His Best: 1956-1964
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Audio CD (20 May, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Few blues artists covered as much territory as did Muddy Waters, and it's more than evident if you put this collection and The Complete Plantation Recordings side by side. Even more than the prior His Best collection, these recordings illustrate Waters's talent not only as a composer and performer (as usual, many of the songs were written by Willie Dixon), but also as a bandleader. The backing musicians--including several who were by now name artists in their own right, such as James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Earl Hooker, Little Walter, and A.C. Reed--are tight as a drum and smooth as a greased axle. This essential collection contains several classics, including but not limited to "Got My Mojo Working" (Waters's studio take on what has to be the most-covered blues song in existence), "She's Nineteen Years Old," "Good Morning, Little School Girl," "The Same Thing," "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had," "You Shook Me," and "You Need Love" (which will sound oddly familiar to Led Zeppelin fans). It rocks, it rolls, it shakes, it's quintessential Chicago blues. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (10)

MUDDY Was CLEARLY King!
In moving to Chicago from the Mississippi Delta region in 1943, MUDDY WATERS (McKinley Morganfield) essentially remolded the musical language known as The Blues.Playing now in nightclubs, the acoustic rural sound gave way to a booming urban beat.As a writer once cleverly quipped : by plugging in his guitar, Muddy Waters invented electricity.

'HIS BEST 1956 - 1964' captures the explosive, impassioned sonic Blues that Muddy developed, and which was such an influence on so many bluesmen who emulated him in his wake.Muddy was to Chicago Blues what Elvis was to Rock 'N' Roll - in a word: KING!These tracks feature the Blues King being backed by some of the legendary names of the genre :WILLIE DIXON (bass), JIMMY ROGERS (guitar), BUDDY GUY (guitar), JAMES COTTON (harp), A.C. REED (sax), OTIS SPANN (piano), the underrated S.P. LEARY (drums), and perhaps the most revered Blues instrumentalist of his generation, the harp master, LITTLE WALTER.

These songs cook, rock, menace, sneer (wink and grin).This is raw, foot-stomping stuff, the REAL Blues, the genuine article.Get this, get Howlin' Wolf's Chess sides, and the Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson and you'll discover from where the thieves, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant stole their first two albums!

Blues masterpieces such as most of the tracks presented here (like the rollicking 'ALL ABOARD' to Muddy's signature roof-raising, 'GOT MY MOJO WORKING') are so dynamic, and contain such evocative imagery that one could build a movie around them.And wouldn't you know it?That's just what I did about 15 years ago.The Blues almost became an independent character in an unproduced screenplay I wrote.Flipping through her old vinyl records, the terminally geeky Billy Withers says to the hip, sassy, Jazz & Blues street-singer, Billie Clayton, "Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters?They sound like they're from the World Wrestling Federation."She replies, "They're all great bluesmen."Ah, but ain't it the truth?!And later, Muddy's, 'YOU CAN'T LOSE WHAT YOU AIN'T NEVER HAD' becomes the catalyst for the defining moment in my movie when Clayton refrains from murdering her unborn child.

And yet my favorite track is 'THE SAME THING.'With its lyrics punctuated by Spann's brief piano bursts, this moody, carnally-charged ballad shows how the Blues, in "proper" circles, came by the disparaging moniker, "the devil's music."

WHAT MAKE MEN GO CRAZY WHEN A WOMAN WEAR HER DRESS SO TIGHT?
MUST BE THE SAME OL' THING THAT MAKES A TOMCAT FIGHT ALL NIGHT.

WHY DO ALL OF THESE MEN TRY TO RUN A BIG-LEG WOMAN DOWN?
MUST BE THE SAME OL' THING THAT MAKES A BULLDOG HUG A HOUND.

OH, THAT SAME THING!
TELL ME WHO'S TO BLAME? THE WHOLE WORLD'S FIGHTIN' ABOUT THAT SAME THING.

WHAT MAKE YOU FEEL SO GOOD WHEN YOUR BABY GET HER EVENING GOWN?
MUST BE THE SAME OL' THING THAT MADE A PREACHER LAY HIS BIBLE DOWN.
OH, THAT SAME THING!

By all means, dive into MUDDY WATERS.Get 'HIS BEST 1956 - 1964' and see what kind of movie it inspires you to write.Or perhaps you'll just want to turn it up loud and let it rock you "all night long"; rock you like your "back ain't got no bone!"

You gotta have it!
If the first part of this series gives you the transition from delta slide acoustic to electric blues versions of the same thing, and some of the most graphic and personal recordings of the blues ever done, besides standards no cultured person can be without, this CD is a record of the birth and perfection of the electric blues band, and a classic version of that band with some of the greatest soloists of the blues working for Muddy.I don't play in blues bands. In fact, the most band music I play is in old timey string bands, but still this record speaks to me about the meaning of a tight band, the way great soloists can work with a great master, and the way a great creator created what we now call the Chicago Blues (which was actually the third or fourth wave of Chicago based blues).
Of course, like the previous CD in this series, the songs are so much fun, speak so much truth, and are such a strong part of the real culture, not just of the blues, but of the entire world, that you should have it. I think this series is all right to have, because with Muddy, you need to have it all, at least up to about 1962 or 1963 when he started making toooooooooooooooo many albums and making rip off albums for the "folk blues audience," although the album with that title is a superb one.
If you don't know, Muddy Waters is still one of the great artists of the 20th Century in any genre. You are loving somet hing precious about the world if you don't have his classic recordings.

Great overview of Muddy's late-50s-mid-60s material
A must-have companion volume to "His Best: 1947-1955", this CD brings together almost all of Muddy Waters' finest songs from 1956-64, including superb electric blues classics like "Forty Days And Forty Nights", "Got My Mojo Working", "The Same Thing", and the swinging, swaggering "I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love".

This is not a complete career retrospective, obviously, but if you don't want to invest in the elaborate three-disc "Chess Box", the two "His Best" CDs are a very fine alternative. The only "problem" is that the superbly well compiled double-disc "Anthology 1947-72" features 50 songs and costs a dollar or two less than this CD and "His Best: 1947-1955" put together, which makes it a slightly better purchase.
4 1/2 stars. You can't argue with what's here. ... Read more

Asin: B000005KQQ
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Revival    3. Chicago Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Pop    8. Slide Guitar Blues   

Country Music Hall of Fame
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 June, 1999)
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Editorial Review

Miss Kitty Wells, dressed demurely in gingham and uttering ne'er a cussword, was the role model for women in country music until Patsy Cline came along. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels" is one of country music's defining moments. In it--as in most of her hits--Kitty was wronged and betrayed by a feckless man. Titles like "Will Your Lawyer Talk to God," "A Woman Half My Age," "Icicles Hanging From Your Heart," and "I'd Rather Stay Home," pretty much fill out the story. Kitty sings with patent honesty, only rarely venturing off the three-chord highway, and never to dance on the tabletops. --Colin Escott ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Paints a good picture
I give this 4 stars not because this is the definite Kitty Wells collection, because it isn't.I give it four stars because it is one of the few collections that offer a good sampling of her ORIGINAL recordings.

Now, let me tell you about an ideal Kitty Wells set.Take all of her top 10's and some of her lesser known songs and there you go, it's not that hard to figure out.

By listening to the songs here, you imagine that Kitty bacically played the housewife who was fighting for a say in what went on.True, but there was much more to her than that.

She was a masterful honky tonk singer, an excellent gospel singer, and when the "Nashville Sound" hit in the 1960's she mastered that also.In fact, Kitty was probably one of the most versatile performers in country music history.

To summerize, this is a great set, all the songs are original recordings, and the notes are awesome.But, you need to hear a lot more of her songs to understand what she was all about.

And also, avoid her Step One recordings as well as anything that in on Deluxe, Compass, or anything that doesn't say "Decca," "MCA," or "Bear Family" somewhere on the package.

Pray that Bear Family will release a 28 or 30 song cd of her hits.

The Queen of Country!
There must be a reason amazon posts this selection first among the Kitty choices. This one is a winner. Muriel Ellen Deason ("Kiity Wells") is a true to life native of Nashville. According to Billboard, she had 64 chart hits from 1952 to 1968. A representative 11 of them are included here and the other 5 fit right in. Kitty's plain and plaintive woman wronged no frills voice shines through. Highlights for this reviewer were "Will Your Lawyer Talk to God?","Password" and especially "A Woman Half My Age". That one just may be in the "Stand By Your Man" league of forgiving women songs! Those last 2 came late in Kitty's career and were composed in the (then) new "Nashville Sound". This woman is versatile! She handles those just as well as the traditional releases. This CD is absolutely recommended for no nonsense country sung by a real lady of the old school. As we know all too well, that school has been out of session for a tragically long time.

Kitty Still The Queen
This CD is absolute evidence that Kitty is still the queen of country music. In fact I don't think she even has a close rival for the title. She is the Hank Williams of female singers, the highest compliment I can pay her. Buy this CD and see what I mean ... Read more

Asin: B000002OEE
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop   

Shake 'Em on Down
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 March, 1995)
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Editorial Review

The pride of Memphis country blues, Furry Lewis had a diverse repertoire that included a variety of Southern musical styles: folk songs, country music, Delta blues, and jug band among them. After recording noteworthy sides in the late-1920s, Lewis toiled as a Memphis street cleaner until the revivalist movement of the early-1960s. These 20 cuts from 1961 display a more-spirited approach than his early work. The intervening years added character to his vocals while his biting slide-guitar work includes at various times forceful rhythms, expressive wails, and supple finger picking. In his later years, Lewis had an entertainer's perspective, infusing his work with style, enthusiasm, and a compelling narrative quality. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Blues Presence Down Under
Wow! what can I say this albumn is truly amazing i cant believe ive only just discovered Furry Lewis he has to be one of the most purest blues menI have ever heard , He brings his own elements to the blues the likes I have never heard . That bottleneck he employs seems to make the hairs on my neck stand up. I command all blues lovers to get this albumn you want be dissapointed.

Outstanding Representation Of Furry's Music!
Furry Lewis was a Memphis blues guitarist who helped define the so-called "Memphis Sound" of the late 20's.As with so many of the old bluesmen, Furry enjoyed two distinct and brief periods of success. The first in the 1920's when he was around 25 years old and then again in the 1960's when he was in his mid to late 60's.This CD is actually a compilation of two previous recordings from the 1960 period, "Back On My Feet Again" and "Done Changed My Mind".Both were a good representation of Furry's guitar work and vocal capabilities and it's good to have both available on one disc.As a guitarist, Furry was equally comfortable working in broad strokes or intricate detail and everything he played shared a rhythmic strength that was all his own.As a vocalist, Furry's style is soft and easy listening.If you are interested in some country blues you will have to search long and hard to beat Furry.

A Three Finger Shot of Furry Lewis
Furry Lewis's music goes down like a 3 finger shot of top-shelf bourbon: fire in the belly with a warm and heady afterglow. Furry had the reputation as hard drinking, loose tongued, spiteful grifter who alienated friend and foe alike, with his well chosen barbs. Having known Furry in the early 70's, I will confirm that 99% of the testimony to Furry's lack of character is probably true. Furry was also a riveting performer who could weave his spell over young audiences well beyond his 80th birthday. (Are you listening, Mick Jagger?) The 1972 recording, "Shake 'Em on Down" is not only Furry's best recorded performance, but is one of the best of the blues genre.

Over the thirty year lifespan of "Shake Em on Down", I have purchased this album four times; twice in vinyl, which I wore out from overplay, once in cassette, and finally the CD format, and I am hoping the CD will be the last copy of it I will ever need. Many will swear that Furry's early recordings are better because they capture him in his prime, but this CD captures the raw essence of Furry's magnetic performance aura. Like Billy Holiday, Furry's voice became gravelly, deeper and more emotional with age. Speaking subjectively, I like the sound of Holiday's and Lewis' steel tempered voices, scarred by the ravages of age. Furry was a heavy-handed guitar player who often pounded his guitar like a percussion instument. Furry always had contempt for delicate fingerpickers who were "afraid of their guitars" and to prove his point Furry would "beat the demons" out of his guitar and used his bottleneck stylings as the alter-ego to his dark and often menancing voice.

Furry claimed he was mentored by early jazz legend W.C. Handy and many of his renditions of the popular standards of the early 20th century bear out this influence. Some of the traditional songs on "Shake 'Em on Down" have been traced as far back as the Civil War Reconstruction era. My personal favorites are the gritty delta blues he performs. Furry, like many blues performers, reshaped classic and standards to his own image, adding a unique narrative perspective to the lyrics. Furry often rendered a song unrecogizable by introducing a stylized musical arrangement and a new set of original lyrics. Furry's lyrical imagery of steam engines, card sharks, jail houses, corrupt judges, bail bondsmen, wanton women and the life of a "rambling man" give us rare window into the lives ordinary people in the early part of the last century.

Finally, there is something very unusual about the production values of this album, which may explain the hypnotic spell that "Shake 'Em on Down" has woven over me and other devotees. It sounds like it was recorded in a cavernous room, maybe even a church. There is a subtle echo that trails off from the edges of the vocal and guitar tracks which suggest a robust, yet, otherworldly quality, quite like that of the Cowboy Junkie's celebrated "Trinity Church Sessions." That final touch in production esthetics, makes this album a rare and irreplaceble relic for the collector of blues. ... Read more

Asin: B000000XF0
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Memphis Blues    3. Blues    4. Blues Revival    5. Country Blues    6. East Coast Blues    7. Folk-Blues    8. Piedmont Blues    9. Pop    10. Songster    11. United States of America   

Clinch Mountain Country
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 May, 1998)
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Editorial Review

In many ways a follow-up to 1992's stunning Saturday Night & Sunday Morning, this glorious two-CD set pairs the bluegrass pioneer with established legends and notable comers from across the worlds of country and bluegrass. Now in his 70s, Stanley still possesses the most spine-tingling high-tenor wail the world has ever known, and he still knows how to make it mesh with whoever might be joining him. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (27)

As Good As Bluegrass Gets
When the "O Brother" phenomenon struck, I had already been a fan of bluegrass music since the late Sixties.I bought vinyl copies of albums by Bill Monore, Flatt & Scruggs and, of course, The Stanley Brothers. However, it hasn't been until the last couple years that I sought out Ralph Stanley's post-seventies work.And with his inclusion on the "O Brother" soundtrack, there are many titles to choose from.This two-disc set is a no-brainer.It contains 36 tracks and nearly two hours of solid singing and picking.

Guest vocalists run the gamut of bluegrass artists (Tim O'Brien, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss), country artists who got their start in bluegrass (Marty Stuart, Vince Gill), old-school country (George Jones, Porter Wagoner), alt-country (Gillian Welch) and artists like Bob Dylan, who defy categorization.

From beginning to end, this is a glorious album.Each song is recorded with such passion that you don't want it to end.I'm encouraged that bluegrass has been enjoying a rebirth in popularity in recent years, and if projects like this are a consequence, then I say hallelujah!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Buy It NOW!
36 of the finest tunes, pickin', harmonies & feelings you'll ever listen to... and you will listen...over, and over and over!

Mountain music for everybody to enjoy
Ralph's career spans over half a century, yet this album and it's sequel (Clinch mountain sweethearts, which I've also reviewed) may prove to be his most important legacy.

There are four main reasons for the success of this project.

1. Ralph is in remarkably good voice throughout - how many singers of his age could you say that about?.

2. His musicians are in top form, providing a bluegrass backing leaning towards traditional country.

3. Traditional country and bluegrass were not fashionable at the time, so this album was a total contrast to, and a refreshing change from, mainstream country. I love mainstream country too, but I also like the traditional music.

4. Because the music was unfashionable, nobody expected this to be a big seller, so all the guests were there to enjoy themselves, and it shows in the music.

The choice of songs is excellent, although I'm not sure why they chose to include Christmas songs (Beautiful star of Bethlehem with Connie Smith and Bright morning star with Kathy Mattea) - I love Christmas music, but I prefer it to be on separate CD's. Still, that's a minor point.

Your favorite tracks are likely to depend on who are your favorite guests. Bluegrass is well represented (of course), while there are several mainstream country singers, past and present. Porter and George's careers are almost as long as Ralph's, while Vince, Patty and Dwight were all at the peak of their careers when this was recorded.

The biggest surprise is Bob Dylan. He doesn't usually take part in such projects, but he fits in well. No doubt his inclusion helps to attract some people to this album who would otherwise ignore it.

Those who live in the mountains may relate directly to this music, but for those of us who live in cities, this is as good a piece of escapism as we're going to find, now that so much country music has gone uptown.

Enjoy this - and Clinch mountain sweethearts too !!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000005YVB
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Bluegrass    2. Country    3. Pop    4. Traditional Bluegrass    5. Truck Driving Country   

New Orleans Piano: Blues Originals 2
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Roy "Professor Longhair" Byrd was a largely forgotten New Orleans bluesman when this album of his '40s and '50s Atlantic sides appeared in 1972. By decade's end, he was justly celebrated as a thoroughly one-of-a-kind father of rock & roll. These tunes, many initially issued as singles, showcase Longhair's droll vocals and unmatched sense of syncopation. "In the Night," "Tipitina," and "She Walks Right In" are among the hippest things you'll ever hear--no matter what kind of music you like. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (4)

sound quality: rebuttal
To quibble about the sound quality (as a previous reviewer saw fit to) of these classic tracks is perhaps expecting too much from "modern" sound technology. I can only imagine what opinions would be forthcoming on the Delmark live Magic Sam releases!6 STARS for the man I would consider to be the father of the New Orleans rock and blues sound !!

Sound Quality
I have a copy of this CD from BMG and the sound quality is awful. Not sure if this version is re-mastered but I would not take the chance. I recommend Crawfish Feista and Rock and Roll Gumbo as far better examples of Fess's work.

One of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th Century
This is one of the handful of albums from the 20th century in any or all genres of music which deserves the description "masterpiece".It is simply fantastic, and hugely influential on much music which followed. Many cuts on this album hit like a thunderbolt.Longhair was an originaland a genius, and this is his best stuff.I cannot say enough enthusiasticthings about this album--words fail me.Plus, it's a whole lot of fun!Ifthis music doesn't make you tap your feet, check your pulse. ... Read more

Asin: B000002I6Z
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

Dust Bowl Ballads [Buddha]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 July, 2000)
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Editorial Review

"If you'll gather 'round me children, a story I will tell," sings Woody Guthrie in "Pretty Boy Floyd." Children of all ages have never stopped gathering 'round Woody Guthrie since he recorded these songs in the spring of 1940, and that most-famous line tells us a lot about his approach: his songs are for all people, simple and direct enough to be understood by young ones, irresistibly catchy, yet devilishly clever and cutting. His ability to boil down complex emotions and issues to their very core has rarely been matched. "So long it's been good to know yuh," he sings in "Dusty Old Dust," and its childlike sing-along quality only serves to reinforce his very serious points. Across these 14 songs, Guthrie recounts and relives his experience as an Okie forced from his home by the Depression and drought of the 1930s, chronicling the arduous journey in brilliant, sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying detail. The characters that inhabit his stories are sincere, sympathetic, and brutally alive. Originally released in 1940 on two albums, and again in 1964 for the benefit of salivating folk revivalists, Dust Bowl Ballads returns once again in 2000 freshly remastered, full of new photos and boasting one alternate take. If there is one album of modern American folk music that deserves to be reissued for the benefit of each generation, it is this collection. In terms of the singer-songwriter concept, it is truly the river's source; in historical terms, it's to the New Deal what the Declaration of Independence is to the American Revolution. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (13)

ABSOLUTELY the very best Woody Guthrie album
OK, so the Smithsonian/Folksways Moses Asch four-CD releases are great Guthrie material. But they come some 30-plus years after his death left a void in American music that has yet to be filled. Dust Bowl Ballads has been remastered and the sound on the new edition (with a bonus track!) is sterling. If I were a high school English teacher and assigned "The Grapes of Wrath" as a reading project, I'd tell my students to find this CD and play it quietly in the background to create atmosphere for the movie. Some hail the Columbia River songs as some of Woody's best work, but in my humble opinion Dust Bowl Ballads simply has no equal. Dylan, Springsteen, and all of us who appreciate good American music owe a huge debt to Woody Guthrie. Grapes of Wrath will stand as an example of Steinbeck's best work, just as Dust Bowl Ballads easily stands as Guthrie's. This is clearly one of the 10 or 20 most essential albums of the 20th Century. If you're just discovering Woody, or come to him via the Billy Bragg/Wilco CDs, this is a great place to begin. Then, Volumes 1 and 3 of the earlier-cited Asch recordings are nearly as essential. (They're the two CDs out of the four that contain mostly or all-original Guthrie songs; CD 2 is Woody's take on old-timey classics, while CD 4 consists of his versions of "cowboy songs." Vols. 3 and 4 are good, but 1 and 2 are Woody originals and, as a result, are closer to my heart...) Generally, skip all the various "best of" Guthrie collections and start here. This is X and X marks the spot to begin...

An important and wonderful recording
I got a vinyl copy of this on RCA some time around 1970 and I am grateful to whichever label[s] has/have taken the initiative to make available on CD.It is an essential item in my collection, and I love to listen to it, i.e. not just academically interesting, IMHO.

This is great recording.Many of Woody's best songs are represented in fine fashion, and I must admit that every time I put it on and hear him start out singing cut #1" ... On the 14th day of April in 1935 ..."it starts me out on a musical journey that lasts til the last song.Never fails.He was an indominable spirit, and when I think of Woody at his best, I think of this record.

PS If you are ever doing some long-haul driving and you are in the middle of nowhere at 3 in the morning, try putting this CD on your mobile hi-fi.It's an American experience.

Wow!
What a great CD! The songs are terrific! They have done a great job cleaning these up. I doubt if the originals sounded as well. Guthrie is in fine form as he talks, sings and plays through a slice of American history. He is a real musical genius! This is a steal at any price! ... Read more

Asin: B00004TY8S
Subjects:  1. Folk & Traditional    2. Pop    3. Traditional Folk    4. United States of America   

Atlanta Twelve String
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 February, 1992)
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Editorial Review

Atlantic's short-lived Blues Originals series brought forth some real gems: not just Professor Longhair's New Orleans Piano, but this 1949 session by singer-guitarist McTell. What Bob Dylan heard in McTell, the title subject of one of his most fabled songs, is both easy and hard to catch, but there's something eerie in the almost cheerful delivery of songs such as "Dying Crapshooter's Blues." A grand album that forms yet another facet of the label's gemlike catalog. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The Greatest of Blind Willie
I bought this originally for the gospel cuts, which I fell in love with, but soon I started to listen to the blues closer, and everything has given me inspiration at the church house.

Listen to the roots of rock
I started llike everyone...Led Zep, Clapton, Rolling Stones,etc. Then i started to get complicated with jazz and prog rock. 20 years passed. When i got to free jazz and avant garde music i felt like i had reached a peak in musical investigation. Now i have come full circle to the beginning...and what a joy it is! Charlie Patton, Skip james, Muddy Waters, Blind Jefferson, Beefheart, Howilin Wolf, Robert Johnson, John Hurt, Leroy Carr, Son House and others are all worth checking out. But Blind Willie Mctell can really hit the soft spot in your soul if you are a real music lover. This and his early stuff are guranteed to send shivers up your spine. Music that seems simple in appearance...but, if you are willing to open up, you will be amazed at the richness of emotions this music can transmit.And this is a joy specially because of thegood sound and choice of songs. Highly recommended to all those who love music and blues influenced music.

Great stuff
Fans of his music and the music of this period will enjoy a more mature Blind Willie. ... Read more

Asin: B000002ITB
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. East Coast Blues    5. Piedmont Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Country Blues   

The Essential Jimmie Rodgers
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 April, 1997)
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Reviews (9)

The Singing Brakeman !
"The Essential Jimmie Rodgers" is highly recommended for any serious country music fan. If anyone is the genuine article, it is Jimmie. Listeners will recognize some old favorites among the tracks including "Frankie and Johnny", "Mule Skinner Blues" and "T for Texas".There are also fine versions of "Waitin' for A Train" and "In the Jailhouse Now" though some may prefer Jerry Lee Lewis' version of the former and the Webb Pierce recording of the latter. The most interesting tracks are less well known.These include "My Old Pal", "My Old Sunny South by the Sea" and one devoted not to a mother but a father (!)-"Daddy and Home". For this reviewer, the album hit its high point on the final track, a mournful "TB Blues", a reference to the disease that took Jimmie's life at 35. While Jimmie's yodeling style may not be for everyone, this reviewer considers this album a safe bet.Keep in mind that JR was elected to both the Country and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Further, the "Essential" series of albums rarely disappoints. These almost always sponsor well- produced compilations of our past heroes best efforts. "The Essential Jimmie Rodgers" certainly falls into that category.

The Singing Brakeman !
"The Essential Jimmie Rodgers" is highly recommended for any serious country music fan. If anyone is the genuine article, it is Jimmie. Listeners will recognize some old favorites among the tracks including "Frankie and Johnny", "Mule Skinner Blues" and "T for Texas".There are also fine versions of "Waitin' for A Train" and "In the Jailhouse Now" though some may prefer Jerry Lee Lewis' version of the former and the Webb Pierce recording of the latter. The most interesting tracks are less well known.These include "My Old Pal", "My Old Sunny South by the Sea" and one devoted not to a mother but a father (!)-"Daddy and Home". For this reviewer, the album hit its high point on the final track, a mournful "TB Blues", a reference to the disease that took Jimmie's life at 35. While Jimmie's yodeling style may not be for everyone, this reviewer considers this album a safe bet.Keep in mind that JR was elected to both the Country and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Further, the "Essential" series of albums rarely disappoints. These almost always sponsor well- produced compilations of our past heroes best efforts. "The Essential Jimmie Rodgers" certainly falls into that category.

Living History
My dad had a scratched, old 45 single with "Jailhouse Now" and "Muleskinner Blues" which we used to listen to in the early '60s.Jimmie's music evokes the smell of Camel cigarettes, bacon frying, the warmth of standing in front of a fireplace, and lively games of checkers played as a child.

Listen, and times long past will live again. ... Read more

Asin: B000002X3V
Sales Rank: 10744
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop    3. Traditional Country    4. Yodeling   

Mississippi Fred McDowell
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 September, 1995)
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Reviews (4)

It just don't get better than this!
Recorded in 1962 in his home in Como, Mississippi, these songs were never meant for public "consumption."Children playing can even be heard in the background.And that is precisely what makes this an absolute must for blues purists.He just turned on an old reel-to-reel and laid down some of the best blues ever recorded.The honesty, rawness and cutting intensity of his acoustic slide work has simply never been surpassed.It is the genuine article: pure, undiluted, painful, longing, blues.As a side note, he learned slide from his uncle who made his slide from grinding and filing a bone from a steak, hence, Fred called his blues, "steak bone blues."If you love, I mean LOVE the blues, you must have this.If not, you'll never know how good blues can get.

This the best Fred Mcdowell CD ever
This cd is is the best sounding,delta blues cd I have ever heard. Fred's playing is in top form & this cd has most of his better known songs; A Must Have!!!

serious listeners only
Fred McDowell is a legend in time. This CD is one of my greatest finds. The clarity andbackground sounds make you feel that your right there. Its hard to believe one man could make much music and rythm. This is as real and as raw as it gets. I have some of his other CD's and this one is the best and I highly recommened it if you want to be impressed. ... Read more

Asin: B00000030W
Sales Rank: 90735
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (24 June, 1997)
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Editorial Review

1959's self-released Blind Joe Death had an enigmatic spare cover that read "Blind Joe Death" on one side and "John Fahey" on the other. The playful 20-year-old "American primitive" guitarist had created an alternate identity: that of the obscure, unknown guitar great Blind Joe Death. The album's material was influenced by the down and dirty country blues of Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White, and Charley Patton, all manner of old-timey vernacular sound, and 20th-century classical music. This haunting release only contains one of the original recordings; the rest are far more nimble-fingered versions from 1964 (and from '67). As expertly compiled on this disc, Transfiguration presents an opportunity to crawl inside the head of a master musician just as the world of sound unfolds before him. By the time the listener hears the sparkling '67 cuts, a magical, syncretic transformation has occurred. The idiosyncratic artist revisits these plaintive, resonant songs yet again in 1988 on the moody I Remember Blind Joe Death. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great acoustic guitar
Without realising the spine of my albumn had disintegrated, the ancient disc slipped through my thumbs to the floor. The faintest thwack, but, alas, two tiny fragments remained on the floor, ruining the perfection of a thirty year plus piece of Fahey. And damn it, it was my favourite Fahey! Not that I have the exhaustive repository of a true fan or the professional guitar knowledge. And not that I find anything but willful obsfucation in his need for masking as Blind Joe and the feigned erudition of liner notes that go nowhere. But if the jokes helped him stabilize sufficiently to make these delicate and eloquent compositions, then bless him. I also have some things with a dixie-sounding ensemble on 'River & Religion' and
'Old Fashioned Love' with its incomparable and transporting version of,'A Persian Market'. And the surprisingly sprightly'Christmas Albumn'. But this one is very atmospheric stuff and a rich complement to those two early, rurally inspired and similarily resilient Band albums. Looks like I'll have to upgrade to CD.

Distinctly John Fahey
In nearly every review of John Fahey, the remark is made that he spawned the career of the famous, inimitable Leo Kottke. While I do not intend to disparage Kottke, and listen to "6 and 12 String Guitar" quite frequently, John Fahey should be listened to because he is John Fahey, and "The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death" should be listened to because, quite simply, it is the best finger-picking guitar record I have ever heard.

Comparing Fahey to Kottke is, for fans of jazz, like comparing Thelonious Monk to McCoy Tiner, or, for fans of rock, imagine someone comparing Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain. Sure, the first two played piano in a distinctive, personal, and prolific style, and the second two were both amazing guitarists. But skill and style are quite different, and although both Kottke and Fahey are finger-picker guitarists of similar skill, the emotions and styles they convey are quite different.

That being said, "Transfiguration" is an incredible album unlike any other I have ever heard. Fahey plays guitar with a brooding deliberateness that other guitars can only approximate. Kottke comes close on tracks like "Busted Bicycle," but that only scratches the surface of things that Fahey accomplishes on this record. I can listen to it for a week straight and not need to hear anything else; the range of emotion that it conveys is that wide. Whereas Kottke is fun to listen to, or Hendrix is emotional and Monk is unique, Fahey is pretty much everything.

I highly endorse this album and wish I had heard it sooner.

Blind Joe Death
I had this as a vinyl LP (remember them?) at college in the late sixties. It evokes the Southern States like nothing else I have ever heard, and the memory has remained with me for 35 years. It had the same effect on everyone who heard it. The LP has long gone, but the memories remain. Thank heaven I've now got it on CD, for all time. My thanks to the late John Fahey. ... Read more

Asin: B000003Z92
Subjects:  1. Folk    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Folk-Blues    4. Guitar    5. Neo-Traditional Folk    6. Pop    7. Traditional Folk   

Honky Tonk Heroine: Classic Capitol Recordings, 1952-1964
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (31 October, 1995)
list price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

Her pleasant smile on the cover notwithstanding, Jean Shepard was no polite "girl singer," and it didn't take long for her to prove it. After Hank Thompson helped her secure a contract with Capitol in 1952, Shepard, not yet 19, recorded her first single, on which she defiantly declares: "I'll go where I could get twice the lovin', baby, in half the time." The ensuing years found Shepard boldly singing about "male subjects" like cheating and drinking, going so far as to ask in "Two Whoops and a Holler": "How come a man can fight and cuss and smoke and drink and chew, step out on their wives and do the things they shouldn't do?" Though Shepard only infrequently pierced the Top 10 between 1952 and 1964--"A Dear John Letter," with Ferlin Husky's recitation, was one of the biggest country hits of 1953--she helped establish the fact that a woman could sing honestly and powerfully without becoming "the lowest thing in town." Thanks to her commitment to traditional hard country, her unwavering crystal-clear voice, and hotshot musicians behind her such as steel wiz Speedy West, Shepard carved herself an important niche in country history. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Classic is right
This disk was just as I expected, no dissapoitments.

The Original Honky Tonk Woman
Jean Shepard's career as a country singer was often diminished by the long shadow cast by her peers, Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. She proves to be thier equal in this 12 year retrospective of her early recordings. In the early 1950s,when women singers in country music were denegraded as "fern thrushes", Jean Shepard's music was a breakthrough, exploring near-taboo topic of marital infidelty. Her sweet, but full bodied alto voice counterpointed her tough minded song lyrics. This collection features Shepard in her finest stipped down traditional form with the amazing steel guitar of Speedy West. Later in her career, Shepard succumbed to producers who drowned her beautiful voice in overblown string arrangements and annoying Mitch Miller type chorus singers. This is the real Jean Shepard, the orginal honky tonk woman.

True Country, True Opry!
I've enjoyed seeing Jean Shepard several times at the Grand Ole Opry and have of course seen her on the telecasts.She used to be a regular on TNN's Ralph Emory talk show.As she nears seventy, her voice is as strong and vibrant as ever; she's one of those lucky singers who can just keep going!

Shepard's distinctive accent shines through on all of these recordings.There is an obvious progression in recording quality from the first to the last of this CD, but all the cuts sound clean and showcase her abilities.

This is a voice that will stand out from the crowd fifty years from now, one that you will either love or hate.It's a long way from Faith Hill!

For those who like their country music without rock influence, try this.You'll become a fan like so many of us! ... Read more

Asin: B000000QJ8
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop   

Standing in the Safety Zone
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 May, 1992)
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Reviews (7)

Powerful basso profundo, great a cappella gospel!
Isaac "Dickie" Freeman, the bass singer in this group, is the reason I love this CD so much. I got to hear this group live several years ago and was just blown away. Listen to the track "Roll Jordan Roll" and the nice smooth way the Nashville Bluegrass Band starts off. They are a great group in their own right, but when Freeman comes in and starts the rest of the Fairfield Four's contribution, it's a whole different song!
This CD was recorded before the death of some of the original members of the world's "oldest teenage group." Highly recommended!

I once was lost, but now I'm found
I've caught the Fairfield Four every now and then, on various radio shows (e-town) and TV specials (like the recent dedication to Johnny Cash), and have always been impressed with their smooth harmonies.So I picked up this CD on a lark.Words fail me, but here goes.

Take a closer look at the 5 men on the CD cover.During their five decades of performing the best gospel music (with 20 years' time off) they've seen it all, from desperately hard times to vicious bigots, yet their commitment and sincerity has carried them through.And this experience shows- when you hear the Fairfield Four sing you're listening to over 300 years of pain, heartbreak, love, faith, and joy.

On this recording, two of the Four really stand out: Walter Settles (center, behind), who carries the lead on 5 songs (including the stellar "Standing in the Safety Zone"), could have taught Otis Redding something about soul (and maybe he did).And upon hearing Isaac Freeman (far right) sing bass, Garrison Keillor said "Some can and some can't."He knew where he stood.

There's not a bad song on this CD.For me, "Roll Jordan Roll," performed with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and "Standing in the Safety Zone" are the highlights.If you like a capella music, it doesn't get any better than this.

Funny how so many of the reviewers say the same thing: "I'm not really religious but..."No matter who (or what) you believe in, you can't help but be moved by the Fairfield Four.

Now this is great gospel!
Standing in the Safety Zone by the Fairfield Four is my all-time favoritegospel title in my music collection!

The first track sounds a bit cracklyand lo-fi.If you were to listen to this track and judge the CD, you wouldbe very mistaken about the quality of sound from this recording.The firstsong is an older track, but all the subsequent tracks are crystal clear,moving and engaging.

Although this is a gospel title, I love to play thisfor friends to show off my high end audio system.The vocals are spacious,harmonious and full of life.The recording is superb and the performanceis fantastic.I especially like the bass vocals on this album.The soundis exceptional, but the songs are uplifting and moving as well.This is arecording that will touch your ears and your heart.

I heard about this CDin one of my high end audio magazines.They used this CD to test someesoteric audio gear and they raved about how good it was.That reviewintrigued me, so I bought a copy and it remains one of myfavorites.

Unless you are offended by Christian lyrics, get this albumnow!You will be in for a real treat! ... Read more

Asin: B000002LU0
Sales Rank: 44322
Subjects:  1. Black Gospel    2. Gospel    3. Pop    4. Southern Gospel    5. Traditional Gospel   

Can the Circle Be Unbroken?: Country Music's First Family
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 July, 2000)
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Editorial Review

Like so many Americans during the Depression, the Carter Family found themselves forced to stay in motion throughout the 1930s. Rural economies, the locales where country music had taken root, were hit unusually hard by the economic crash. The Carters left their original record label just prior to recording the first 17 of the 20 tunes on Can the Circle Be Unbroken, joining ARC for long enough to prodigiously churn out material they'd previously recorded. The 17 ARC songs here were recorded over 3 days in May 1935, and all reveal a Carter Family growing musically comfortable with their execution on these tunes--especially the slight dronelike quality in Sara's voice, which sounds settled and at times almost languid. Maybelle's voice and guitar emphasize the appropriately unhurried pacing (this was the Depression, after all). As for the closing trio of tracks, they come from a post-Decca session during their short tenure at Columbia, and all bear the mark of greater vocal harmonies between Sara and Maybelle, as well as an increased pitch in the vocals that quickens the pace a tad. These are vitally important recordings, to be sure, a fine, more multihued complement to the band's '20s-era recordings. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (10)

Great Songs, Disappointing Performances
The quality of songs on this album is fantastic. The Carter canon of music is worth any trouble you have to go to to hear it.Unfortunately, I don't think that these are the best records of many of these songs.To my ear, they often sound like they have performed the songs once too often and the music sounds tired.

Just for fun, listen to some of the amazon.com samples of the same songs, on different albums, and you'll hear the difference.My advice, try to buy the original recordings.

Nonetheless, this body of work is incredible, and I would recommend that anyone try to acquaint themselves with the music.

Had enough of Britainy, Madona, Jacko and his sister?
I recently discovered an alternative in Sara, Maybelle, and `Doc'.Carter family songs have become an art form from an era when our country and its culture were great.Their music is familiar, simple, direct, down-home and unpretentious without a trace of immorality.Probably not for everybody and certainly a hard-sell to contemporary mainstream America, but I play the Carter Family continuously at work and home.

The recordings on this CD are from their latter years, mid-1930's, and are superlative; among their best.The tempo is slower than their first records, and Sara's (lead singer's) natural pitch has dropped to alto; both very suitable to the music.

The recording quality wasn't great in 1930, but the `78-record effect', quickly becomes unnoticeable.Sara's got The Voice, and Maybelle, of course, the guitar Style. Pure diamond from southwest Virginia!

Key to all subsequent country and folk records...
These tracks were laid down in 1935 and 1940, mostly re-recordings of their first hits from 1927-34 with a different record company. So the trio had more confidence in their talents, but perhaps less spirit,as another reviewer noted. Recording quality is a tad better than the earlier stuff, as another reviewer mentioned. And since the group was active until the early '40's, this collection is limited...they preserved about 250 performances, and here you get 20. But if you only want one Carter CD for your collection, it's a fine choice. And if you care about roots music, how can you not have a Carter disc on the shelves? Founder A.P. Carter scoured the hills of Southern Virginia throughout the 20's and 30's, collecting mostly old songs from his neighbors, and copyrighting them with his arrangements. The original writers have mostly been lost to history, but the songs remain. Many of these can be found with different verses on recordings by other artists: "Worried Man Blues" eventually became "It Takes a Worried Man" for the Kingston Trio in the late 1950's. Woody Guthrie put some of his best lyrics to tunes found or written by the Carter Family, such as "Wildwood Flower" which was used for "Ballad of the Reuben James." Woody's song "Hesitating Beauty" on Billy Bragg's "Mermaid Avenue" collection, carries the tune of the Carters' "Lulu Walls". Whether Woody chose that, or Bragg, I don't know. But the Carter Family archive is still important, still enjoyable. There is a five-CD set of the Carters available for only twice the price of this one disc, so look up other offerings if you want an even better bargain. But if one hour of these country pioneers is all you think you need, don't worry about this one...it will serve you well. Maybelle Carter's guitar playing alone would make this a good buy, but add Sara's voice and autoharp and A.P.'s bass vocal accents, and it's a treasure. ... Read more

Asin: B00004RC8J
Subjects:  1. Appalachia    2. Appalachian Folk    3. Country    4. North America    5. Old-Timey    6. Pop    7. Traditional Country    8. United States of America   

Vanguard Sessions: Blues From The Delta
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 August, 1998)
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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. ... Read more

Asin: B000009NLQ
Sales Rank: 28303
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Pop   

20th Century Masters
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 November, 1999)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (4)

The best Bill Monroe CD ever with his F-Style Mandolin!!!
That's probably the only CD I like, I guess or I might like other ones, never know.

Well, I like this one called "The Best of Bill Monroe" & he plays an F-Style Mandolin with the fancier scroll & he wears a cowboy hat.

Bill Monroe is a bluegrass mandolin player & I like him.

This is Bill Monroe's Greatest Hits CD saying "The Best of Bill Monroe".

The songs I like are:

1. Blue Moon of Kentucky
2. Footprints in the snow
4. Uncle Pen
5. In the pines
6. I'm working on a building
7. Gotta Travel on
8. Scotland
10. I'm Sitting on top of the world &
12. My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin' (with Ricky Skaggs)

Ricky Skaggs sings with Bill Monroe on song 12.

I hope everybody likes Bill Monroe & his mandolin picking?

I enjoyed it.

I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Classics
These are classic songs.This is a great album to help anyone appreciate musical history, and a great introduction to blugrass music.It's not as rich sounding as modern bluegrass recordings, but it has a nice feel to it.It has a similar feel/sound to '30s Bob Wills.

Every track a gem
If you're already a Bill Monroe afficianado, then chances are you aren't looking for collections like this one (unless you want to take advantage ofthe clear sound resulting from the remastering on this disc -- not a badreason to acquire this disc even if you already have all the tracks on itfrom other collections), but rather hunting down obscure recordings andrare tracks wherever you can find them, so I'll gear my remarks heretowards the Bill Monroe neophyte.This collection is an excellent startingpoint, since every track on it is a gem.Bill Monroe is universallyacknowledged as the father of bluegrass (which proposition is anunderstatement; he is also its grandfather, midwife, crazy uncle, andcountry cousin) and this collection lays out the reason why -- so if youdon't like these songs, bluegrass ain't fer you.The version of MuleSkinner Blues on this track, something of a signature song for ol' Bill,has some of his best yodeling (if you can't like that track then _music_ain't fer you); Uncle Pen is a real foot-stomper; these versions of the oldtraditionals I'm Working on a Building and I'm Sitting on Top of the Worldbelong in every folk collection; and you won't find a better version of MySweet Blue Eyed Darlin' anywhere else either. ... Read more

Asin: B00002MYY8
Sales Rank: 120600
Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Country    3. Pop   

Father Of The Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 June, 1992)
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Editorial Review

According to legend, it was Son House's blistering bottleneck guitar that prompted Robert Johnson to pick up a six string. House's potent early recordings from 1930 and 1941 to 1942 showcased his raw, emotionally powerful style, but never received the acclaim of Johnson's. When he was rediscovered during the '60s blues revivalist movement, House's voice still possessed wall-shaking intensity and his idiosyncratic slide guitar still had bite. These 21 recordings (including five alternate takes) offer superior fidelity and significant room for House to stretch out. The first disc features his classic "Preachin' Blues," a stirring a capella "Grinning in Your Face," and a nine-minute "Levee Camp Moan," with Canned Heat's Al Wilson on harp. Disc two (outtakes and alternates) includes an odd homage to President Kennedy and a riveting version of the spiritual "Motherless Children." --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Desert Island CD of the first rank!
The Blues- either you get it or you don't. If you're one of the ones who does and you don't have this, then you need to stop whatever you're doing and get this. NOW. It's just that damn good. It's just that damn great! This is one of the CDs that gets me through the high times, the low times and all time in-between.

For me it ultimately comes down to two guys: Skip James and Son House. The two embody the differing poles of early blues aesthetic: James' eerie falsetto keen, odd/moribund lyrics (I'd rather be the Devil) minor key-tuned guitar and intricate finger work, under-stated and introspective; then you got House's deepand (utterly masculine) hollerin' vocals, his combative slide work on his National Steel resonator, his frenetic performances- visceral.

Both men had a deeply spiritual bent.

Now then, there are purists and then there are PURISTS. Some reviewers may say that the later Son House (these studio recordings) is lacking the ferocity and skill and power/delivery of his earlier self (the Lomax Library of Congress recordings and the Paramount recordings from the 30's). They may be right but I don't think so. I'm not knocking his earlier recordings- I swear by everything the man did. It's a tradeoff, basically- sound quality vs. intensity is one way of putting it, though, again I disagree: I think the man was just as gigantic on these two CDs as he was back in the day... And you can tell that his soul, his voice, his anima, had been tempered by the passing years. His intensity seems focused and buttressed to me, not worn out. He sounds like the most alive man I have ever heard.

These two CDs beyond are great, though I like the first better. The classic, "Preachin Blues," puts fire in your guts. "Death Letter," (maybe the best blues tune ever crafted) is jilting and hair-raising. Both takes. The same for "Levee camp Moan." The a capella versions of "John the Revelator" are marvelous. "Louise McGhee" is sublime.

Now- On some of the later alternate takes, House loses a bit of luster... The man coughs a little towards the end, but so what. Alan Wilson's harp never gets in the way, and works well. The Charley Patton cover is a fine time.

I've blathered about enough. I hope I've persuaded you a little- read on. My two cents: All of this is essential. ALL. You just don't hear stuff this good. It will have you humming along, singing at work, tapping your foot. It will make you want to learn to play the blues (and there's hope for you! Incidentally, House didn't learn guitar 'til he was 24- picked it up in a matter of weeks, so they say).

Pick this up.

HoosierDaddy
When it comes to the delta blues,this is it!Son House(Eddie James House Jr.)These recordings are a major plus for your collection.I'm trying too find the words to express this review but I can't, just buy it and injoy!

Son House is the real deal. Listen and learn
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.

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 ... Read more

Asin: B000002877
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Revival    4. Delta Blues    5. Pop    6. Prewar Blues    7. Slide Guitar Blues    8. Work Songs   

Aereo-Plain
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 September, 1997)
list price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

John Hartford didn't just bite the hand that fed him; he made it a full-course meal. After Glen Campbell rode Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind" to the top of the charts, Hartford was secure enough to stick his tongue out at the Nashville establishment. His songs offer an almost unparalleled blend of sardonicism and sincerity, a silliness tempered by a respect for musical tradition and beautiful melody. And despite his irreverence, he attracted the best pickers in the business. Norman Blake, Tut Taylor, Vassar Clements, and Randy Scruggs accompany him on this 1971 "newgrass" gem, a spontaneous album that was recorded live in the studio without any arrangements whatsoever. Delicious instrumentals stand by novelties about sex ("Boogie") and drugs ("Holding"), and semiserious diatribes ("Tear Down the Grand Ole Opry") live next to old-time gospel harmonies ("Turn Your Radio On"). Somehow, Aereo-Plain manages to be deeply cynical and emotionally uplifting at the same time. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Roll On John! Roll On! You Sure Were Beautiful!
"I dreamed that you were Joan of Arch and I was Don Quiote". Yep, that's John for you. Truth be told John was Don Quiote. And he was a Steamboat River Pilot...Oh Yea! That's a fact! You can look that up. John also flew in an old fashioned steam powered biplane...(well maybe not steam-powered). He was of course a virtuoso banjo and fiddle player....And he could roll the most equisite joints ever....But most of all he could capture a time and place in your mind's innervision like no other. Roll on John...Roll On!...You sure were Beautiful!!!!

Hey Babe You Wanna Bogie?
John Hartford gained notarity and fame as the composer of Gentle On My Mind. And, probably even more so as Glen Campbell's banjo player, during his three year run on prime time TV. But when he resurfaced as the bushy-bearded hippie blue grass freak, united with Nashville's elite pickers, Norman Blake, Tut Taylor, Vasser Clements and Randy Scruggs, the oh so conserative world of blue grass music took notice. Sure his fiddle and banjo playing were top notch and his voice understated and pleasant enough. But what was all that Hey Babe You Wanna Boogie....EH, EH, EH, EH, EH all about? And what's with all the references about token up? Could it be the clean cut Johnny Hartford of Glen Campbell days was smoking the evil weed? And worse yet was he actually mocking the sacred traditions of Gospel Radio and heaven forbid the Grand Ole' Opry? Fret not people. If you listen carefully and read between the lines, there's enough good natured, tongue-in-cheek houmor to go around, without offending anyone.

What John Hartford did create in this masterpiece was a slice of Americanna, complete with Missippi River steam boats, recollections of falling in love with your best friend's sister, while walking home from school and flying over the chekerboard farm land in an old time steam powered aeroplane. You know, simple stuff about the good ole days, when folks gathered around the radio to listen to Ernest Tub, Roy Acuff or maybe FDR's fireside chat. It's all about a time when you took your best girl to a dance at the local Grange Hall and they played fiddle music all night long. And so what if you and your buddies snuck out back to smoke a little bit of that mara-ju-wanna?

All I know is I miss the good ole' days when my buddies and I would lay around the shack in Putney, Vermont....Toke-Up, throw a little frisbe, maybe play some darts and listen to John "sing"....Hey Babe You Wanna Boogie?...Boogie, Oggie, Oggie With Me....Hey Babe You Wanna Boogie?....

John hartford
this is an interesting CD that has a lot of good qualities.it is a style of music that i have not heard, it is not too country, but they are wonderful story songs, and his face is reflective of his style... but it is not at all bad to hear. I have listened to it many times overe and over again while at work, and never get annnoyed with it ... Read more

Asin: B0000002O7
Subjects:  1. Country-Rock    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Pop    4. Traditional Country   

Harlem Street Singer
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 March, 1993)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Reviews (3)

"Blues" finds its hope in "Faith" via blind guitarist...
Gary Davis was born blind, black, and broke in South Carolina in 1896. Big obstacles, but he also was blessed with talent and got paid for his guitar-pickin' by the time he was a teen. Ordained as a minister at age 36, he changed his song inventory to Gospel and hymns exclusively. He ended up in NYC, performing at mostly Black churches and on the streets. In the late '50's, the "Folk Revival" of blessed memory provided him a brief celebrity beyond those venues. This album was recorded in 1960 at the Jersey jazz studio of the legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder. You get 44 minutes of soul survival stuff here, and any blues buff ought to own it. The more casual fan may have to listen a few times to really like Gary's vocals, but his guitar work is fun from the first chord. The recording quality is excellent. To me, the only flaw is that each song would have benefitted from one fewer sung verse, and one more instrumental passage. It's not that Gary's voice is any more rough than other bluesmen. The problem is that the lyrics of these church songs belabor the point and get a bit repetitious. Still, he was one of the best of his kind. Imagine him at 64, alone in the recording booth for three hours, doing 20 songs, of which these are supposedly the best takes of the best 12. He had not recorded anything in four years: in fact, he had only recorded in 1935, '54 and '56 prior to this August 24, 1960 session. On that day, Kennedy and Nixon were running for president, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Yankees were heading toward a classic World Series, and I was living about 40miles south of the studio, getting ready to begin 11th grade. Rev. Davis was doing somethingmore important: preserving the Black church songs of early 20th century for posterity.

The Best Davis Introduction Available
My collection includes all of The Reverend's recorded works. If you are going to buy just one Davis disc -- or if you are looking for a good introduction to this Blues/Ragtime master, "Harlem Street Singer" is unquestionably the best choice. The recording captures Davis at his most passionate vocally and at this top of his game as a gutarist. A lot of his early work suffers from poor recording technology, however this disc sounds like it was cut in a 21st Century studio.

I'm not a religious person, but Davis' music is almost enough to send me running to church. The piercing conviction of the lyrics and sycopated guitar in Twelve Gates, Great Change and Samson and Deliah still send chills of guilt up my spine.

As good as it gets.
If you enjoy both blues and gospel music, you will discover on this CD that for Reverend Davis there is no distinction between the two forms. Samson and Delilah and Death don't Have No Mercy were tunes that influencedThe Grateful Dead and other Rock bands, but here you get the full, originalimpact of these songs.

Reverend Davis was without question one of thegreatest blues guitar stylists ever, and this album captures some of hisstrongest recorded work. The importance and beauty of this recording cannotbe overemphasized! ... Read more

Asin: B000000XYN
Sales Rank: 92333
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Arranger    3. Blues    4. Blues Gospel    5. Country Blues    6. Folk-Blues    7. Piedmont Blues    8. Pop   

The King Of Country Music 1936-1947
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 August, 1998)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Reviews (1)

Top-notch Acuff compilation consisting of 25 tracks.
This compilation consists of 25 tracks, the track listingsnotwithstanding.Three of the tracks are not available on other cdcompilations.Of special note, "Eyes are Watching You," isAcuff-Oswald harmony at its best."Muleskinner Blues" and"Precious Jewel" are alternate tracks not available on othercollections.The cover is a "precious jewel" in its own right! ... Read more

Asin: B000009Q36
Sales Rank: 138578
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Honky Tonk    3. Pop    4. Traditional Country   

Absolutely the Best
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (03 October, 2000)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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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