Topic: Document CDs--availability, sound quality, etc.

[uncle bud]

The two new King Solomon Hill tracks, by the way, can be heard on the Blues Images Calendar CD, which you can conveniently purchase via the Juke page, should you be so inclined. The calendar is a steal, IMO, plus you get the new tracks, which are very good, if essentially similar to his other tunes.

[Blue Poodle]

This recording is now available on the Document site, but direct sales seem to be UK based.  Is there a way to get this recording in the US yet?

Thanks!

[boots]

Hey Doc we have a postal service too

[waxwing]

While I have made direct orders in the past ("Cowan, Yer haggis is in!" would shout one of my mates when he saw the Royal Stamp of Scotland on the package of 14 CDs) I currently have one on order from Down Home Music, in El Cerrito. We'll see how long it takes.
All for now.
John C.

[FiddlinBlues]

Well, I'm hoping to pick up my copy at the Mt. Airy Fiddlers convention.  There's a guy there some of you may know... John Hatton.  He operates a music booth around the country during the summer here in the States and used to sell at Port Townsend.. (does he still?)  Anyhow, he'll be at the fiddlers convention in Mt. Airy NC first weekend in June.  He carries just most of the CDs one could want...Hey, it's a short hop over here from Great Britian, isn't it?

[dj]

According to the Document website, both the Sam Collins complete works and the Songster Tradition CD are back in stock.  It seems like they've quietly put a lot of stuff back in print, including all the Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe disks, and the Ragtime Blues Guitar CD.  I haven't tried ordering any of the newly re-available disks yet, but I'll try to order both the Sam Collins and Songster Tradition soon.

[waxwing]

I believe these have all been remastered. Ragtime Blues Guitar for sure. Document is remastering a lot of their CDs but don't seem to be able to keep up with those that are out of stock. RBG was out of stock for over a year. Yazoo, on the otherhand, seems to be replacing individual artist based compilations with multi-individual compilations, altho' this could be just my erroneous observation, they did come out with new, remastered Patton collections recently.
All for now.
John C.

[uncle bud]

Hi Wax - not to be provocative ( ) but what is it that makes you believe these titles have been remastered? There's no indication of that on the Document site, no new jacket covers, and there are in fact price reductions. Generally, all the remastered Documents have new color covers and are being announced in their newsletter and on their website, no?

[waxwing]

Why you provocatuer, you. I thought that they had made a statement that they were remastering and that any issue that was out of stock and scheduled to be remastered would not be reissued until the remastering had been done. I know there was discussion a few weeks ago on the 'Shed about the remastered Ragtime Guitar Blues, but I haven't investigated the Document site lately (I drool on the keyboard too much). Perhaps some of these titles are not scheduled to be remastered and so were just reissued.

So, I just sent an email to Lisa at Document, whom I corresponded with somewhat, to see if she can give us any info.

You know, UB, you're only really provocative when you're wearing Bermuda shorts.-G-

All for now.
John C

[GhostRider]

BJ:

I wish that you hadn't brought up the vision of Unkie Bud in Bermuda shorts? . I had just about gotten over it after the last PT.

Lord have mercy,
Alex

[KC King]

Wow - I know how to get a CD I can't find - just whine about here. I swear I have been checking the Document site for a year for Songster Tradition. However the last time I looked was about a month ago. I am very happy  . N ot only that, but they have ?Too Late, Too Late - Vol 8?. Now I?ll have to see what else is back of the ?Too Late, Too Late? series. Man, I don?t know if I can afford them putting things back in print.

KC

[outfidel]

new CD listing on Roots & Rhythm

Never Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice
Document DOCD 5678
CD $35.98

Three CD set featuring the completed recorded works of 12 artists whose music falls into the category of "songster" which means their repertoire includes non-blues and pre-blues material. This replaces several deleted Document CDS. Artists are Richard "Rabbit" Brown (a truly wonderful performer whose five performances should be in everybody's collection!), Papa Harvey Hull & Long Cleve Reed, Big Boy Cleveland, William & Versey Smith, Luke Jordan, Mississippi John Hurt, Hambone Willie Newbern, Eli Framer, Louie Lasky, Cedar Creek Sheik (a fine singer and fingerpicker from The Carolinas), Robert Hill (a fine singer and harmonica player from Mississippi accompanied by Sonny Boy Nelson and, possibly Willie Harris, on guitar) and Virgil Childers.

Some wonderful music though sound is sometimes subpar, even by Document's standards, and the Mississippi John Hurt tracks are particularly bad. Puzzling since Yazoo and Columbia have issued beautiful sounding reissues of Hurt. Still the rest of it more than worthwhile.

RICHARD 'RABBIT' BROWN: I'm Not Jealous/ James Alley/ Mystery Of The Dunbar's Child/ Never Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice/ Sinking Of The Titanic/ CEDAR CREEK SHEIK: Buy It From The Poultry Man/ Don't Credit My Stuff/ Don't Use That Stuff/ Ford V-8/ I Believe Somebody's Ridin' My Mule/ Jimmy Shut His Store Doors/ Mary Had A Little Lamb/ She's Totin' Something Good/ Watch The Fords Go By/ What A Pity/ VIRGIL CHILDERS: Dago Blues/ Preacher And The Bear/ Red River Blues/ Somebody Stole My Jane/ Travelin' Man/ Who's That Knockin' At My Door/ BIG BOY CLEVELAND: Goin' To Leave You Blues/ Quill Blues/ ELI FRAMER: Framer's Blues/ God Didn't Make No Monkey Man/ ROBERT HILL: G Blues/ Hill's Hot Sauce/ I Had A Gal For The Last Fifteen Years/ I'm Going To Write And Tell My Mother/ It Is So Good/ Just Smilin'/ Lumber-Yard Blues/ Pal, How I Miss You Tonight/ Tell Me What's Wrong With You/ You Gonna Look Like A Monkey When You Get Old/ PAPA HARVEY HULL & LONG "CLEVE" REED: Don't You Leave Me Here/ Gang Of Brown Skin Women/ Hey! Lawdy Mama (The France Blues)/ Two Little Tommie Blues/ MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT: Ain't No Tellin'/ Avalon Blues/ Big Leg Blues/ Blessed Be The Name/ Blue Harvest Blues/ Candy Man Blues/ Frankie/ Got The Blues Can't Be Satisfied/ Louis Collins/ Nobody's Dirty Business/ Praying On The Old Camp Ground/ Spike Driver Blues/ Stack O' Lee Blues/ LUKE JORDAN: Church Bells Blues (Take 1)/ Church Bells Blues (Take 2)/ Cocaine Blues/ If I Call You Mama/ My Gal's Done Quit Me/ Pick Poor Robin Clean (Take 1)/ Pick Poor Robin Clean (Take 2)/ Tom Brown Sits In His Prison Cell/ Traveling Coon/ Won't You Be Kind?/ LOUIE LASKY: Caroline/ How You Want Your Rollin' Done/ Teasin' Brown Blues/ HAMBONE WILLIE NEWBERN: Hambone Willie's Dreamy Eyed Woman's Blues/ Nobody Knows (What The Good Deacon Does)/ Roll And Tumble Blues/ She Could Toodle-Oo/ Shelby County Workhouse/ Way Down In Arkansas/ LONG 'CLEVE' REED: I Believe I'll Go Back Home/ Original Stack O' Lee Blues/ WILLIAM & VERSEY SMITH: Everybody Help The Boys Come Home/ I Believe I'll Go Back Home/ Sinner, You'll Need King Jesus/ When That Great Ship Went Down

[uncle bud]

Interesting collection, thanks for the heads up, Outfidel. Should be tempting despite the sound issues (does any Document CD not have them?). Most of us would already have the John Hurt material (or should have!), making that point moot. But there's a lot here to make this an attractive set for people. Luke Jordan, for one, if one is currently living life under the incredible handicap of not owning that material. But also Papa Harvey Hull and Long Cleve Reed, Louie Lasky, Rabbit Brown. And listening to Hambone Willie Newbern recently for me has been most enjoyable. If you only know him via Roll and Tumble Blues, his other material may be a bit of a surprise, with half of it being very enjoyable and high quality songster stuff IMO, and a couple very good blues "Hambone Willie's Dreamy-Eyed Blues" and "Shelby County Workhouse BLues".

This collection merges two of Document's previous discs, The Songster Tradition and the Greatest Songsters, and then gives you a disc of the Cedar Creek Sheik, Robert Hill, or Virgil Childers. All three of whom I'm not familiar with, and they're not even on the Juke. 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Like the JSP thread, this one has not been posted in recently, but it occurred to me that some of you might be interested in which Document CDs I have been able to order in the past seven months or so, and which I have been unable to get.  In every instance, I was placing an order with Red Lick, in Wales, a superior distributor of Country Blues and Jazz CDs, albums, books and DVDs.  I was able to obtain the following CDs:
   * Sleepy John Estes, Vol. 1
   * Texas Field Recordings
   * Gene Campbell
   * Texas Alexander, Vol. 1 (on Matchbox)
I have not been able to obtain the following CDs:
   * Sleepy John Estes, Vol. 2 (told it was out of print)
   * Texas Alexander Vols. 2 and 3 (told they are not currently available)
   * Two Poor Boys (told not currently available)

Has anyone else either had luck or been unable to order different items from the Document catalog recently?  I would particularly be interested to know of sources for getting any of the CDs I was unable to find at Red Lick.  I also remembered that I was able to get the Charlie Lincoln and Willie Baker CD at Port Townsend.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

A lot of stuff continues to become unavailable. All three Texas Alexander discs are now listed as "downloads" at Document, as I recently tried to get some actual CDs. How recently did you order the Texas Alexander, John? Recently tried to get Memphis Jug Band vol 1 as well, the only one I lacked, and it's gone too. Luckily, there's a version on Frog, remastered by John RT Davies no less, with the same tracks as Document vol 1 plus 2 extras from Will Weldon and 2 from Vol Stevens. Highly recommended.

Occasionally, some of these unavailable discs pop up as available through Amazon Marketplace sellers (how I got the Frog disc actually).