This is the one to get!
(1 of 1 Found this Helpful)
September 12, 2009
Thanks to Mr. Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress, we have these recordings, in much better sound quality than the Paramount Records sessions, of Son House in top form, and with some help from some other blues greats.
All of these songs feature Son in one way or another, but his harpist, mandolin player, and second guitarist, all really liven up the performances.
All of the songs on this are top notch, but the ones that really grabbed me most were:
"Shetland Pony Blues" is wonderful, with a type of "walking guitar" and odd time signature.
There is even the clear sound of a steam locomotive train passing close by Klack's Store, where this was recorded.
"Low Down Dirty Dog Blues" is terrific.
"American Defense" is the track that I liked the most, with a climbing note progression that immediately grabbed me, with some wry humor in the lyrics.
"Am I Right Or Wrong" is vaguely similar to "American Defense," but likewise very good.
The second rendition of "Walking Blues" is beautiful, and Son's accompaniment is in top form.
"Pony Blues" is a slower and easier to understand vocally version of "Shetland Pony," again a great song.
"The Jinx" is wonderful, with sadness of bad luck mixed with an incredible slapped bass string rhythm and Son's trademark high slide ringing.
Simply incredible historical document, and we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Alan Lomax for hauling his 300lb "portable" acetate recorder down to Mississippi so that we can listen to the greatest bluesmen of all time.
Oh, and if you want to hear Son's downright demonic Grafton, Wisconsin recordings, go here: Son House & the Great Delta Blues Singers
Also, the one record of Son that had not been found turned up only back in 2005.
You can find the two songs from it (along with lots of other extreme rarities) here: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
great music
June 9, 2009
another great find for blues followers Son House was a early pioneer of delta blues
Out Of Time
(1 of 1 Found this Helpful)
January 30, 2009
I'm a young newcomer in the classic country-blues and I've made my homeworks. I've bought this record based on it's notoriety and was really pleased with my discovery. The raw authenticity of this collection of songs is stunning. They are even better as they are precious. They are remains of a wonderful period in music, and so little is known about some of those fantastic musicians.
Son House has a strong and expressive voice that really appeals to me even if I was born in a complete different time. The only thing I can tell to someone who has prejudice with the sound quality or the age of these songs is that an emotion so intense is out of time. It however feels somewhat unfair that some of today's artists are allowed to record with high quality equipment and that these true and intense men could never take advantage of it.
I'd have a question if somebody knows the matter better, how come he could record songs over 6 minutes long? I read somewhere that records were limited to about 3 minutes.
Ferocious Intensity
(1 of 1 Found this Helpful)
July 11, 2008
This disc features the ferocious intensity and masterful singing, not to mention beautiful lyrics, of Son House. This material is different than both his original Paramount Recordings and his stuff from the 1960s. He is in great form on this record, and although the liner notes are skimpy and the cd looks like it could have been manufactured by a fourteen year old boy who downloads Country Blues all day (reminds me of me, just a decade or so ago!), the disc is not only well-worth owning, but is one of the greatest Country Blues cds that I can think of. Every song is excellent, and the driving intensity is relentless. This disc is strongly recommended.
Essential
(12 of 12 Found this Helpful)
January 16, 2005
These 1941-1942 recordings are the only ones ever made of Eddie "Son" House playing with a band, and this 19-track disc collects all 15 songs originally issued on Biograph's "Delta Blues" album and adds four more tracks, none of which are sung by House ("Fo' Clock Blues", "Camp Hollers", an incomplete "Special Rider Blues", and the instrumental "Key Of Minor").
Folklorist Alan Lomax came to Mississippi in late August 1941, bringing with him a 300-pound "portable" disc-cutting machine, and cut five acetate masters - the first four tracks on this album plus "Delta Blues".
Now, these cuts may not quite match the power of House's ferocious 1930 Paramount recordings, but barely anything does, and these are tremendous recordings in their own right.
Perhaps the chatter of the other three musicians on the first three tracks, and the sound of Joe Martin picking his mandolin, dulls the raw intensity of Son House's music a little, but you can still hear why Muddy Waters was so much in awe of Son House, stating that "back where I came from, down in the Delta, Son House was the king!"
The 1941 recordings were cut in the back room of Clack's country store in Robinsonville by Lake Cormorant in Mississippi, with guitarist Willie Brown (another former playing partner of Charley Patton), "Fiddlin'" Joe Martin - who actually played mandolin - and harpist Leroy Williams. At one point, you can actually hear a train passing by outside.
The remaining numbers (which include a longer version of "The Jinx Blues") were cut the following summer, and on these tracks, House performs alone. This is where the power and intensity of House truly shines through, showcasing what an effective guitar player he really was. Son House may not have been Charlie Christian, but his loud, grinding, strongly rhytmic playing, filled with wailing slide riffs, was the perfect background for his huge voice and emotionally charged singing.
Among the highlights of this collection are "Delta Blues", superbly performed with only Leroy Williams backing House up, "Low Down Dirty Dog Blues" and "Depot Blues", which features some of the most impressive guitar playing House ever comitted to tape, "Walking Blues" (especially the 1941 version), and "The Jinx Blues", set to an effective shuffle beat. Just listen to the way House snaps his bass string against the fretboard!
This collection is one of the all-time great documents on early Delta blues. The sound is as good as can be expected, and this is a worthy testament to one of the most important figures in modern popular music.
