NEWSLETTER #147
JSP BOX SETS - BLUES & R&B
Stick McGhee ->
Jimmy Witherspoon
| STICK MCGHEE |
JSP JSPCD 7763 |
With Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry - New York
Blues |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD set with 105 tracks of New York City blues recorded
between 1947 and 1955. Although Stick (or Sticks) McGhee's name is featured
prominently on the cover there are actually more cuts by his older brother
Brownie as well as 15 cuts by Sonny Terry. Brownie is featured on a number
of the cuts by Stick and Stick is on a several of the Brownie cuts. If you
don't already have this material it's a fine selection of New York blues
with lots of other great New York musicians in attendance.
BROWNIE MCGHEE: A Letter To Lightnin’ Hopkins/ Bad Nerves/
Bottom Blues/ Brownie’s New Worried Life Blues/ C.C. Baby/ C.C. Rider, Where
Did She Go/ Confused/ Contact Me/ Diamond Ring/ Dissatisfied Blues/
Dissatisfied Woman/ Don’t Mistreat Me/ Feed Me Baby/ Forgive Me/ Four
O’Clock In The Morning/ Gone Baby Gone/ Heart In Sorrow/ Heartache Blues/ I
Feel So Good/ I Was Fooled/ It Hurts Me Too/ It’s Over/ I’m Gonna Move Cross
The River/ Key To The Highway/ Lover (Ease My Worried Mind)/ Mean Old Frisco
Alt. Tk/ Mean Ole Frisco/ Meet You In The Morning/ My Consolation/ My Other
Home/ New Bad Blood Blues/ New Sporting Life Blues/ Pawn Shop Blues/ Real
Good Feelin’/ Sittin’ On Top Of The World/ Sittin’ Pretty/ Smiling And
Crying/ So Much Trouble/ Stranger’s Blues/ Sweet Baby Blues/ Sweet Lover/
Tell Me Baby/ The Way I Feel/ True Blues/ Weeping Willow/ Yellow Moon/ You
Got To Love Me Baby Too/ STICK MCGHEE: Baby Baby Blues/ Blue And
Brokenhearted/ Blue Barrelhouse/ Blues In My Heart & Tears In My Eyes/ Blues
Mixture/ Dealin’ From The Bottom/ Double Crossin’ Liquor/ Drank Up All The
Wine Last Night/ Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (First Version)/ Drinkin’ Wine
Spo-Dee-O-Dee (Second Version)/ Ease My Worried Mind/ Get Your Mind Out Of
The Gutter/ Head Happy With Wine/ Help Me Baby/ House Warmin’ Boogie/ I’ll
Always Remember/ I’m Doin’ All This Time(And You Put Me Down)/ Jungle Juice/
Let’s Do It/ Little Things We Used To Do/ Lonesome Road Blues/ Meet You In
The Morning/ My Baby’s Comin’ Back/ My Little Rose/ New Found Love/ No More
Reveille/ Oh What A Face/ One Monkey Don’t Stop The Show/ Sad, Bad, Glad/
She’s Gone Rock Away Blues/ Six To Eight/ Southern Menu/ Tall Pretty Woman/
Tennessee Waltz Blues/ The Wiggle Waggle Woo/ Things Have Changed/ Travelin’
On/ Venus Blues/ Wee Wee Hours Pt. 1/ Wee Wee Hours Pt. 2/ Whiskey Women And
Loaded Dice/ You Gotta Have Something On The Ball/ SONNY TERRY: 4 O’Clock
Blues/ Airplane Blues/ Baby, Let’s Have Some Fun/ Bad Luck Blues/ Dirty
Mistreater, Don’t You Know/ Going Down Slow/ Harmonica Train/ I Have Had My
Fun/ Keys To The Highway/ Lonesome Room/ Mad Man Blues/ Man Ain’t Nothin’
But A Fool/ No Love Blues/ Telephone Blues/ Wine Headed Woman/ Women Is
Killing Me
|
| BLIND WILLIE MCTELL |
JSP JSPCD 7711 |
The Classic Years 1927-40 |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 84 tracks, essential
The true king of the 12 string
guitar, with one of the most distinctive voices in blues, Blind Willie's
pre-war recordings were recently reissued as a 3 CD set from Catfish [The
Definitive Blind Willie McTell, KATCD 229]. The Catfish set is attractively
packaged and has generally excellent sound quality, but is not without
faults. East St. Louis Blues plays five seconds of another track
before reverting to the correct song, the introduction to You Was Born To
Die is also rather odd, and Come On Around To My House Mama has a
marked echo. The Catfish set is hardly definitive therefore, but does
provide a reference point in considering this new JSP reissue. Compared to
the Catfish box five tracks, Dirty Mistreater and alternate takes of
Love-Makin' Mama/ Death Room Blues/ Broke Down Engine No.2 and
Lord, Send Me An Angel are missing from this set: the loss of Dirty
Mistreater is not significant because it is a Curley Weaver performance
on which Willie's contribution is minimal, but the omission of the remaining
four tracks is disappointing, especially as alternate takes are included for
some other titles. The extra disc here is of Willie's 1940 Library of
Congress session (otherwise available on Blues Documents BDCD 6001). The
first disc contains some of McTell's best work, including the magnificent
blues of the Victor sessions and virtuoso ragtime performances for Columbia.
The next two CDs feature superbly executed duets with Ruby Glaze, tasty
guitar interplay with Curley Weaver, earnest religious pieces and compelling
blues, notably Savannah Mama and the wonderful 1933 version of Broke Down
Engine. There are also remakes of earlier songs like Southern Can Mama
as Willie switched companies to get recording dates during the Depression.
While Drew Kent's booklet notes are a little superficial, the final disc,
covering the Library of Congress session, provides a fuller picture of
McTell the man. The monologues by Willie on his life and recording career
confirm him as an intelligent, sensitive and likeable individual. His songs
were not his commercial repertoire, but included folk ballads and gospel
performances with powerful slide work which echoed that of his friend Blind
Willie Johnson. The highlight though is his final masterpiece, Dying
Crapshooter's Blues. Presented in significantly better sound than the
Blues Documents CD, this disc will be a major plus point for many
collectors. To return to the comparison with the Catfish box, both sets are
pretty much crackle and pop free, but on those tracks where differences in
sound quality are apparent, particularly the early Victor sides, the Catfish
transfers have a cleaner, fuller sound. On the other hand the three tracks
with specific faults on the Catfish reissue are properly presented on the
JSP set, and consequently sound much more natural. Overall a pretty good
effort from JSP, if not quite up to the very high standard they have
established with some of their previous releases. (DPR)
BLIND WILLIE MCTELL: Ain't It Grand To Be A Christian/
Amazing Grace/ Atlanta Strut/ B And O Blues, No. 2/ B And O Blues, No. 2
(alternate)/ Bell Street Blues/ Bell Street Lightnin'/ Boll Weevil/ Broke
Down Engine/ Broke Down Engine Blues/ Broke Down Engine, No. 2/ Chainey/
Climbing High Mountains, Tryin' To Get Home/ Cold Winter Day/ Come On Around
To My House Mama/ Cooling Board Blues/ Dark Night Blues/ Death Cell Blues/
Death Room Blues/ Delia/ Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around/ Don't You See How
This World Made A Change/ Drive Away Blues/ Drying Crapshooter's Blues/
Dying Gambler/ East St. Louis Blues (fare You Well)/ Experience Blues/
Georgia Rag/ God Don't Like It/ Hillbilly Willie's Blues/ I Got Religion,
I'm So Glad/ I Got To Cross The River Jordan/ I Got To Cross The River Of
Jordan/ It's A Good Little Thing/ It's Your Time To Worry/ Just As Well Get
Ready, You Got To Die/ Kill-it-kid Rag/ Kind Mama/ King Edward Blues/ Lay
Some Flowers On My Grave/ Let Me Play With Yo' Yo-yo/ Lonesome Day Blues/
Lord Have Mercy If You Please/ Lord, Send Me An Angel/ Love Changing Blues/
Love-makin' Mama/ Loving Talking Blues/ Low Down Blues/ Lowrider's Blues/
Mama, 'tain't Long Fo' Day/ Mama, Let Me Scoop For You/ Monologue On
Accidents/ Monologue On Old Songs/ Monologues On: The History Of The
Blues/life As Maker Of Records/on Himself/ Mr. Mctell Got The Blues/ Mr.
Mctell Got The Blues (alternate)/ Murderer's Home Blues/ My Baby's Gone/ Old
Time Religion, Amen/ Painful Blues/ Razor Ball/ Rollin' Mama Blues/ Rough
Alley Blues/ Runnin' Me Crazy/ Savannah Mama/ Scarey Day Blues/ Searching
The Desert For The Blues/ Southern Can Is Mine/ Southern Can Mama/
Statesboro Blues/ Stole Rider Blues/ Stomp Down Rider/ Talkin' To Myself/
Teasing Brown/ This Is Not The Stove To Brown You Bread/ Three Women Blues/
Ticket Agent Blues/ Travelin' Blues/ Warm It Up To Me/ We Got To Meet Death
One Day/ We Got To Meet Death One Day (alternate)/ Weary Hearted Blues/ Will
Fox/ Writin' Paper Blues/ You Was Born To Die/ Your Time To Worry
|
| THE MEMPHIS JUG BAND |
JSP JSPCD 7745 |
And Cannon's Jug Stompers With Gus Cannon |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 98 tracks, essential..that is if you haven't already
got this stuff on JSP or Frog
The first three discs are a straight reprint
of the Memphis Jug Band's 1927-30 recordings, as originally issued on JSP
and subsequently made available on DGF 15, 16 and 18. The fourth CD of Gus
Cannon's Jug Stompers was most recently part of a JSP two CD set with Sleepy
John Estes' first recordings. The Memphis Jug Band discs include all the
tracks on the Document reissues (DOCD 5021-23 - now out of print) plus
twelve - four alternate takes and two performances each by Will Shade, Vol
Stevens, Will Weldon and Hattie Hart - which otherwise appeared on Wolf WBCD
004. The Stompers' disc (they recorded 1928-30 not in 1928 only, as the
packaging and discographical details here suggest) includes all their output
except an alternate take of Viola Lee Blues reissued on DOCD 5032.
Two titles by Cannon and Woods on DOCD 5033 are also omitted. All four discs
were remastered by the great John R. T. Davis from pristine 78s, which means
the sound quality is superb - although there is a little background hiss,
you get the full range of the original recordings, making the kazoos and
jugs sound surprisingly musical. These are absolutely definitive reissues
supported by the original, excellent sleeve notes from Neal Slaven and Keith
Briggs, so that if you are building a blues collection this set will be the
bargain of the year. For established collectors though it is difficult to
avoid thinking that it also represents a missed opportunity. JSP could have
made this box irresistible to all blues fans if they had added an extra disc
covering MJB's 1932-34 output. (These later recordings have been reissued on
Blues Document BDCD 6002, but the sound is nowhere near as good.) Reviews of
the three MJB discs appeared in Newsletter 123. The Jug Stompers are
generally considered the best of all the jug bands, and they were certainly
more musically accomplished and focused than Will Shade's outfit. The
informality of the Memphis Jug Band though offers more humour, a greater
variety of material and moods, and more warmth. Their best performances like
K.C. Moan run Gus' band mighty close, but what can rival the beautiful (and
probably mistitled) Going To Germany? Really it's all great, and
quite wonderfully presented here. (DPR)
|
| MEMPHIS MINNIE |
JSP JSPCD 7716 |
Queen Of The Country Blues |
● CD $28.98 |
5 CDs, 124 tracks, essential
JSP's latest box set features
the bulk of the pre war work of one of the blues world's most colourful and
influential characters. When she was not using her guitar to beat up anyone
who crossed her, Minnie was an accomplished musician, a talented songwriter
and superb all round entertainer whose forthright contralto perfectly
matched her material. The "All The Published Sides" tag here though is
pretty meaningless, since JSP have followed the convention used by
discographers of excluding those titles where her playing partner and second
husband Joe McCoy took the lead vocal. This means that compared to the
corresponding reissues of her early work on Document (DOCD 5028 - 31) some
20 titles are missing, 15 of which are titles where Minnie provides guitar
accompaniment. Joe McCoy was certainly a less interesting vocalist than
Minnie, but the loss of tracks like When The Levee Breaks and Pile
Drivin' Blues is disappointing, if understandable in terms of space
limitations. (On the other hand alternate takes missing from the original
Document series are included.) It also seems odd to end this compilation in
1937 - Minnie's pre war recordings continued until 1941 - but JSP are
planning a second set which will cover the rest of her career. In all other
respects this is a very satisfying reissue, supported by excellent notes
from Neil Slaven. The first two discs include versions of Bumble Bee,
the hit which launched Minnie's career, the famous duets with Joe McCoy
which feature some of Minnie's best guitar picking, and the charm and humour
of songs like Plymouth Rock Blues which draw on her early experiences
of rural life. The third disc sees the last duet with Joe, great solo
efforts such as Chickasaw Train Blues, and a different aspect to
Minnie's lyric writing skills as she conjures a vivid picture of desperate
isolation in Outdoor Blues. By the period covered by the fourth disc
(1935) Minnie, like Big Bill Broonzy, had simplified her guitar style to
accommodate a greater emphasis on rhythm and "swing", and was recording
regularly with a bass and piano accompaniment. Two engaging tributes to the
boxing champion Joe Louis include some lovely piano from Black Bob on Joe
Louis Strut, while New Orleans Stop Time, a duet with Bumble Bee
Slim, is also very enjoyable. The small band format also does result in some
less memorable sides however, and the addition of a trumpet player on the
fifth disc doesn't really help. As if to demonstrate that Minnie was at her
best with more limited accompaniment, two outstanding sessions at the
beginning of the final disc find her in top form and producing classics such
as Hoodoo Lady. The sound quality of Memphis Minnie reissues has
generally been good, but this set probably represents the best all round
remastering effort to date. Corresponding tracks match the excellent "Hoodoo
Lady" compilation on Columbia (CK 46775), while elsewhere sound is equally
good or better than other reissues, so that for example the occasional
crackles on the Document/ Blues Document transfers have been removed.
Another essential collection. (DPR)
BUMBLE BEE SLIM: New Orleans Stop Time/ MINNIE MCCOY: I'm
Going Back Home/ MEMPHIS JUG BAND: Bumble Bee Blues/ Meningitis Blues/
MEMPHIS MINNIE: 'Frisco Town/ After While Blues/ Ain't No Use Trying To Tell
On Me/ Ain't Nobody Home But Me (take 1)/ Ain't Nobody Home But Me (take 2)/
Ball And Chain Blues/ Banana Man Blues (i Don't Want That Thing)/ Biting Bug
Blues/ Black Cat Blues (take 1)/ Black Cat Blues (take 2)/ Bumble Bee/
Bumble Bee/ Bumble Bee, No. 2/ Can I Do It For You, Pt. 1/ Can I Do It For
You, Pt. 2/ Caught Me Wrong Again/ Chickasaw Train Blues (low Down Dirty
Thing)/ Crazy Cryin' Blues/ Dirt Dauber Blues/ Dirty Mother For You/ Doctor,
Doctor Blues/ Don't Bother It/ Don't Want No Woman/ Down In New Orleans/
Dragging My Heart Around/ Drunken Barrel House Blues/ Fishin' Blues/ Frankie
Jean (that Trottin' Fool)/ Garage Fire Blues/ Georgia Skin/ Georgia Skin
Blues/ Give It To Me In My Hand (can I Go Home With You)/ Goin' Back To
Texas/ Good Girl Blues/ Good Morning/ Grandpa And Grandma Blues/ Hard Down
Lie/ Haunted Blues (take 1)/ Haunted Blues (take 2)/ He's In The Ring (doing
That Same Old Thing) (take A)/ He's In The Ring (doing That Same Old Thing)
(take B)/ Hole In The Wall/ Hoodoo Lady/ Hot Stuff (take 1)/ Hot Stuff (take
2)/ Hustlin' Woman Blues/ I Called You This Morning/ I Don't Want No Woman I
Have To Give My Money To/ I Don't Want That Junk Outa You/ I Don't Want You
No More/ I Never Told A Lie/ I'm A Bad Luck Woman/ I'm A Gamblin' Woman/ I'm
Gonna Bake My Biscuits/ I'm Talking 'bout You, No. 2/ I'm Talking About You/
I'm Waiting On You/ Ice Man (come On Up)/ If You See My Rooster (please Run
Him Home)/ It's Hard To Be Mistreated/ Jailhouse Trouble Blues/ Jockey Man
Blues/ Joe Louis Strut/ Keep It To Yourself/ Keep It To Yourself (alt.
Track)/ Keep On Goin'/ Kind Treatment Blues/ Lay My Money Down (if You Run
Around)/ Let Me Ride/ Let's Go To Town/ Living The Best I Can/ Look What You
Got (take 1)/ Look What You Got (take 2)/ Man, You Won't Give Me No Money/
Memphis Minnie-jitis Blues (take A)/ Memphis Minnie-jitis Blues (take B)/
Minnie's Lonesome Song/ Mister Tango Blues/ Moanin' The Blues/ Moonshine/ My
Butcher Man/ My Strange Man/ New Bumble Bee/ New Dirty Dozen/ No Need You
Doggin' Me/ North Memphis Blues/ Out In The Cold/ Outdoor Blues/ Pickin' The
Blues/ Plymouth Rock Blues/ Reachin' Pete (take A)/ Reachin' Pete (take B)/
Selling My Pork Chops/ She Put Me Outdoors/ She Wouldn't Give Me None/
Socket Blues/ Somebody's Got To Help You/ Soo Cow Soo/ Squat It/ Stinging
Snake Blues/ Sylvester And His Mule Blues/ Today Today Blues/ Too Late/
Tricks Ain't Walking No More/ Weary Woman's Blues/ What Fault You Find Of
Me, Pt. 1/ What Fault You Find Of Me, Pt. 2/ What's The Matter With The
Mill?/ When The Saints Go Marching Home/ When The Sun Goes Down, Pt. 2/ When
You're Asleep/ Where Is My Good Man/ You Ain't Done Nothing To Me/ You Can't
Give It Away/ You Can't Rule Me/ You Dirty Mistreater/ You Got To Move, Pt.
1/ You Got To Move, Pt. 2/ You Stole My Cake/ You Wrecked My Happy Home
|
| MEMPHIS MINNIE |
JSP JSPCD 7741 |
Queen Of The Delta Blues, Volume 2 :
1937-1953 |
● CD $28.98 |
5 CDs, 121 tracks, essential
Memphis Minnie Volume 1 (JSP
7716 - $28.98) was one of the best reissues of 2004, and this second set,
covering the rest of the great singer guitarist's career, provides plenty
more to enjoy. Compared to corresponding reissues on Wolf, JSP have
restricted the sometimes numerous alternate takes of Minnie's later
recordings, which makes the set a good deal easier to listen to. A less
understandable omission is the exclusion of four songs she recorded for
Chess in 1952 (they were reissued on Wolf WBCD -010). Sides where Minnie is
supporting husband Ernest Lawlars (Little Son Joe) are included. The first
disc picks up the story in 1937, by which time Minnie was recording with
small groups which included talented pianist Blind John Davis. With titles
like Keep On Sailing/ Keep On Eating and Keep On Walking,
there is something of a production line feel to these early sides (although
the first is a droll reworking of Bumble Bee Slim's Sail On, Sail On
Blues), but they are lifted out of the ordinary by Minnie's fine singing
and forceful personality, and nice touches like Charlie McCoy's mandolin.
The next four sessions which make up disc two are among the high points of
Minnie's career. Tracks like Nothing In Rambling/ Ma Rainey/ In My
Girlish Days and of course Me and My Chauffeur Blues are rightly
regarded as classics, but the overall standard is superb. Call The Fire
Wagon is a delightful echo of her early guitar style, while the
evocative Lonesome Shack Blues highlights Minnie's gift for
projecting a fantasy - in this case having a shack to escape to from an
abusive relationship. Disc three, which opens with Minnie's last pre war
session, starts promisingly with I'm Not A Bad Girl, and includes
Looking The World Over, a song she reputedly sung to win one of her
famous blues contests against Big Bill. The rest of this disc and the first
session on disc four though represent a difficult transitional period. After
a three year break from recording Minnie was trying to update her sound but
the results were disappointing, with some mediocre material, an unbalanced
sound on some sessions and Minnie's voice (a shade heavier and sounding
almost like her husband's) straining against electric guitars or being worn
out by repeated takes. Thankfully by her last 1946 session she is singing
and playing much better, and new songs like Daybreak Blues from the
following year represent an emphatic return to form. The final disc may give
a flavour of Minnie's nightclub act, a mixture of popular songs and blues.
The popular songs are not really suited to her style or personality, but the
Chicago style blues are often very good, even if Sweet Man and
Kidman Blues look back to Bumble Bee and Mr.Tango from
1930. World Of Trouble is also Minnie in top form, only the
overcooked Night Watchman Blues jarring a little. The set ends with
Little Son Joe, whose best moment was Black Rat Swing, trying to
sound like Robert Nighthawk: a sign of the times. Minnie's last two private
recordings from 1959 have never been found. Sound quality is generally very
good with only a handful of tracks having any appreciable noise and even
here listening is always comfortable. Compared to previous reissues sound is
as good as on compilations from Columbia, Indigo and Charly, and the noisier
tracks are better presented than on Blues Document. Neal Slaven again
delivers some nicely judged and informative notes, having space to discuss
the music as well as providing biography. Although Volume 2 is a little more
uneven than its predecessor, it still contains a lot of wonderful, timeless
performances. Listen to Volume 1 as well and you just might suspect that in
her time Memphis Minnie made more outstanding records than any other blues
singer. (DPR)
LITTLE SON JOE: A Little Too Late/ A.b.c. Blues/ Black Rat
Swing/ Bone Yard Blues/ Diggin' My Potatoes/ Ethel Bea/ I'd Write A Letter/
Just Had To Holler/ Key To The World/ My Black Buffalo/ Tuff Luck Blues/
MEMPHIS MINNIE: (i Hope) Luck Will Change Some Day (take 2)/ (i Hope) Luck
Will Change Some Day (take 3)/ (oh) Believe Me/ As Long As I Can See You
Smile/ Bad Outside Friends/ Black Widow Stinger/ Blues Everywhere/ Boy
Friend Blues/ Call The Fire Wagon/ Can't Afford To Lose My Man/ Daybreak
Blues (blue Monday Blues) (take 3)/ Daybreak Blues (take 2)/ Don't Lead My
Baby Wrong/ Don't Turn The Card/ Down By The Riverside/ Down Home Girl/ Down
In The Alley (take 1)/ Down In The Alley (take 2)/ Fashion Plate Daddy/
Finger Print Blues/ Fish Man Blues (take 2)/ Fish Man Blues (take 3)/ Good
Biscuits/ Good Soppin' (take 3)/ Got To Leave You (no. 1) (take 1)/ Got To
Leave You (no. 1) (take 4)/ Got To Leave You (no. 2) (take 1)/ Got To Leave
You (no. 2) (take 2)/ Has Anyone Seen My Man/ Hold Me Blues (no. 2)/ Hold Me
Blues (take 1)/ Hold Me Blues (take 2)/ Hold Me Blues (take 3)/ Hold Me
Blues (take 4)/ I Am Sailin'/ I Got To Make A Change Blues/ I Hate To See
The Sun Go Down/ I'd Rather See Him Dead/ I'm Going Don't You Know/ I'm Not
A Bad Girl/ I'm So Glad/ I've Been Treated Wrong/ In Love Again/ In My
Girlish Days/ It Was You Baby/ It's Hard To Please My Man/ Jump Little
Rabbit/ Keep On Eating/ Keep On Sailing/ Keep On Walking/ Keep Your Big
Mouth Closed/ Kidman Blues (take 1)/ Kidman Blues (take 2)/ Killer Diller
(take 1)/ Killer Diller Blues (no. 2)/ Killer Diller From The South (take
4)/ Kissing In The Dark/ Lean Meat Won't Fry (take 1)/ Lean Meat Won't Fry
(take 3)/ Lonesome Shack Blues/ Looking The World Over/ Love Come And Go/
Low Down Man Blues/ Ma Rainey/ Me An My Chauffeur Blues/ Mean Mistreater
Blues/ Million Dollar Blues/ Moaning Blues (no. 1) (take 1)/ Moaning Blues
(no. 1) (take 3)/ Moaning Blues (no. 1) (take 4)/ Moaning Blues (no. 2)/ My
Baby Don't Want Me No More (take 1)/ My Baby Don't Want Me No More (take 2/
My Gage Is Going Up/ My Man Is Gone Again (take 1)/ My Man Is Gone Again
(take 3)/ New Caught Me Wrong Again/ Night Watchman Blues/ Night Watchman
Blues/ Nothing In Rambling/ Pig Meat On The Line/ Please Don't Stop Him/
Please Set A Date/ Poor And Wandering Woman Blues/ Remember Me Blues/
Running And Dodging Blues (take 1)/ Running And Dodging Blues (take 2)/
Shout The Boogie (take 3)/ Shout The Boogie (take 4)/ Stop Lying On Me/
Sweet Man/ Tears On My Pillow/ The Man I Love (take 3)/ The Man I Love (take
4)/ The Man I Love (take 5)/ This Is Your Last Chance/ Three Times Seven
Blues/ Tonight I Smile With You/ True Love/ Walking And Crying Blues/ Wants
Cake When I'm Hungry/ Western Union/ What A Night/ When My Man Comes Home/
When You Love Me/ Why Did I Make You Cry/ World Of Trouble/ Worried Baby
Blues/ You Got To Get Out Of Here/ You Need A Friend
|
| MA RAINEY |
JSP JSPCD 7793 |
Mother Of The Blues |
● CD $28.98 |
5 CDs, 111 tracks, essential
An independent minded woman,
brilliantly fashioning her own material from a mixture of folk, vaudeville
and blues sources, blessed with a magnificent voice and supported by
musicians of the quality of Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds and Coleman
Hawkins, Ma Rainey had no equivalent and arguably no equal among the so
called "classic" blues singers. This JSP box features the complete works as
issued by Document, including take two of Traveling Blues which
appeared on their "Too Late, Too Late Volume 2" (DOCD 5126). Generally
though for an artist of such stature Ma has had rather a thin time of it
from CD reissue companies, probably because of the difficulty of remastering
her Paramount recordings. About half were made in the acoustic era (i.e. pre
1926), and all were subject to Paramount's usual poor quality pressings. To
make matters worse, the popularity of the discs was such that today even
best available copies are often in very worn condition. The task of
improving on the sound of the Document reissues is not therefore an easy
one. Comparing the Document discs with this new set shows that on the first
three JSP discs, and on disc five, the character of the transfers is
essentially the same, with little difference in the sound of the better
condition tracks beyond a tidying up of occasional clicks etc by JSP.
Compared to the more noisy Document transfers however, JSP have usually
managed some worthwhile noise reduction which may not always be obvious on
casual listening, but which helps to highlight the vocals. Tracks benefiting
from this treatment include Bo-Weavil Blues/ Last Minute Blues/ Shave 'Em
Dry Blues/ Cell Bound Blues/ Levee Camp Moan/ Slave To The Blues/ Titanic
Man Blues and Screech Owl Blues. It is on the fourth JSP disc
though that the improvement is most marked. Even with on occasion a fair
amount of background hiss, the JSP sound is clearer, especially on tracks
like Gone Daddy Blues/ Misery Blues/ Dead Drunk Blues and Slow
Driving Moan, where the Document versions sound muffled. All of which
means JSP have achieved a significant improvement in presenting these
treasures and chalked up one of their most important reissues to date. Max
Haymes' booklet notes give some background but read like the product of desk
research and fail to engage with the music - a minus point but minor
consideration when the music speaks so eloquently for itself. A great set,
and good value too. (DPR)
MA RAINEY: Bad Luck Blues/ Barrel House Blues/ Big Feeling
Blues/ Black Dust Blues/ Black Eye Blues/ Black Eye Blues/ Blame It On The
Blues/ Bo-weavil Blues/ Bo-weavil Blues/ Daddy Goodbye Blues/ Don't Fish In
My Sea/ Dream Blues/ Farewell Daddy Blues/ Grievin' Hearted Blues/ Honey
Where You Been So Long/ Last Minute Blues/ Leaving This Morning/ Little Low
Mama Blues/ Lost Wondering Blues/ Lucky Rock Blues/ Ma And Pa Poorhouse
Blues/ Ma Rainey's Mystery Record/ Moonshine Blues/ Morning Hour Blues/
Mountain Jack Blues/ Mountain Jack Blues/ Runaway Blues/ Screech Owl Blues/
Shave 'em Dry Blues/ Sleep Talking Blues/ Sleep Talking Blues/ Southern
Blues/ Sweet Rough Man/ Those All Night Long Blues/ Those All Night Long
Blues/ Those Dogs Of Mine/ Tough Luck Blues/ Trust No Man/ Walking Blues/
Army Camp Harmony Blues/ Army Camp Harmony Blues/ Bessemer Bound Blues/
Bessemer Bound Blues/ Big Boy Blues/ Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues/ Blues Oh
Blues/ Blues The World Forgot/ Blues The World Forgot/ Booze And Blues/
Broken Hearted Blues/ Broken Soul Blues/ Cell Bound Blues/ Chain Gang Blues/
Countin' The Blues/ Countin' The Blues/ Damper Down Blues/ Dead Drunk Blues/
Deep Moaning Blues/ Deep Moaning Blues/ Down In The Basement/ Explaining The
Blues/ Explaining The Blues/ Four Day Honorary Scat/ Four Day Honorary Scat/
Georgia Cake Walk/ Gone Daddy Blues/ Goodbye Daddy Blues/ Hear Me Talking To
You/ Hustlin' Blues/ Jealous Hearted Blues/ Jealousy Blues/ Jelly Bean
Blues/ Lawd Send Me A Man Blues/ Levee Camp Moan/ Log Camp Blues/ Louisiana
Hoo-doo Blues/ Ma Rainey's Black Bottom/ Memphis Bound Blues/ Misery Blues/
Moonshine Blues/ New Bo Weavil Blues/ Night Time Blues/ Night Time Blues/ Oh
My Babe Blues/ Oh Papa Blues/ Prove It To Me Blues/ Rough And Tumble Blues/
See See Rider Blues/ See See Rider Blues/ Seeking Blues/ Seeking Blues/
Sissy Blues/ Slave To The Blues/ Slow Driving Moan/ Soon This Morning/ South
Bound Blues/ Stack O'lee Blues/ Stormy Sea Blues/ Titanic Man Blues/ Titanic
Man Blues/ Toad Frog Blues/ Traveling Blues/ Traveling Blues/ Victim Of The
Blues/ Weeping Woman Blues/ Wring And Twisting Blues/ Ya Da Do/ Ya Da Do/
Yonder Comes The Blues/ Hellish Rag/ Ice Bag Papa
|
| SUNNYLAND SLIM &
HIS PALS |
JSP JSPCD 7783 |
The Classic Sides, 1947-1953 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD set with 104 tracks featuring classic Chicago blues
by the great singer & piano player Sunnyland Slim and some of the many
people he worked with. There are 54 tracks under Slim's own name which is
most, but not all, of his recordings made between 1947 and 1955 and range
from his first sides as a Doctor Clayton imitator to urban blues with small
combos with horns to down home sides with just harmonica and guitar. He is
accompanied by musicians like Blind John Davis, Lonnie Johnson, Leroy
Foster, Alex Atkins, Robert Lockwood (who provides some truly dazzling
guitar accompaniments), Snooky Pryor, Big Crawford, J.T. Brown, Eddie
Taylor, Louis Myers and others. The rest of the set features Slim in an
accompanying role in sessions by Floyd Jones, Little Walter, The Fat man,
Johnny Shines, Robert Lockwood, Leroy Foster, J.B. lenoir, Jimmy Rogers and
St. Louis Jimmy. The cuts by Slim are on the three Classics CDs of him
(5013, 5035, 5171) which includes his Aristocrat sides (not included here)
and most of the other tracks have been reissued elsewhere though I believe
the 10 St. Louis Jimmy tracks are new to CD.
THE FAT MAN: Glad I Don't Worry No More/ You've Got To
Stop This Mess/ LEROY FOSTER: Blues Is Killin' Me/ Late Hours At Midnight/
Louella/ Pet Rabbit/ FLOYD JONES: Ain't Times Hard/ Any Old Lonesome Day/
Big World/ Dark Road/ Floyd's Blues/ Schooldays On My Mind/ J.B. LENORE: How
Can I Leave/ How Much More/ I Have Married/ I Want My Baby/ I'll Die Tryin'/
Let's Roll/ Louise/ People Are Meddlin' In Our Affairs/ Slow Down Woman/ The
Mojo/ The Mountain/ Wanna Play A Little While/ ROBERT LOCKWOOD: Dust My
Broom/ Dust My Broom/ Glory For Man/ I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole/ My Daily
Wish/ Pearly B/ JIMMY ROGERS: I'm In Love/ Ludella/ That's All Right/ JOHNNY
SHINES: Living In The White House/ Please Don't/ ST. LOUIS JIMMY: Chicago
Woman Blues/ Hard Work Boogie/ I Sit Up All Night/ I'm Not Satisfied/
Mother's Day/ Nervous Breakdown/ Old Age Has Got Me/ Shame On You Baby/
State Street Blues/ Trying To Change My Ways/ Your Evil Ways/ SUNNYLAND
SLIM: (Low Down) Sunnyland Train/ 5 Foot 4 Gal/ Across The Hall Blues/ Ain't
Nothing But A Child/ Back To Korea Blues/ Bad Times (Cost Of Living)/
Bassology/ Bassology/ Be Mine Alone/ Be My Baby/ Blue Baby/ Broke And
Hungry/ Brown Skin Woman/ Brown Skin Woman/ Brown Skinned Woman/ City Of New
Orleans/ Devil Is A Busy Man/ Down Home Child/ Every Time I Get To Drinking/
Farewell Little Girl/ Four Day Bounce/ Gin Drinkin' Baby/ Hard Time (When
Mother's Gone)/ Hard Times/ Hit The Road Again/ I Done You Wrong/ I Done You
Wrong/ I Want My Baby/ Illinois Central/ It's All Over Now/ I'm Just A
Lonesome Man/ I've Done You Wrong/ Jivin' Boogie/ Keep Your Hands Out Of My
Money/ Leaving Your Town (No Name Blues)/ Mary Lee/ Mud Kicking Woman/ My
Heavy Load/ Nappy Head Woman/ No Whiskey Blues/ Orphan Boy Blues/ Roll,
Tumble And Slip (I Cried)/ Sad And Lonesome/ School Days/ Shake It Baby/
Shake It Baby/ Sunnyland Special/ Sweet Lucy Blues/ That Woman/ Train Time
(4 O'Clock Blues)/ Troubles Of My Own/ Walking With The Blues/ When I Was
Young/ When I Was Young (Shake It Baby)/ Woman Trouble (Overnite)/ Worried
About My Baby/ Worried About My Baby
|
| SONNY TERRY &
BROWNIE MCGHEE |
JSP JSPCD 7721 |
Country Blues Troubadours, 1938-1941 |
● CD $28.98 |
Another of those fine blues box sets from JSP - this time
devoted to this prolific duo who are sometimes overlooked by blues fans. This
presents a collection of 125 tracks recorded between 1938 and 1948 from
their earliest solo appearances to their first joint efforts and subsequent
solo and joint efforts in a variety of settings including tracks with
sidemen like Brownie's brother Stick, Ralph Willis, Baby Dodds, Champion
Jack Dupree and others. In spite of the plethora of Sonny & Brownie material
out there this set includes a fair number of tracks not currently available
on CD including some of Brownie's elusive Alert recordings.
BROTHER GEORGE & HIS SANCTIFIED SINGERS: Done What My
Lord Said/ I Want King Jesus/ I Want To See Jesus/ What Will I Do (Without
The Lord)/ BROWNIE MCGHEE: Ain't No Tellin'/ Aunt Jane's Blues/ Auto
Mechanic Blues/ B.M. Blues/ Back Door Stranger/ Back Home Blues/ Bad Blood/
Barbecue Any Old Time/ Be Good To Me/ Big Legged Woman/ Born For Bad Luck/
Brown Mule Blues/ Brownie's Guitar Boogie/ Coal Miner Blues/ Country Boy
Boogie/ Dealing With The Devil/ Death Of Blind Boy Fuller/ Death Of Blind
Boy Fuller(alt. tk)/ Deep Sea Diver/ Dissatisfied Woman/ Dollar Bill/ Double
Trouble (take 1)/ Double Trouble (take 2)/ Evil But Kindhearted/ Go On
Blues/ Goodbye Now/ Got To Find My Little Woman/ Hard Bed Blues/ Hello
Blues/ How Can I Love You/ I Don't Believe In Love/ I Don't Care/ I'm A
Black Woman's Man/ I'm A Black Woman's Man (alt.tk)/ I'm Callin' Daisy/ I'm
Talking About It/ BROWNIE & STICKS MCGHEE: If I Could Hear My Mother Pray
Again/ BROWNIE MCGHEE: It Must Be Love/ Jealous Of My Woman/ Key To My Door/
Key To The Highway 70 (take 1)/ Key To The Highway 70 (take 2)/ Let Me Tell
You 'Bout My Baby/ Lovin' With A Feeling/ Mabelle/ Married Woman Blues/ Me
And My Dog/ Me And My Dog Blues/ Mean Old Frisco/ Million Lonesome Women/
Money Spending Woman/ BROWNIE & STICKS MCGHEE: Movin' To Kansas City/
BROWNIE MCGHEE: My Barkin' Bulldog Blues/ My Bulldog Blues/ My Fault/ Night
Time Is The Right Time/ Not Guilty Blues/ Pawnshop Blues/ Picking My
Tomatoes/ Poison Woman Blues/ Poor Boy Blues/ BROWNIE & STICKS MCGHEE:
Precious Lord Hold My Hand/ Railroad Bill/ BROWNIE MCGHEE: Robbie-Doby
Boogie/ BROWNIE & STICKS MCGHEE: Rocks In My Bed/ BROWNIE MCGHEE: Rum Cola
Papa/ Seaboard And Southern/ Sinful Disposition Woman/ So Long Baby/ So Much
Trouble/ Sportin' Life Blues/ Step It Up And Go/ Step It Up And Go No. 2/
Swing, Soldier, Swing (take 1)/ Swing, Soldier, Swing (take 2)/ BROWNIE &
STICKS MCGHEE: Tennessee Shuffle/ BROWNIE MCGHEE: The Way I Feel/ Try Me One
More Time/ Unfair Blues/ Woman I'm Done/ Workingman's Blues/ Worried Life
Blues/ Wrong Man Blues/ Easy Ridin' Buggy/ Knockabout Blues (Carolina
Blues)/ That's The Stuff (Watch Out)/ Women Lover Blues/ SONNY TERRY: All
Alone Blues/ Beer Garden Blues/ Blowing The Blues/ Crow Jane Blues/ Custard
Pie Blues/ Early Morning Blues/ Forty-Four Whistle Blues/ Fox Chase/ Fox
Chase/ Fox Chase/ Fox Chase/ Harmonica Rag/ Hot-Headed Woman/ John Henry/
Leavin' Blues/ Lost John/ Lost John/ Mountain Blues/ New Love Blues/ Riff
And Harmonica Jump/ Run Away Woman/ Screamin' And Cryin' Blues/ Shake Down/
Sweet Woman/ The New John Henry/ The Red Cross Store/ Train Whistle Blues/
Whoopin' The Blues/ Worried Man Blues/ Harmonica And Washboard Blues/
Harmonica And Washboard Breakdown/ Harmonica Blues/ Harmonica Stomp/ Touch
It Up And Go
|
| EDDIE
"CLEANHEAD VINSON/ JIM WYNN |
JSP JSPCD 7760 |
Honk For Texas |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 103 tracks, 4 hours 53 min., recommended
This
collection spends two and a half discs chronicling Vinson's solo career,
beginning with his days at Mercury directly after leaving the Cootie WIlliams Orchestra, and ending with his tenure at King Records (1949-52),
where he and owner Sid Nathan did not always see eye-to-eye on his music.
Vinson, with his identifying vocal catch, was not just the most popular
Texas sax player of his time, but his orchestra took a proverbial back seat
to few others (the obvious exceptions being Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway)
when it came to fame and drawing power. The last disc and a half are
dedicated to fellow Texas sax man Jim Wynn, whose recording career is
sampled from 1945-54, with generally pleasing results, even if Wynn's
vocalists (he had three!) lacked Vinson's personality and humor. Flimsy
cardboard slipcase, but rock solid music and notes from blues scholar Neil
Slaven. (JC)
|
| SONNY BOY
WILLIAMSON & OTHERS |
JSP JSPCD 7766 |
The Classic Sides, 1951-1954 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD set featuring a wonderful collection of mostly down
home blues from the Trumpet label including all the recordings for that
label (including some originally unissued) by Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice
Miller), Big Joe Williams, Luther Huff, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Bobo
Thomas, Elmore james, Jerry McCain, Willie Love, Sherman "Blues" Johnson,
Tiny Kennedy and Wally Mercer. It's all been out before on various labels
but, as we say around here, it's nice to have it all in one place. Includes
notes by Neil Slaven.
|
| SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON |
JSP JSPCD 7797 |
The Original Sonny Boy Williamson, Vol. 1 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CDs, 100 tracks, essential
The first of two box sets to
feature the complete recordings of this brilliant and influential singer and
harmonica player including, not only the titles issued under his own name
but his accompaniments to his friends and musical associates Robert Lee
McCoy, Big Joe Williams, Henry Townsend, Elijah Jones, Yank Rachell,
'Jackson' Joe Williams and Speckled Red. John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson was
a wonderful singer with a warm down home style and a brilliant and
innovative harmonica player whose playing was to redefine blues harmonica
playing until the emergence of Little Walter. His playing, singing and songs
were to prove an immense influence on subsequent generations of blues
performers and contributed to the ascendancy of the blues scene in Chicago
where he was based and there's no doubt he would have been a major figure in
the 50s had he not met an untimely demise in 1948. Although some of his most
famous songs are based on songs originated by other artists, Sonny Boy
invested them with his own distinctive approach which resulted in them being
the template for future versions. The 100 tracks here were recorded between
May 1937 and July 1939 and are mostly country blues flavored becoming
somewhat more urban with the last two sessions - the July 1939 sessions
including Chicago veteran Big Bill Broonzy on guitar. Since most of the
artists he backs here were musicians he had worked closely with for a number
of years the empathy between them is stunning - the guitars intertwining and
beautifully echoing the vocal lines. There is just one classic performance
after another and it is a testament to Sonny Boy's popularity that although
the artists he accompanied turn in stunning performances it's the songs that
Sonny Boy recorded that would become standards. Sound quality is excellent
and Neil Slaven provides his usual high quality notes within the space
limitations. (FS)
|
| JIMMY WITHERSPOON |
JSP JSPCD 7778 |
Urban Blues Legend |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD box set with 108 tracks recorded between 1945 and
1953 by this great blues shouter featuring all his studio recordings from
this period. A varied collection of storming jump tunes, funky blues and
soulful blues ballads with Jimmy's voice an instrument of sheer joy ranging
from a roar to a seductive but bluesy croon. His voice is beautifully
complemented by some of the finest West Coast musicians in the bizness like
Jay McShann (who gave him his first job) , Louis Speigner (a brilliant, if
little known, guitarist), Al "Cake" Wichard, Bill Doggett, Buddy Tate, Tiny
Webb, Jack McVea, Jesse Sailes, Roy Milton, Camille Howard, Ben Webster,
Jackie kelso, Maxwell Davis, Chuck Norris and many more.
JIMMY WITHERSPOON: 24 Sad Hours/ Ain’t Nobody’s Buess/
Ain’t Nobody’s Business Pt 1/ Ain’t Nobody’s Business Pt 2/ Baby Baby/ Back
Door Blues/ Back Home/ Back Water Blues/ Better Love Next Time Pt 1/ Better
Love Next Time Pt 2/ Big Eyes Blues/ Big Fine Girl/ Big Heart/ Blues In
Trouble/ Cain River Blues/ Call My Baby/ Cold Blooded Boogie/ Confessing The
Blues/ Corn Whiskey/ Destruction Blues/ Doctor Blues/ Don’t Ever Move A Man
Into Your House/ Don’t Tell Me Now/ Drinkin’ Beer (Hav Ball)/ Drunk Broke
And Hungry/ Ernestine/ Failing By degrees/ Fast Woman, Slow/ Feelin’ So Sad/
Foolish Prayer/ Frogimore Blues/ Frogimore Blues Alt Take/ Funny Style Baby/
Geneva Blues/ Give My Heart Anotherr Break/ Gone With The Blues/ Hard
Workin’ Blues/ Hard-Working Man’s Blues/ Have You Ever Loved A Woman/ Hey Mr
Landlord/ Hey Mr Landlord Alt Take/ Highway To Happin/ How I Hate To See
Xmas Come Around/ How Long/ How You Gonna Act/ I Done Told You/ I Gotta Gal
Lives On The Hill/ I Love You Just The Same/ I Want A Little Girl/ In The
Evening Alt Take/ In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down/ It/ I’m Goin’
Around Circles/ I’m Just A Ladies Man/ I’m Just Wonderin, Part 1/ I’m Just
Wonderin, Part 2/ I’m Not Too Young/ Jay’s Blues Part 1/ Jay’s Blues Part 2/
Jump Children/ Just A Country Boy/ Just For You/ Long About Dawn/ Love And
Friendsh/ Love My Baby/ Lucille/ Lush Head Woman/ Miss Clawdy B/ Miss, Miss
Mistrer/ Money Eyes Woman/ Money’s Getting Cheaper/ Move Me Baby/ New
Orleans Woman/ No Rollin’ Blues/ Oh Boy/ Once There Lived A Fool/ One Fine
Gal/ Pinocchio Blues/ Practice What You Preach/ Rain, Rain, Rain/ Real Ugly
Woman/ Roll On, Katy/ Sad Life/ Same Old Blues/ Shipyard Woman Blues/
Six-Foot-Two Blues/ Skid Row Blues/ Slow Your Speed/ Spoon Calls Hootie/
Sweet Lovin’ Baby/ The Day Is Dawning/ The Last Mile/ The New Look/ The Wind
Is Blowin’/ Thelma Lee Blues/ There Ain’t NothiBetter/ Third Floor Blues/
Times Gettin’ Tougher Than Tough Alt Take/ Two Little Girls/ Voodoo Woman
Blues/ Wandering Gal Blues/ Wee Baby Blues/ When I Had My Money/ Who’s Been
Jivin’/ Would My Baby Make A Change/ You Can’t Kiss A Dream Goodnight/ Your
Red Wagon/ ke Me Back Baby
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