As there appears to be one or two out there who like this sort of thing here's a scan (dated 1992!) which I found lurking on a floppy disk. It's from Jazz Monthly, October 1970:
Son House
In Person And In Retrospect
THE APPEARANCES of Son House in England in June and July this year were almost certainly our last chances to see this figure so important in blues history. It's extraordinary to reflect that not so many years ago very few people in England would have heard of Son House, and fewer still would have heard his records. Reissue of his Paramounts and issue of most of his Library of Congress material led to awareness of his importance; his rediscovery soon followed (1963), seeming to those of us who lived and waited through that time like finding Buddy Bolden playing in a pit orchestra. The Columbia LP was recorded in 1965 and in 1967 we had our first chance to see him in Europe. This year's tour was preceded by the issue of a Roots LP which provoked mixed critical reception, as indeed had the Columbia.
IT IS DIFFICULT to analyse the effect of these concerts. His appearance at St. Pancras Town Hall on July 10 was, viewed with detachment, short, badly managed and not easy to commend for musical quality. Yet it was greeted with two standing ovations. It is hard to believe that all, or even the majority, of those present were acquainted with his earlier work and its implications, and it's equally hard to believe the performance itself occasioned the response. For those familiar with his earlier work it was all but impossible to obtain any detachment, the emotional impact was too great. There had been a noticeable deterioration since his 1967 tour, but this is not unexpected in a man nearly seventy years old. His performances through the tour were variable; for example, the recording for Radio 1 [see note-BH] was much better than the first St Pancras concert. The effect of that hollering voice was still spine-chilling, and if one could ignore the fumbled guitar licks an impression of the power of Mississippi blues could be obtained.
MENTION has been made of Son's earlier career and recordings, and perhaps now is an appropriate time to consider the legend of Eddie James House Jr. Dockery's Plantation, Cleveland, Mississippi, must have been the place to be in the late '20s in the Delta, for there could be found Son House, Charley Patton and Willie Brown. Fortunately all three got to record, although Patton's popularity and versatility resulted in an earlier start and more sessions for him. Only six of the sides Son recorded for Paramount in his late twenties have been discovered, all similar, so it is difficult to form a comprehensive opinion of his talents at this time. He next recorded for the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942, solo and with his old partner Willie Brown and others. These sides are more varied in content and perhaps represent the peak of House's career as it is available to us on record. Son was then out of the eye of the world until his rediscovery. His reputation, then, rests on a comparatively small recorded output, and also on his seemingly great influence on subsequent developments in blues history. It's easy to point to a direct line, House, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and so on, but it's certainly more complex than that. Although Mississippi blues has been more extensively researched than any other area of the field, there are still many unanswerable questions ? many, indeed, that will never be answered. BOB YATES
*BH note: The BBC Radio 1 session was recorded 6th July at the Playhouse Theatre, London (producer John Walters) and broadcast on John Peel's Top Gear show July 11 1970. Mike Raven's R&B show re-broadcast it on 9th August. There was a bit of chat introducing each number which were My Good Gal, Death Letter and Don't You Mind People Grinning In Your Face. (Now where the heck did I put that cassette?)
Son House
In Person And In Retrospect
THE APPEARANCES of Son House in England in June and July this year were almost certainly our last chances to see this figure so important in blues history. It's extraordinary to reflect that not so many years ago very few people in England would have heard of Son House, and fewer still would have heard his records. Reissue of his Paramounts and issue of most of his Library of Congress material led to awareness of his importance; his rediscovery soon followed (1963), seeming to those of us who lived and waited through that time like finding Buddy Bolden playing in a pit orchestra. The Columbia LP was recorded in 1965 and in 1967 we had our first chance to see him in Europe. This year's tour was preceded by the issue of a Roots LP which provoked mixed critical reception, as indeed had the Columbia.
IT IS DIFFICULT to analyse the effect of these concerts. His appearance at St. Pancras Town Hall on July 10 was, viewed with detachment, short, badly managed and not easy to commend for musical quality. Yet it was greeted with two standing ovations. It is hard to believe that all, or even the majority, of those present were acquainted with his earlier work and its implications, and it's equally hard to believe the performance itself occasioned the response. For those familiar with his earlier work it was all but impossible to obtain any detachment, the emotional impact was too great. There had been a noticeable deterioration since his 1967 tour, but this is not unexpected in a man nearly seventy years old. His performances through the tour were variable; for example, the recording for Radio 1 [see note-BH] was much better than the first St Pancras concert. The effect of that hollering voice was still spine-chilling, and if one could ignore the fumbled guitar licks an impression of the power of Mississippi blues could be obtained.
MENTION has been made of Son's earlier career and recordings, and perhaps now is an appropriate time to consider the legend of Eddie James House Jr. Dockery's Plantation, Cleveland, Mississippi, must have been the place to be in the late '20s in the Delta, for there could be found Son House, Charley Patton and Willie Brown. Fortunately all three got to record, although Patton's popularity and versatility resulted in an earlier start and more sessions for him. Only six of the sides Son recorded for Paramount in his late twenties have been discovered, all similar, so it is difficult to form a comprehensive opinion of his talents at this time. He next recorded for the Library of Congress in 1941 and 1942, solo and with his old partner Willie Brown and others. These sides are more varied in content and perhaps represent the peak of House's career as it is available to us on record. Son was then out of the eye of the world until his rediscovery. His reputation, then, rests on a comparatively small recorded output, and also on his seemingly great influence on subsequent developments in blues history. It's easy to point to a direct line, House, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and so on, but it's certainly more complex than that. Although Mississippi blues has been more extensively researched than any other area of the field, there are still many unanswerable questions ? many, indeed, that will never be answered. BOB YATES
*BH note: The BBC Radio 1 session was recorded 6th July at the Playhouse Theatre, London (producer John Walters) and broadcast on John Peel's Top Gear show July 11 1970. Mike Raven's R&B show re-broadcast it on 9th August. There was a bit of chat introducing each number which were My Good Gal, Death Letter and Don't You Mind People Grinning In Your Face. (Now where the heck did I put that cassette?)