Topic: CDs/Sets You're Listening To

[Norfolk Slim]

Not blues for me either Im afraid albeit arguably a close relation.

I've just bought IV by Chatham County Line and its put a smile on my face on the journey to and from work, every day this week.

I guess it would be called country / bluegrass if you were categorising though Im no authority on either genre and generally detest anything that sounds C&W.

These guys are great.  4 of them play round a single mic- standup bass, mandolin, guitar, banjo etc and sing some great songs.

My wife is appalled, and Im slightly worried that I'm getting old and beginnning to like country music.  But I think I can justify/ excuse this one- as it just such great fun and musicianship, and steers well clear of most of those country cliches.

[Richard]

NS

My wife is appalled, and Im slightly worried that I'm getting old and beginnning to like country music.

Excellent, keep up the good work, will we ever get you onto jazz?

[jostber]

V.A. - 2009 Blues Calendar

'

http://www.bluesimages.com/html/product_html/2009_free_cd.html

A couple of unreleased Blind Blake here! Those Tommy Johnson songs are great too.

[Richard]

Back to guitar and Tom Doughty, the very unique wheelchair bound lap-player, has put out another CD with some new tunes and even some new slants on old tunes, Lonnie Johnson's Mr Jelly Roll Baker being one go take a look at his site for full details.

www.tomdoughty.com

[arlotone]

I had an opportunity to go to Cleveland last month so I made time for an afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the "early influences" section was an interesting item about Louis Jordan (a Hall of Fame inductee), so in the gift shop I picked up his Proper box set and have been listening to that. It's not country blues, but it's a great piece of that blues-to-rock transition period. In fact, I'll never hear Little Richard claim to have invented rock and roll again, without thinking of Louis Jordan singing and squealing on "Caledonia Boogie" ten years before "Tutti Frutti."

Check these out, and by the way, can anyone tell if that's real neon or just a special effect?

[jostber]

[dj]

I've been listening a lot to Document's Lee Brown CD (DOCD 5344) for the last couple of days.  Brown wasn't a great singer or pianist, but he was solidly second-tier.  I know that sounds like damning him with faint praise, but it's not.  You don't walk away from a Lee Brown recording saying "Wow, that was great!", but rather "That was pleasant and interesting.  I wouldn't mind hearing more of him."  Musically, Brown sounds most influenced by Walter Davis, but with a more conventional sense of timing than Davis.  Brown was certainly a capable pianist, but the fact that he was so often accompanied by other pianists - Sammy Price and Lil Armstrong, for example (union problems, perhaps?) - gives a disc full of his recordings a bit more variety than would be the case if he had always sung to his own accompaniment.  Lyrically, Brown was also solid but just a notch down from the greats.  Brown's big hit was "Little Girl Little Girl", and he remade it several times: "New Little Girl Little Girl", "Little Brown Skin Girl", and "Another Little Girl".  He was fond of lines beginning "She's just my type baby, she got...", but the ends of the lines are so varied - "two dimples in her jaw", "long black curly hair", "a mole on her nose(!)" that one begins to think that just about any girl was "his type".

Reading what I've just written, I hope I haven't put anyone off from listening to him.  He wasn't Leroy Carr or Walter Davis, but he was unfailingly good at what he did, and his music is good enough that it stands up to repeated close listening.  I've really enjoyed getting to know his music better.       

[Norfolk Slim]

I inadvertantly plucked "Son House and the Great Delta Singers" from the shelf on Monday this week, for the car on the way to work.  I had intended to grab the Library of Congress sessions and have never really listened to this cd properly as I have the original House recordings elsewhere.  I had actually entirely forgotten that the bulk of the cd was taken up by an assortment of other artists, from the relatively well known Willie Brownstuff through to some obscurities like Jim Thompkins' Bedside Blues (surely a true one off in the genre?), Garfield Akers and Kid Bailey.

Anyway- it was like a new discovery for me.  Some great tracks from Joe Callicot, Kid Bailey, Rube Lacy and Blind Joe Reynolds.  At least three of them are now on my list of stuff to try to figure out and play...  I have in mind Kid Bailey's Rowdy Blues (wonderfully grungy bends and hypnotic groove), The Thompkins track and Reynolds' slide number, Outside Woman blues.

[Lyndvs]

Peg leg howell and eddie anthony vols.1 & 2.i love peg leg and his gang-can`t get enough.Also the carolina tar heels-my favourite old time
"string band".all lovely stuff.
take care lyndvs.

[chetleyh]

New guy here 1st post to be gentle.....

I have been listening to these kids alot lateley Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band.....take a listen

www.myspace.com/therevpeytonsbigdamnband

[uncle bud]

Welcome to the site, chetleyh!

[Richard]

A 4 cd (cheapo) set of Clarence Williams and in the bands Ikey Robinson, Lonnie Johnson etc. Good early jazz.

[dj]

A 4 cd (cheapo) set of Clarence Williams

Sounds interesting, Richard.  What's the title label, and catalog number?

[CF]

I got that great Hank Williams 3CD set of those 'unreleased' performances from the Mother's Best radio programs. Very revealing stuff. Hank's band sing harmonies with him on many of the tracks, something you don't hear on his studio recordings. His voice was never recorded better & much of his actual timbre & range is present. The longest song he ever recorded, I Dreamed That the Great Judgement Morning, is here & clocks in at about 5:30mins.
There's a lot of religious material & his version of Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain opens the set. Many people have never heard Hank sing this song. His version of Cool Water is powerful. The band really stands out here. The notes say that Hank rarely rehearsed new material with them & that they just intstinctively knew how to follow him & hit the changes. All-around a must collection for any serious American roots music fan.
I purchased Document's God Don't Like It & Sinners & Saints collections. SS I purchased for the Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley sides in particular.
I talked about the Catfish Ramblin Thomas Hard Dallas disc elsewhere but that has been playing everyday. I hear Sam Collins, King Solomon Hill & Lemon's Jack O' Diamonds slide style in his  playing. The added sides by Thomas' brother Jesse are almost as enjoyable - in particular, the infamous 'Blue Goose Blues' where he's got two bits to lose. This disc is apparently no longer available.

[dj]

Not exactly a CD I've listened to straight through, but I have to say that every time a song from "Crazy Blues: The Best Of Mamie Smith" comes up on the Juke, I really enjoy it.  She's got a great voice and always seems to have a good band behind her.  I'll have to check to see if it's still in print.