My baby came to me this morning and said I'm kinda confused. She said "If me and B.B. King was both drownin', which one would you choose?" And I said "Oh Baby, Oh Baby, Oh Baby, I ain't never heard you play no blues" - Steve Goodman, The I Ain't Never Heard You Play No Blues
Well if nostalgia is the single emotion in play, off the top of my head I would propose Geeshie Wiley's Last Kind Words, No More Cane on The Brazos on Deep River Of Song, Texas Field Recordings, Brother Can You Spare A Dime, and Jim Canaan's by Robert Wilkins.
All are nostalgic for good, bad and neutral times lived thoroughly in the past. Good topic actually.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2012, 06:17:41 PM by Rivers »
Hi all, I always thought of blues ballads as songs that tell a story, like "Frankie", "Stackerlee", Mance Lipscomb's "Freddie", "Delia", et al. Not a lot of them, unfortunately. All best, Johnm
Technically, a ballad is a song that tells a story. The term has been misused so often in pop music that it can mean almost anything. It's a good idea to include a definition when you use a term like this that's been blenderized.
Right, which was why I thought we should agree on a definition up front, given that different languages do not always translate conceptual ideas 1-1. Sorry, ex-English as a second language teacher here.
'Nostalgia in CB', though, strikes me as an interesting topic in its own right. Perhaps we should re-title the thread?
« Last Edit: June 06, 2012, 10:12:50 PM by Rivers »
If we are defining ballads as songs that tell a story, I like very much the category of murder ballads. My list of favorites, and the artist who's version I like best includes:
Stakolee - previously mentioned Louis Collins - Mississippi John Hurt Freddie - previously mentioned, Mance Lipscomb Ella Speed - Mance John Hardy - Lead Belly Little Sadie - Doc Watson
And though, not murders per se..
John Henry/Spike Driver - surely he was worked to death! - MJH Ballad of Casey Jones - train accident! MJH God Moves on the Water - Mance
Are there any others I should be on the look out for?
There are some more obscure ones, some have been discussed here previously. Batson by Stavin' Chain is a good 'un. Alabama Red done by Sydney Stripling is good, and uses a similar refrain to Furry Lewis's version of Stack 'o Lee, among others. Rabbit Brown's Mystery of the Dunbar Child and Sinking of the Titanic.
The use of the term ballad in the context of this forum really needs to stick to it's original meaning of a story song (as others have explained above). This is very different from a jazz ballad or pop ballad. Blues ballad and jazz ballad have no relation to each other.
Yeah, I really like Leadbelly's Duncan and Brady. And his version "Stewball" is another ballad to add to the list. This would make a good weeniepedia page.
I've been considering if Monday Mornin Blues by MJH is a ballad and I now feel that it isn't. I was trying to think why and I thought perhaps it's because the story is told in the first person. Would you agree that a norm for a ballad is to tell it from the third person perspective.
Colm
« Last Edit: June 11, 2012, 08:40:47 AM by colm kill paul »
Hi Colm, You bring up an interesting point. I agree that "Monday Morning Blues" is not a ballad, though it has some narrative flow. It also has verses that are more standard blues verses. Of the songs that have been suggested thus far for the category of "story song", only "Little Sadie" is told by a first person narrator. I do think ballads are most often sung in the third person, and there's quite often an element of reportage in them. All best, Johnm Edited to add: Since this thread doesn't pertain to any specific recording, I'm moving it to the Main Forum.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2012, 08:16:08 AM by Johnm »