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NEWSLETTER #136
Blues & Gospel
 Isaiah Owens -> Josh White
 

 

 
 
THE CALVIN OWENS SHOW Sawdust Alley 4233 Keeping Big Band Blues Alive ● CD $14.98
14 tracks, 65 mins, recommended
Owens long list of musical credentials includes A & R Director and studio musician for the famed Duke-Peacock label and a very long stint as trumpet soloist and band director for B. B. King. Here, the 70-something Houston, Texas trumpeter leads roughly 40 musicians (in various aggregations) through a set of originals with an energy and power beyond that of most mortal blues albums. Owens musical sensibility may harken back to the 1940s but it spends most of its time in right now. Check the instrumental punch of Love On A Silver Platter and the cool sophistication of Why Can't I. Why isn't this guy more famous? (JC)

 
CHARLIE PATTON Yazoo 2069 The Best Of Charlie Patton ● CD $16.98
23 tracks, 72 minutes, essential
As long as mastering technology continues to evolve, the often stunning and strongly captivating material from Charley (or Charlie) Patton's catalog will likely see reissue on a repeating basis, but discussions about what label offers the best sound will also likely continue. Yazoo has done a remarkable job on this twenty-three track set, perhaps setting a standard in noise reduction, clarity, and clean sonics that could prove difficult to match. Patton's music suffered for years because of the scarce availability of usable sources to dub from, and although prior sets (on Catfish, Revenant, and JSP) showed improvements, the dedication and diligent efforts of Richard Nevins appear to have now outstripped the competition. Down The Dirt Road Blues/ Lord I'm Discouraged/ Moon Going Down/ High Sheriff Blues/ I'm Goin' Home and the balance have never sounded so good. (CR)

 
SISTER LUCILLE POPE & THE PEARLY GATES Atlanta International 10256 Live - Real Christians Stand Up ● CD $15.98
13 tracks, 73 mins, highly recommended
Sister Lucille Pope Alexander is a truly superb gospel singer with a husky voice that is coupled with a searing intensity, devoid of histrionics, which will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. She started her recording career in the 60s and made some exceptional recordings for Nashboro in the 70s (sadly all out of print). The recordings here made live in the 90s shows that her the has changed very little - the arrangements are a little slicker and uses larger groups but the focus is on Lucille's singing and that is as powerful and moving as ever. She is accompaneid vocally and instrumentally by her group The Pearly Gates which includes several family members that she has worked with for many years. The songs are all originals and includes Praise Him/ Jesus On My Side (based on Psalms 118:6)/ God Will See You Through/ Clap Your Hands For Jesus/ Almighty God and others. Glorious stuff! (FS)

 
ROOMFUL OF BLUES Alligator 4900 Standing Room Only ● CD $15.98
14 tracks, 50 minutes, very good
For those who recall Roomful Of Blues with Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Greg Piccolo, or Sugar Ray Norcia standing tall and commanding attention, for some, their glory days have become a thing of the past. There's little question that this 30-some-odd-year aggregation can still dish out some compelling music, but Chris Vachon's often rock-sounding guitar vocabulary can be irritating to a fault, and Mark DuFresne, although a solid and workman-like frontman, doesn't quite capture the magic as other vocalists before him have. Once a driving blues band with a foot firmly planted in vintage rock 'n' roll territory, of late they seem to more resemble rockers who delve into blues, and although they can still push the daylights out of swinging grooves, their grooves have less swing and often collide with hook-based rockers. (CR)

 
CLARA SMITH Retrieval 79030 The Essential Clara Smith, 1924-1929 ● CD $14.98
25 tracks, 77 mins, essential
Great collection of sides by this outstanding pre war singer. While maybe not the equal of that other great Smith, Bessie, she was not too far behind with a powerful and expressive style and great accompaniments from the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Don Redman, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Green, Fletcher Henderson, Joe Smith, Bob Fuller, James P. Johnson and others. She also had some particularly fine songs like Freight Train Blues/ Done Sold My Soul To The Devil (And My Heart's Done Turned To Stone)/ Nobody Knows The Way I Feel Dis Morning/ Shipwrecked Blues and the wonderful Look Where The Sun Done Gone written by Stanley who composed eight of the songs on this compilation and is freuqnetly featured in the piano seat. Sound quality on these rare sides has never been better thanks to the technical wizardry of the late John R.T. Davies. (FS)
CLARA SMITH: Black Cat Moan/ Broken Busted Blues/ Court House Blues/ Deep Blue Sea Blues/ Done Sold My Soul to The Devil (And My Heart's Done Turn To Stone)/ Freight Train Blues/ Hot Papa/ It Won't Be Long Now/ Let's Get Loose/ Look Where The Sun Done Gone/ My John Blues/ Nobody Knows The Way I Feel Dis Morning/ Oh! Mr. Mitchell/ Papa I Don't Need You Now/ Race Track Blues/ Rock, Church, Rock/ Shipwrecked Blues/ Sobbin' Sister Blues/ Steamboat Man Blues/ Strugglin' Woman's Blues/ Texas Moaner Blues/ Tired Of The Way You Do/ Where Is My Man?/ You Can't Stay Here No More/ You Don't Know Who's Shakin' Your Tree

 
EFFIE SMITH Classics 5116 The Chronological Effie Smith, 1945-1953 ● CD $14.98
24 tracks, 67 mins, recommended
24 tracks recorded between 1945 and 1953 for various labels by singer/ comedienne Efflie Smith. Effie's musical career started in the the late 30s and although none of the recordings here were hits she, surprisingly, had a couple of R&B hits in the mid/late 60s - one of them a remake of her 1953 song featured here Dial That Telephone. Effie was an excellent singer and her material includes torchy ballads, blues and jivey tunes in the style of Julia Lee. Accompaniments range from a trio to Ike Carpenter & His Orchestra and musicians include top West Coast sidemen like Red Callendar, Johnny Otis, Jackie Kelso, Maxwell davis, "Teddy" Buckner, Maynard Ferguson, Jesse Sails and others. (FS)

 
GEECHIE SMITH/ CROWN PRINCE WATERFORD Blue Moon 6046 Swingin' Small Combos Kansas City Style - Vol. 2 ● CD $14.98
25 tracks featuring two Kansas City based blues shouters. Little is known about singer/ trumpet player Vernon "Geechie" Smith though he recorded quite extensively as a sideman between 1939 and 1954. His 14 excellent cuts here, recorded bbetween 1946 and 1954, are the only ones issued under his own name. The remaining 11 sides are by the excellent and better known Crown Prince Waterford though, except for one alternate take, are also available on Classics 5024.

 
ROOSEVELT SYKES Maison De Blues 982 249 The Honeydripper's Duke's Mixture ● CD $15.98
17 tracks, 49 mins, recommended From his first recording for Okeh in 1929 up to his death in 1984 there was rarely a year that Roosevelt Sykes was out of the studio but in spite of his considerable output his music was rarely less than excellent. This relaxed selection was recorded in Paris in 1970 and the first ten tracks were originally on the French Blue Star label and finds Roosevelt in fine form. A nice mix of blues/jazz standards (Going Down Slow/ St. James Infirmary/ Honeysuckle Rose, etc), a couple of deliciously raunchy songs (Ice Cream Freezer/ Dirty Mother For You), a duet with Memphis Slim on Lost My Boogie and even a couple of tracks with Roosevelt accompanying himself on acoustic guitar! There are seven bonus tracks included here that were recorded at the tail end of the session when some friends and booze showed up and is a little more ragged than the first ten tracks but is still fine with Roosevelt doing a couple of Fats Waller songs, Slim Gaillard's Flat Foot Floogie and Misty. Superb sound and affectionate notes by original producer Philippe Rault plus original notes by Mike Rowe. (FS)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Alligator ALCD 119 Crucial Live! Blues ● CD $7.98
13 tracks, 61 minutes, excellent
Compiled from thirteen different titles in the Alligator catalog, there's nothing here of the previously unissued sort, but it's sure makes for some great listening - and it's even better considering the budget-line pricing. Luther Allison (Cherry Red Wine), Hound Dog Taylor (Dust My Broom), Albert Collins (Tired Man), Koko Taylor (Going Back To Iuka), Lonnie Brooks (Born With The Blues), James Cotton (Born In Chicago), and Son Seals (Call My Job) have all recorded memorable 'live' outings for the label, and there's plenty more from Dave Hole (Short Fuse Blues), Delbert McClinton (Going Back To Louisiana), Lonnie Mack (Riding The Blinds), Elvin Bishop (My Dog), Saffire (Dump That Chump), and Little Charlie & The Nightcats (Eyes Like A Cat). (CR)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Arhoolie 515 Sacred Steel Instrumentals ● CD $12.98
14 tracks, 57 minutes, essential
Arhoolie is thankfully continuing with their Sacred Steel series of recordings, and this is a recent entry, it's just as mesmerizing as the previous examples featuring an all instrumental selection drawn from previous Sacred Steel releases. The steel guitar has an infectious quality to it as it's capable (in the right hands) of reaching heights a standard guitar can't quite match. Add to that the sacred, or religious, nature of these recordings ('live' and studio) and you're in for a treat. Sonny Treadway's Jesus Will Fix It For You, Willie Eason's When The Saints Go Marching In, Lamar Nelson's If I Couldn't Say A Word, Glenn Lee's Call Him By His Name, and The Campbell Brothers' End Of My Journey are more than enough to make it worth its weight in gold, but Robert Randolph, Aubrey Ghent, Lonnie Bennett, Rayfield Holloman, and Dante Harmon make it more of a true goldmine. Brilliant. (CR)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16700 Blowin' The Fuse - 1945- 26 Classics That Rocked The Jukebox ● CD $24.98
Bear Family now enters the already extensive fray in reissuing blues and R&B tunes on a year by year basis. Being Bear Family they do it in great style though I do have some reservations. Unlike some compilations these are single CDs with 27 or 28 tracks per CD, arranged chronologically, featuring some of the biggest blues, R&B and vocal group hits of the year along with a handful of rarities making their first appearance on CD. Unlike other compilations these are licensed from the original owners wherever possible and are remastered from best available sources using the disc transfer and mastering skills of Dave Booth, Walter DeVenne, Bob Jones and Jurgen Crasser and the resulting sound is breathtaking with a clarity and presence absent from similar reissues on Indigo, Boulevard and Fremeaux. Each disc comes in a fold out digipack with a thick 72 page booklet with notes, photos, label shots, posters and other memorabilia and this is where my reservations come in. Although the booklets are beautiful to look at there is a lot of empty space and I think most of the content could have been condensed into booklets half the size which might no longer be a graphic designer's wet dream but might enable Bear Family to charge a lower price. The notes by Colin Escott are generally informative but sometimes seem rather cursory and it is really unforgivable that a lavish and expensive production like this doesn't have discographical information or even list chart positions.
This first volume opens with Cecil Gant's seminal recording of I Wonder and ends with Lionel Hampton's Beulah's Boogie. Along the way we hear gems from Joe Turner, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Four Clefs, Louis Jordan, Buddy Johnson, Joe Liggins, Hadda Brooks, Big Maceo, Gatemouth Moore, Wynonie Harris, Johnny Otis, Julia Lee, etc.
COUNT BASIE: Jimmy's Blues/ BIG MACEO: Things Have Changed/ HADDA BROOKS: Swingin' The Boogie/ ARTHUR CRUDUP: Rock Me Mama/ THE FIVE RED CAPS: Boogie Woogie On A Saturday Nite/ THE FOUR CLEFS: V Day Stomp/ PRIVATE CECIL GANT: I Wonder/ THE GOLDEN GATE QUARTET: I Will Be Home Again/ LIONEL HAMPTON: Beulah's Boogie/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Baby Look At You/ ERSKINE HAWKINS: Tippin’ In/ HELEN HUMES: Be-Baba-Leba/ IVORY JOE HUNTER: Blues At Sunrise/ HERB JEFFRIES: Left A Good Deal In Mobile/ BUDDY JOHNSON: That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch/ LOUIS JORDAN: Caldonia/ JULIA LEE: If It's Good/ JOE LIGGINS: The Honeydripper, Part 1/ JAY MCSHANN: Garfield Avenue Blues/ LUCKY MILLINDER: Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well?/ GATEMOUTH MOORE: I Ain't Mad At You Pretty Baby/ JOHNNY OTIS: Harlem Nocturne/ SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: Strange Things Happening Every Day/ JOE TURNER: S.K. Blues, Part 1/ T-BONE WALKER: Sail On Boogie/ COOTIE WILLIAMS: Somebody's Gotta Go

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16701 Blowin' The Fuse - 1946- 27 Classics That Rocked The Jukebox ● CD $24.98
27 tracks from 1946.
BIG MACEO: Chicago Breakdown/ THE BLUES WOMAN: Voo-It! Voo-It!/ RED CALLENDER TRIO: Red Light/ THE CATS'N JAMMER THREE: I Cover The Water-Front/ KING COLE TRIO: (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66/ ARTHUR CRUDUP: So Glad You're Mine/ THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS: Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'/ LIONEL HAMPTON: Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Wynonie's Blues/ ERSKINE HAWKINS: After Hours/ THE INK SPOTS: The Gypsy/ BULL MOOSE JACKSON: I Know Who Threw The Whiskey (In The Well)/ LOUIS JORDAN: Buzz Me/ Choo Choo Ch'Boogie/ ANDY KIRK: I Know/ JULIA LEE: Gotta Gimmie Whatcha' Got/ JOE LIGGINS: Got A Right To Cry/ JAY MCSHANN: Voodoo Woman Blues/ ROY MILTON: R.M. Blues/ JOHNNY MOORE'S THREE BLAZERS: Drifting Blues/ VELMA NELSON: If I Were A Itty Bitty Girl, Part 1/ BILL SAMUELS: Port Wine/ ROOSEVELT SYKES: Sunny Road/ JOE TURNER: My Gal's A Jockey/ EDDIE VINSON: Cherry Red Blues/ T-BONE WALKER: Come Back To Me Baby/ DINAH WASHINGTON: Joy Juice

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16702 Blowin' The Fuse - 1947- 28 Classics That Rocked The Jukebox ● CD $24.98
28 tracks.
ALBERT AMMONS: Swanee River Boogie/ THE BIG THREE TRIO: Signifying Monkey/ FIVE BLAZERS: Chicago Boogie/ HADDA BROOKS TRIO: That's My Desire/ CLARENCE BROWN: Guitar In My Hand/ WALTER BROWN: W.B. Blues/ SAVANNAH CHURCHILL: I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You)/ ARTHUR CRUDUP: That's All Right/ LIONEL HAMPTON: Blow Top Blues/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Time To Change Your Town/ BILL JOHNSON: Don't You Think I Ought To Know/ LOUIS JORDAN: Boogie Woogie Blue Plate/ Let The Good Times Roll/ ANNIE LAURIE: Since I Fell For You/ JULIA LEE: (Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It/ NELLIE LUTCHER: He's A Real Gone Guy/ JACK MCVEA: Open The Door Richard!/ AMOS MILBURN: Down The Road Apiece/ ROY MILTON: True Blues/ JOHNNY MOORE'S THREE BLAZERS: New Orleans Blues/ GENE PHILLIPS: Big Legs/ THE RAVENS: Ol' Man River/ CLARENCE SAMUELS: Lollypop Mama/ JOE TURNER: Sally Zu-Zaz/ EDDIE VINSON: Old Maid Boogie/ T-BONE WALKER: Bobby Sox Blues/ PAUL WILLIAMS SEXTET: Hasting Street Bounce/ SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON: Shake That Boogie

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16703 Blowin' The Fuse - 1948 - 28 Classics That Rocked The Jukebox ● CD $24.98
28 tracks.
THE BIG THREE TRIO: You Sure Look Good To Me/ ROY BROWN: Long About Midnight/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Good Rockin' Tonight/ CAMILLE HOWARD: X-Temperaneous Boogie/ IVORY JOE HUNTER: Pretty Mama Blues/ BULL MOOSE JACKSON: I Love You, Yes I Do/ LONNIE JOHNSON: Tomorrow Night/ LOUIS JORDAN: Daddy-O/ Run Joe/ JULIA LEE: King Size Papa/ JIMMY LIGGINS: Cadillac Boogie/ NELLIE LUTCHER: Fine Brown Frame/ AMOS MILBURN: Chicken-Shack Boogie/ ROY MILTON: Hop, Skip And Jump/ BILL MOORE: We're Gonna Rock/ GATEMOUTH MOORE: Hey Mr. Gatemouth/ THE ORIOLES: It's Too Soon To Know/ THE RAVENS: Write Me A Letter/ MABEL SCOTT: Elevator Baby/ HAL SINGER SEXTETTE: Corn Bread/ ARBEE STIDHAM: My Heart Belongs To You/ JOE SWIFT: That's Your Last Boogie/ SONNY THOMPSON: Long Gone, Part 2/ T-BONE WALKER: Call It Stormy Monday/ CROWN PRICE WATERFORD: Move Your Hand, Baby/ MUDDY WATERS: I Can't Be Satisfied/ PAULA WATSON: A Little Bird Told Me/ PAUL WILLIAMS SEXTETTE: Thirty-Five Thirty

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16704 Blowin' The Fuse - 1949 - 27 Classics That Rocked The Jukebox ● CD $24.98
27 tracks
CLARENCE BROWN: Mary Is Fine/ ROY BROWN: Rockin' At Midnight/ RUTH BROWN: So Long/ CHARLES BROWN TRIO: Trouble Blues/ PEE WEE CRAYTON: Texas Hop/ LARRY DARNELL: For You My Love/ T.J. FOWLER: T.J. Boogie/ WYNONIE HARRIS: All She Wants To Do Is Rock/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: Boogie Chillen/ BULL MOOSE JACKSON: Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me/ LOUIS JORDAN: Saturday Night Fish Fry, Part 1&2/ ANNIE LAURIE: Cuttin' Out/ JULIA LEE: The Spinach Song (I Didn't Like It The First Time)/ STICK MCGEE: Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee/ BIG JAY MCNEELY: Deacon's Hop/ AMOS MILBURN: Roomin' House Boogie/ RED MILLER: Bewildered/ THE ORIOLES: Tell Me So/ JIMMY PRESTON: Rock The Joint/ TODD RHODES: Pot Likker/ SUGAR CHILE ROBINSON: Numbers Boogie/ SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: Up Above My Head/ T-BONE WALKER: T-Bone Shuffle/ DINAH WASHINGTON: Baby Get Lost/ PAUL WILLIAMS: The Hucklebuck/ JIMMY WITHERSPOON: Ain't Nobody's Business, Part 1/ BILLY WRIGHT: Blues For My Baby

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16705 Blowin' The Fuse - 1950 - 26 Classics That Rocked The J ● CD $24.98
28 tracks
ARCHIBALD: Stack-A'Lee, Parts 1 & 2/ CALVIN BOZE: Safronia B./ TINY BRADSHAW: Well Oh Well/ CLARENCE BROWN: Boogie Rambler/ ROY BROWN: Love Don't Love Nobody/ RUTH BROWN: Teardrops From My Eyes/ GOREE CARTER: Come On Let's Boogie/ FATS DOMINO: The Fat Man/ LOWELL FULSON: Blue Shadows/ LLOYD GLENN: Old Time Shuffle Blues/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Sittin' On It All The Time/ ROY HAWKINS: Why Do Things Happen To Me/ LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS: Shotgun Blues/ IVORY JOE HUNTER: I Almost Lost My Mind/ LOUIS JORDAN: Blue Light Boogie, Part 1&2/ JEWEL KING: 3 x 7 = 21/ JOE LIGGINS: Pink Champagne/ PROFESSOR LONGHAIR: Mardi Gras In New Orleans/ EDDIE MACK: Hoot And Holler Saturday Night/ PERCY MAYFIELD: Please Send Me Someone To Love/ ROY MILTON: Information Blues/ JOE MORRIS: Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere/ JOHNNY OTIS: Double Crossing Blues/ JIMMY PRESTON: Oh, Babe!/ THE RAVENS: Count Every Star/ DOC SAUSAGE: Rag Mop/ JOE TURNER: Still In The Dark/ T-BONE WALKER: Strollin' With Bones

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Black Rhythm 001 Model T Boogie ● CD $16.98
Excellent collection of up-tempo country and down-home blues. Although the brief notes say that many of these cuts are new to CD most of them have been out before though some are not currently available. Includes Robert Petway, Stick "Horse" Hammond, Pine Top Slim, Carolina Slim, Memphis Minnie, Big Charley Bradix, Jesse Thomas, Swing Brothers (Eddie Burns first record from 1948), Junior Brooks, Smokey Hogg and others.
JOHNNY BECK: Lay Down Mama/ BIG CHARLEY BRADIX: Boogie Like You Wanna/ JUNIOR BROOKS: Lone Town Blues/ CAROLINA SLIM: Mama's Boogie/ COUNTRY JIM: Phillipine Blues/ L.C. GREEN: Remember Way Back/ STICK "HORSE" HAMMOND: Truck 'Em (On) Down/ SMOKEY HOGG: Boogie Like You Wanna/ WRIGHT HOLMES: Good Road Blues/ LOUIE LASKY: How You Want Your Rollin' Done/ JOE HILL LOUIS: A Jumpin' And A Shufflin'/ DENNIS MCMILLION: Going Back Home/ MEMPHIS MINNIE: Me And My Chauffeur/ ROBERT PETWAY: Boogie Woogie Woman/ PINE TOP SLIM: Applejack Boogie/ SWING BROTHERS: Papa's Boogie/ JESSE THOMAS: D. Double Due Love You/ JAMES TISDOM: Model T Boogie/ UNKNOWN ARTIST: Keep 'Em Down/ JOE WILLIAMS: She Left Me A Mule

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Body & Soul 3052952 Gospel - La Grande Anthologie, 1927-1963 ● CD $24.98
Two CDs, 48 tracks, highly recommended
Available again at a lower price. A wonderful collection of black gospel compiled by legendary French jazz/blues researcher Jacques Demetre. The compilation touches on a wide variety of black gospel styles from a lengthy time period including preachers (Rev. Kelsey & Congregation), early quartets (Golden Gate Quartet, Mitchell's Christian Singers, Golden Eagle Gospel Singers, etc), lots of post war quartets (Swan Silvertone Singers, Staple Singers, Harmonizing Four, Highway QCs, Rolling Stone Quintet, etc), guitar playing gospel singers (Blind Willie Johnson, Roosevelt Graves, Gary Davis), bluesmen crossing over (Bull City Red, Blind Boy Fullers), gospel with a jazz flavor (Clarence Williams' SWing Band, Louis Armstrong, etc), legendary solo vocalists (Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, etc), choirs (St. Paul Church Choir Of Los Angeles) and more. Every track is excellent or better and the sound quality is exceptional. There are extensive notes by Demetre (in French unfortunately), some photos and full discographical information. There are a few duplications with collections on Disky, Fremeaux and other labels but, oustide of single artist sets there is a lot of great music not readily available on CD. (FS)
LEE ROY ABERNATHY: Gospel Boogie/ LOUIS ARMSTRONG: Bye And Bye/ BROTHER SON BONDS: Ain't That News?/ BULL CITY RED: Talkin' With Jesus/ ELDER BURCH & CONGREGATION: My Heart Keeps Singing/ REV. B.C. CAMPBELL: I'll Fly Avay/ THE CARAVANS: It's Jesus In Me/ BLIND GARY DAVIS: I Am The True Vine/ ECHO GOSPEL SINGERS: I'm Gonna Have A Happy Time/ EVELYN FREEMAN: Didn't It Rain/ BLIND BOY FULLER: Twelve Gates To The City/ GOLDEN EAGLE GOSPEL SINGERS: Tone The Bell/ THE GOLDEN GATE QUARTET: Joshua Fit Ihe Battle Of Jericho/ Swing Down Chariot/ ROOSEVELT GRAVES AND BROTHER: Woke Up This Morning/ THE HARMONIZING FOUR: In Jerusalem/ THE HIGHWAY QC'S: Somewhere To Lay My Head/ J. EARLE HINES: I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me/ THE INGRAM GOSPEL SINGERS: Take Time To Be Holy/ MAHALIA JACKSON: Move On Up A Little Higher - Part 1/ Tired/ BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON: Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning/ BUNK JOHNSON'S BAND: Lord Lord Youre Certainly Good To Me/ THE JUBALAIRES: God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down/ My God Called Me This Morning/ REV. KELSEY AND HIS CONGREGATION: Little Boy/ Tell Me How Long/ MARIE KNIGHT: Gospel Train/ THE SALLIE MARTIN SINGERS: I Was Glad When They Said To Me/ ELDER LIGHTFOOT SOLOMON MICHAUX: I Am So Happy - Part 1/ MITCHELL'S CHRISTIAN SINGERS: When The Saints Go Marching In/ THE PATTERSON SINGERS: Great Day Coming/ SISTER LOTTIE PEAVEY: When I Move To The Sky/ THE PILGRIM TRAVELERS: Good News/ THE PROPHETEERS: He's Mine, He's Mine/ THE ROLLING STONE QUINTET: I Want To Know/ SEVEN MELODY MEN: Nobody Knows - Nobody Cares/ THE SOUL STIRRERS: Does Jesus Care?/ THE SOUTHERN LARKS: Blessed Jesus/ THE STAPLE SINGERS: Will The Circle Be Unbroken/ SWAN'S SILVERTONE SINGERS: Down On My Knees/ SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: This Train/ My Journey To The Sky/ SISTER ERNESTINE WASHINGTON: Did I Wonder/ CLARENCE WILLIAMS: Old Time Religion/ ELDER R. WILSON AND FAMILY: This Train/ WINGS OVER JORDAN: Old Ship Of Zion/ Trampin'

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Boulevard Vintage 1008 The R&B Years - 1948 ● CD $28.98
4 CDS, 100 tracks, highly recommended
Another in this fine series features 100 blues, R&B, jazz and vocal group titles popular with the African-American audience in 1948. Although most of tracks are available elsewhere many are not available on similarly themed compilations. Sound quality is generally excellent and the eight page booklet has informative notes by Roy Bainton.
MARION ABERNATHY: Little John Blues/ NELSON ALEXANDER: Rock That Voot/ ALBERT AMMONS: Tuxedo Boogie/ TOM ARCHIA: Downfall Blues/ BLUE LU BARKER: A Little Bird Told Me/ BUSTER BENNETT: Three Different Woman/ CLYDE BERNHARDT: I'm Crazy Bout That Boogie/ BIG THREE TRIO: You Sure Look Good To Me/ EARL BOSTIC: Disc Jockey's Nightmare/ HADDA BROOKS: Variety Bounce/ CHARLES BROWN: Don't Get Salty, Sugar/ ROY BROWN: Mighty, Mighty Man/ Whose Hat Is That?/ THE CHICAGO ALL STARS: Are You Getting Married, Brother?/ ARNETT COBB ORCH.: Flower Garden Blues/ PEE WEE CRAYTON: Blues After Hours/ Texas Hop/ EDDIE "LOCKJAW" DAVIS: Leapin' On Lenox/ MARTHA DAVIS: Honey, Honey, Honey/ TINA DIXON: Parrot Bar Boogie/ LOWELL FULSON: Let's Throw A Boogie Woogie/ CECIL GANT: Another Day, Another Dollar/ Hogan's Alley/ PAUL GAYTEN: Hey Little Girl/ LLOYD GLENN: Rampart St. Jump/ TINY GRIMES: Boogie Woogie Barbecue/ LIONEL HAMPTON: Red Top/ Gone Again/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Good Rockin' Tonight/ Lollipop Mama/ CAMILLE HOWARD: You Don't Love Me/ ROSETTA HOWARD: Ebony Rhapsody/ HELEN HUMES: Jumpin' On Sugar Hill/ IVORY JOE HUNTER: Pretty Mama Blues/ BULL MOOSE JACKSON: Fare Thee Well, Deacon Jones, Fare The Well/ I Want A Bowleged Woman/ Sneaky Pete/ LITTLE WILLIE JACKSON: Jackson's Boogie/ BUDDY JOHNSON: You Better Change Your Ways/ LONNIE JOHNSON: Tomorrow Night/ ALBENNIE JONES: Give It Up Daddy Blues/ LOUIS JORDAN: All For The Love Of Lil/ Barnyard Boogie/ Don't Burn The Candle At Both Ends/ Pettin' And Pokin'/ Pinetop's Boogie Woogie/ Reet, Petite And Gone/ JULIA LEE: King Size Papa/ BABY FACE LEWIS: Grandma and Grandpa/ JIMMY LIGGINS: Cadillac Boogie/ JOE LIGGINS: Drippers Boogie/ Spook's Holiday/ LITTLE MISS CORNSHUCKS: Cornshuck's Blues/ JOE LUTCHER: Hit The Block/ NELLIE LUTCHER: Come and Get It, Honey/ Fine Brown Frame/ JAY MCSHANN/ MAXINE REED: M.R. Boogie/ JACK MCVEA/RABON TARRANT: Inflation Blues/ MEMPHIS SLIM: Midnight Jump/ AMOS MILBURN: Bewildered/ Chicken Shack Boogie/ Pool Playing Blues/ ROY MILTON: Everything I Do Is Wrong/ Hop, Skip And Jump/ Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket/ BILL MOORE: We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll/ GATEMOUTH MOORE: Hey, Mr Gatemouth/ JOHNNY MOORE'S THREE BLAZERS: More Than You Know/ JOE MORRIS: Lowe Groovin'/ GENE PHILLIPS: Flying Home/ Hey Now/ JESSE PRICE: Frettin' For Some Pettin'/ THE RAVENS: Send For Me If You Need Me/ Write Me A Letter/ TODD RHODES: Sportree's Jump/ MABEL SCOTT: Elevator Boogie/ HAL SINGER: Corn Bread/ MABEL SMITH: Too Tight Mama/ JESS STONE: I Came Home Unexpectedly/ JOE SWIFT: What's Your Name/ ROOSEVELT SYKES: Boogie Honky Tonk/ SONNY THOMPSON: Creeping (Late Freight)/ Long Gone Part 1/ Long Gone Part 2/ THE TRENIER TWINS: Ain't She Mean?/ JOE TURNER: Whistle Stop Blues/ EDDIE VINSON: Alimony Blues/ Oil Man Blues/ T-BONE WALKER: Call It Stormy Monday/ Long Skirt Baby Blues/ T-Bone Jumps Again/ DINAH WASHINGTON: Am I Asking Too Much/ West Side Baby/ CROWN PRINCE WATERFORD: P.I. Blues/ PAUL WILLIAMS: Thirty-Five Thirty/ Waxey Maxie/ SHERMAN WILLIAMS: Baby Please Don't Go/ COOTIE WILLIAMS ORCH.: You Talk A Little Trash/ JIMMY WITHERSPOON: Geneva Blues/ Money's Getting Cheaper/ JIM WYNN: Fat Meat

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Boulevard Vintage 1007 The R&B Years - 1949 ● CD $28.98
Another four CD set in this excellent series with 100 great blues and R&B titles that were popular in 1949.
MARION ABERNATHY: Ja-Hoosey Baby/ MAX BAILEY: Delinquency Blues/ BUDDY BANKS & BABY DAVIS: Happy Home Blues/ DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: Mr Fool/ EARL BOSTIC: Blip Boogie/ CHARLES BROWN: Homesick Blues/ Trouble Blues/ CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN: My Time Is Expensive/ PINEY BROWN: Mourning Blues/ ROY BROWN: Boogie At Midnight/ Please Don't Go/ Rainy Weather Blues/ Rockin' At Midnight/ RUTH BROWN: Rockin' Blues/ WALTER BROWN: Lying Woman Blues/ BOB CALL: Call's Jump/ GOREE CARTER: Hoy Hoy/ RAY CHARLES: How Long Bues/ COUSIN JOE: Beggin' Woman/ PEE WEE CRAYTON: Bounce Pee Wee/ FRANK CULLEY: Cole Slaw/ LARRY DARNELL: For You My Love/ CHICAGO DAVIS: Feel So Good/ EDDIE DAVIS: Mountain Oysters/ FLOYD DIXON: That'll Get It/ ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS JORDAN: Baby, It's Cold Outside/ FIVE SCAMPS: Red Hot/ T.J. FOWLER: Red Hot Blues/ CECIL GANT: I'm A Good Man But A Poor Man/ GREAT GATES: Late After Hours/ WYNONIE HARRIS: All She Wants To Do Is Rock/ I Feel That Old Age Coming On/ ROY HAWKINS: Mistreatin' Baby/ EDGAR HAYES: Fat Meat 'N' Greens/ Sunday Mornin' Blues/ IVORY JOE HUNTER: Landlord Blues/ BULL MOOSE JACKSON: Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me?/ RUSSELL JACQUET: Cross Bones/ BUDDY & ELLA JOHNSON: I Don't Care Who Knows/ DON JOHNSON: State Street Boogie/ LOUIS JORDAN: Beans And Corn Bread/ Every Man To His Own Profession/ Saturday Night Fish Fry/ KANSAS CITY JIMMY: Saturday Night/ SAUNDERS KING: Empty Bedroom Blues/ JULIA LEE: I Didn't Like It The First Time/ JIMMY LIGGINS: Homecoming Blues/ LITTLE WILLIE LITTLEFIELD: It's Midnight (No Place To Go)/ JOE LUTCHER: Mardi Gras/ EDDIE MACK: Kind Loving Daddy/ STICK MCGHEE: Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Do/ BIG JAY MCNEELY: The Deacon's Hop/ JAY MCSHANN: Hot Biscuits/ MEMPHIS SLIM: Nobody Loves Me/ AMOS MILBURN: Empty Arms Blues/ Hold Me Baby/ In The Middle Of The Night/ Roomin' House Boogie/ LUCKY MILLINDER: D Natural Blues/ ROY MILTON: Junior Jumps/ The Hucklebuck/ FREDDIE MITCHELL: Doby's Boogie/ WILD BILL MOORE: Rock and Roll/ JOHNNY MOORE'S THREE BLAZERS: Walkin' Blues/ JOE MORRIS: Weasel Walk/ BUMPS MYERS: Memphis Hop/ THE ORIOLES: Tell Me So/ JOHNNY OTIS: Thursday Night Blues/ Midnight In The Barrel House/ KING PERRY: Sarah! Sarah!/ KING PORTER: King Porter Special/ CHRIS POWELL: Hot Dog/ JIMMY PRESTON: Hucklebuck Daddy/ Rock The Joint/ THE RAVENS: Ricky's Blues/ TODD RHODES: Pot Likker/ JUNE RICHMOND W. ANDY KIRK ORCH: 47th Street Jive/ SUGAR CHILE ROBINSON: Numbers Boogie/ MABEL SCOTT: Just Give Me A Man/ HAL SINGER: Beef Stew/ J.B. SUMMERS: Drinking Beer/ JOE THOMAS: Page Boy Shuffle/ SONNY THOMPSON: Blue Dreams/ ANDREW TIBBS: I Feel Like Crying/ JOE TURNER: B&O Blues/ I Don't Dig It/ EDDIE VINSON: Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red/ T-BONE WALKER: Hypin' Woman Blues/ T-Bone Shuffle/ DINAH WASHINGTON: Baby Get Lost/ Long John Blues/ DEE WILLIAMS: Bongo Blues/ PAUL WILLIAMS: The Hucklebuck/ Walkin' Around/ EDDIE WILLIAMS & FLOYD DIXON: Broken Hearted/ JIMMY WITHERSPOON: Ain't Nobody's Business Pt. 1/ Ain't Nobody's Business Pt. 2/ Big Fine Gal/ In The Evening/ Taken Me Back, Baby/ BILLY WRIGHT: Blues For My Baby

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Charly SNAJ 723 Vee-Jay Records - Chicago Hit Factory ● CD $34.98
4 CDs, 115 tracks, 5 hours 14 mins, highly recommended
Great collection of blues, R&B, soul, doo-wop, gospel and a little jazz and rock 'n' roll from between 1954 and 1966 recorded for America's premier black owned label of the time. The first two discs feature some of the most popular and well known recordings presented in chronological order featuring The Spaniels, Floyd Jones, The El Dorados, Jimmy Reed, Eddie Taylor, The Delegates, The Orioles, Gene Allison, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, John Lee Hooker, Rosco Gordon, Jerry Butler, The Flamingos, The Five Royales, The Dukays, Gene Chandler, Birdlegs & Pauline, Wade Flemons, Jimmy Cross, Little Richard and others. The other two discs feature some of the lesser known but equally fine recordings from both well known and obscure artists including The Rhythm Aces, Red Holloway, Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams, The Spaniels, Dee Clark, The El Cincos, The Prodigals, Leonard Carbo, Kip Anderson, Hoyt Axton, J.B. lenoir, Wynton Kelly, The Swan Silvertones, Christine Kittrell, Lee Morgan, Jimmy Reed, Gene Chandler, The Caravans, Victoria Valdez and others. This has all been out before but this is a particularly fine selection with excellent sound and the set comes with a 40 page illustrated booklet with notes by Roger Dopson and Clive Anderson but no discographical info (or even release numbers). (FS)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Cheesecake 121 Boppin' Blues 'n' Rhythm ● CD $17.98
Fine 25 tracks collection of uptempo blues plus some R&B - mostly from the 50s. All good stuff but much of it has been out before (in some cases several times) - includes Jimmy Rogers, Frankie Lee Sims, Cousin Leroy, Champion Jack Dupree, Tommy Louis, John Lee Hooker, Washboard Sam (his 1953 version of Diggin' My Potatoes mistakenly credited here to Little Walter!), Willie King with The Ike Turner Band, Slim Harpo, Elmore James, Bunker Hill, Jay Swan and more.
JOHNNY ACEY: I Go Into Orbit/ JIMMY ANDERSON & JOY JUMPERS: I Wanna' Boogie/ JAMES BROWN: Chonnie-On-Chon/ BUNKER HILL: You Can't Make Me Doubt My Baby/ COUSIN LEROY: I'm Lonesome/ EMMETT DAVIS: I'm Talkin' About You Baby/ CHAMPION JACK DUPREE: Nasty Boogie/ HARMONICA FATS: Tore Up/ SLIM HARPO: Shake Your Hips/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: No More Doggin'/ ELMORE JAMES: Shake You Moneymaker/ WILLIE KING & IKE TURNER BAND: Peg Leg Woman/ LITTLE WALTER: Diggin' My Potatoes/ TOMMY LOUIS: I Love You So/ MEMPHIS SLIM: We're Gonna Rock/ HAL PAGE & THE WHALERS: Thunderbird/ HAL PAGE & WHALERS: Sugar Babe/ JIMMY ROGERS: Rock This House/ FRANKIE LEE SIMS: Hey Little Girl/ She Likes To Boogie Real Low/ Walking With Frankie/ Well Goodbye Baby/ JIMMY "WILDMAN" SPRUILL: Country Boy/ JAY SWAN: You Don't Love Me/ SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON: Polly Put The Kettle On

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Crawdad 001 We're Gonna Boogie ● CD $16.98
Collection of 20 down home blues sides recorded in the 60s and early 70s and originally issued on obscure singles or long out of print LPs.Most of these tracks are making their first appearance on CD.
HOMESICK JAMES: Crutch And Cane/ CLIFF JACKSON: Nine Below Zero/ LEFTY DIZZ: We're Gonna Boogie/ JOHN LITTLE JOHN: Bloody Tears/ Shake Your Money Maker/ LONG GONE MILES: Hello Josephine/ MODEL T SLIM: Jackson Tennessee/ Shake Your Boogie/ POOR BOB: Ain't Got A Lousy Dime/ The Sun Is Rising/ PREZ KENNETH: I Am Looking For My Baby/ I Am The Man Downstairs/ BIG JACK REYNOLDS AND HIS BLUES MEN: I Had A Little Dog/ RICHARD RIGGINS: Dust My Broom/ OTIS SPANN: You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone/ ALABAMA WATSON: Cost Time/ WEST VIRGINIA SLIM: I Love You/ Only Sixteen/ WILLIE WILLIAMS: Wine Head Woman/ JOHNNY YOUNG & BIG WALTER: Don't You Lie To Me

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Delmark 780 This Is Blues Harmonica, Vol. 2 ● CD $14.98
16 blues harmonica gems from the vaults of Delmark including well known and obscure artists - Junior Wells, Carey Bell, Walto Pace, Little Walter, Alfred "Blues King" Harris, Little Sammy Davis, Big Wheeler, Eddie "Guitar" Burns and others. Includes several previously unissued tracks and alternate takes.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Elap 41029-2 Texas Blues Greats ● CD $18.98
Three CD set with 60 tracks of Texas blues, mostly ranging from the 40s to the the 70s, drawn from the archives of the infamous Roy Ames. One disc is devoted to "Country Blues" and includes sides by Mance Lipscomb, Billy Bizor, Manny Nichols, Texas Alexander, Leroy "Country" Jackson, Willie Lane, Frankie Lee Sims, Lightnin' Hopkins, Riley Taylor, Ramblin' Thomas (misidentified as Jesse Thomas) and others. One disc is devoted to "Boogie Blues" - up tempo blues, mostly from the 40s and 50s including Albert Collins, Hubert Robinson, Joe Fritz, Sideways Sumlin, Carl Campbell, Sammy Harris, Clarence "Bon Ton" Garlow, Connie McBooker, Fats Mizzell, Lightnin' Hopkins and more. The third disc is entitled "Electric Blues" and includes a number of rock blues flavored items from the 70s along with tracks from the 50s and 60s - T-Bone Walker, Percy Mayfield, Joe "Papoose" Fritz, King Ivory, Lighnin' Hopkins, Henry Hayes, Albert Collins, Ted Hawley & Juke Boy Bonner, Joey LOng, Royal Earl, etc.
TEXAS ALEXANDER: Crossroads/ LOU ANN BARTON: Young And Dumb/ D.C. BENDER: Boogie Children/ BILLY BIZOR: T Model Ford/ JAMES BOLDEN: Deep Blue/ JUKE BOY BONNER: A Distant Feel/ Life's Highway/ MR. BROWN: Ain't Got Much/ CARL CAMPBELL: Gettin' High/ GOREE CARTER: My Best Bet/ ALBERT COLLINS: Collins Shuffle/ The Freeze/ RATTLESNAKE COOPER: Rattlesnake Blues/ JOHNNY COPELAND: Travelling Man Blues/ SONNY BOY FRANKLIN ORCHESTRA: Merry Go Round/ JOE FRITZ: I'm A Stepper/ JOE "PAPOOSE" FRITZ: I'm A Stepper/ CLARENCE "BON TON" GARLOW: I'm In A Boogie Mood/ CLARENCE "CANDY" GREEN: Green's Bounce/ PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Black Widow Spider/ Penthouse In The Ghetto/ SAMMY HARRIS: Fatso/ TED HAWLEY & JUKE BOY BONNER: Trying To Keep It All Together/ HENRY HAYES: Hayes' Boogie/ Picking My Baby's Bones/ SMOKEY HOGG: Penitentiary Blues/ CHRIS HOLZHAUS: Long Sad Letters/ LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS: How Does It/ Pine Gum Boogie/ Rainy Day In Houston/ Stinkin' Foot/ War Is Starting Again/ LEROY "COUNTRY" JACKSON: Log House On The Hill/ CONRAD JOHNSON: Fly Chick Bounce/ KING IVORY: You Don't Love Me No More/ LITTLE BROTHER WILLIE LANE: Howling Wolf Blues/ Too Many Women Blues/ WILLIE LANE: Prowlin' Ground Hog/ MANCE LIPSCOMB: Buck Dance/ JOEY LONG: Shove It Up Your Heart/ LONNIE LYONS: Sneaky Joe/ PERCY MAYFIELD: Gone Astray/ CONNIE MCBOOKER: Shout Baby Shout/ FATS MIZZEL: Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu/ MR. HONEY: Build A Cave/ Who May Your Regular Be/ MANNY NICHOLS: Walking Talking Blues/ HUBERT ROBINSON: Boogie The Joint/ ROYAL EARL: Talking Guitar/ CLARENCE SAMUEL: She Walk, She Walk, She Walk/ Low Top Inn/ FRANKIE LEE SIMS: Single Man Blues/ SIDEWAYS SUMLIN: The Freeze/ RILEY TAYLOR: Long Lonesome Road/ Amazing Grace/ RAMBLIN' THOMAS: No Job Blues/ T-BONE WALKER: She's My Old Time Used To Be/ L.C. WILLIAMS: Jelly Roll/ LESTER WILLIAMS: Wintertime Blues/ L. C. WILLIAMS WITH LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS: All Through My Dreams/ JOHNNY WINTER: Sloppy Drunk Blues

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Goldies 63305 Blues Time ● CD $11.98
Two CDs, 28 tracks, recommended
Excellent budget priced two CD set from Portugal featuring tracks drawn from the Chess/ Checker catalogs. All the usual suspects are here but the set includes some less commonly reissued material like Memphis Minnie's 1953 Checker recording of Me & My Chauffeur with Little Walter on harp, Otis Spann's great, originally unissued, I'm Leaving You with it's New Orleans sound and the unedited version of Buddy Guy's Stone Crazy. It also features Big Bill Broonzy, B.B. King, Albert King, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf (from his London sessions), Muddy Waters (two tracks - one from the London sessions), John Lee Hooker, Washboard Sam, Willie Mabon, J.B. Lenoir, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Rush (his classic So Many Roads, So Many Trains which has one of my all time favorite guitar solos) and more. Excellent sound but no notes. (FS)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS High Water/HMG 6520 Memphis Blues Bands And Singers In The 1980s ● CD $14.98
13 tracks, 52 minutes, highly recommended
Much like a coinciding review of the new/old release of The Fieldstones' long-shelved "Mud Island Blues" CD, this compilation provides another hefty look at Memphis Blues between 1981 and 1986, with only three tracks previously having been issued. The Fieldstones have three cuts (Little Bluebird/ Sneaking In The Dark), the Hollywood All Stars contribute four (Long Way From Home/ Mary Jo/ When The Saints Go Marching In/ Dirty Work Going On), The Blues Busters another three (Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson/ Your Mother Been Talking To You/ Jailhouse Rock), Jane Hamilton & The Prime Tyme Band two (What I've Lost/ I'm Going To Be A Good Girl), and Huebert Crawford & The King Riders Band offer one (King Riders Boogie). Definitely worth making room on the shelves for. (CR)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS JSP JSPCD 7736 Detroit Blues : Blues From The Motor City ● CD $28.98
4 CDs, 96 tracks, essential
Fabulous collection featuring 96 superb blues performances recorded in the Motor City between 1938 and 1954. The first disc is pure country blues being the only field recordings made in Detroit and featuring Arkanasas bluesmen Calvin Frazier and Sampson Pittman - two superb country blues artists who accompany each other. Both are outstanding - Frazier spent some time working with Robert Johnson and Johnson's influence can be heard on several of his cuts - most notably his reworking of Johnson's Kind Hearted Woman as She's A Double-Crossin' Woman. Frazier continued his musical career but these are the only recordings of Pittman a brilliant performer whose songs are frequently topical in nature and include the wonderful two part Brother Low-Down And Sister Do-Dad where he evokes a church meeting in music and song. He was also a fine guitarist and plays some lovely slide on a number of the tracks. The second disc is devoted to Detroit's favorite son John Lee Hooker featuring 25 tracks from 1952 and 1953 - nothing that hasn't been out before but some fine sides including the powerful sides recorded for Henry Stone in July, 1953. Many of the cuts feature him in the company of second guitarist Eddie Kirkland and others feature him with a small group including some bizarre cuts where producer Bernie Bessman played organ and, in one case, zylophone.
The third disc features the complete recordings of the splendid Baby Boy Warren - an outstanding vocalist and songwriter and a fine guitarist who is accompanied by various small groups on his 19 performances here including one session with Sonny Boy Williamson providing some dazzling harp work. The rest of the third disc features the earliest recordings of Eddie Kirkland who was still active until recently - two of the cuts feature him with John Lee Hooker on second guitar and duet vocal on It's Time For Lovin' To Be Done. The remaining 8 tracks are from 1953 with Kirkland's powerful vocals and tough guitar accompanied by the drumming of Ray Brown. The fourth disc is a pot pourri of different artists - many of them recording for maverick Detroit producer Joe Von Battle. Singer and harmonica player Eddie Burns is featured on four fine tracks of his own from 1948 and 1952 and accompanies Henry Smith on his two tracks. There is one side from the brilliant L.C. Green (when is someone going to reissue all his recordings?) and one by Sam Kelly. The next six tracks features the twin harmonicas of Robert Richard and Walter Mitchell - a pretty chaotic but exciting sound with both of them featured on vocals and one track featuring a vocal by Joe Von Battle himself. Louisiana Red is featured under the pseudonym Playboy Fuller on two cuts including his amazing challenge to Muddy Waters Gonna Play My Guitar with great Waters style guitar ("I'm Gonna Play My Guitar Muddy Waters/ Until All Your Women Gone"!) This disc also includes Big Maceo's last recordings from 1950 with John Brim on guitar as well as joining Brim accompanying Brim's wife Grace on two tracks. The CD ends with Detroit Count's fascinating two parter Hastings Street Opera giving us a tour of Detroit's main African-American drag - concentrating on the many bars on that street. Sound quality is generally fine and there are informative notes by Neil Slaven. An invaluable collection. (FS)
BIG MACEO: Eloise, Don't Play Me For A Fool/ Have You Heard About It/ Leavin' Blues/ Strange To Me Blues/ Without You My Life Don't Mean A Thing/ Worried Life Blues No. 2/ JOHN BRIM COMBO: Mean Man Blues/ Strange Man/ EDDIE BURNS: Dealing With The Devil/ Hello Miss Jessie Lee/ Notoriety Woman/ Papa's Boogie/ DETROIT COUNT: Hastings Street Opera Pt. 1/ Hastings Street Opera Pt. 2/ CALVIN FRAZIER: Blues/ Boogie-woogie/ Highway 51 Blues/ I'm In The Highway Man/ Interview 1/ Interview 2/ Lilly Mae (version 1)/ Lilly Mae (version 2)/ She's A Double-crossin' Woman/ The Dirty Dozens/ This Old World's In A Tangle/ This Old World's In A Tangle (fragment)/ Welfare Blues/ PLAYBOY FULLER: Gonna Play My Guitar/ Sugar Cane Highway/ L.C. GREEN: Going Down To The River/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: Bluebird Blues/ Boogie Rambler/ Cold Chills (all Over Me)/ Cool Little Car/ Guitar Lovin' Man/ I Got Eyes For You/ I Tried Hard/ It Hurts Me So/ It's Been A Long Time Baby/ It's Stormin' And Rainin'/ Key To The Highway/ Let's Talk It Over/ Lookin' For A Woman/ Love Money Can't Buy/ My Baby Don't Love Me/ Need Somebody/ No More Doggin'/ Please Take Me Back/ Pouring Down Rain/ Real, Real Gone/ Ride 'til I Die/ Rock House Boogie/ Rock Me Mama/ Stuttering Blues/ Too Much Boogie/ SAM KELLY: Ramblin' Around Blues/ EDDIE KIRKLAND: It's Time For Lovin' To Be Done/ Mistreated Woman/ No Shoes/ No Shoes Alt/ Please Don't Think I'm Nosey/ That's All Right/ Time For My Lovin' To Be Done/ WALTER MITCHELL: Pet Milk Blues/ Stop Messing Around/ SAMPSON PITMMAN: Brother Low-down And Sister Do-dad (alt)/ SAMPSON PITTMAN: Brother Low-down And Sister Do-dad/ Cotton Farmer Blues/ Highway 61 Blues/ I Been Down In The Circle Before/ Interview 1/ Interview 2/ Interview 3/ Interview 4/ Joe Louis/ John Henry/ Levee Camp Story/ Welfare Blues/ ROBERT RICHARD: Cadillac Woman/ Root Hog/ Wig Wearing Woman/ HENRY SMITH: Good Rockin' Mama/ Lonesome Blues/ JOE VON BATTLE: Looking For My Woman/ BABY BOY WARREN: Baby Boy Blues/ Bad Lover Blues/ Chicken/ Chuck-a-luck/ Don't Want No Skinny Woman/ Forgive Me Darling/ Hello Stranger/ I Got Lucky/ Let's Renew Our Love/ Lonesome Cabin Blues/ Mattie Mae/ My Special Friend Blues/ Nervy Woman Blues/ Please Don't Think I'm Nosey/ Sanafee (not Welcome Anymore)/ Santa Fe/ Somebody Put Bad Luck On Me/ Stop Breakin' Down/ Taxi Driver

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS JSP JSPCD 7737 Blind Willie Johnson & The Guitar Evangelists ● CD $28.98
4 CDs, 96 tracks, highly recommended

It is over ten years since the issue of The Complete Blind Willie Johnson (Columbia 52835 - $19.98). For this chronological reissue of the work of the greatest of all pre war gospel artists JSP have adopted a different format, breaking up Blind Willie's sessions with sessions by some of his contemporaries, in the final disc adding performances which show his influence on the post war gospel scene. It is a format which works very well, even while it illustrates the gulf which separates the other practitioners from Mr Johnson. These are complete recordings except in the case of A.C and Mamie Forehand and Reverend Edward W Clayborn, where because of space limitations alternate takes previously issued on Document are omitted. Clayborn, dubbed The Guitar Evangelist, opens the set, and he is an effective performer, although his fondness for a two beat rhythm on the bass strings can become a bit tedious. Elsewhere the single session of husband and wife A.C and Mamie Forehand has a sedate charm, Blind Willie Harris who opens the third disc is almost certainly Richard "Rabbit" Brown in religious mode, and the final disc offers some fun in the form of the Reverends Utah Smith and Anderson Johnson. Utah Smith, who has something of Blind Willie's vocal power, is a showman, hurling notes from his heavily amplified guitar. Reverend Johnson, until sadly tamed by an A&R man, is also willing to test the sonic boundaries as his first version of God Don't Like It demonstrates. Their material draws on pre war sources and this sense of continuity gives the compilation a satisfying cohesiveness.
There is though only one star, one utterly compelling performer. Blind Willie's magnificent first session which closes disc one combines the power of tracks like I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole and If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down with the meditative slide masterpiece Dark Was The Night - Cold Was The Ground, later to become the become the stuff of soundtracks and the "Sounds Of The Earth" discs carried by the Voyager satellites. This pattern - a class act blowing away all that has gone before - repeats itself on the subsequent discs. Discographical information is limited to a list of recording dates, and as is often the case with this series there is a disconnection between the notes for each CD and the artists on it. The notes themselves, by Keith Briggs, are also hampered by the fact that very little is known about most of these performers. Sound quality is very good throughout, allowing for the usual acoustic vagaries of some of the post war recordings. The only tracks with significant noise are those by A.C and Mamie Forehand, where sound is very similar to that on the remastered version of Document DOCD 5054. The most important comparison though is with the Blind Willie reissue on Columbia, and here JSP is the clear winner. The hiss on the Columbia transfers is significantly reduced, the vocal attack seems even stronger and the guitar is beautifully presented, a credit to the original recording engineers as well as an excellent remastering job. There may still be a couple of copies of Dark Was The Night in interstellar space, but I bet they don't sound this good. (DPR)
REV. EDWARD W. CLAYBORN: A Letter From Father/ Bye and Bye When The Morning Comes/ Come And Go With Me To My Father's House/ Death Is Only A Dream/ Everybody Ought To Treat Their Mother Right/ God's Riding Through The Land/ I Have A Home In The Sky/ I Heard The Angels Singing/ I Shall Not Be Moved/ If My Saviour Holds My Hand I Will Go/ In Time Of Trouble Jesus Will Never Say Goodbye/ Jesus Is Sweeter Than Honey In The Comb/ Jesus Went On Man's Bond/ Jesus Will Make It Alright/ Just Beyond The Jordan River/ Let Jesus Lead You/ Let that Lie Alone/ Men Don't Forget Your Wives For Sweethearts/ O Lord I'm In Your Care/ The Gospel Train Is Coming/ The Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas/ Then We'll Need That True Religion/ There'll Be Glory/ This Time Another Year You May Be Gone/ When I Lay My Burden Down/ Where Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds?/ With My Saviour I Shall Be/ You Never Will Know Who Is Your Friend/ Your Enemy Cannot Harm You/ Your True Friends/ DENNIS CRUMPTON & ROBERT SUMMERS: Everybody Ought To Pray Some Time/ Go I'll Send Thee/ A.C. & BLIND MAMIE FOREHAND: Honey In The Rock/ I'm So Glad Today/ Mothers Prayer/ Wouldn't Mind Dying If Dying Was All/ BLIND WILLIE HARRIS: Does Jesus Care?/ Where He Leads Me I Will Follow/ BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON: Bye And Bye I'm Goin' To See The King/ Can't Nobody Hide From God/ Church, I'm Fully Saved Today/ Dark Was The Night - Cold Was The Ground/ Everybody Ought To Treat A Stranger Right/ Go With Me To The Land/ God Don't Never Change/ God Moves On The Water/ I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole/ I'm Gonna Run To The City Of Refuge/ If I Had My Way I'd Tear This Building Down/ If It Had Not Been For Jesus/ It's Nobody's Fault But Mine/ Jesus Is Coming Soon/ Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed/ John The Revelator/ Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning/ Let Your Light Shine On Me/ Lord, I Just Can't Keep From Crying/ Mother's Children Have A Hard Time/ Praise God I'm Satisfied/ Sweeter As The Years Roll By/ Take Your Burden To The Lord And Leave It There/ Take Your Stand/ The Rain Don't Fall On Me/ The Soul Of A Man/ Trouble Will Soon Be Over/ When The War Was On/ You'll Need Somebody On Your Bond/ You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond/ REV. A. JOHNSON: Death In The Morning/ Do You Call That Religion?/ God Don't Like It/ God Don't Like It (alt.)/ I Don't Know How To Get Along Without The Lord/ I'm Gonna Do My Best/ If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again/ Jesus Loves Us All/ Let That Liar Pass On By/ Lord Will Make A Way/ Run Children Run/ The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow/ LONNIE MCINTORSH: Arise And Shine/ How Much I Owe/ Sleep On Mother Sleep On/ The Lion And The Tribes Of Judah/ BLIND BENNY PARIS: Hide Me In The Blood Of Jesus/ I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me/ REV. UTAH SMITH: Glory To Jesus, I'm Free/ God's Mighty Hand/ I Got Two Wings/ I Want Two Wings/ Take A Trip/ Two Wings/ REV. I. B. WARE WITH WIFE & SON: I Wouldn't Mind Dying (But I Gotta Go By Myself)/ You Better Quit Drinking Shine/ WILLIE MAE WILLIAMS: Don't Want To Go There/ Where The Sun Never Goes Down

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Night Train 7027 Music From And Inspired By Devil In A Blue Dress ● CD $15.98
20 tracks, 57 min., recommended Back in stock. Don't be misled by the title here. This is not the authorized soundtrack for the popular attempt to revisit film noir. It is instead several numbers used in the film, plus lots of other similar music, offered by the company that now owns the rights to that music. So we get Ain't Nobody's Business by Jimmy Witherspoon, Rain in My Eyes by Joanne Shaw, and Chic Boo by Lloyd Glen, all of which are featured in Devil in a Blue Dress. Additional numbers, the majority of the program, include Poor Man Blues by the Johnny Otis Band, Back Home Blues by Lowell Fulson, Worried Blues by Floyd Dixon, How Wrong Can a Good Man Be by Percy Mayfield, I'll Do Anything But Work by Ray Charles, and Changeable Woman Blues by Charles Brown. A particularly fine program all in all, with a rather gaudy cover painting which includes a generously endowed blond in, of all things, a blue dress. (DH)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Panic 100 Just Shuckin' Around, 1953-1965 ● CD $18.98
24 tracks, 56 mins, very good
Another collection of obscure blues, R&B and black rock 'n' roll featuring sides cut in Los Angeles in the 50s and early 60s - many making their first appearance on CD. Not as strong as some other similar collections because of the overabundance of forgettable novelty songs (No Hootenanny/ Twisted/ Teenage Jamboree/ Twisted, etc) though are also some more memorable songs like Billy Stafford's Papa Shotgun, Kid Thomas & Joe Bennet's fine You Heard What I Said with fine harp and guitar, the hot instrumental Part Time by Hank Moore, the title song by Slim Henry and others. Sound is excellent and 12 page booklet has decent notes and some photos. (FS)
GIL BERNAL: The Whip/ L.A. BROWN: No Hootenanny/ THE COCOAS: Flip Your Daddy/ THE DUSTERS: Teenage Jamboree/ WILLIE EGANS: Rock And Roll Fever/ FRANKIE & THE DELL STARS: Don't Shine Me On/ CHUCK GREY: Rock And Roll Is On My Soul/ SLIM HENRY: Just Shuckin' Around/ CHUCK HIGGINS: Blacksmith Blues/ GUS JENKINS: Jealous Of You Baby/ J.J. JONES: Aw Shucks/ LITTLE FREDDIE AND DON (MORRIS): Too Fat/ LITTLE JOHNNY MCCALL: Half Ton Tillie/ HANK MOORE: Part Time/ PAUL PRESTON: Twisted/ CHARLES SIMS (FILLMORE SLIM): Take A Bath/ BILLY STAFFORD: Papa Shotgun/ BOB STARR: My Girl Back In L.A./ FLASH TERRY: Cool It/ KID THOMAS & JOE BENNETT: You Heard What I Said/ THE TORMENTORS: Didn't It Rain/ WILLIAM "THUNDERBIRD" WALKER: Thunderbird/ K.C. MOJO WATSON: Love Blood Hound/ JOHNNY WRIGHT: Wine Head