Topic: Blind Lemon Jefferson CD

[misterjones]

Anyone familiar with this CD?



It has 13 tracks, and the website "last.fm" says it is called "The Complete Blues" and was released by Sony in 1990.

[misterjones]

60 views, no responses.  This is one mysterious CD/LP.  I have mp3s of the tracks and the sound is quite good, especially for a 1990 Sony issue (assuming that's what it is).  I also have located two similar CD covers for the collection.  You'll recall the butchered Robert Johnson set was also titled "The Complete Recordings" and issued in 1990 by Sony.  I can't help but think there is some connection.

[uncle bud]

Tracklist or link for people to view?

[pkeane]

Maybe this is it?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QXDHGU/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details

[misterjones]

No, that's the fairly recent 5 CD set that is a clone of the JSP set (with some additional artists thrown in).  The CD (or LP) I'm refering to has only 13 tracks, as follows:

  1    Broke and Hungry
  2    Bad Luck Blues
  3    Matchbox Blues
  4    Easy Rider Blues
  5    Rambler Blues
  6    One Dime Blues
  7    Mean Jumper Blues
  8    Hangmans Blues
  9    Oil Well Blues
10    Tin Cup Blues
11    Big Night Blues
12    Southern Woman Blues
13    That Crawlin' Baby Blues

What throws me a bit is the indication that it was issued by Sony.  If it were Joe Blow Records or the like, I could assume it was merely one of many short-lived compilations that piggy-backed on other issues.  But Sony issues, whether good or bad, typically don't just appear and disappear as this one seems to have.

[CF]

It's not in the Penguin Guide To Blues either, mystery CD.

[pkeane]

Might it simply be a mistaken listing on last.fm?  (Do you own it?).  Is it listed anywhere else?

--Peter

[misterjones]

I have mp3s.  It was available for download somewhere, so I downloaded it hoping it might be the elusive P-Vine (Japan) "Complete Recordings" of recent vintage.  Several sites list the CD/LP as existing.  Some have slightly more information than others.  It isn't a mistake, though it's always possible the label (Sony) and/or the issue date (1990) are incorrect.  It seems to be an actual compilation.  The question is its true source.  The information in that regard is sparse, but consistent when set forth (except for the slight CD/LP cover variations I noted above).  For example, when the issue date is noted, it always is 1990, and the track listing always is the same.

Anyone have an All Music blues guide from the 1990s?  I don't think I have my copy anymore.  I recall that book as listing some obscure issues.

[Stuart]

Anyone familiar with this CD?

It has 13 tracks, and the website "last.fm" says it is called "The Complete Blues" and was released by Sony in 1990.

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Looks like its title is "The Complete Recordings," not "The Complete Blues," according to last.fm. Given that it's far from "complete," it raises suspicions as to its provenance. If it was released by Sony, perhaps they were trying to cash in on the popularity of their Robert Johnson "Complete Recordings" release.

OCLC lists a copy in Spain:

http://www.worldcat.org/title/complete-recordings/oclc/431390940&referer=brief_results

[jpeters609]

Hmmm. I suspect the label attribution (Sony) is mistaken. Sony only issued releases from its family of labels, and only Blind Lemon Jefferson's Okeh recordings may have fallen under that umbrella.

The "complete recordings" title seems odd, of course, but I wonder if this is in fact one in a series. I found the following P-Vine CD listed on amazon. It is identified as Blind Lemon Jefferson, "The Complete Recordings, Volume 4." Perhaps your mystery CD is in fact a P-Vine release from this same series.

http://www.amazon.com/4-Complete-Recordings-Blind-Lemon-Jefferson/dp/B00005F2I2/ref=sr_1_13?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1326991531&sr=1-13

[bnemerov]

Sony buys whole labels; buys "rights" to mfg. & distribute select masters from labels it doesn't buy; etc. There are so many convolutions to the record biz, it makes one dizzy.
Add to this the murkiness of John Steiner's ownership of the rights to Paramount material, and you have a real mess.
I recall picking up a similar BLJ set on the Milestone label years ago when I was at the Center for Popular Music. Perhaps this is the material Sony has reissued yet again? Would need to compare the tracks to be sure.
best,
bruce

[misterjones]

Yes.  Last.fm is mistaken, and I think I knew that . . . at least subconsciously.  I mix up "The Complete Recordings" and "The Complete Blues" in my head a lot.  Perhaps it's because of the 5 CD set noted earlier. 

Interesting new details in the link above, including a reference to the Charly label.

I also see the last.fm link still wants to appear as a video for some reason.  I had the same problem when I made my initial post, so I deleted the link.

[misterjones]

For comparison purposes, all songs are available here:

http://filetram.com/download/4shared/7256383316/blind-lemon-jefferson-the-complete-recordings-rar

I tried without success to attach a few.

For what it's worth, one of the album covers might read "Masters of the Blues No.43".  (The other cover indicates "No.28".  Charly did a Blues Masterworks series at one point.  The Spanish website indicates the Jefferson is part of a series, which can be linked to.  I checked the John Lee Hooker CD in the series and it has the same name as his Charly Blues Masterworks release.  (Yet the Charly Blues Masterworks No.43 release seems to be Bo Diddley.)

Also, I don't think the set in question is a P-Vine release.  I investigated this angle at one point and I believe I concluded the track lists did not jibe.

My brain hurts.

[Johnm]

Hi misterjones,
Unless these are previously unreleased renditions, I don't think it's worth worrying about.  All of these tracks have been re-issued many times.  The musical information isn't going to change on a different re-issue.  If there were notably cleaner copies everybody would already know about them.
All best,
Johnm

[misterjones]

You might very well be correct.  I am collecting and sorting my Blind Lemon Jefferson recordings in order to develop a collection of the best available.  Even though these are quality transfers - as good or maybe even a (very) tiny bit better than Yazoo - I don't really need them if they are otherwise included in the Yazoo and/or Black Swan CDs.

My quest has just taken on a life of its own, I guess.