Editorial Review

You might think a collection of bootlegs featuring R.L. Burnside is less than interesting, or maybe even a cynical way for Burnside and M.C. Records to cash in on his current popularity without having to release any new material. You might think that, but you'd be woefully mistaken. A fascinating, scattershot collection of tunes and interviews, recorded between 1986 and 1993, Read more

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (3)

I love this CD
I love this CD. It took a couple of listenings to sink in, but then I was hooked. Not since the Smithsonian recordings has there been such a riveting collection of snapshots in time. Burnside is Robert Johnson 2001 -- entertainer, great musician and philospher of humanity.

This stuff is amazing!
What a great collection! Super raw! I've seen Burnside live many times and this CD captures his personality and music in a nutshell -- unlike anything out there. Burnside is powerful with his group, but "Staggolee" shows just how frightening he can be on his own. Filled with classics: Boogie Chillen, How Many More Years, Mojo Hand, and even My Babe, which I never heard him do. All in a pared down, super raw setting. Beautiful vocals, great guitar. A must buy!

A patched together piece of junk not worthy of R.L.'s name.
Wow - Give a real bluesman some success, like R.L. Burnside, and suddenly every slimebucket with a dusty old bootleg of the man will come crawling out from under their rock to cash in on the man.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Country Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Country Blues    7. Electric Delta Blues    8. Juke Joint Blues    9. Modern Delta Blues    10. Modern Electric Blues    11. Pop   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (3)

A Shining Addition to Any Collection
The consolidation of record companies is generally bad, but this 3-CD box set was only possible because MCA acquired the rights to some outstanding early "race" record labels (Vocalion, Decca) and classy early R&B (e.g. Chess). The result is an intelligent, sequenced collection that is much more than a jarring, random assortment of songs by blues masters. Starting with the Delta blues, the mix seems subtly slanted in favor of bawdy, roadhouse-style blues performances--why it's the devil's music and you can't stay away from it. Whether it's Peetie Wheatstraw, Louis Jordan, John Lee Hooker or Etta James, these performances will seduce you. Good quality sound throughout (even the old stuff), with a handsome booklet.

An excellent blues collection
I own tons of blues CD's and records but I find myself going back to this collection over and over again.The songs represent some of the strongest recordings by the masters of the blues.Whether your interest is delta blues, piano blues, jump blues, Chicago blues or smooth urban blues; you'll find plenty to peak your ear.If you're lucky as I was, you'll find some unfamiliar and great artists to lead you down new musical roads.Some of my personal favorites are: That's No Way to Get Along - Robert Wilkins, What's the Matter with the Mill? - Kansas Joe McCoy, Floating Bridge - Sleepy John Estes, Mother Earth - Memphis Slim, It Serves You Right to Suffer - John Lee Hooker- just to name a few.Since I've got a 1,000 word limit in this review it prevents me from listing every great track on the collection and all the reasons you should purchase it. Suffice to say, buy it now and you won't be sorry!

Best Collection of Classic Blues!
I have purchased a lot of Blues recordings recently, but for a single purchase, this collection would be the best. It has the one or two most recognized songs from the most prominent Blues artists from 1927 to 1969,without the "scratches" of the old '78's!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. 30's    3. 40's    4. 50's    5. 60's    6. Acoustic Blues    7. Acoustic Chicago Blues    8. Acoustic Memphis Blues    9. Acoustic Texas Blues    10. Big Band    11. Blues    12. Blues Collections    13. Blues Music    14. Blues Revival    15. Boogie-Woogie    16. Box Sets (Audio Only)    17. Chicago Blues    18. Classic Female Blues    19. Classic Jazz    20. Country Blues   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (11)

Artistry and innovation, what Johnnie Lee was
Like too many blues artists, Hooker tends to be reduced to a primitivist stereotype. Rather than being a creative artist whose depth of spirit, intellect, music and poetry create a new power and product with his music, he is misinterpreted as some kind of relict of an older or truer blues tradition. Rather than a real artist, he is dehumanized as the real thing! Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could minimize his artistry more.
Some Fine Blues...
This is Hooker's latest original recording and the last one before he died in 2001.I have to say it's quite different from most Hooker recordings I've heard.It is very important to note that this CD is one big collaboration with Van Morrison, and the blues you'll hear here (with the exception of the first track) are mellow, laid back, and smooth.It's an excellent recording, although more mainstream than the real raw Hooker that can be heard on earlier recordings.He's aged like fine wine, and at about 80 years old, I'd say he's holding his own with amazing class :) GET IT DON'T REGRET IT
As a late convert to JLH's music, I like this a lot.More than the Healer actually.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Electric Blues    5. Modern Delta Blues    6. Pop   

Editorial Review

Country blues just doesn't get much better, or any sweeter, than Hurt's performance here. When this concert recording was issued as a two-record set 35 years ago, it bore the misleading title Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Field Recordings    8. Pop    9. Prewar Blues    10. Songwriter   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (1)

This is the foundation
British music mixed with African drum beats in Virginia.This is the British side saved. Only fifty years ago in Saltville, Virginia the British Ballad was being sung like it had been for several hundred years.Texas Gladden was the keeper of the flame.She is gone and so is the music.There is probably no body left that can sing these songs with this much honesty and authenticity. Allen Lomax should get the Nobel Peace Prize for saving all this music ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appalachian Folk    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Folk Collections    4. Folksongs    5. Old-Timey    6. Pop    7. Traditional Folk    8. Work Songs   

Editorial Review

One-fourth to one-third of the cowboys in the Old West were African American, a fact virtually erased from history. But one listen to this entry from the Read more

Reviews (2)

"I ain't gonna tell you no lies"
I have noticed that this website doesn't bring up every disc in this series with just a "Deep River Of Song" search. In the interest of helping people find these discs here, I'll name every other disc in the series.

Subjects:  1. Blues Traditional Collections    2. Field Recordings    3. Folk & Traditional    4. Pop    5. Traditional Folk    6. World Music   

Reviews (12)

BLUES THE BEST YOU KNOW THE REST!!
BEING A 56 YEARS YOUNG ENGLISHMAN, WITH MUSICAL TASTES FROM SINATRA, MATT MONROE, ELVIS, THE BEATLES TO - WELL AS AN ABSOLUTE LED ZEPPELIN FANATIC, I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS MAN IS NOW ON TOP OF MY PLAYLIST ON MY PC, ABOVE LED ZEPP, AND THAT HAS BEEN A TOUGH DECISION. I CAME ACROSS THIS GUY ON A BBC RADIO 2 SATURDAY MORNING SHOW, AND THE REST IS HISTORY!! HE HAS THE BEST GUTTERAL TONES, GUITAR, HOME FEELINGS FROM THE DELTA, IT IS PURE MAGIC. THANKS RLB FOR INTRODUCING ME TO A STYLE I HAD NEVER HEARD OF. IT IS A GREAT JOY TO ME THAT I FOUND YOUR MUSIC JUST BEFORE YOU LEFT FOR BLUES HEAVEN.. I SAY -BUY THIS MAN'S MUSIC, IT IS GENIUS...

Kicks
What can I say this Cd kicks.Paked full raw unadulterated electric slide guitar just dripping with distortion.The first song is alittle weak compared to the rest of the disk, but the second song is so great it more than makes up for it.The slide guitar on the fourth track "Snake Drive" is amazing, listen how Kenny brown realy gets into it. Buy it!!

99.44% pure raunch
It was the fall of '97 and I was minding my business, scarfing some bargains from a local new & used music store, when over the shop stereo came blaring what I can only rather lamely describe as a 'skronk stomp' punctuated by sporadic, though authoritative, vocals and frenzied (and occasionally wah-wah'ed) slide guitar -- all ending with an appropriate "Well, well!"Thus my introduction to the song "Snake Drive", and the man -- R.L. Burnside.Thankfully I have never been much of a purist in regard to anything, and the blues is certainly no exception to my personal rule. This is gutbucket blues with some splattered brains and a couple displaced eyeballs added to the (un)savory mess.Believe the other reviewers when they tell you how raw and nasty -- and doggone satisfying -- this CD is.As a fringe benefit the Jon Spencer & Co. emissions are kept to a minimum on this release (I know it's hard ,Jon, but keep it in your pants...you and your boys already popped your cork all over 'A Ass Pocket of Whiskey').As for you folks who count yourself in the purist camp...not to worry...Burnside has released a bit of good acoustic material as well as a great CD of more traditional electric blues 'Too Bad Jim'.Fanciers of 'Mr. Wizard may want to give R.L.'s 2001 live release 'Burnside on Burnside a spin.To me it's all good as long as it hasn't been copiously spewed upon by wannabes or overtly tweaked by Fat Possum executives. Enjoy this drunk or sober it's 99.44% raunch...and, in terms of the blues, you can't get much purer than that. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Delta Blues    4. Electric Blues    5. Electric Delta Blues    6. Juke Joint Blues    7. Modern Delta Blues    8. Modern Electric Blues    9. Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Modern Delta Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. United States of America   

Reviews (1)

Excellent single-disc compilation
This well-compiled 1999 Wolf collection is one of the best-sounding Charley Patton-albums on the market. Wolf Records achieves a balance here, cutting down as much surface noise as possible without sapping the dynamics of the performance, and these 69 minutes of music include almost all of Patton's best songs. Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Traditional    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Leader    8. Pop    9. Prewar Blues    10. Prewar Country Blues    11. Prewar Gospel Blues    12. Slide Guitar Blues   

Editorial Review

Fans of this Mississippi hill country blues patriarch who've been put off by his previous two albums, the hip-hop remix set Read more

Reviews (2)

Deep, Deep Blues that you feel in your Soul!
Mr. Burnside releases emotions deep within his heart and soul through his playing and singing! These are primal Blues not played often anymore in many areas. ... .
R.L. is the Blues
This is the album I've been waiting for. I'm enjoy R.L.'s most recent albums but they only skim the surface of what lies behind that voice. For me, It's R.L. and an acoustic guitar. Listen to him on "Crying won't make me stay" or "Miss Maybelle"; no drum machines, no progaming, just that voice and those fingers on steel strings.If you like his Acoustic Stories album this is even better. This damm album makes me smile- well, well well.Rock on R.L. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Delta Blues    4. Electric Delta Blues    5. Modern Acoustic Blues    6. Modern Delta Blues    7. Pop   

Editorial Review

Hooker was already making hits (for Modern) when he started to record for Chicago's legendary Chess Records in 1952. So he's at the peak of his powers on these solo sides from 1952 to '54, and with Eddie "Guitar" Burns, pianist Lafayette Leak, and drummer Fred Below in 1966. The '50s numbers stomp and grind through Hooker's typically down-'n'-dirty songwriting. "Ground Hog Blues" is especially gritty, as he describes how he'll poison his woman's lover. Those cuts also show the influence of prewar blues personalities Sleepy John Estes (on "Worried Life Blues"), Tampa Red ("Sugar Mama"), Sonny Boy Williamson ("Louise"), Johnny Temple ("Please Don't Go"), and Big Joe Williams ("Bluebird"). The '66 band recordings include his classics "The Waterfront" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer." Read more

Reviews (1)

Hooker at his Best
This is it! If you don't have any John Lee Hooker in the House , this is the place to start. This isn't a water down compilation like several CDs out there. This is John Lee at his best and working with some of the bestsidemen that Chess records had to offer. Do yourself a favor and Hook upwith John Lee Hooker ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Detroit Blues    7. Electric Blues    8. Electric Delta Blues    9. Juke Joint Blues    10. Pop   

Features

• Live

Reviews (3)

One of the last live recordings by three greats.
I won't try to convert non-Canned Heat fans, but for those who care, this the last recording by Bob Hite, the last live recording by Ronnie Barron, and one of the few live recordings by Hooker.

Don'tForget toBoogie
This was one of my best live cassettes, almost worn out to transparent. Happily enough I got the Cd. Only the JLH songs are special
This CD is a fair representation of a live concert in the mid-seventies when JLH sat in for a few songs at the end of the night.The crowd is enthusiastic and the energy from the band is high, but the only really standout tracks are the last three, featuring John Lee Hooker.Canned Heat plays a decent back-up role to a true legend and they swing and groove and growl well enough.Nothing earth-shattering, but there are some very enjoyable moments.The best aspect of this disc is the very palpable sense of atmosphere conveyed through a pretty well recorded gig.Simple, party type blues/rock, but JLH adds some magic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Detroit Blues    8. Electric Blues    9. Electric Delta Blues    10. Leader    11. Modern Electric Blues    12. Pop    13. Rock    14. Songwriter    15. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

Today, at age 77, this popular North Mississippi singer-guitarist is a master of dirty juke-joint blues. But Burnside was a farm hand when these late ’60s recordings captured him developing his staples "Goin’ Down South," "Jumper On the Line," "Poor Black Mattie," and "Long Haired Doney"--and his playing style--in bare-boned acoustic form. Burnside practically cries over the roiling John Lee Hooker-influenced guitar lines of the heartbroken "Like a Bird Without a Feather," which he’s never again recorded, winning sympathy until he admits that he murdered his lost lover. In "Skinny Woman," covered recently by the North Mississippi Allstars, he offsets the rippling picking style associated with John Hurt by beating his knuckles against his six-string’s body. Burnside’s slide on "Walkin’ Blues" favors the low strings until his solo stabs into the high register with keening, measured authority, matching the sweet and dusty tones of his voice, which then possessed a youthful flexibility that wrung all sorts of nuances from these 14 songs. --Read more

Reviews (5)

well, well well
Basically, this album is a must for any blues fan. I bought his recent live album "Burnside on Burnside" and thought that was good, until i heard just how good his early recordings were. His songs capture the feeling of the blues in the same way that Robert Johnson could. His simple single guitar and vocals style is in many ways right at the heart of the blues. And this older recording is incredibly high quality. Great, early blues music by a musician who had incredible staying power.

The Robert Johnson of 1968
I 'm not interested in any fusion of hill country blues with hip-hop junk, so when Iwanted to buy an R.L. Burnside CD, I went to the beginning. And man, I struck gold! R.L. just spellbinds the listener with his raw emotion and remarkable guitar playing. If you appreciate Robert Johnson's recordings, you're sure to like this as well, even though the music itself is a little different than Johnson's blues. Kind of a cross between Johnson and John Lee Hooker, with the "hypnotic trance" thing going. It's its own thing, actually--hill country blues!

caught my baby cheatin', now home aint where it used to be
this cd is the kind of thing that can get you lost on your way home from work.literally.one wrong turn around this place and im out twenty minutes.burnside just sucks you in and there's nothing you can do about it.emotion to rival 'a love supreme'.backhand to the cheek.swagger. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Delta Blues    5. Electric Delta Blues    6. Juke Joint Blues    7. Modern Delta Blues    8. Modern Electric Blues    9. Pop   

Editorial Review

Using the simplest melodies as his canvas, Delta bluesman Bukka White painted vivid pictures of his own life in the rural South, punctuating his words with a highly percussive steel-guitar attack. Among his subjects: trains, booze, sex, prison, and death. After shooting an old Mississippi rival during a roadside showdown, White had allegedly jumped bail to record his first two songs in 1937. The bawdy "Shake 'EmOn Down" was a hit, but White spent two years in prison for his indiscretion. When White returned to Chicago in 1940 to record again, producer Lester Melrose rejected his roster of cover tunes, giving him two days to come up with his own material. Under the gun, White created the 10 autobiographical gems that round out this collection. Read more

Reviews (16)

An underrated bluesman
It's too bad that this 14-track collection omits Booker White's earliest sides, including the two religious songs that he recorded for Victor in May, 1930. Catfish's 20-track compilation "Shake 'Em On Down" and Document's similar "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues" are better choices, really, since they include the six non-Vocalion sides that this collection does not.
A Consumate Blues Man
The first song I heard by Bukka White was 'Fixin' To Die Blues' on a blues anthology disc.With his rhythmic playing and voice that expresses a wide range of emotion, he was one of the consumate blues men.He had quite a story to tell, and there isn't a single song on this disc that doesn't lure you in to his telling of the human condition.A must for anyone that can appreciate what this Black American art form truly is...emotions and strife set to music.Recommended!

Songs from a Blues Master
I first heard Booker "Bukka" White on a compilation and finally got around to picking up this CD awhile back. What the listener is treated to is good, old-fashioned, country blues, highlighted by White's strong, straight-ahead rhythms and vocal intensity. His raspy/quavery vocals are a perfect accompaniment to his chugging guitar style, and White is backed up on most of these songs, recorded mainly in 1940, by Washboard Sam, who provides strong rhythmic counterpoint to the sound White gets from his National steel guitar. Although I like all the tracks on this CD, "Parchman Farm Blues", the first Bukka White song I ever heard, is still my favorite. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Blues    8. Prewar Country Blues    9. Prewar Gospel Blues    10. Slide Guitar Blues    11. St. Louis Blues   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Delta Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Delta Blues    5. Juke Joint Blues    6. Modern Delta Blues    7. Modern Electric Blues    8. Pop   

Reviews (3)

Misleading but still worth it.
These are by no means white spirituals and hardly any use original styalizations. The Title "Southern White Spirituals" I feel is quite misleading seeing how many of the songs are rather with african american roots that here, just happened to be sung by anglos. The music is none the less wonderful but dont get fooled into thinking the muscicians here were themselves actually better than those who first felt the need to express themselves in such a fashion. I recommend beginning elsewhere but if your just curious then why not, but there are things such as in the Deep River Of Song Series that are more captivating in their utter expression of the human condition here on earth.

Sends chills down to your soul!!!!
This is my personal favorite of the Southern Journey series, which is saying something.So much of the music in the Southern tradition (and particularly in the mountain tradition - which is what this music is really a sampling of) is overtly religious and this disc features a broad sampling of various spiritual styles found in the Appalachians.There are shape note hymns, gospel songs, religious ballads, and lined-out hymns in the Old Regular Baptist style. fantastic
This stuff really moves me. I think the southern journey series is justabout the greatest! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. Appalachian Folk    3. Ballads    4. Field Recordings    5. Folk & Traditional    6. Gospel Collections    7. Gospel/Christian Music    8. Italian Folk    9. Old-Timey    10. Pop    11. Traditional Folk    12. Work Songs   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Electric Country Blues    3. Electric Delta Blues    4. Juke Joint Blues    5. Modern Delta Blues   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

Run down at the heels
I have all of Missispi John Hurt's recordings-and this one is the worst-the live the best.
Another Great, Great Album
Been listening to John since the mid 60's. Love the guy, and study and play his tunes for no reason other than the pure joy of it.Recently picked this up.Wow!Until I heard these recordings, I would positively tell you that "Today!", produced lovingly by Patrick Skye, was absolutely the best Hurt album ever.Now it has some competition.This album brings out new aspects of Hurt.I particularly liked Disc 2.You should do yourself a favor and get this.

An important collection of John Hurt recordings
If you are newly interested in Mississippi John Hurt and looking for a good musical intro to his music, I dare say that this recording may not be your best choice;recording quality and performance quality could be better.The Vanguard "Complete Studio Sessions" 3-CD set might well be a better intro to the music of John Hurt.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Traditional    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Pop    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

James Mathus made his name playing kitchen-sink ragtime with NorthCarolina's Squirrel NutZippers, but beneath that dapper zoot suit beats the heart of a Mississippimauler with tobacco in his cheek and a porch beneath his boots. Dirty, Southern- fried, and gritty as the river that takes its name from Mathus's home state,Read more

Reviews (3)

Soild effort
This is a fine album somewhat in the vein of The North Mississippi All Stars.Mathus' album is produced by Jim Dickinson, amonth other things father of 2/3 of NMAS and Mathus himself appeared on Buddy Guy's superb "Sweet Tea" album.And therein lies the rub.While this is a solid affair and Mathus' guitar and voice are solid, it doesn't have the driving bottom end of the NMAS releases or Guy's album.Even with a cover of RL Burnside's "Snake Drive" this isn't quite as slamming a Mississippi hill/country blues affair.To be sure a lot of that is by design and it's not as if there aren't some moments where a monstrous boogie is achieved.But if you expect NMAS or Burnside/Kimbrough stomps look elsewhere.While those artists offer a mammoth groove on almost every track, Mathus lays back a little more, tends to keep the bass a little quieter and takes on more country stance.It will grow on you as an album too.Just accept it for what it is.The idea expressed in other reviews that it's a back porch affair is right on.As such the laid-back vibes is appropriate and it is certainly the work of someone making the music they love.

Enthusiastic electric
This CD is one of those that just keeps growing on you. After his success with Songs for Rosetta, Mathus follows the acoustic album with a hard-driving electric one. Songs for Rosetta was a tribute album and one where Mathus explores his roots. National Antispetic proves that Mathus can do what all good artists have to--grow on those roots. This seems to be a natural progression. Mathus' Talent Shines
The eclectic talents of James Mathus take center stage on his second solo release, National Antiseptic. Mathus' primary band, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, remain a popular band from the swing music resurgence of the mid 1990's. Though the Zippers, who Mathus fronts, were the most creative and talented of the pack, they still have faced tough competition in the land of teen pop and pretentious rap/rock. As a result, Mathus has taken several side projects, including a stint as Buddy Guy's guitarist a solo project, Play Songs For Rosetta, and now National Antiseptic.Read more

Subjects:  1. Delta Blues    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Swamp Blues   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Traditional    3. Chicago Blues    4. Electric Blues    5. Electric Chicago Blues    6. Electric Delta Blues    7. Pop    8. R&B/Soul    9. Slide Guitar Blues    10. United States of America