An unusual and original talent, Skip James was one of the best. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Boogie Woogie Showcase
I wanted to get a birthday present for one of my best friends. I sought a fine boogie woogie collection in the pattern of Black and Blue's "Boogie Woogie Masters". Juke Joint Jump does fill that bill. It has cuts by titans of the art: Memphis Slim plays "Panic Street", Art Tatum plays "Tatum Pole Boogie", Champion Jack Dupree plays "Dupree Shake Dance", Pete Johnson plays "Boogie Woogie" and others. Freddie Slack's "Down the Road a Piece" is an infectious tune that lingers. There are 18 cuts in all, none of them bad, and some of them very very good. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not only did Johnson pioneer single-string, blues-guitar improvisation, he still ranks as one of its greatest practitioners. His playing was remarkably fluent, sophisticated, and melodic, yet he never sacrificed emotion or bite. He was the first bluesman to make his mark as a virtuoso instrumentalist, despite his formidable vocals. These 19 early performances (1925-1932) include low-down blues, buoyant ragtime, and catchy hokum, plus examples of sheer instrumental wizardry. Victoria Spivey joins Johnson for the risque vocal duet "Toothache Blues" and Texas Alexander sings lead on a pair of songs, but the instrumentals inevitably remain the highlights. His two guitar duets with jazz great Eddie Lang plus his solo workout on "Playing With the Strings" are astonishing displays of technique.--Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (10)

I Done Told You Lonnie Was Bad!
In a previous review it's pointed out that Lonnie's earliest recordings (the recordings on this cd) happened about a decade before Robert Johnson's recordings. While that is true, it's of little importance. Lonnie and Robert get compared because of their last names more than because of their music. They were two very different men with two very different musical aesthetics. Robert's name should come up during a discussion of Son House before it should come up in a discussion of Lonnie.

While it's pointed out that the instrumentals steal the show here, don't discount the vocal songs. SWEET POTATO BLUES is great. Although vocally, I think the 2 best songs are the Texas Alexander songs with Lonnie on accompanying guitar. Take a listen to the two TOOTHACHE BLUES'. This is the music that was making mothers cover their childrens ears in 1928, quite risque stuff. Victoria's great voice and yearning moans surely made pre-Depression teenage male hearts go pitter-pat!

Although Lonnie is thought of as a "blues guitarist" make no doubt about it, some of this stuff is the birth of what's now known as "string swing". I have no doubt that Django and Oscar Aleman were listening to Lonnie before we knew their names.

On the sonic quality of the recordings... it is wonderful! If you've heard Charlie Parker stuff on Dial from the mid 1940's and the hissy, scratchy quality bothered you don't worry. Although these recordings were made almost 20 years earlier in some cases, they are better. Lonnie's gloriously strong acoustic guitar tone comes through loud and clear and his melodic solo's are a marvel even now. Because of Lonnie's innovations there are alot of people now who can play faster than he played, but few who play better than he played.

This is an Essential Blues CD
Lonnie Johnson was a tremendous talent and this CD supports his legendary status. Johnson's vocals are outstanding and his guitar playing is matched by few. Most recordings predate Robert Johnson's by ten or so years. This disc even includes some cuts with Eddie Lang who had to be billed as Blind Willie Dunn because he was white and white bluesman were not welcome anywhere. This is clearly an essential CD to any music collection --especially a blues collection.

Every Blues fan needs this record
Lonnie Johnson was the first great blues guitarist, along with his partner Eddie Lang, he was the first great Jazz guitarist, he remained a song writer and a vocalist able to hit the charts with R & B hits well intothe late 1940s. He was class as both a jazz and blues folk revivalist when he was "refound" in the 1960s and was popular in the US, Europe, and Canada.

Robert Johnson obviously studied Lonnie's Work pretty well. In fact, Robert Johnson would lie and tell people that he was a cousin of the great Lonnie. Lonnie's records sold in the hundreds of thousands into the 1940s, while Robert Johnson never sold more than 2000 records while living on any tune.

Lonnie was the antithesis of the false folkie-based stereotype of a blues performer. He was a professional performer as a kid violin virtuosi in vaudville touring the world before he ever learned to play the guitar! While born in New Orleans, he based himself in Chicago and New York during his playing career Johnson was not refound in some Mississippi Cotton field, but as a janitor in Philiadelphia. he went on to open his own night club in Toronto, Canada where he was killed byu complications after an automobile accident.

What we see here in these records is a master musician. The guitar playing is unbelievably good, sweet, hot,and very very clean. The singing is always on key, professional, and cuts like a razor. The richness and saltiness of the verses ios tremendous. In the 20s, Johnson once bet someone he could play and compose 300 different blues, and he did with no difficulty and recored most of them!

Even without their historical importance--this is what Blues performers aspired to--the records are just fun as expression and entertainment. I would also recommend the great records Johnson made with Lil Hardin Armstrong and others in Bluebird's Chicago stables in the 1940s, as well as the Verve Folkways recordings he made in the late 1960s. Heck, I would recommend you listem to birdcalls if Lonnie Johnson had recorded them!

technique ain't everything
This is a great CD, and so are all of Robert Johnson's records. This debate about their relative merits is rather pointless, and driven by the "better technique means better music" school of thought. Consider this; perhaps the most awesome blues song ever recorded is "Moanin in the Moonlight" by Howlin' Wolf. The Wolf sings paranoid lyrics to a blues melody, singing the chord changes, and Willie Johnson and Destruction play a recurring hypnotic riff behind the singer that stays ON ONE CHORD! They never leave the dominant chord. In my mind it cuts anything by either of the Johnsons, great as they were, and yet technically it is probably mediocre at best. Doesn't mean it ain't great. If you view blues as simply "fast playing", go watch the rubbish movie "Crossroads."

Great Blues !!!!!
Just listen to the song "Mister Trouble" off of the Folkway Recordings CD and that will say it all my friends !!! What a song, what a song, what a song !!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lightnin' at his most rockin'
He's rarely credited with it, but Lightnin' Hopkins' raucous 1954 instrumental "Hopkins' Sky Hop" was reasonably close to being the earliest rock 'n' roll record. While this CD is certainly blues - and of a high order - Lightnin' is definitely at his sweatiest and rawest here, cranking out several up-tempo numbers with a drummer chasing him. Don't get the wrong idea, though; there's plenty of Lightnin's fine slow country blues, including "Sick Feelin' Blues", "My Baby's Gone" and "Sittin' Down Thinkin'". As usual for the Collectables label, there's no liner information whatsoever and sound is merely OK. But the music is quite good. Note that Collectables also produced a second "Herald Recordings" disc which, in a shameful move, reproduces five of the cuts from Vol. 1, four with different titles! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Classic performances by the true masters of the genre
"A rare collection of performances by America's premier bluesmen at the peak of their artistry" proclaims the cover of this disc, and that's no idle boast. Culled from 33 tracks on the two simultaneously released and similarly titled DVDs, these 16 tunes were performed live in German TV studios between 1962 and 1966, and thought lost until recently discovered.
Although the audio is mono, it's immaculately clean, and each instrument is clearly audible, an amazing feat for TV sound during these years.

T-Bone Walker does a mellow, jazzy "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong", laying down one of his finest ever vocals performances. Veterans Lonnie Johnson and Sippie Wallace (both of whom were born at the tail end of the 19th century, and had risen to stardom way back in the twenties) turn out great, soulful performances of "Another Night To Cry" and "Women Be Wise".
In fact, Delta legend Robert Johnson much admired the older Lonnie Johnson, and even took to telling people that his middle initial, L, stood for "Lonnie". (It stood for Leroy, and Lonnie Johnson's first name was actually Alonzo.)

Other highlights include Howlin' wolf's two songs, Memphis Slim's "Everyday I Have The Blues" (a superior performance which he tosses off seemingly with the greatest of ease), Victoria Spivey's "Black Snake Blues", a slow, stately "Five Long Years" by pianist Eddie Boyd, and "Mississippi" Fred McDowell's howling slide guitar workout "Going Down To The River".

This CD is a little bit short, and some of the performances (such as Muddy Waters' "Got My Mojo Working") are unusually tame, but it is still a real goldmine for folk and Chicago blues fans. Never before were such historic performances so easily available in pristine sound, and as an added bonus, the booklet features complete recording information, rare photos, and an excellent, insightful essay by Rob Bowman.
4 1/2 stars - highly recommended.

Lost Gold!
Some of the greatest and most influential music this country has ever created was the blues- but the artists were just not given the apreciation in this country they deserved. It took the interest in Blues music by young musicians in Europe- especially in Britain- from the Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix (who actually played with B. B. King at one point) to bring them back to America. Kids hearing this music then began to search out the originators of this music and finally these Blues pioneers started to gain recognition in their own country. This DVD (and the others in the series) captures where it all got started in Europe.
Since they couldn't find places to play in the US aside form bars and honkey-tonks, they launched a tour in Europe of some of the best Bluesmen (and ladies) of the time in 1962. It was hugely successful and more tours followed. Unfortunately, little to nothing was believed to have survived of the music of that period until a German televison station was going through some old things and found several video tapes of studio programs recorded at that time. Tapes were costly and often were re-recorded over- so the fact of their mere survival is a miracle. The quality is outstanding for the time. So is the sound quality (mono, but what did you expect from a TV show?). You get eighteen amazing performances. There is no announcer- the artists introduce each other and sometimes tell you about the song. Although the tracks may list one performer, you will notice others playing "backup". You get Muddy Waters with his "Mojo Working" and Willie Dixon's "Weak Brain and Narrow Mind", Sippie Wallace (there for the Lady Bluesmakers) telling "Women Be Wise" and Memphis Slim letting us know that "the Blues is Everywhere". The list goes on. Check out the rest of the series too- you won't be disappointed!

"America's premiere Bluesmen at their peak"
Some of the most celebrated "Blues Singers" perform on this one-of-a-kind release "The American folk Blues Festival 1962-1966". With an all-star cast of Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lonnie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Memphis Slim, Otis Rush, Victoria Spivey, T-Bone Walker, Sippie Wallace, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin Wolf clearly having a ball sharing their God-given talent. This is one of the top blues rivals to come along in many a moon.

So all you blues collectors take care when you play this historic recording with some of the greats in fine fiddle and voice. Some of the artists are no longer with us, but with this recording you can relive those days when blues took hold of you and it was an all time high. Entire festival is a stand out with "I CAN'T QUIT YOU BABY", "HOODOO MAN BLUES", "MY YOUNGER DAYS" and "GOT MY MOJO WORKING" many performers at the peak of their careers giving the public an ear full ~ which is the roots of American music....gotta love it!

Rush out quickly and pick this one up, enjoy the blues as it was meant to be heard. A treasure of unheard blues in this country until this release. Rare photos and a descriptive 28 page booklet that is collectible. Also available on DVD "The American Folk Blues Festival Vol. 1" and "The American folk Blues Festival Vol. 2", which gives the fans sights and sounds we love...good ole American Blues!

Total Time: 59:15 on 16 Tracks ~ Hip-O Records 60670 ~ (8/26/2003) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Muddy walked all day just to hear them
Read the liner notes. When he was a teenager Muddy Waters walked all day long to hear the Mississippi Sheiks! Much of Bob Wills's music starts with the Mississippi Sheiks. Their version of Sitting on Top of the World was performed by Wills note for note, word for word, in all of his recordings of the tune from the 1930s to the 1960s recording where he has Vicki Carr singing in the backgrounds to Sheiks music!
I have hipped friends who are serious violinists to the Sheiks and they have come back with words of praise for the fiddling here. As a sometimes blues singer myself, I wish I could do the tunes with half the power and joy you find here.
Curiously, the sheiks were just as, or often more popular with white audiences as they were with Blacks. In fact, they recorded several tunes under other names in the traditional string band style that were released as white hilly billy records and not race records!
They've been neglected because they do not meet the fantasy that blues players, particularly from Mississippi, are guitar playing, slide playing, Delta people. But when Muddy Waters was coming up on Stovals Planation, these guys were so good he walked all day to hear them.
Too much of this history makes one forget that this is just great music to listen to, to make you mellow, smiling, and knowledgeable about life.

Country Blues for the whole family!
I agree with the previous Music Fan who reviewed this disc - this truly is remarkable stuff!
Perhaps what is most striking is that it preserves the sound of African-American fiddling,a tradition already fading away when these 78s were first waxed and today is all but deceased,-the playing of the Blues on the fiddle is particularly poignant (listen to how cleverly the fiddle counterpoints the sung verses on "Stop and Listen" for a start!),-this music is both a priceless preservation of a lost tradition and first-rate Delta blues performances (even if the Sheiks spent much of their time in and around Jackson,Miss.).
This cd will appeal to ALL blues lovers AND to Bluegrass and Western Swing fiddle fans as well - the Bluesy fiddling here will fascinate fans of Bluegrass fiddle great Alison Krauss and pioneering Western Swing fiddler Bob Wills.
The digital restoration follows in Yazoo's exemplary excellent standards and the liner notes are very informative and a provocative read.
In short,the whole family of fiddle tastes should snap this one up!

Old Country Blues Way Ahead of Its Time
From the first song on this CD "Stop and Listen" my mouth dropped open in awe. The record could have come out yesterday and it would be good, but knowing that this came out 25 years before rock and roll was even invented is just incredible.

Listen to Walter Vinson's mournful singing "Cant ya, a-hear me talking pretty mama" and you just know this is where it all began. I'm picturing them sitting at the local gas station under the hot sun in some Mississippi desert with nobody listening to these beautiful yet bizarre blues songs except some toads. I can't believe these guys aren't as famous as Robert Johnson because they are right there in that class. Their biggest claim to fame is that they originated "Sitting on Top of the World" which has been recorded by the Dead and many other blues musicians, but it doesn't even begin to represent their amazing work. Great violin and guitar, low key and fairly simple but it has everything it needs to get the point across. Some neat melodies like in "Too Long", some great lyrics like in "He Calls That Religion", cool stories like in "Blood in My Eyes for You". This is the real deal.

This collection was put together in part by Stefan Grossman who I believe uncovered a lot of Rev Gary Davis's stuff back in the early 60s. I have been listening to this solidly for weeks and can't seem to stop. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Pretty good collection of latter-day Muddy...
...but now that his original Blue Sky albums (the ones produced by Johnny Winter) have been re-released in remastered and expanded editions, there is really no reason to buy this compilation.

It used to be the only available remastering of any of Muddy's late career work for Johnny Winter's Blue Sky label, and it blew the original LPs and CDs out of the water, but now that is no longer the case, and the three Blue Sky albums ("Hard Again", "I'm Ready" and "King Bee") are just too good to be condensed onto one CD with a less-than-perfectly chosen track list.

**** Manish Boy ***
If you saw the movie "Better off dead " and Soul Man , both many of the best of 80's movie's , And strange and sad that this song "Manish Boy " on this cd is not included in the sound tracks of both of these movies , But if you are looking for that song it is here on this cd ! , I like Muddy Waters and there are allot of Cd's out ther and this one will do this was produced by Johnny Winter an other great guitar player !

Get this Cd !

The Master Cranks It Up!!!!
This is an awesome collection of blues tunes! Muddy still could fire it up with the best of them when he was in his 60's. The version of "Mannish Boy" is mindboggling and awe inspiring! The entire body of work with Johnny Winter as producer and performer is outstanding. I would recommend this to all blues/rock enthusiasts. This is the blues at its finest.

Great CD
This is definitely a great CD to have. I believe the songs on this were digitally remastered, so the sound quality is superior to most of the other Muddy Waters collections. What else can I say? A lot of hits, such as "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Mannish Boy" are here. Vintage Muddy.

Muddy IS the blues
Great music by a music legend. Muddy Waters is the very definition of blues music. This is a really good CD even though these recordings were made very late in his life. The version of Mannish Boy that is found here is a must have! Dig in and enjoy, blues fans. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Together with 1963's Avalon Blues (as opposed to the similarly titled compendium of 1928 recordings), Worried Blues represents the best of Mississippi John Hurt's later work, following his rediscovery in the early 1960s. As much a folk musician as a bluesman, Hurt included traditional and devotional music as well as blues in his oeuvre. His wide-ranging repertoire here is highlighted by "Farther Along" and "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep." Accompanied only by his guitar, Hurt is a compelling, engaging performer who eschews gimmickry. The ease with which he plays creates a peacefulness at the center of this music that's undeniably appealing. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Classic Delta Blues
I should put in a plug for my all-time favorite album.I bought the old vinyl record when it came out in 1963.The new CD provides better sound.This record gives a wonderful cross-section of old-time Delta blues and songs.The truly amazing piece on this album is "Slidin' Delta"; this version of it is, for my taste, the greatest piece of music-making I know.After listening to it hundreds of times, I still discover new details every time I hear it. It's a relatively long performance, so John Hurt could really get into the piece.(We are poorly served by getting our blues in 3-or 4-minute takes; longer takes are almost always better than the same artists' shorter versions.)The guitar work is beyond belief, and the subtlety of the singing puts to shame most of the "blues shouters."Even those who don't share my fixation on guitar work and understated intensity will want this record.Essential for blues and folk-music lovers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great listening!
Tampa Red doesn't have the "field hand" voice of many of his contemporaries, yet is equally authenic. His singing is clear and understandable. His guitar playing is clean and crisp with nice slide work! His lyrics are often witty and ironic. This is a great listen for the price and would be a nice start for someone who would like to try an "old time" acoustic blues CD but isn't sure who to choose. And two for about the price of one makes this set a bargain! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Historical blues moments.The beginning!!!!
If you don't know the signification of the word "roots"in the music,specially the blues music,this is exactly what it means.And to understand what "roots"means,you must hear this fantastic work of that genius,the Lomax brothers,John and Alan. This is a part a small part,of the history of blues music and the rooted recordings of some men that participated and contributed like no others to promotes and turns the blues musics in a great sucessfull all over the world,until our days!!! The discovery and participation of Mc Kinley Morganfield(Muddy Waters) Son House and others,many of them unrecognized bluesmen,but nonetheless important,is really a historical moment to the blues music.This is not only an American heritage alone.This is a heritage to the mankind.HISTORICAL!!!!!!

deep country blues
This is the real stuff, and yet more reason to thank whatever higher powers there be that John and Alan Lomax were out there with their bulky recording machines documenting the rich strains of Southern folk music while it could still be found. Here it's the Mississippi blues in its purest form. Not the least of the wonders here is Alan Lomax's discovery of giants McKinley Morganfield (aka Muddy Waters) and Son House, who both turn in stunning performances. There's also David "Honeyboy" Edwards, who has outlived them all, with an eerie and powerful "Wind Howlin' Blues." Lomax also found William Brown and recorded him twice before Brown vanished into obscurity. His "Ragged and Dirty" (covered by Dylan on his World Gone Wrong) makes you grateful that it got preserved but sad that we know so little about Brown's other songs and performances, destined to be lost forever. Every cut is a miracle of cultural preservation but, just as important and maybe more so, of magnificent, enduring American music. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An exellent, but not too well known session
most people have the Big Bill Broonzy Yazoo cd of his early works, which are exellent, as well as his 40's r&b sides on Document, however this Collectibles cd, documents Broonzy late in his career, but in his musical prime vocally and instrumentally. Broonzy's "ready to party" vocals are as strong and appealing as ever, and his guitar picking is deep rooted in ragtime and swing. The big highlight here is how Broonzy turns the swing classic tune ofte nassociated with Helen Ward & Benny Goodman, into a ragtime swinger, with his baritone voice just easing over the song, slightly improvising the lyrics, and still sounding like he's partying in the recording studio. Some tracks feature horns, or rhythm section, but the solos sides sre exellent including a killer diller version of St. Louis Blues, he way Blind Blake would have played it. Great cd that shows what a great ragtime guitarist he was, and taht he might have been the best male blues singer of all time, but definately he's the greatest good time blues singer(along with his half brother Washboard Sam). Great 55 session!

This cd is the greatest ducument of Broonzy's talant
Big Bill Broonzy recorded in the early 30's thru the 50's, and was in his prime pretty much as long as he lived. This set of vlues from the mid 50's(55 to be exact), finds the blues shouter/guitarist in particularly fine form. As a matter a fact, this is perhaphs the finest release of Broonzy on cd. On several tracks he plays solos guitar and on others he's backed by a wailin' horn section. He shouts, jumps and even croons the blues, and his wailin' guitar never sounded so rockin.' His voice is strong and expressive, and completely blue, but in a party, feel good sort of way. Broonzy as always sounds like he's having a party in the studio, and this 50's recording session is not too different from his 30's-40's r&b jump swing combos. Great music that captures a legendary bluesman in his musical prime. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of blues music's greatest composers, Willie Dixon was also a strong performer. This Columbia Legacy reissue is a profile of the artist in his post-Chess Records years and is chock full of classics, many of which have been covered by rock bands as well as blues musicians: "Back Door Man," "I Can't Quit You Baby," "Spoonful," "I Ain't Superstitious," "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" ... the list goes on. For all of his achievements as a composer and performer, relatively little of Dixon's recorded work is available, particularly from his later years. Poet of the Blues is an excellent introduction as well as a chance to hear many of these classic songs in their original incarnations. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the man who planted the roots
Often imitated and never duplicated, Willie Dixon's influence on the blues and rock and roll defies the imagination. Long before he died in 1992, his lyrics became the well-worn phrases of the genre and his songs the standards of both bluesmen and white boy rockers who weren't even born when Dixon first started his recording career in the early '40s. From the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin (who Dixon had to sue to get compensation for their shameless and uncredited pillaging of his catalogue) and Eric Clapton to Steppenwolf, The Doors and Motorhead, his name appears on more song credits than any Chicago bluesman before or after. But no one has been able to better Dixon's originals. The dark-humoured poetry of his lyrics, the strolling rhythms highlighted with boozy piano licks, his unbeatably muscular bass and the aural finesse of his gargantuan vocals are lightning in a bottle. This 16 track collection is a treasure chest, one of the more expansive of its kind, with songs from across the Dixon universe: early material from the Chess vaults (Big 3 Stomp, Signifying Monkey) right through rousing sessions from his career revival in 1970 (Little Red Rooster, Back Door Man, I Can't Quit You Baby, Spoonful).Poet Of the Blues is the story of the man who helped plant the roots. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Straight from the heart
Impassioned gospel-blues from one of the foremost streetsinging preachers and bluesmen. The songs are taken from old 78's so there is some minor hiss present, but the power of Davis' voice and the ringing of his fingerstyle guitar distracts you from any imperfections in the source material. A minor quibble: the liner notes are generally good at explaining Davis' career and playing style of this time, but never breaks down when each song was recorded and other useful track info.

If your oldtime blues collection could use a little religion, then the Complete Early Recordings of Rev. Gary Davis is a pretty good place to start.

i can't review
ordered this item quite 1 month and half ago but never received it, and worst, i can't find an e-mail addy to say this, nor i can track paccage.
So where are my disc, have you sand it or what?
Steve

unbelievable
Reverend Gary Davis. These are the earliest known recordings of THE MAN. His guitar skill truly must be heard to be believed. At points I swear there are at least two or three seperate guitars, but it's all coming out of him. Simply incredible.
Most people may be familiar only with his later stuff, but for my money this is the gold. A musician just getting first exposure, like college athletes in a way, always have something to prove, and it shows well on this disc. Mostly gospel and ragtime tunes, the Reverend was not particularly fond of straight-up blues, but his style and skill will surely impress anyone with an interest in blues, guitar, or plain musicianship. Outstanding. One of my most deserved 5 stars.

Superb guitar playing
The other reviewer says that 'I am the light' is not on this CD. Well, it IS on the cd, so don't worry. There are only two tracks missing from his second (in the 40s) session i believe, all tracks from the 30s are there! The sound quality is superb, the guitar playing is unbelievable. If you only know the more recent recordings from the Reverend, you should hear these! On all tracks, except the last few, he plays a single-cone National resonator guitar. This guitar is rather difficult to play ragtime on, but Gary Davis doesn't have any problem with it. Great stuff!

Not quite complete recordings...
It's strange that a CD, advertising itself as the 'complete' early recordings of this brilliant (and very influential) ragtime guitarist, should in fact, be lacking several of them - where have "I wish I could see" or "I am the light of the world" gone, for example? Still, it is a fine showcase of Rev. Davis' early recordings; but it could have, and possibly should have been better. It would have taken little effort to add the remaining titles, and there's certainly enough room on the CD. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Hooker Plus Canned Heat Equals Sterno!!!
Hooker 'N Heat is almost universally considered the greatest album in the long and storied careers of both Delta bluesman John Lee Hooker and California boogeymen Canned Heat. These wonderful songs are as improvisational as any jazz session: Hooker finds a beat, starts off, and lets the boys in the band play catch-up until they run out of musical ideas and the song ends. Hook has special praise for Alan Wilson, the Heat's wunderkid harpist, noting that Wilson is the best harmonica player ever: "I don't know how he follow me, but he do." In this best of the best compilation from those sessions (a great idea for us budget-minded listeners), standout songs include "Burning Hell," which is the Hook's rockin' and rollin' take on the afterlife, "The World Today," a talking piece circa 1970, in which the fiftysomething Hooker identifies with young people and is glad "the old coots are gone," and "Boogie Chillen' 2," an 11-minute jamfest of Hooker's first hit that will have you jumping out of your seat. For their part, the Heat add outstanding instrumental support (singer Bob "the Bear" Hite adds no vocals, but aids in production duties); as noted above, Wilson's harp work is fabulous, and this record must be seen as the crowning achievement of his career. (Sadly, he died while waiting for the record to be released; thats his picture on the wall in the album photos.) In short, a thrilling offering from two of the rockingest, boogieingest (is that a word?) artists ever, and one to surely lift you out of your seat. Get this disc and turn up the heat!!!

one of his best
i rarely rate anything 5 stars, but this one makes it. when john lee plays "peavine" i can hear it coming down the tracks. and the 11 minute version of "boogie chillen" is excellent. the version of "burnin' hell" is my fav of all time - the harp is excellent (like john lee said, "i don't know how he follow me but he do."). i've got at least a half dozen of his cds and this one may be the best.

Hero and Worshippers = +
This recording for those of you that weren't around, was a meeting of a giant bluesman and some of the best original 60's hippie bluesmen. Hooker at the time was only known to bluesheads or ghetto dwellers.The Canned Heat, well what more to say. No frills, no wah wah's, just Gibson guitars playing mean mean ol blues. There was no SUPERSTAR "Hooker", just a bunch of guys that felt the music and laid it down as it was for them at the moment. Very little production or editing, just live blues in the studio. A seminal recording, have owned it since it was released.

Don't waste your money
There are plenty of John Lee Hooker cds that are way better than this one. It is boring. Besides, Canned heat has a double disc best of release that makes all others seem unnecessary. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pink Anderson - A name that will remebered
I got a copy of this album thanks to my interest in Pink Floyd (Which Anderson incidentally named) and I was astounded.
There was something magical about the music.

I fell immediatly. The songs (Though traditional) "glued" themselves to my mind in a way that no 2001 pop song could.

And now I go around humming songs that were recorded in 1950.

This combined with the unlikely parallel to the Brittish Rock Band Pink Floyd turned out to be the biggest surprise (Musically) that I've ever experienced.

All thanks to a man called Pink Anderson

Wonderful guitar.
This is an important album by two of the key musicians in the Piedmont blues guitar style.

Pink Anderson is best known for the three excellent Bluesville albums he recorded in 1961. Apart from four tracks in 1928 with Simmie Dooley, the only other recordings Anderson made prior to then are the first seven tracks of this CD, recorded in May 1950 by Paul Clayton, who came across Anderson playing in a medicine show in Charlottesville, Virginia. Anderson is in peak form here, stronger than in 1961, playing fine slide guitar on "John Henry", singing the blues "Every Day of the Week", and comic songs such as "I've Got Mine" and "He's In the Jailhouse Now". Great entertainment.

Gary Davis was a virtuoso guitarist in the Piedmont style who abandoned blues in the mid 1930s in favour of evangelical gospel songs, which he performed with great fervour in a voice that could be heard above heavy traffic and with superbly dynamic guitar accompaniment. These performances, from 1956, find him in electrifying form. He recorded many of these pieces again in the 1960s for Bluesville and others, but this session is hard to beat.

Strongly recommended. ... Read more