Founder of Delta Blues
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Audio CD (21 March, 1995)
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Editorial Review

Although the title of founder might not be exactly accurate, Patton does cast a giant shadow over Mississippi blues. His background as a medicine show entertainer made him more than the typical brooding bluesman. Much of his repertoire was upbeat and just plain fun. Take, for instance, his rendition of "Shake It and Break It": the gravelly voiced Patton snaps his strings and taps out the rhythm on his guitar while not missing a beat. His slide numbers like "High Sheriff" and "When Your Way Gets Dark" are beautiful melodic pieces seldom matched by his peers. He was also an early mentor of Robert Johnson, who probably picked up his trademark descending bass run from Patton. Charley was one of the true greats and is required listening for Delta blues fans. --Lars Gandil ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The best of best pre-war blues recording artist
If you are looking to begin a pre-war blues collection, this should be one of the first cd's (if not the first) you should buy.There are many other great pre-war blues artists, but Charlie Patton is one notch above them all."Founder of the Delta Blues" collects all of Patton's best recordings, and unlike many of his contempories who created new songs by simply changing the lyrics of a recycled melody, most of Patton's work was varied, giving the listener something new to hear on each track.

Patton was a fantastic slide guitar player, showcasing these skills in Mississippi Boll Weavil Blues, Spoonful Blues, and I't Won't Be Long.You'll hear him slapping the guitar body on "Down the Dirt Road Blues" to create his own percussion section.He teams up with Willie Brown on second guitar (the Willie Brown of Eric Clapton and Robert Johnson's Crossroads Blues) and old time fiddle player Son Sims on a number of tracks as well.The music is as honest and as raw as it gets, providing a good feel for the music scene in rural black America before the Great Depression.

As a singer, Patton's gravelly and often uncomprehensive voice may scare some first time listeners away.Stick with it, though.Listen to him 4 or 5 times; you'll get past the scratches/pops of the lousy original 78's and learn to love the music.If I was stranded on a desert island and could choose only 5 pre-war blues cd's to take along, I think this one would be at the top of the list.

A classic album, but not the best available sound quality
This one was considered THE Charlie Patton-compilaton for many long years. Originally released in 1969, "Founder Of The Delta Blues" includes almost all of Patton's best songs, from "Pony Blues" to "High Sheriff Blues", and it is still a very fine overview of Charlie Patton's recording career. But it has now been overtaken, fidelity-wise, by the magnificent JSP box set "The Complete Recordings 1929-34", and the single-disc retrospective "Pony Blues: His 23 Greatest Songs" from the Austrian Wolf label, as well as a couple of other recent compilations.

Dirt-poor acoustics, but great Charlie Patton
If you were listening to this disc with headphones, you'd probably go nuts -- the sound quality is that primitive (about as primitive as it gets!).But once you get used to it, and if you can listen to it on a stereo, I guarantee you'll have a totally different experience.This recording was done over four years (1929-34), so the track quality varies.Generally, though, there's such a deep, lazy, and magnetic ambience to Charlie Patton's music that it shines right through poor LP acoustics and seventy years of history.Good luck figuring out what Patton is actually saying (his enunciation is right up there with Bob Dylan's), but the music is what counts, right?!A rich and unique recording.Recommended. ... Read more

Asin: B000000G8M
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1926-1929)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 March, 1997)
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Reviews (2)

Frank Hutchison: The best of the pre-war white bluesmen
This a great intrduction to what is sometimes called "white countryblues". Hutchison was an incredible talent when allowed to showcasehis blues leanings. Unfortunately he had to record what the labels thoughtwould sell so some of the tracks on this disc are not what one would calltraditional blues. That should not stand in your way of checking him out.Just listen to "Logan County Blues" or "Train That CarriedMy Girl From Town". Wonderful slide work is all over this disc. I willwarn you that on a small number of tracks the sound quality is somewhatpoor but overall that is not a problemFor an even better intro to thisgenre of music, pick up Columbias "White Country Blues: A LighterShade Of Blue". This is a fantastic 2-cd set featuring a wide varietyof artists (including Hutchison). This disc opens with a devastatinginstrumental version of KC Blues. Snatch it up!!

Frank Hutchison: The best of the pre-war white bluesmen
This a great intrduction to what is sometimes called "white countryblues". Hutchison was an incredible talent when allowed to showcasehis blues leanings. Unfortunately he had to record what the labels thoughtwould sell so some of the tracks on this disc are not what one would calltraditional blues. That should not stand in your way of checking him out.Just listen to "Logan County Blues" or "Train That CarriedMy Girl From Town". Wonderful slide work is all over this disc. I willwarn you that on a small number of tracks the sound quality is somewhatpoor but overall that is not a problemFor an even better intro to thisgenre of music, pick up Columbias "White Country Blues: A LighterShade Of Blue". This is a fantastic 2-cd set featuring a wide varietyof artists (including Hutchison). This disc opens with a devastatinginstrumental version of KC Blues. Snatch it up!! ... Read more

Asin: B000000JJJ
Sales Rank: 259349
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Appalachian Folk    3. Country    4. Folk & Traditional    5. Folk-Blues    6. Old-Timey    7. Pop    8. Prewar Country Blues    9. Traditional Country    10. Traditional Folk   

King of the Country Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 October, 1990)
list price: $17.98
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Editorial Review

Although these recordings are from the late 1920s, Jefferson lends them an elegance and sophistication that most people don't associate withblues of that era. His melodic country-blues style incorporated prominent elements of ragtime and featured numerous "break-aways," or solo-guitar riffs. Many of his songs were based around traditional folk songs, and Jefferson often presented them with asymmetrical constructions and odd time signatures. His fluent guitar work was able to step out on its own or provide cohesive support for his vocals. As one of the first commercially successful blues artists, his influence is widespread: from fellow Texans Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker to Piedmont bluesmen such as Gary Davis. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Excellent but discontinued...
But do not despair. I have nothing to add to the many fine and insightful reviews, except for the fact that Yazoo Records (who put out this compilation on LP back in 1985) have now supplanted it with the equally fine "The Best Of Blind Lemon Jefferson".

One of America's Finest
Blind Lemon Jefferson is one of the most unique and talented musical artists in our country's history.

This is evidenced by the fact that virtually every blues musician after 1930 cites him as an influence or inspiration, but none of them sound remotely like him.

Thankfully, because many of Jefferson's recordings are still intact and in some degree of listenability, we can judge for ourselves. While the audio quality of many of his recordings are criminally decrepit, his personality and musicianship manage to cut through and reveal a confident and highly skilled artist and performer whose songs still resonate today.

Jefferson's recordings were not made as "field recordings" a la Alan Lomax visiting a poor, unknown musician in a sharecroppers' house. Jefferson's songs were recorded in Chicago by Paramount Records in the mid 1920s by producers who clearly appreciated Jefferson's talent and professionalism and ability to sell lots of records.

Blind Lemon Jefferson is interesting and important becausehis music contradicts almost every false cliche about blues musicians. He was very literate as a person and a musician. As a guitar player and singer he was technically gifted, rarely if ever hit a wrong note, and achieved performance standards as high as any classically trained musician of his time. Yet he also made his music and singing sound very informal and spontaneous, as if he had just made it up.

In this release, two of his most interesting works are "Hot Dogs" and "Beggin' Back", in which Jefferson appears to provide improvised, bantering spoken vocals over very challenging guitar accompaniments of established rag-time influenced standards of the time.

The measure of Blind Lemon Jefferson's recorded work can be weighed in that few, if any, subsequent blues musicians have even attempted to cover his songs in the way he recorded them.After trying, they simply gave up.

Strangely, the one contemporary musician who most reminds me of Blind Lemon Jefferson is Ali Farka Toure of Mali.

I have always liked and admired this man's music because in a strange way, it does not seem old at all, but very fresh and new.

Poor Sweet Lemon
King of the Country Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson.Say no more?Ifyou're new to the 78 rpm country blues, then by all means you should investin this CD.It's not easy listening - Lemon was badly recorded in his day,and time hasn't improved the sound quality.Back when this CD wasproduced, Yazoo was holding out against NoNoise sonic treatments whichother companies such as Columbia were using to remove crackles and hissfrom the original masters (78 rpm records, usually).So Lemon is heardthrough an auditory haze, as it were - but this is nothing new, and thewear and tear actually contribute to the ambience of Lemon's music.Theliner notes are a primer on Lemon's music, his place in history, and hisinfluence (or lack thereof) on contemporary blues musicians.Note thatthere are 23 tracks on the CD.I have the LP version of this collection -it has 28 tracks, but "That Black Snake Moan" is missing from theLP also.I assume that Yazoo has a recording of that tune, and that itsphysical condition makes it unsuitable for release.Nevertheless, these 23tunes are enough Lemon for a lifetime - and they get sweeter as the yearsgo by.If they don't impress you on first hearing, by all means don't sellthe CD to some used-CD hawker.Put it on the shelf and come back to itmonths or years later, and see how many of these tunes have stuck in yourmemory.More than you thought, probably... Anyhow, that's been myexperience with this CD.One of the best. ... Read more

Asin: B000000G85
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Texas Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Field Recordings    5. Pop    6. Prewar Gospel Blues    7. Texas Blues   

Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 October, 1990)
list price: $17.98
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Reviews (3)

A revelation
As a fingerpicker and long-time fan of Rev. Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, Jorma Kaukkonen I am astounded to learn from this record that virtually everything they did was done not only first by Blind Blake, but better.
Brilliant, beautiful, indispensible!

Guitar picker ambrosia
As a worshipper of Django, Robert Johnson and other guitar legends, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know about Blind Blake. If you like guitar, this is ambrosia. It's like being a baseball fan and hearing about ShoelessJoe Jackson for the first time.

Rag-Time Guitar at its Best!
Blind Blake was a master of the acoustic guitar.His rag-time style isclearly one of the most technically difficult to perform; but his naturalability makes it sound so smooth.A musical genius, Blake perfected asound that can only rarely be imitated. Anyone who appreciates acousticguitar will fall in love with this classic recording. ... Read more

Asin: B000000G84
Sales Rank: 179050
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Blues    4. Country Blues    5. East Coast Blues    6. Piedmont Blues    7. Pop    8. Prewar Blues    9. Prewar Country Blues   

Definitive Blind Willie Mctell
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 May, 1994)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $19.98
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Editorial Review

An extraordinary 12-string guitarist and robust singer, Willie McTell's career began in Statesboro, Georgia, where the blind-from-birth musician performed on corners for spare change. While he immortalized that town in the much-covered "Statesboro Blues," it was McTell's move to Atlanta in 1927 that led to his first studio dates--and a recording career that lasted, on and off, until his death in the late '50s. This two-CD collection features tracks from 1929 to 1933 when McTell, already under contract to Victor Records, began recording for Columbia and Vocalion under a variety of aliases such as Blind Sammie and Georgia Bill. McTell was equally adept at blues ("Talking to Myself," "Broke Down Engine Blues"), ballads ("Lord Send Me an Angel"), and rags ("Georgia Rag"), and his work is a delightful primer of 1920s Southeastern street music. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Look elsewhere for "definitive"
This is Columbia's McTell 2-CD boxed set. The text on the back of the box tells us that the collection is complete, but doesn't specify what they means by "complete".It lacks Statesboro Blues, which means the collection is neither complete nor definitive. Typical of Columbia remastering of old blues or jazz recordings, the surface noise is minimized at the expense of depth of the actual recording. McTell's booming 12-string sounds rather thin on these Colombia remasterings.

For better alternatives, there's a new Yazoo "best-of" collection which will probably be the CD of choice if you want a one-CD collection. These guys are reliably excellent with digital remastering of early blues recordings. Then there's JSP's boxed set (5-CDs) of complete early recordings up to 1940. The JSP includes Statesboro and all of his early classics, in excellent sound. And it can be had for $20 to $30, so it might steal 1st choice from Yazoo, unless you're short of storage space. Whichever you choose, McTell is one of the great singers of his age, plus he had a fair hand with the guitar. An essential acquisition if you're building an early blues collection.

Good, but not definitive
If you're only going to add one Willie McTell-album to your collection, pass this one by. It is a very good overview of William Samuel McTell's excellent Columbia and Okeh sides, but you won't find any of his classic Victor singles here, and that's a pity, because it was at Victor that McTell recorded "Statesboro Blues", "Dark Night Blues", "Writing Paper Blues", "Stole Rider Blues", and "Mama T'Ain't Long 'Fo Day".
But add this one and "The Early Years 1927-1933" to your shopping basket, and you'll have a very fine overview of Blind Willie McTell in his prime.
Or you could just get the handsomely packaged box set "The Definitive Blind Willie McTell", or the exhaustive (and very reasonably priced) "The Classic Years 1927-1940"....

Would be 5 stars if not for the sound
Before I got this CD, I had never listned to a recording of Blind Willie McTell. The reason I got this was that I knew that the White Stripes, my favorite band, were inspired by his music and I loved there cover of McTell's "Southern Can Is Mine". The music on this CD is great. McTell was very very good on the 12-string guitar and that is apparent on this album. The liner notes are also very good (especially if you're a new-comer to pre-war blues). The only thing discouraging about the CD is the quality of many of the songs-- not very good, but if you can get over that then I'd recommend this to anyone interested in Blind Willie McTell. ... Read more

Asin: B0000028WJ
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

Absolutely the Best
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (03 October, 2000)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (5)

Excellent selection and sound quality
This CD deserves a good rating, so I'm coming to its rescue. John Hardy is a crucial element in the Americana songlist, and both versions are individually worthwhile and unique. I enjoythis CD every time I hear it, and I can't say that for many historical compilations. Leadbelly's vocals and sense of rhythm impress on every track.

12-string work
The recording was not, I'll admit, as good of clarity as the Last Sessions CD, but was better than most Highly reccomended for an intro to Leadbelly's work.

Lead Belly Lite
This CD is sort of OK.It has some of the songs that Lead Belly is known for (i.e., "Goodnight Irene," "House of the Rising Sun"), but they aren't portrayed in a manner that says "Yes!This is a blues artist that could have inspired generations of folk, blues, and rock artists!"

It's sort of 12-string guitar thing, folky and strummy, and it lacks the guts that you expect in a good blues recording.But, hey, Lead Belly played 12-string guitar, you say?Darn right, and he played it better on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (Smithsonian Folkways), for example.

The recording quality here is pretty good.There's some noise, but it's better than you might expect of recordings from this era.It's the performance that suffers.Lead Belly's material is timeless, but the renditions that we have here fall short of sounding inspiring.Great artist.Check elsewhere for his great stuff. ... Read more

Asin: B00004YWVX
Sales Rank: 110278
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Folk-Blues    5. Folksongs    6. Guitar    7. Pop    8. Songster   

Do That Guitar Rag (1928-1935)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 November, 1991)
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Reviews (2)

Timeless
Experts often like to pigeon-hole, but they have always had a difficult time classifying William Lee Conley Broonzy's music.

The tall guitarist with the warm voice alternates between standard 12-bar fare, brisk rag numbers, guitar and piano duets, and showcases of his amazing flatpicking prowess, and he does it all with ease, leaving no doubt as to why he was one of the most popular and respected artists of the 20s and 30s (and 40s and 50s), and a huge source of inspiration to younger men like Muddy Waters (who recorded an entire album of his songs) and Memphis Slim (who did the same, as well as playing piano behind him some sixty years ago).

"Guitar Rag" is a fantastic showcase for Broonzy's superb instrumental prowess, the classic "Worrying You Off My Mind" swings, "Terrible Operation Blues" is simply hilarious, and there are lots of other highlights...everything is worth a listen, really, as is the case with most of Big Bill Broonzy's many recordings.

And this CD would serve as a marvelous companion volume to Yazoo's "The Young Big Bill Broonzy (1928-35)", by the way. Dubbed from old 78s, the quality of this 70-year old music is ultra high, and it is a great collection of some Big Bill Broonzy's best sides.

Fine country blues
Bill Broonzy gets small mention in blues histories, but he was, in his day, a very popular and versatile blues performer. This record features early recordings of Broonzy on his own, and with piano and other vocalists. Highlights include an emotional and contemplative pair of solos: "Worryin' You Off My Mind" (a permutation of the popular 'Sitting on Top of the World') and "Big Bill Blues." The guitar duet "Do That Guitar Rag" is a flashy instrumental, while "Pussy Cat Blues" (sung by a female vocalist) has Broonzy filling in around a piano and the deliciously bawdy lyrics. All in all, a fine collection of a talented artist finding his voice. ... Read more

Asin: B000000G7I
Sales Rank: 211696
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Blues    4. Country Blues    5. Pop    6. Prewar Blues   

Jazz Guitar
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 February, 1990)
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Reviews (4)

The most in-demand guitarist of 1925-33
Eddie Lang did not lead many sessions during his short life and the great majority are on this Yazoo collection. The most in-demand guitarist of 1925-33, Lang's rare opportunities to head his own dates put the focus on his single-note lines and gave him a chance to be in the spotlight rather than making other players sound good. This album has two unaccompanied solos (including Rachmaninoff's "Prelude"), duets with pianists Frank Signorelli, Arthur Schutt and Rube Bloom and three of his famous collaborations with fellow guitarist Lonnie Johnson. However the most memorable tracks are Lang's two exciting duets with guitarist Carl Kress: "Pickin' My Way" and an alternate take of "Feeling My Way." This is highly recommended music from the best jazz guitarist prior to the rise of Django Reinhardt

Virtuoso indeed!
This is a great disc. It has Eddie playing in several different settings.The duets with Johnson playing lead are excellent. One of my favorite oldjazz albums.

Cool, Man.
Cool, Man. Heavy. Really Heavy ... Read more

Asin: B000000G7X
Sales Rank: 24285
Subjects:  1. Classic Jazz    2. Dixieland    3. Jazz    4. New Orleans/Classic Jazz    5. Pop    6. Swing    7. United States of America   

The Genius of the Electric Guitar [Compilation]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Charlie Christian was dead of TB at 25, but his impact on modern jazz in general and electric guitarists in particular is incalculable. Yet another southwestern musician who came under the spell of tenor innovator Lester Young, Christian also learned valuable lessons from arranger/trombonist/electric guitarist Eddie Durham--who recorded the first six-string electric solo on Basie's "Time Out" and taught Christian the value of downstrokes.Christian's horn-like phrasing style and genius for setting up repeated rhythmic figures (known as riffs) anticipated the bebop revolution to come--and was a major influence on Thelonious Monk and Wes Montgomery. As a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet, Christian brought a renewed sense of swing and blues authority to the clarinetist's combo, where on numbers such as "Seven Come Eleven" he set everything in motion with only a few well-placed notes.His invigorating brand of tension and release reaches its rhythmic apex on his big band feature "Solo Flight" and an all-star bash with Goodman, Basie, Cootie Williams, and Jo Jones on "Breakfast Feud" and "I Found A New Baby." --Chip Stern ... Read more

Reviews (10)

EXELENTE
Compré este disco hace diez años, en el tiempo que estudiaba, saque nota por nota casi todos sus temas para tocarlos en vivo, asi que es un disco muy especial para mí.
En la información que leí en el disco dice que vivió 23 años,pues este disco es esencial para quien quiera conocer los fundamentos de la guitarra eléctrica de jazz.Charlie puso las bases aunque no fue el primero en usar una guitarra eléctrica en el jazz si fue el primero en crear un lenguaje propio para este instrumento(Django y Lang lo hacían con guitarra acústica, y cuando Django toco eléctrica no pudo tener un dominio expresivo de este instrumento como el que consiguió en la acústica)
Se menciona mucho a Lester Young como su influencia principal, no estoy seguro de esto pero si de el hecho de que su ejecución esta firmemente arraigada a unas posiciones en el instrumento, aquí no encontraras las típicas escalas blues, menos lidias o dóricas, Charlie solia tocar sobre los acordes y los adornaba con notas de paso y cromáticas justamente colocadas, no tenia muchas posiciones pero las que tenia las usaba magistralmente, casi todo lo que viene en ese disco es blues pero recomiendo Rose room que es un super solo y .Puedes tener la seguridad de que este disco es EXELENTE

Great to hear the genius play...
Charlie Christian is one of the fathers of the electrical guitar.I'd never heard much of his music before I bought this CD. I'd heard some of the stuff he did with the big bands, but that was about it.I wasn't disappointed with this one.Surprisingly, the quality is excellent.I don't think the cover photo does Charlie justice.I've always heard that he was a great solo guitar player, but a horrible dresser.

You Jazz Types Need To Loosen Up
I like my Coltrane and Mingus and Monk too, but Jiminey H. Crowe, you can't give this stuff just 3 starts! This is Charlie Christian sneaking in the back door of the biggest stage available in popular music at the time and hi-jacking American culture from the facile and the banal back to solid musicianship, compelling (while seemingly effortless) syncopation, an expanded tonal palate without sacrificing a steady blues sensibility. It's not just complexity that bakes the biscuit. Complexity alone makes the girls yawn and go home. Here Charlie invigorates the blues while rocking the cradle of the Swing Era, rock guitar, and BeBop all at once, and even the great Benny gets taken to school. Three stars? Wake up! ... Read more

Asin: B0000026C8
Subjects:  1. Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Swing   

Djangology [Recall]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 October, 2000)
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Reviews (1)

Great Music - bad Liner Notes
The music on these 2 CDs is, without exception, great. The sound quality is about as good as you can expect for pre-war music recorded in France. My only complaint is with the liner notes. While there is a description of Reinherdt's career, there are no details on these recordings in particular. Maybe I've just gotten spoiled by the copious liner notes of US jazz reissues, but I'd really like to know recording dates, personnel, etc. Setting those issues aside, when you just put the music on and listen--it swings! ... Read more

Asin: B00004WMYI
Sales Rank: 218580
Subjects:  1. Continental Jazz    2. Gypsy    3. Jazz    4. Pop    5. Swing   

The Complete Decca Trios -- Plus (1936-1947)
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Audio CD (18 November, 1997)
list price: $31.98
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Reviews (1)

So good, he?s got a guitar named after him!
These 2 discs - 50 tracks, well over 2 hours of music - is the first material recorded by the legendary Les Paul, dating from 1936-47.And for being 50-plus years old, it sounds fresh indeed!

Even as a youngster, Lesshows amazing versatility, recording solo as "Rhubarb Red" (guitar, vocals,and a harmonica on a bracket), playing jazz standards, "Hawaiian" style,even "cowboy" music.He is joined on most of these tracks by his trio(piano, guitar, bass, later drums), and on many by the most celebratedvocalists of the period - Helen Forest, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters. His talent and technique never overshadow the music; most of the time he'splaying tasty rhythms and nifty chords, but every so often he cuts loosewith a flash of dazzling finger work.The cat can play!And this isbefore he got famous!(Check out the jazz standard "Caravan" on disc2.)

When you consider that all of this material was recorded years beforehe developed the first Gibson solid-body guitar (1952), Les was way aheadof his time.For the most part, sound quality is excellent, consideringthe vintage.A craftily-restored historical document, and also a finemusic program. ... Read more

Asin: B000003N4Q
Sales Rank: 183304
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Swing    3. V/a Compilations   

Original Delta Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 June, 1998)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

This Columbia Legacy reissue of the 1965 release is one of the few recordings available of one of the blues' founding fathers. It contains some of his best songs, which have unsurprisingly become classics of the Delta blues genre: "Death Letter," "Preachin' Blues," "Levee Camp Moan," "Pony Blues," and "Downhearted Blues" are all here. Though not as comprehensive as Father of the Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions, this CD is an excellent introduction to this seminal artist's work, revealing the creativity, passion, skillful guitar playing, and rich singing that helped form a whole new kind of music. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (12)

This Is The BLUES!!!
When you listen to this you feel like you have been transported to the Mississippi Delta.So many great songs and Death Letter gets it started perfectly.Everytime I hear Louise Mcgee I can almost picture Son riding in a box car down a lonely railroad track in the dead of night with his guitar pining for Louise.That may sound corny but that just gives you an idea of how powerful these songs are.John the Revelator, Levee Camp Moan, Sundown, Pony Blues are also great.Hell, there all great.If you are just getting into the blues, specifically the delta blues you have to have this.This and Robert Johnsons King of the Delta Blues Singers vol.1 & 2(I say these volumes because I think the sound quality is superior on these two as compared to the set)is mandatory.

Great second act...
This was part of Columbia/Legacy's endless recycling of their back catalog. Actually, it's pretty slick marketing (before the so-called "year of the blues," no less) to bring together pithy one disc collections of the best known blues musicians on their roster and then put them out for a bargain price. Son House was one of the most famous of the original bluesmen, the one who had a young Robert Johnson sitting at his feet to learn from the best.

Young white scholars and musicians like John Fahey traveled through the south in the early 1960's searching for the music of the pre-war blues and the men and women that made it and one of the musicians that they helped to prominence on the folk blues circuit was Son House. House hadn't recorded for more than 25 years when this music was committed to tape in 1965, but you would hardly know it. Of all the "rediscovered" musicians, Son House was the one who kept the most passion of his earlier music, whether it be the a capella of "Grinnin' in Your Face" or "John the Revelator" or the intense slide guitar of "Death Letter" and his own epic "Preachin' the Blues."

While these may be a touch behind the epochal recordings House made in the 30's and 40's, they have their own special magic. It's ironic that although Johnson gets all the print, his mentor has had the last laugh with one of those rare "second acts" in American music.

Raw and captivating - voice of lonely soul
There is so much built on blues out there, so much derived from it, that it is easy to forget where it all began. Son House is so raw, so unaffected by technical tricks or crafty ideas, so far from any pose, pretence or stereotypical imagery of show business that you feel actually privileged to be allowed to come into contact with his singing.

It is like entering an empty temple in an unfamiliar country: you have seen some of the signs, you have some of the knowledge about the faith, but the experience is new and humbling.

Yes, humbling is the word. If loneliness had a voice, it would be the voice of Son House. ... Read more

Asin: B000007T4P
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Revival    4. Delta Blues    5. Pop    6. Prewar Blues    7. Slide Guitar Blues    8. Work Songs   

1928 Sessions
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 October, 1990)
list price: $17.98 -- our price: $17.98
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Editorial Review

Mississippi John Hurt recorded 13 country-blues songs for the Okeh Electric Records company in 1928. Then he vanished. Actually, he never left his hometown of Avalon, Mississippi. He simply put the guitar down. It was the Great Depression, times were tough, money was scarce, and he needed to work. Nearly 30 years later, a blues enthusiast tracked him down and took him back to Washington, D.C. Suddenly, Mississippi John's musical career resumed as quickly as it had been halted. These first songs cut in the late 1920s, however, represent Hurt in his youthful prime; the 1928 recordings represent the greatest presentation of his melancholy voice and hypnotic guitar playing. --Percy Keegan ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Actor John Hurt is NOT Mississippi John Hurt the bluesman
Hey now, Mississippi John Hurt was a black man from Avalon Mississippi who made exceptionally beautiful music. He died in 1966.John Hurt the actor is a white Englishman who appeared in the Elephant Man movie in 1980. Do the math and perhaps a little more homework next time.

Because it is a 17--$version of an album you can pay 10for
Let me help you out- the music and the man-Fantastic! nevermind the movie. All of this material is available on the Avalon blues 1928 complete okeh recordings for 9.98 or so. And it is in excellent sound quality. Best you can ask for to be honest. Forget this overpriced set of the same music.

Where Elephant Men Walk the Delta
Super-smooth honey-man. One of the first true cross-over artists who made it big on the silver screen and in the old spooky 78s. I first stumbled across Mississippi in his ground breaking movie starring across from a youthful Betty Grable, playing the part of a ranch hand to her saucy flophouse mama. John's role in the Elephant Man belied the Delta blues raging inside. But it was his dual roles in Up the Yazoo that convinced me.

Master of the finger-roll scracth, John brought the tinkling joy of the carnival to every role he touched. The Elephant Man marked his only solemn role. This was offset, of course, by the film's stunning soundtrack. Eight sides delicately woven into the fabric of the film. I would recommend this collection to any serious movie buff, not to mention any lover of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk music.

The David Lynch crowd will also find much to celebrate in this collection. Bringing the delicacy of Blue Velvet and the grunge of Dune, all served up with the sweet pine scent and verve of Mississippi John Hurt. ... Read more

Asin: B000000G82
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Revival    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Country Blues   

1928-1929 Complete Recorded Works
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 May, 1994)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

Evidence of the strange genius of Mississippi bluesman Tommy Johnson is limited to 17 recordings from two late-1920s sessions. It is the first of these, for the Victor Company, that produced the recordings upon which Johnson's lofty reputation rests. Sung in a husky falsetto, somewhere between an African field holler and an Alpine yodel, "Cool Drink of Water Blues" stands atop a pinnacle in the richly inventive Delta blues tradition with younger cousin Robert Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail" and Skip James's "Devil Got My Woman." "Canned Heat Blues" is a bittersweet paean to the older Johnson's penchant for imbibing tins of jellied kerosene, and was a modest hit in that era's "race record" market. Also notable from his 1928 session were the influential "Maggie Campbell Blues," "Big Road Blues," and "Big Fat Mama Blues," while the recently discovered Paramount session was remarkable for "Slidin' Delta" and "I Wonder to Myself." --Alan Greenberg ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Essential!
Before Robert Johnson came along, and long before Son House started spreading the rumour that he (Johnson) had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his abilities on the guitar, a man fifteen years Robert Johnson's senior ever so often implied that his immense talent came as the result of a midnight deal with Old Scracth.

Thomas Johnson was born in 1896 down in the Mississippi Delta, and though his name is not as well known as those of Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson (no relation), he was one of the most important prewar bluesmen, and certainly one of the most talented.
He was also an uncontrolled alcoholic, and the fact that he lived to see sixty is something of a miracle. His "Canned Heat Blues" is certainly autobiographical, and his contemporaries have told about Johnson straining shoe polish through a slice of white bread in order to extract the alcohol.

But his music is something to behold. Johnson sounds totally immersed in it, his voice possessing an eerie quality enhanched by his occational falsetto moans, and this disc includes the original versions of "Maggie Campbell Blues", "Big Road Blues", and "Cool Drink Of Water Blues" (later recorded by Howlin' Wolf as "I Asked For Water (she gave me gasoline)").

Johnson plays alone on a few songs, but on most of these seventeen sides (which comprise his entire recorded legacy) he is backed by one or more additional musicians, most often a second guitarist. The first eight sides, Tommy Johnson's Victor sides from 1928, boast amazing sound quality...much (much!) better than Charlie Patton's or Son House's contemporary recordings, they're clean and crisp with just a little static, and every phrase and every instrument is clearly heard. Johnson was a talented and quite original guitar player, and it is a delight to be able to hear him so well.

The Paramount sides, on the other hand, are...well, Paramount sides. Much inferior in sound quality to the Victor sides, they are nevertheless well worth a listen, particularly "Alcohol And Jake Blues" and the battered "Lonesome House Blues".
On the best of these songs, Johnson's voice is positively frightening, and his "Cool Drink Of Water" is the sound of pure despair. This is some of the starkest, most powerful music you'll ever hear.

One of the Most Unique of the Early Blues Players
Tommy Johnson and Charlie Patton are perhaps two of the most unique and innovative rural blues players to have ever lived.As where Patton's style is coarse and rough, Johnson's style (at least when he is at his best) is incredibly smooth. Also Johnson's unique falsetto (which is yodel like at times) is amazing.These recordings bare witness to his talent even after nearly a century.It is a shame that these recordings are all that there is.

The Victor tracks are worth the price of the CD
I agree with the other reviewers, this is a must for any serious fan of the blues, but be prepared for the songs recorded by Paramount, which I found, at first listen, to border on inaudible (which is why I am docking this CD a star).This morning, however, I was listening to them again, and got into them more. That being said, the Victor tracks are unforgettable and worth the price of the CD all by themselves. ...I suspect that when Tommy sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads, the Devil said, "Fine. I'll make you a great guitarplayer BUT half of the music you lay down is going to sound like you were playing outside in a hailstorm." Tommy probably smiled and said, "That's OK because I won't be around long. Just keep me stocked in 'canned heat,' brother."All joking aside, I urge you to check it this seminal music. ... Read more

Asin: B000000J25
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

King of the Delta Blues Singers
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 September, 1998)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

If there is a recording that is required listening for every blues fan, it's this one. Robert Johnson wasn't just King of the Delta blues; he was one of its founding fathers, and these re-mastered tunes are as timeless and important today as they were all those years ago. The songs that passed into the blues canon, to be covered by countless guitarists over the years, are here: "Crossroad Blues," "Preaching Blues," "Come On In My Kitchen," "Walking Blues," and more. And on this particular version of this often-reissued recording, there's an additional treat: a previously unreleased version of "Traveling Riverside Blues." Absolutely essential. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (26)

some of the first blues on record, exciting material
an intense album of the best songs that were made by the man who "met the devil at the crossroads."Essential documents of their time, these songs are still powerful today, and their influence on rock music is monumental.If you are interested in the roots of rock music, you need this cd or any of the others offered on amazon.I have a different collection than this one, but it has almost all the same songs, and believe me, it doesn't make a difference as long as you get at least a full disc's worth of good old Rob Johnson blues licks.If he only lived longer, he could have reveled in the success and admiration that these songs gave to his legacy.

Get the Box set instead
When you are talking about Robert Johnson, alternate takes are not just alternate takes. This is a genious of the highest order, that was barely captured on disc, in a world then ruled by Jim Crow. Therefore, you want to listen to every single note he put on record eventually. Besides, many of the alternate takes are completely different than the released versions, sometimes different rythms, different words, and some alternates are even better than the released versions. I dont see the point in these King of the Delta Blues CDs when you can go for the Complete 2 CD box set.

Excellent remastering
This is some of the best delta blues ever recorded, but enough has been written about that. The reason to get this compilation and its companion "King of the Delta Blues Singers Vol. 2" is for the wonderful remastering. The sound on these two issues is far better than the 1990 "Complete" box set (and better even than the remastered 1997 version of that set). Both volumes of "King of the Delta Blues" employ minimal noise reduction. While this leaves some high end hiss and low end rumble, it makes the recordings clearer, more full bodied and natural sounding than any versions of Johnson's recordings that I have ever heard. His voice and guitar do not sound as thin as they do on previous issues. I also prefer the sequencing on this CD over the "Complete" set, which has back to back alternate takes. The only thing you miss out on with "King of the Delta Blues" volumes 1 and 2 are a handful of alternate takes which appear only on the "Complete" box set. It should be noted, however, that this CD contains a version of "Traveling Riverside Blues" that does NOT appear on the "Complete" box set. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Asin: B00000AG6X
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Country Blues    3. Delta Blues    4. Pop    5. Prewar Blues    6. Prewar Country Blues    7. Slide Guitar Blues   

Blues Yodeler and Steel Guitar Wizard
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 November, 1996)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
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Reviews (3)

Great!
Cliff at this stage of his career was very much of the "Jimmie Rodgers" school. Like Gene autry he had a better singing voice and Cliff was a better musician than Gene or Jimmie. Jimmie is much more historically important for the genre but Cliff does it as well as any of the blue yodellers. And he is certainly the father of the Country/Bluegrass dobro! No mean accomplishment! All that said this CD stands on it's own as just a great listen. Just good old country blues at it's best!!

Amazing old hillbilly blues!
Well, the title of this album pretty much says it all... but I'll add my two bits as well.Of the same breed and era as bluesy country artists such as Jimmie Rodgers and Jimmie Davis , Carlisle was by far a superior musician.His flashy guitar work is reminiscent of Tampa Red, and many of these tracks are quite strikingly bluesy and raw. Fun stuff!!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

beautiful and sad
When I first listened to this album in a record store -- sitting, with myheadphones on, on the floor between the legs of the other customers -- Ibroke into tears: I've never been much of a country music fan (preferinghard'n'heavy to schmalz) but these recordings from the 1930s open me up tosome pain I have long forgotten. Imagine: being a depression era rounderwalking some Kentucky gravel road towards the next railway crossing in thelate afternoon september sun; you just left your lover early this morningwhile she was still asleep, and you feel lonesome and sad when you think ofher warmth and friendliness, but you're happy and free and you move alongwith the changing year. This is the soundtrack. ... Read more

Asin: B0000023U4
Sales Rank: 174039
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Cowboy    3. Pop