Topic: 2009 Blues Images Calendar

[SpikeDriver]

Here is the CD line up for the new 2009 Blues Images calender:

http://www.bluesimages.com/

[Pan]

Thanks SD!

It's a must have! 

[CF]

 . . . A must-have. Thanks for the heads up.
So besides the Blake titles what are the new discoveries? I'm thinking the Paramount All-Stars test must be one . . . Are those cleaner versions of Tommy Johnson's tunes?
I got pretty excited for a moment when I read 'Worried Blues' by Lemon. Didn't recognize it at first. Then realized it must be what I know as 'Lemon's Worried Blues'. Darn.

[banjochris]

I have a feeling that the Skip James "Mighty Good Leader" might be an alternate take. In 78 Quarterly Issue 6, under the rarest 78s section, there's a quote from Gayle Wardlow that two takes of that tune are known to exist.
Chris

[dj]

The cover copy reads: "Two Newly Discovered Songs from 1932 by Blind Blake" and "Three Newly Discovered Songs by Blind Lemon Jefferson and others".  Since "Worried Blues" is the only Blind Lemon Jefferson song on the CD, it would seem that it must be one of the "Newly Discovered Songs".  Track 16 is listed as "Hometown Skiffle TEST!", where the "TEST!" (caps and exclamation point) would lead one to think that this is a new discovery.  Which leaves one song.  Chris may well be right about "Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader", but you'd think that Skip James is a big enough name that a previously unissued performance by him would be mentioned on the calendar cover.  But...  There are two songs by Ben Curry listed.  Neither of them - "The Laughing Rag" and "Hot Dog" - is on Document's "Alabama Black Country Dance Bands", which contained Curry's extant recorded works when it came out 15 or so years ago, and neither song made it onto any of Document's "too Late, Too Late" volumes, nor onto "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of".  So perhaps those are two of the five, which would seem to bump the "Hometown Skiffle" test from the list. 

At any rate, it all makes for some pleasant speculation.               

[uncle bud]

Lemon's Worried Blues doesn't have any alt. takes listed in B&GR. So this must mean a "new" copy, e.g., better condition?

[Cooljack]

looking forward to this, Especially the new blind black and himetown skiffle test

[CF]

The reference to new Lemon material may mean the Paramount All Stars tracks where I believe Blind Blake is impersonating Lemon. See this thread:

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=60&topic=4284.0

[Cooljack]

I used the Papa Charlie Jackson section of the Home Town Skiffle as my ring tone for a bit last year, oh how I did get some funny looks when my phone went off in crowded areas.

[uncle bud]

At the risk of seeming a complete geezer Luddite, can someone explain to me how one gets a recorded piece of music to use as a ring tone? I have a cell phone, much to my surprise, and use it on occasion when I remember to turn it on or uncover it from the stack of mail that includes outrageous cell phone bills (Canada! not progressive on this front), but I have no clue as to how to add a ring tone. I am computer literate. 

[Cooljack]

it depends on the type really, there might be problems if its quite an old phone though most phones come with some sort of usb -> Phone cable and some software which lets you put music on, take photos off etc. And once you put music on there is (usually?) a way to set it as ringtone/text message sound.

[uncle bud]

Ah, this is probably the problem. My phone is pre-mp3 capable. Can do photos and video (I have lots of footage of the inside of my jacket pocket from bumping the phone) but not that. I thought it worked through the ring tones upload function somehow.

[Mr.OMuck]

Hey as long as we're on the topic:
Can anyone recommend a really GOOD sounding phone that works with Verizon and pulls in signal in rural areas?

And this:

http://www.koreus.com/video/telephone-portable-mais-popcorn.html

[Mr.OMuck]

If you haven't already ignored the above video posting please ignore it retroactively. According to Snopes cell phones can't pop popcorn, though they can make the popcorn sterile (no...thats a joke...really).

[Parlor Picker]

Hey as long as we're on the topic:
Can anyone recommend a really GOOD sounding phone that works with Verizon and pulls in signal in rural areas?

And this:

http://www.koreus.com/video/telephone-portable-mais-popcorn.html

Didn't really know what you were on about, O' Muck, so I clicked on the link only to get this message:

"Cette page n'existe pas."

So I'm still none the wiser, but then again ignorance is bliss...

Et maintenant il me faut travailler...

[uncle bud]

Didn't really know what you were on about, O' Muck, so I clicked on the link only to get this message:

"Cette page n'existe pas."

My guess is it's the home page for Ren? Magritte...

[Mr.OMuck]

It was a video showing an international cadre of hip and emaciated youth in several hip and emaciated international settings placing four cell phones around several hip and emaciated kernels of popping corn. Someone rings all the phones and the popcorn pops. The implication of course being that the same thing is happening to our brain tissue when we use them. Its BS.

[Prof Scratchy]

The implication of course being that the same thing is happening to our brain tissue when we use them. Its BS.

Maybe....but then I had another look at your avatar....

[CF]

Anyone know if this can be pre-ordered?

[Slack]

The calendar will be out soon, in mid-July

[CF]

I'm in the process of moving & would like to get the order in now if possible. Mid-july will be CRAZY for me. I guess I can ask the calendar folks.

[CF]

Hey Slack remind me how I order this so that Weenie gets a cut . . . thanks

[Slack]

CP, thanks for thinking of Weenie -- however, I've decided to drop the calendar sales.  The calendars are available almost everywhere and it was a problem trying to collect the small cut on a small number of (who knows how many) calendar sales.  so, you might order from Elderly.com or your favorite music store.

Thanks,
slack

[uncle bud]

I picked up the Blues Images 2009 calendar at my local indie shop today. This is the one, you will recall, with the newly discovered Blind Blake tracks, "Night and Day Blues" and "Sun to Sun". Here's a few quick thoughts about some of the tracks on the CD. Hope this doesn't come as a spoiler for anyone; if so, don't read!

"Night and Day Blues" - Blind Blake. What's interesting about the two Blake songs is that they don't sound like he's rehashing anything. You'll still find some typical riffs here and there. First solo is double-time, a little reminiscent of Too Tight perhaps? The song features two guitar breaks. Second break has some double-time and an oddball chord-partial solo closing out the last 6 bars or so. I think the singing is particularly strong on this track. No disappointment here!

"Milk Cow Blues" - Kokomo Arnold. Significantly hotter transfer than Document Vol. 1, and even still an improvement on the better transfer found on the Indigo compilation of Georgia blues, "Sweet Petunia". Holy cow, what a performance. I haven't paid much attention to this previously. Artwork is not modest: "Everybody Should Hear Kokomo Arnold Sing Milk Cow Blues. It's the Greatest Record Ever Made."

"Worried Blues" - (aka Lemon's Worried Blues), Blind Lemon Jefferson. Significantly improved transfer. Not quite the revelation that the new transfer of 'Lectric Chair Blues was, but close.

"Cherry Ball Blues" - Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy. I hadn't heard this one before, as I don't have Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe vol 2 on Document. Great tune, somewhat in the Pile Driver Blues mode, similar riff.

"Death May Be Your Christmas Present" - Re. A.W. Nix. I can't wait to play this for neighbourhood tykes this Christmas. Maybe I'll hook up some outdoor speakers. A grim Xmas sermon from Rev. Nix. Someone should have spiked his drink. The artwork shows the night sky with the star of Bethlehem and the Grim Reaper illuminated over some rooftops, wielding his scythe and -- a nice touch -- a Santa bag full of skulls thrown over his shoulder.

Sun to Sun - the other new Blake. Again, two guitar breaks and particularly strong singing, IMO. Blake's doing new stuff here, playing unusually out of A position. Last verse jumped out at me for some reason: "I have lived on water and I have lived on land/I ain't found no woman satisfied with one man." One thing I notice about these two new Blake songs is that they expand the variety and strength of his last dozen or so recordings. He was doing some great material.

Somehow I forgot the fact that this calendar was also including two newly discovered tracks by Ben Curry. "The Laffing Rag" and "Hot Dog" are pretty astonishing listening, somewhat nuttier than his other stuff (!), a bit more vaudeville/minstrel. These tracks simply confirm further for me that Curry was a truly brilliant performer. "The Laffing Rag" is one of those laughing songs that I'm more familiar with from white performers. Curry is a much better laugher than the ones I've heard. "Hot Dog" is a spoken comedy routine with banjo-mando(?) and harp accompaniment. Nutty as hell, Curry cons young lady over to his place, gets her drunk etc.

Hometown Skiffle Part 1 & 2, plus test part 1 & 2  - You get both takes of the released version and of the test version, so two 6 minute tracks. Some nice solos from Blind Blake. The test doesn't have Blake faking Lemon Jefferson riffs. Sound is great. Papa Charlie Jackson sounds very present as well at the end of Part 2. If only all his recordings sounded so good. Cops break up the fun at end: "Broke up the hometown skiffle. See you in jail." "See you in jail."

"Alcohol and Jake Blues" and "Ridin' Horse" - both recordings are among the most whupped of Tommy Johnson recordings, but these transfers are still way better than Document and JSP. Alcohol and Jake in particular benefits a lot. I'm happy!

A really strong outing for Blues Images with vol 6. Bravo. Not one to miss, IMO.

Here's the complete tracklist:

January to December artwork
(1) Night & Day Blues ? Blind Blake
(2) Milk Cow Blues ? Kokomo Arnold
(3) Shake It and Break It ? Charley Patton
(4) Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader ? Skip James
(5) Home Town Skiffle-Pt. 1,2 ? Paramount All Stars
(6) Jailhouse Fire Blues ? Buddy Boy Hawkins
(7) Worried Blues ? Blind Lemon Jefferson
(8 ) Cherry Ball Blues ? Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie
(9) Graveyard Dream Blues ? Ida Cox
(10) Nightmare ? Elgar's Creole Orchestra
(11) The Death of Blind Lemon ? Rev. Emmett Dickerson
(12) Death May Be Your Christmas Present ? Rev. A. W. Nix

Bonus tracks (artwork doesn't exist for these songs)
(13) Sun to Sun ? Blind Blake
(14) The Laffing Rag ? Ben Curry
(15) Hot Dog ? Ben Curry
(16) Home Town Skiffle-Test ?Paramount All Stars
(17) Alchohol And Jake Blues ? Tommy Johnson
(18) Ridin' Horse ? Tommy Johnson

[Pan]

FWIW, I just had my copy, ordered through Amzon: http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Blues-Artwork-1920s-Calendar/dp/B001B0BAVG , so you CAN help Weenie Campbell while ordering this fabulous calendar and the CD, using the Amazon links on the site: http://weeniecampbell.com/juke/playing.php (scroll down and see to the left).

BTW, I wonder if Andrews' / Uncle Buds' great rewiew of the record should / could be merged with this thread?

Cheers

Pan

[uncle bud]

Hi Pan - yes, good idea. I'd neglected to search for an existing thread when I posted. The topics are now merged. An additional note, after seeing the older thread and banjochris's mention of the take of "Jesus is a Mighty Good Leader". It turns out this isn't an alternate take. I don't hear a whole lot of difference between the older Yazoo issue of Skip James and this, aside from some boosted lower frequencies - based on a very quick comparison anyway. Sounds like the same copy of the record even, with ticks in the same places etc. The note in the calendar says the transfer comes from the best of only two known copies of the record.