Reviews (3)

Some of the best field recordings I have ever heard!
These were field recordings made by Alan Lomax in 1941 and 1942 for the Library of Congress of Son House.The setting was extemporaneous and you can tell this is true in two of the songs(Walking Blues, Shetland Pony Blues) when you hear a locomotive in the background, as they were recorded in a local general store (Klack's) in Cormorant, MS.

5 Stars for the songs; and fewer stars for the background information provided in the booklet.I was hoping for more information about Son House and his life around the time of these recordings but unfortunately little background information is provided.

Regardless, this is an outstanding collection of some of the earliest (and most raw) of the Blues ever recorded.Highly recommended.

Listen and Learn.Son House is for Real!
Even if he hadn't influenced anyone, even if historically he was a 19 year old kid from Shirley, Long Island, even if this recording at just been waxed last night, this is good, essential blues listening, you won't want to stop listening, you wont stop seeing the scenes of the blues that the songs make, you won't stop swaying at the power and swing of his guitar playing and singing. On here, my song is Preachin the Blues. I know you will have yours.

Son House taught Robert Johnson the slide blues. Son House taught Muddy Waters. When Son House started performing at Blues festivals again in the mid 1960s, some of Muddy's younger band members would start to go off for a smoke or whatever when the old man came on stage. Muddy wouldn't let them. Muddy Waters would tell all his band members to be quiet and pay attention when the man played because even compared with Muddy, this was the real deal.

Rediscovered in Rochester, New York, relearning to play the guitar, (how this country abuses the masters that come from its people, particularly its Black people), put back on the stage by the folk revival's blues section, House made recordings that reproduced his old masterpies, with a wrier sense of meaning than before.

People outside of the blues life focus on the guitar playing or the rhythm of the singing, but where the power comes from is the feeling and the words that are put together, the life and the meaning of the blues. Son House in his youth and his old age, on this and his other sides, always gave it.

So Like Muddy Waters, I would like you to know that
Son House is the real deal.
Listen and learn

Powerful Field Recordings from the Forties
Eddie James "Son" House was born in 1902, and began his recording career in 1930 with the help of Charlie Patton.He would not record again until 1941 and 1942, when Alan Lomax made these field recordings for the Library of Congress. On the first five tracks (recorded in August 1941), House is assisted by his old partner guitarist Willie Brown, along with Fiddlin' Joe Martin and Leroy Williams. These tracks were recorded in a country store right next to the railroad tracks--and if you listen closely, your hear the steam locomotive on "Walking Blues" and "Shetland Pony Blues."The remaining tracks are from the following summer. On these, House performs solo. House is a powerful singer and his guitar playing was an influence on Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.Any serious blues collection should have some Son House in it, and while his Sixties work during the folk revival may have been better recorded, these tracks contain a raw power that can't be denied.RECOMMENDED ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Master Bluesman & Songster
Mance Lipscomb is one of my Heroes.A Master bluesman; whose repertoire included over 250 songs. One of Greatest Accoustic Bluesman who ever lived. This album showcases his broad repertoire of Blues,Rags,Spirituals,even Spanish music.This album is definitive Turn-of-the-Century Texas Country Blues ;Don't get much better than this!!!

The one to come back to
This CD and its companion vol. 1 comprise one of the very best introductions to country blues. Mance's texas style country guitar is clear as a bell and a perfect complement to his voice. Mance described himself as a songster rather than a bluesman, because he played a variety of music. I bought and wore out the LPs of these two CD collections--after you listen to it to define country blues, then you study it to learn the subtlties of the deceptively simple work. "Bumble bee" is an interesting contrast to the Memphis Minnies cover of the "same" song. His "Titanic" stands head-and-shoulders above similar "folkie" attempts at the subject. Mance's monotonic bass line adds a kind of texture to his songs that can't be matched with the more familiar alternating bass. The CDs add several songs to the original. There were 5 LPs covering basicly the same material. This one you will come back to again and again and again. BUY IT(THEM). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Best known for his work as a songwriter, producer, and talent scout, singer-bassist Willie Dixon essentially built Chicago's Cobra and Chess labels with his sweat. Although this double-disc set does include five performances by the man from Vicksburg, Mississippi, himself, it's really a testament to his songwriting prowess, packed with recordings that made his tunes classics of blues and early rock & roll. There's Howlin' Wolf tearing through "Spoonful," "Little Red Rooster," "Evil," and "Back Door Man." There's Muddy Waters belting "You Shook Me," "Hoochie Coochie Man," and "I'm Ready." There's Bo Diddley delivering "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" and Koko Taylor launching her career with "Wang Dang Doodle." The set features excellent liner notes, and its only disappointment is that its label-centricity excludes Dixon's work for Cobra with then-youngsters Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (7)

New to the Blues start Here
Willie Dixon was the Driving force behind Chess records from putting pen to paper writing the music to teaching Howlin'Wolf the words to the music ...This boxed set is the sound of 1950's Blues

Exciting addition to the "Chess Box" series
Willie Dixon is the featured performer on only six of these thirty-six songs. But he is there on the rest as well, composing, producing, playing bass, and usually taking a back seat to stars like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and Bo Diddley.

All of these songs are written and composed or co-composed by Willie Dixon, including classic blues hits like Little Walter's "My Babe", Bo Diddley's "Pretty Thing", Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man", and Howlin' Wolf's magnificent "Hidden Charms" with its fiery guitar solo.

But there are many other superb songs here as well, including lesser-known tracks like the delightful jazzy number "Violent Love", performed by Dixon, guitarist Ollie Crawford, and pianist Leonard Caston, and Dixon's own performance of the catchy "29 Ways".
Eddie Boyd's "Third Degree" is here too, co-written by Dixon, and from Howlin' Wolf's incredible catalogue comes "Evil", along with "I Ain't Superstitious", and "Little Red Rooster".
Little Milton performs "I Can't Quit You Baby" (usually associated with Otis Rush), Willie Mabon contributes the excellent "Seventh Son", and Muddy Waters' "I Just Want To Make Love To You" ranks among the highlights as well, as do Little Walter's rendition of "Dead Presidents" and Jimmy Witherspoon's take on "When The Lights Go Out".
Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) usually composed his own songs, but he pops up as well, doing Willie Dixon's "Bring It On Home".

Willie Dixon's "Chess Box" is a great collection of 50s and 60s blues, proving if proof was needed that Dixon deserves his place alongside the greats of Chess Records, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Rice Miller.
Furthemore, the sound is impeccable, and this fine set includes a well-illustrated and annotated booklet.

4 1/2 stars - highly recommended.

Chess Box Set Willie Dixon
Willie has a CD out that the title is " I am the Blues"
yes he is and this box set shows just why.it's all here From Willie and the Big three back in the late 30's to little Walter Koko Taylor to Howlin' Wolf

Willie Dixon - Author of the Urban Blues
Willie Dixon was a blues singer, bass player, song writer, promoter, producer, and much more. This box set has only a few songs sung by Willie, but that is probably appropriate, because one of his greatest gifts was to write the words that helped make others legends. Beyond the world of the blues, Willie was, and is, a muse for rock musicians. His songs such as "Spoonful," "Evil" and "I'm ready" are classics in both generes.

In this set all of the the performers are blues singers. Legemds such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Witherspoon and Koko Taylor and many more. This is a wonderful set, I highly recommend it. Enjoy classics as "Seventh Son," "Mellow Down Easy," "Walkin' the Blues," "Little Red Rooster" and "Back Door Man." Listen and enjoy.

Dixon IS The Blues On The Essential 2CD "Chess Box"
Willie Dixon gave the blues (and, by proxy, rock and roll) much of its identity and personality. As a songwriter, he created some of music's most indelible images: the Back Door Man, Little Red Rooster, Hootchie Coochie Man, and Seventh Son. He not only gave British and Southern rock and roll much of its early repetoire, but his songs became their monikers ("Spoonful," "Pretty Thing"). He played bass on many seminal Chess Records sides (for Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry), and himself recorded several first-class singles.

Chess celebrates Dixon's legacy on the 2-disc "Chess Box," and hearing these original versions is a revelation after exposure for years to their classic rock covers. Hear Waters' "You Need Love," and "You Shook Me," Little Milton's "I Can't Quit You Baby," or Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It On Home." Led Zeppelin covered these over their first two LPs, but could only amplify the raw power of Dixon's original words and melodies.

Dixon's prowess also shows through his influential bass work and the sides he did solo and with his group, The Big Three. Highlights here include "Crazy For My Baby," the humorous "Walkin' The Blues," and the acoustic "Weak Brain, Narrow Mind."

So, applying Willie Dixon's place in music history to freshman logic class goes like this: Dixon once named an album, "I Am the Blues." He also said in the liner notes, "As long as American music survives, so will the blues." Therefore, as long as American music survives, so will the songs of Willie Dixon. "The Chess Box" proves that to be no boast.Essential. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A budget-priced box set, Broke, Black & Blue delivers multiple surprises within its 100 songs of prewar blues. Arranged chronologically by Joop Visser, the set admirably covers the first 22 years of recorded blues, 1924 to 1946, from vaudeville and Delta to boogie-woogie and jump blues. It's a swell gift for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of blues. But old-timers will be pleased, too, as special attention has been paid to culling rare and idiosyncratic tracks by the well-known and the obscure. The first three discs present single tracks by artists as diverse as the Memphis Jug Band, De Ford Bailey, Tommy Johnson, Son House, Skip James, Peetie Wheatstraw, Lonnie Johnson, and Bukka White, alongside unknowns such as Isaiah "The Mississippi Moaner" Nelson, Barbecue Bob and Laughing Charley, Ed Andrews, Chicken Wilson, and Bumble Bee Slim. On the fourth disc, this convention is jettisoned to luxuriate in a series of very rare sides of lovely, oddly subdued boogie-woogie and jump blues by Jimmie Gordon, Johnny Temple, and Lee Brown. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What A Treasure
This Box set is a treasure.Great collection of early recorded blues.Fantastic! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This trove of 23 recordings matches its superb companion cut for cut. Each selection illustrates the jug genre's richness and diversity of style as well as racial and regional character, with bands' origins ranging from New York and Ohio through Kentucky and Tennessee on down to Alabama. Included are such flapper-age funk classics as Cannon's Jug Stompers' "Bring It with You When You Come"; the Memphis Jug Band's "Stealin' Stealin,'" "You May Leave but This Will Bring You Back," and "The Old Folks Started It" (with stirring vocals by Minnie Wallace); and Noah Lewis' Jug Band's "Selling the Jelly." Lurking in the collection's multicolored depths are discoveries such as "Brown Jug Blues" by Ezra Buzzington's Rustic Revelers and "What Makes My Baby Cry" by the Five Harmaniacs, a white vaudeville act from Brooklyn. Also notable is Mississippi Sarah blowing jug behind Daddy Stovepipe on "Greenville Strut," guaranteed to move the human butt. --Alan Greenberg ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent sampler of jug band music
I'm not exactly sure what drew me to this wonderful album, but am I glad I found it! Harvey Pekar had mentioned his interest in old jug band recordings from the 1920s and 30s a few times, and so when I saw this compilation, I immediately picked it up. I suppose the bizarre cover photo was also an attraction. If you're familiar with the music of R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Seranaders or if you own the soundtracks to any of Terry Zweigoff's movies, you have some idea what to expect. This is as joyful and soulful as music gets. I wish this kind of music were in style today!

My favorite tracks are "Stealin', Stealin," "Old Folks Started It," and "He's In the Jailhouse Now." Rest assured, though, there's no filler here. You'll be nodding your head and tapping your foot to this CD in no time.

Call me Jughead
This album is ridiculously cool and great. Generically, the songs are all over the map: equal parts jazz and hillbilly music. Jug bands were the missing link between urban pop and rural folk forms. Who knew? You're missing out if you don't have this CD. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Another good sampler
This is a really good CD...it's just a little hard to figure out who its audience is supposed to be. It certainly isn't the definitive word on slide guitar blues, or on any of the artists represented. And the seasoned blues fan probably owns most of what's here already.
But as a sampler it does work very well, featuring a lesser-known (but very good) rendition of "Dust My Broom" by Elmore James, and well-chosen cuts by Muddy Waters, J.B. Hutto, and Robert Nighthawk (a superb medley of two of his best songs, "Anna Lee" and "Sweet Black Angel").

The compilers at Rhino have included the Allman Brothers' version of Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues", "Shake Your Moneymaker" by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Canned Heat's take on "Rollin' And Tumblin'"...I would probably have gone with McTell's own "Mama T'Ain't Long Fo' Day", which is one of the most beautiful acoustic slide guitar blues tunes you'll ever hear, but that's just me.
But where is Robert Johnson? And where the heck is Son House's "Pearline"?
Okay, I'll stop complaining now. This CD does have a lot going for it, including some lesser-known tracks which should appeal to the experienced blues fan, like "Homesick's Shuffle", "I Am The Black Ace", "If You Ever Seen A One-Eyed Woman Cry", and a rare opportunity to hear Chuck Berry wielding the slide on the odd instrumental "Deep Feeling".

Awesome!
This is must buy for any fan slide guitar. From beginning to end, from Elmore James to Johnny Winter, it's non-stop blues. You'll find yourself hitting the repeat button on the CD player, so you can hear the great blues slide guitar again. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

One of his finest '90s recordings, Chill Out balances the guitar-glitz of Carlos Santana's guest shot on the karmic title cut with a handful of profoundly deep Hooker solo performances. Among those are new versions of his standards "Tupelo" and "Annie Mae," and the soulful "If You've Never Been in Love," where expert slide-man Roy Rogers provides subtle accompaniment to Hooker's spontaneous storytelling. The band numbers that bookend the album are weak, relying on Hooker's strong vocal presence to overcome sketchy writing. Van Morrison, pianist Charles Brown, and M.G.'s leader Booker T. Jones also lend a hand.But Hooker doesn't need anybody's help to get to the passionate heart of his blues. One last note: Anton Corbijn's CD-booklet photographs of ol' Johnny Lee are terrific. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Hooker's best contemporary blues recording
CHILL OUT was Hooker's fourth album since his triumphant comeback began in 1989 with THE HEALER. CHILL OUT also won a Grammy in 1995 for the Best Traditional Blues Album. The title track features long time supporter Carlos Santana and his band. Van Morrison further cements their long-standing friendship with a duet on" Medley: Serves Me Right To Suffer/Syndicator." Charles Brown and his band join in on "Kiddio" and "Annie Mae." Unlike some blues CDs filled with guest performers, the guests on this CD do not dominate the songs. John Lee certainly is the front man. In fact, of all the Hooker albums I have heard, and there are hundreds, I would have to say the best display of his vocal talents of all his contemporary recordings.

I had the privilege of seeing Hooker two years before his death during his last performance on the East Coast. The CD's last track is slower blues ballad; "We'll Meet Again." If there is blues in heaven, hopefully we will indeed, meet again.

Add this to your collection
Mr. Hooker is an artist who pulls off collaborations with such success, that it takes you to another dimension of the blues. The title song "Chill Out" accompanied with Santana's potent guitar licks makes the album worth buying in itself. He also performs a powerful version "Serve Me Right to Suffer" with Van Morrison caring on a conversation that only true bluesmen could do!!! His solo works are what is expected out of the great Hooker. "One Bourbon... One Scotch... One Beer" is a classic with new found energy.

The man should be, but is not a millionaire, yet has the enough money to ride around in a limo with the personalized license plates "Chill Out" in Redwood City, CA. I had the opportunity to visit him about 2 and a half years ago. I came to his door uninvited, dogs barking etc. and Mr. Hooker answered the door. I explained I was a fan with his "The Healer" CD in my hand. He silenced the German Shepherd as well as the Cocker Spaniel, and invited me into his home. There were gold records with pictures of Bill Graham, Bonnie Raitt and others on the wall over his fireplace. He graciously signed the CD cover and we began to talk about the Giants baseball game on T.V. We discussed baseball and other current events for about a half an hour before I left. Mr. Hooker invited me back again; yet, I have not mustered the courage to re-visit him. We never touched on the great contribution he has made to the Blues, Rock n' Roll, or music in general. However, the very modest bluesman left me with the belief and impression that the Blues are about everyday people, sharing everyday experiences.

His recent recordings are mostly collaborations (I.E. "Mr. Lucky", "The Healer", and "Don't Look Back"), but they are what helped sparked my interest in the Blues. I think one of the most positive undertones to his albums is his ability to record with various artists and spark my interest with him as well as their efforts. For the novice fan such as myself, check out "Mr. Lucky" (my personal favorite 5 stars), also "The Healer" and "Don't Look Back" are the next to add to the collection. The more you listen to this man's stuff like albums that I feel demonstrate some of his roots: "King of the Boogie", "Blues Legend", and "The Collection" heighten one's awareness to the roots of all modern music. Listen to each album a few times and ENJOY!!!! ;)

P.S. I give this C.D. only a 3.5, definitely worth buying, but "Mr.Lucky" and the "Healer" are in a class all by themselves....

Chill Out
This is a very good album from one of the greatest men in all of music history, John Lee Hooker. This album has a mellow mood to it that makes it perfect to listen too when you want to Chill Out. The title track, is a collaboration with Carlos Santana, a long-time fan of JLH. That song is a classic and was the reason I bought the album in the first place. Other stand out songs here are KIDDIO, ANNIE MAE, TOO YOUNG, ONE BOURBON ONE SCOTCH ONE BEER, and MEDLEY: SERVES ME RIGHT TO SUFFER/SYNDICATOR. Many songs here are updated classics that will sound fresh to new fans. I think that some of the songs on this album where it is JLH and his guitar are without a doubt, the songs that we are able to see how great his talent really voice. He had that perfect voice for his storytelling type of blues music that kept the listener hooked.

Take Your Shoes off and Sit a Spell
Though true JLH fans probably have found some of his earlier CDs to be a better reflection of his talents, this is a fun blues CD for those who are just getting into Blues. After just a few plays, you'll be humming "Kiddio" as if you've known it for years. Hooker's rendition of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" is more likely to get you doing "air-band" than George Thorogood's version. Finally, the title cut ("Chill Out") is a great piece that should have received substantially greater attention. Much of the CD is just Hooker's voice, a guitar and a tapping shoe, with an occassional piano thrown in, but a few cuts have a bit more. Don't let that scare you... this is a good buy.

Get the early stuff!
There's nice stuff here, but most of these songs are retreads of numbers he's done much better on superior albums much earlier in his career. DO NOT MAKE ANY HOOKER RELEASED AFTER 1980 YOUR FIRST PURCHASE (or second, or third, or fourth, or fifth, or..) Earlier Hooker is much, much better. Trust me. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Be warned
I hate it when you buy a CD for a particular song, then you discover they used a NON-vocal version of a song known for its lyrics. "Happy Days are Here Again" is instrumental only on this CD.I also bought a "Songs of the Civil War" CD recently that DIDN'T have a vocal version of Dixie, only instrumental.Gyp. The song listings don't warn you of an instrumental-only track, and you can't click for a 30-second preview of "Happy Days". So look out.All in all, the CD isn't bad though.Some good stuff on it.

30's recordings
You get 21 recordings from the 30's, so it's a bargain.This selection, the soundtrack of a PBS documentary, is weighted a bit heavily with gloomy blues/folk songs that leave the impression that popular music back then was all leftist social protest songs.One rather doubts that "NRA Blues" would be a hit in any decade, much less the decade of "Gay Divorcee," "42nd Street," Gershwin and dance bands.But Louis Armstong's "All of Me" alone makes up for all the other woe is me songs on the album.Listen to this collection, then turn on your FM radio and weep at the fall of popular music.

a nostalgic trip to a bleak era
I can't believe no one has reviewed this yet - this is one of the best (if not the best) compilations of music from this era.The booklet is filled with photographs and information on this pivotal point in American history - socially, economically, psycholigically, and musically.Many famous artists are contained here, but in earlier stages of their careers than we have become culturally familiar with (Ellington, Armstrong).The effort to cheer up a 'depressed' nation rings through here, with a mirth and joy that we have certainly lost in these less-than-disastrous times.While a couple tracks serve better as period pieces than entertainment (Henry Ford's Orchestra?!?), this excellent collection entertains today as well as when these hot jazz and early blues songs were flowing from radios that are now antiques.

Hot tip - this may go out of print, as have many other collections from Columbia Legacy.Get it before it becomes a legacy itself! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Don't Look Back is credited to John Lee Hooker and produced by Van Morrison, but effectively functions as a duet between the two, who have appeared and recorded together previously (Hooker's Never Get Out of These Blues Alive and Chill Out). Here, Morrison lends his hypnotic chanting--an intriguing complement to Hooker's spellbinding approach--to his own, "Healing Game," as well as contributing freely elsewhere, both vocally and on rhythm guitar. This set is more meditative than other recent Hooker discs, with the bluesman thoughtful and cogent on Morrison's "Don't Look Back," Hendrix's "Red House," and a number of originals.--Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Another Great cd from the blues legend
I recommend this cd for all John Lee fans. It is full of energy that you would think he was younger. Love the songs with Van Morrison. I hope they continue doing songs together.

John Lee Hooker's last (real) CD
This CD recorded in 1997 by John Lee Hooker, was his last real recording. There was a CD released in 1998 called THE BEST OF FRIENDS, however it was just a re-release of classic tracks recorded by John Lee Hooker and friends. This CD, DON'T LOOK BACK, is the closest thing that you are going to find to the voice of this gritty blues man before his death four years later.

This CD won two Grammy awards in 1997. The first for, Best Traditional Blues Album and the second for, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, on the song, "Don't Look Back" with Van Morrison. However, if you were to ask me, the first track, "Dimples," is the best track on this disk.

The last song on the CD, "Rainy Days" seems to sum up John Lee's long and difficult life: "Rainy day in my heart...ain't gonna rain no more in my heart...it's all over baby...the pain is gone...you can't hurt me no more...it use to rain both night and day...teardrops raining from my eyes...you can't hurt me no mor!e...the pain is gone...it don't hurt no more...it ain't gonna rain no more in my hurt...my eyes...it's all over..."

The back of the CD also shows a picture of John Lee walking down the sidewalk with his back to the viewer, waving his hand as if to say goodbye. The man is gone, but his music lives on, and this CD is the closest thing out there to how he sounded before he died.

Some Fine Blues...
This is Hooker's latest original recording and the last one before he died in 2001. I have to say it's quite different from most Hooker recordings I've heard. It is very important to note that this CD is one big collaboration with Van Morrison, and the blues you'll hear here (with the exception of the first track) are mellow, laid back, and smooth. It's an excellent recording, although more mainstream than the real raw Hooker that can be heard on earlier recordings. He's aged like fine wine, and at about 80 years old, I'd say he's holding his own with amazing class :)

If you're new to Hooker, start either with this CD or "Healer". Healer is also an excellent recording (it does, however, have a lot more guest musicians). On this disk, you hear a more diluted Hooker, but you need to hear this before you hear the real raw Hooker.

The first track with Los Lobos is excellent - makes you want to get up and dance. Second and Fourth track are duets with Morrison and are both excellent work. Red House is a take on a Hendrix classic, and while the guitar work can't compare to the Hendrix guitar, the vocals, I thought, are a lot better, grittier, more bluesy than Hendrix's own version.

Get it - you won't regret it.

GET IT DON'T REGRET IT
As a late convert to JLH's music, I like this a lot. More than the Healer actually.

To sound this good at his age is like sipping a fine vintage wine.

Long live Hooker!

doesn't get better
If you're a fan of Van Morrison and his mellow style then you'll love this blues album. Of all the distinctive voices out there, John Lee's has to be the most unique. His almost-mumble singing plays well with Van's high pitched repetative style. An excellent collaboration produced by Van. A must have by fans of both musicians. Standout : "Don't Look Back". ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A fine collection of James' best latter-day sides
These tracks may not be quite as intense as Skip James' prewar singles, but from an audio standpoint they're certainly easier to take.
Committed to tape in 1966 and 1968, many of these twenty songs are re-recordings of the classic 30s singles which originally made Nehemiah "Skip" James famous. "Devil Got My Woman" is here, and so is "Little Cow, Little Calf Is Gonna Die Blues", "Crow Jane", "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues", and several other highlights including James' version of "Careless Love", and a number of fine songs from his 60s repertoire.

Skip James accompanies himself on guitar and piano, and his piano playing is almost as idiosyncratic as his work on the guitar.
James is probably something of an acquired taste, to be honest...he usually sings in a slightly eerie, fragile-sounding falsetto, his guitar is weirdly tuned, and his music is certainly much less accessible than that of, say, Muddy Waters or even Robert Johnson and Son House.
But if you know what you're getting into, and are looking for a good collection of James' "rediscovery" recordings to go with his original 30s singles, this fine compilation is for you. Newcomers should definitely start with "The Complete Early Recordings Of Skip James", however.

Don't pass this one up
I normally don't bother to write reviews, but I think this selection has gotten a bad rap by previous reviewers. I started out listening to the early recordings of Skip James, and worked my way to this CD, and I'm not disappointed. Sure, it lacks the raw emotion and feeling of his early work, but if you are a true fan, it is a must have.

Gorgeous, Simply Amazing
Skip James is absolutely amazing! Anyone who says the latter-day Skip James can't play the guitar like he used to hasn't been listening. Just listen to the song Catfish Blues to see what I mean. It sounds like a wild animal escaping from his heart and bursting from his guitar.

The fidelity of this work compared to his 30's recordings is obviously far superior - this is a modern-sounding, professionally recorded album. The guitar is crisp and clear, rich and full. Most notably though the full rich timbre of James' voice is fully evident. I'm not as fond of his piano work, though it's clearly very competent.

A wonderful album by one of the great singer/songwriters of the last century. Of course, his Complete Early Recordings is also indespensible.

Beautiful Blues from the Delta
This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful collections of blues I have ever heard. Skip James was a man of the Mississipi Delta and his music reflects his origins. The sound is sparse, the rhythms a melancholic mix of country, blues and ragtime. Over the top of deceptively simple arrangements for piano and acoustic guitar (to both of which James lends his distinctive sound), James' desolate falsetto recalls the deep sorrows of Depression-era black men with great poignancy.

While many of the songs on this collection at least superficially reflect the theme of lost love, there are darker moments too:
"Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" is a bleak and resigned commentary on the racial hatred and economic injustices faced by America's black poor in the 1930s; "Sick Bed Blues" explores the tragedy of a man alone.

Yet this CD is also infused with a real lightness of spirit: "... Hospital Center Blues" is a tribute to the musicians who rediscovered James in the 1960s and moved him to a private hospital so he could receive better treatment; and "Catfish Blues", with its refrain "I would rather be a little catfish/ so I could swim way down in the sea/ I wouldn't have no women/ setting out a line for me", is a refreshingly light fantasy of escape from impossible love.

The CD comprises recordings from the 1960s albums "Today!" and "Devil Got My Woman", so listeners don't have to cope with the appalling background hiss on re-releases of James' early Paramount sessions. Tracks 18 and 19 have never been previously released and are as brilliant as anything else on this incredible album.

Even if you have never heard of Skip James, you should check out this awesome collection of music from one of the Blues' truly great unsung masters.

The Only Real Genius of the Blues
Skip James was the Theolonius Monk of the Blues, and his emotional pallette was broader than Monk's. If you listen with open ears you can hear James trying to invent and reharmonise the Blues vocabulary, as well as express a life of torment and joy. He is soft spoken, and elfishly whimsical, but his virtuoso skating of the thin knife edge between major and minor, African and Anglo melodies is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. The very defination of goosebump music. I personally think that James was trying to invent Bebop twenty years before Bird met Diz. And his lyrics are haunting and powerful beyond all others in a haunting and powerful genre. Let those with ears to hear, listen. ... Read more

Album Details

Bessie Smith's Big, Beautiful Voice Influenced Generations of Singers and Can Still Be Heard in the Work of Many of Today's Stars. 4cds, Well Over Four Hours of Music, Full Liner Notes and a Discography Add Up to a Truly Deluxe Package. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

This is a treasure trove--for the Muddy Waters fan, for the blues historian, for the country-blues enthusiast. Alan Lomax, searching for Robert Johnson (recently deceased), came through and recorded a young McKinley Morganfield. The rest is history. Early versions of future classics can be found on these field recordings from 1941-42, and the guitar and voice that would have unimaginable influence on blues and rock & roll. There's no Chicago yet in these often-scratchy recordings, but if you listen, you can hear where it came from. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Muddy's Real Real Folk Blues
When Muddy Waters made the first recordings here, he was 26 or 27 and had not been playing regularly. He didnt own a guitar and had to borrow Alan Lomax's Martin. You see here your basic Delta and Mississippi blues in full blossom, by a man who was a great player if he could sound like this when he wasn't in practice. People look at Mississippi blues with a distorted mind thinking of it only through the stream of Robert Johnson, when the music and the tradition was much broader.

In the interviews on this recording you can see how lame and ignorant at times the folklorists were, both white and black, Lomax and Work. But you also see a testament to Son House who taught Robert Johnson, Muddy, and a whole layer of bluesmen and who was such a great artist even in his revival 1960s that Muddy would make his band members keep quiet and play close attention when House performed with them at Newport and elsewhere.

However, you also see his roots beyond this. We get to hear a good string band performance with Muddy Playing with fiddler Son Sims and a mandolin player in a blues fiddle band that was typical of what was going on at the time. Muddy explains his decision to start playing music was inspired by Sims and the string band with Sims and the mandolin player was the band he performed with when he got work. Neither Waters nor the liner notes let you know that Waters also played mandolin, and that when Muddy was a teenager in the 1930s, his favorite blues group was the fiddle band The Mississippi Sheiks. Years later, Muddy would explain he walked all day just to hear the Sheiks.

Despite all this history, this is some good blues music to listen to,. More relaxed,and less intense, and of course less masterful than the Chess masterpieces Muddy began putting out in Chicago in the 1940s, but this is still a CD I put on my player with it set to keep replaying it because I want to hear it.

Muddy Waters' first recordings
If your idea of what a Muddy Waters tune should sound like is the cut-and-shuffle of "Hoochie Coochie Man" or the hard-hitting "I've Got My Mojo Working", the music on this album may come as a surprise to you. This is strictly acoustic stuff, split between solo performances and recordings with the Son Simms Four string band, and the style (if not the voice) recalls Waters' self-professed mentor, the legendary Eddie "Son" House.

Stil, if you're interested in country blues, this is an important and interesting document, showcasing the great Muddy Waters before he truly found a style of his own. The 1941 recording of "I Be's Troubled" (later redubbed "I Can't Be Satisfied") shows signs of things to come, but most of what is on here owes a huge debt to Son House first and William "Big Bill" Broonzy second. Waters' heavy-handed slide guitar attack is strongly reminiscent of House, whom Waters mentions several times during the four interview snippets spread across the record.

According to legend, listening to himself on acetate for the first time made Muddy Waters believe in himself and his abilities as a recording artist ("I didn't know I sang like that!"), and he eventually made it north to Chicago where his re-working of "I Be's Troubled" became a major local hit in 1948).

Among the highlights on this album are the House-esque "Country Blues", "I Be's Troubled", and "Rosalie", which is a virtual blueprint for Waters' later approach. Also listen to "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" and the Charley Patton-like "You Got To Take Sick And Die Some Of These Days".

Again, this is NOT the kind of hard-rocking blues and deep grooves that made Muddy Waters the king of Chicago blues in the 50s (well, alongside Howlin' Wolf), but if you are interested in the developement of one of the most important post-war blues musicians, it is well worth picking up. And the music is good, too!

The birth of a legend of the 20the century
THis is the beginning of a colossal history: the history of McKinley Morganfield, aka Muddy Waters, born April 4,1915,in Rolling Fork (Sharkey Co),MS.Born on Kroger Plantation,he went to Clarksdale,MS,in 1918,after his mother's death,and lived with his grandmother.He taught playing harp at 9, and guitar around 1932.Nine years later,he waxed his first tunes,and the legend could begin.One of the greatest musicians of the century was born.
Of course, this cd is essential.Even if there are some imperfections,even if the violin of Henry Sims on four tracks isn't very good.Muddy Waters' music is already here,with strong influences from Son House,Charley Patton,Willie Brown,Robert Johnson and even Blind Lemon Jefferson."Country blues" and "I be's troubled" are masterful solo pieces,recorded at Stovall's Plantation,August 1941."I be bound to write to you" will later be named "I can't be satisfied",and it features great slide playing."You got to take sick and die..." shows Muddy imitating (with great skill) the outstanding Blind Willie Johnson;you know,the guy who recorded "dark was the night,cold was the ground",one of the most extraordinary pieces in the history of american black music."Why don't you live..." is the same ."mean red spider" features a pianist that sounds like Sunnyland Slim."I'm gonna cut your head" is more in Big Maceo's mood,because of James Clark's piano playing;so are "atomic bomb blues" ,"tomorrow will be too late","Jitterbug blues","hard day blues","burryin' ground blues","come to me baby" and "you can't make the grade".It seems funny and strange to find Muddy playing the role of Tampa Red.However,there are great tunes,with great piano support;Muddy loved this kind of piano players,and some years later he will play with the immense Otis Spann (1930-1970),a "son" of Big Maceo.Finally,the terrific,outstanding,amazing,superb "rollin' and tumblin'",recorded in two parts,with Little Walter,harp,and Babyface Leroy Foster,dms and vcl.This tune became one of Muddy's anthems,and was first recorded by an obscure but very talented guy at the end of the twenties,Hambone Willie Newbern;this man recorded a few tracks,and died killed by cops who stroke him to death.You can find the "complete recorded works" of Willie Newbern on Document Records.Muddy's version of "rollin' and tumblin'" is one of the most ferocious things I ever heard;the very young Little Walter (Marion Jacobs,1930-1968),plays harp like mad here.A little bit more than five minutes of the greatest blues playing.If you're addicted to Muddy Waters' music,you have to discover this little known side of his music.

Acoustic Mud
These are the recordings that launched the legend. Traces of Robert Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy are all over these recordings. Features Muddy solo, and with his early juke-joint band, The Son Simms Four. Other than the music (essential to any Muddy fan,) another interesting aspect of these recording are the interview pieces conducted by Library of Congress archivist Alan Lomax. Muddy comes off as most shy and modest. He had no idea of the impact he would make just 6 years later. Very intriguing. Muddy's elecric 50's work influenced the likes of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, thereby creating rock and roll. Muddy is the father of all instruments electric. Ask Jimi Hendrix. Muddy was, and to me, still is the man.

An invaluable look at Muddy Waters' early work.
Before he became the phenomenon known as Muddy Waters, McKinley Morganfield was a sharecropper at Stovall's Plantation in Clarksdale, Mississippi who worked the soil for a living and played the blues to escape the rigors of his everday life. The Complete Plantation recordings brings us the rawest Muddy Waters yet, documented by Library of Congress folklorist Alan Lomax from 1941-42.

Alot of the immediate appeal of the collection comes from hearing early versions of songs he would later record for the Chess brothers in Chicago. "I Can't be Satisfied" is here in its scorching embryonic state as "I Be's Troubled" as are two takes of "Country Blues" the haunting predecessor to "I Feel Like Going Home." Lomax asks Waters about his inspirations and compositional style in four interview tracks which tend to add more atmosphere than insight. The real gems here are five tracks of the Son Simms Four, a string band in which Waters played guitar (with Henry "Son" Simms on vocal and violin, Percy Thomas on Guitar and Louis Ford on Mandolin). Not only are they documents of Waters in an improvisational collaboration with other artists, and rare examples of authentic black string music, a frequently overlooked area of southern folklore, they are some great dance blues tunes. "Joe Turner," particularly, makes the dance origins of the blues readily apparent.

Afficionados of Muddy Waters' know that his earlier his work, the more intense and raw the performance, Waters having unforntunately fallen into an overproduced 12-bar rut further into his career. While these performances are indisputably intense, feeling closer to the Mississippi Delta than their Chicago counterparts, they lack Waters' distinctive sound that was evident in his early Chess work; a sound that evolved from the tensions between his country roots and big city surroundings. It was that inimitable style which catapulted Waters onto blues' Mount Olympus, and which makes this collection slightly less essential than The Best of Muddy Waters (CHD-31268)or the other compilations of his early work on the Chess label. That said, once introduced to Waters' Chicago classics, "The Plantation Recordings" become required listening for anyone wanting know the infrastructure on which one of the most towering shadows in blues is built. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent
This four-disc JSP compilation provides a truly excellent overview of Texas bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson's career. It is very well annotated, exquisitely remastered, and certainly worth more than the asking price (as is the case with all of JSP's blues box sets).

Every song Lemon ever recorded is here, the religious sides and the blues numbers, including "Match Box Blues", "Jack O' Diamonds Blues", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", and several alternate takes. There is quite a lot of surface noise present, but that is the case with all Blind Lemon-compilations - some of these songs were comitted to tape almost 80 years ago, remember. The original masters are long lost, and some songs have been remastered from seriously damaged 78s, which means that the sound quality varies a lot, but this box set sounds as good as any Blind Lemon Jefferson-collection on the market, with the possible exception of the excellent Milestone CD "Blind Lemon Jefferson".
Lemon's highly advanced guitar playing is often partly obscured by the noise, but his expressive tenor voice cuts is clearly audible, conveying emotions like longing, grief, fear, and bitterness...just listen to songs like "'Lectric Chair Blues" or "That Black Snake Moan".

This is a find for the serious blues lover, but it is just too much for slightly more casual fans, who will be better served by Yazoo's "The Best Of Blind Lemon Jefferson", or Catfish's "Squueze My Lemon". But if you want it all, this is the place to get it. A truly impressive document.

One of the Original Masters
Blind Lemon was one of the original masters. He was a huge influence on Robert Johnson, and Johnson borrowed more than just a line or two from Lemon.

Do yourself a favor and listen to a true pioneer who is still influencing popular music to this very day.

Two Songs in Particular!
ANY Lemon set that features both "Jack O' Diamond Blues" and "Where Shall I Be?" (absolutely immortal--listen to that little guitar intro) has got to start out being superb, and being the "complete" recordings of Lemon, how can it go downhill from superb? It can't. "Jack O' Diamond Blues" is the ultimate in blues shouting, just the best. And "Where Shall I Be?" is absolutely ethereal--what a masterpiece, being on my list of favorites with Tommy Johnson's "Canned Heat Blues" (favorite blues song), Charley Patton's "High Sherrif Blues" (favorite voice), Eddie Anthony/Henry Williams's "Georgia Crawl" (favorite fiddle and duet), Blind Willie McTell's "Scarey Day Blues" (great solo), Lonnie Johnson's "Careless Love" (only the original, on acoustic 12-string, not the later sappy stuff), Sleepy John Estes's "Down South Blues" (as mournful as it gets), Cannon Jug Stompers' "Bring It With You When You Come" (favorite banjo), Sonny Boy I's "Miss Louisa Blues" (maybe the wildest harp, short of George "Bullet" Williams's "Touch Me Light, Mama"), and Sonny Boy II's "Lonesome Cabin" (try to find a more beautiful harp). Get this Lemon box, check out my two favorites, and dig the rest of it--he was one of the coolest.

Good intro to Lemon
The sound is better on the second of the two Yazoo releases ("The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson") than it is here, but this is a more complete set (although it's missing a few alternate takes) at a good bargain. This set is certainly superior to the Documents, but some of the songs are mastered from very lousy 78s (better copies exist and are used on other compilations). The reviewer below mentions an upcoming Catfish set. In my opinion, the Catfish sets in general are of very poor quality, they eradicate all the surface noise then artificially add some treble to make up for the loss in sound quality, and the overall effect is a very flat, lifeless sound and compromised music. Catfish's releases seem to be aimed towards the 78 layman who is not used to hearing surface noise. If you want the (near) complete Jefferson output, this is the set to get, but the Yazoos still sound the best by a fairly wide margin.

It's all here
This album contains all known surviving Jefferson recordings. For blues lovers, having a complete Jefferson set is like having the complete works of Shakespeare.

Jefferson's powerful tenor voice and freakish guitar technique would be reason enough, but you get the songs too. "Matchbox Blues," "Black Horse Blues," "Lockstep Blues," and many others are like lyric poetry.

The sound quality is about as good as possible considering that almost everything had to be dubbed from worn 78s that defy noise reduction. That does mean that background noise is present on every track in varying amounts.

As a bonus, the notes have a touch of ironic humor that doesn't detract from the solid information they present. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Sappy 50's doo-wop, and album filler, NOT good music!
The artistic quality of these two albums are nil, NON-EXISTANT! This is commercial doo-wop inspired garbage. Album filler, at best. The 1st album consists of ballads with muzaky piano playing, that sounds too sickeningly easy listening(considering he was once a boogie woogie great in the 1940's). These albums sound like they were desperatley trying for a hit. The 1st albumn at least has several uptempo numbers taht might have been pretty cool, if they weren't weighed down by obviously white, non-swingign backup singers. The 2nd album is even worst, if that's possible, Joe sings some old gems but the arrangements are so corny and filled with a chior backing him up, that it sounds SO DATED! This is Ivory Joe's lowest point of his career, thsi is really bad, get some of his earlier stuff, but skip this depressign and EMBERESSING Atlantic sides.

A little something for everyone
With some effort, I acquired Ivory Joe Hunter/The Old and the New, mainly for one of my favorites: Since I Met You Baby. This tune came out when I was in seventh grade.

I got hooked in the mass market rock and roll music as it developed in the mid to late 1950s. So I have not really bonded with some of the more traditional blues songs on this CD. An even older generation can probably appreciate them more. But I am trying, by playing them over and over again, to develop a real appreciation.

Others that I can really go for include the more country type, such as A Tear Fell and Worried Mind.

It is said that Ivory Joe estimated that he wrote between 7 and 8 thousand songs in his lifetime. I have checked with other musicians as to whether this is really possible. To prove it, one of my friends then composed a basic blues tune on the spot. Maybe those songs weren't all fully developed and worth marketing. But he sure left us a lot that were recorded, for their own entertainment value and as influence on others.

Great songs - indifferent sound quality
Tell me you know of a more talented singer-songwriter and i'll suggest you have been drinking!

The album comprises R&B classics (No other version of 'Since I Met You Baby' comes anywhere close to the perfection of Joe's original) and classic ballads (I'll Take You Home again, Kathleen etc) and represents excellent value. The dissapointment for me is the mastering. Problem is, it will always come out second best to the likes of the ACE label.

Anyhow, let's place this artist where he deserves to be - At the top!

Ivory Joe Hunter/ Old and the New
My mother,Mary Edwards, wrote 2 of the songs on this album when I was a child. (I Could Fall In Love With You, and One More Memory). Ivory Joe was not only a great talent with a beautiful voice, but a wonderful man who cherished his friends. I called him Uncle Joe until his death and still miss him greatly. I can still see that big, leather house shoe hanging off the end of his foot,patting to the music as he sat at the piano. My father, Howard Edwards, played the guitar and we sang and had so much fun. Of course our little voices were pitiful, but Uncle Joe always told us we were great. I met a lot of famous people who came to his home in Monroe, Louisiana, where he lived for many years. We loved to watch him perform on the Ed Sullivan show. Now days when you say that kids ask "who was Ed Sullivan?" Boy do I feel old then. Well, there is no music today to rival that of the 50s. Ivory Joe was a great talent and even greater man. He is greatly missed.

Brittany Edwards

Monroe, La

Some Missing Gems
Chances are if you're like me and approaching the ..er - so-called Golden Years, you will recall doing the slow dance to the incomparable Ivory Joe Hunter's Since I Met You Baby in 1956. One of the most distinctive voices of that era, this gentle giant from Kirbyville, Texas became the first black artist to outsell the rushed-out white cover versions when his rendition - which he wrote as well - went to # 12 pop and # 1 R&B, out-distancing both Mindy Carson, who peaked at # 36, and Molly Bee who failed to dent the top 100. Also on this CD are 1955's It May Sound Silly, a # 14 R&B charter which was outsold by The McGuire Sisters' cover that peaked at # 11 pop, A Tear Fell which scored at # 15 R&B in 1956 but lost out to Teresa Brewer's pop release, which went to # 5, Empty Arms in 1957, a # 2 R&B/#43 pop ballad outsold again by Teresa Brewer who took it to # 13 pop, and Yes I Want You which, perhaps prophetically, made it to # 13 R&B - and # 94 pop - in 1958. He never again had a charted hit, and when he passed away on November 8, 1974 after a long bout with lung cancer, he did so broke. This despite having written over 2,500 songs, including the immortal I Almost Lost My Mind, a # 1 R&B hit for Ivory Joe for 24 straight weeks in 1950, and which Pat Boone took back to # 1 pop in 1956. In fact, between 1946 and 1950 Ivory Joe was a constant presence on the R&B charts, beginning with Blues At Sunrise with Johnny Moore's 3 Blazes. It's just too bad no one has yet gathered these hits together for the many fans who fondly remember this fine artist. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bessie Smith wasn't the first of the classic blues singers to record, but once she did, she became the form's dominant force, with a voice that combined clear diction, great power, and a unique capacity to convey complex emotions. Weariness gives way to resilience and sorrow to joyous triumph in Smith's performances, and there's nobility in her delivery of even the sometimes tritely comic lyrics she sang. This is the first of five two-CD sets that gather all her known recordings. The first 38 songs, from February 1923 to April 1924, are here. Smith was a presence when she first arrived in the studio: "Downhearted Blues," her first record and already a hit for its composer, Alberta Hunter, would sell nearly 800,000 copies in its first six months of release. It's a riveting performance, but there's greater substance just a couple of months later in the bending notes of "Oh Daddy Blues." There are many majestic performances here, with Smith usually accompanied by just piano, played by songwriter Clarence Williams, her working accompanist Irving Johns, or Fletcher Henderson. When her accompaniments begin to expand, Don Redman makes an appearance on clarinet, but the great band recordings with Louis Armstrong remain in the future. The liner notes, by Smith's biographer, Chris Albertson, are excellent, filled with illuminating background and details of Smith's career during her first year of fame. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Smooth yet rough, classic blues
Listening to this CD set is like sitting in one of those smoke filled blues bars on in an old, old movie. I first heard Bessie Smith on a small town blues radio program - you know, one of those stations that gave an hour or two to different kinds of music, so the jockeys for the particular genre really know their stuff. Her voice really stood out from all the rest. It is smooth like Ella Fitzgerald but sorrowful and knowing. I am an Ella fan too, but Bessie has more IN her voice. I would love to have heard her sing some gospel because you can hear the pure power in her voice without her every really using it. It is like a deep river running slowly.

The sound quality of the recording is ... well, have you ever listened to vinyl? It is like that, sort of. You can tell it is old. For me, though, that just adds to its charm. The accompanyment(sp?) is piano - no blaring horns or anything like that. This is slow, classic blues.

Not Enough Supurlatives To Describe It
In my opinion Bessie Smith was not only one of the first, but the
best. Bessie Smith blazed the trail which was followed by all of
the great female blues singers.

This complete set illustrates that ALL of her recordings became
part of the foundation upon which the genre was built.

I only have one regret. I bought the set on cassettes before I
had a CD player! A problem that I plan to resolve in the very
near future.

The Mother of All Blues Singing Ladies
Anyone who wants to know how the blues are sung should listen to Bessie Smith. Or anyone who already knows and wants the complete recordings should get out the wallet for this "Volume 1." Bessie's the mother of them all. With a voice like a pipe organ belting out sad songs of betrayal, abuse, violence, and rough love she defined blues singing back in the '20's and '30's Nobody's ever done it better. Engineering substantially reduces the old '78 hiss. These 2 CD's and the well-written informative booklet included are well worth the price. One hopes the succeeding volumes will be as well done. ... Read more