Topic: Smoky Babe

[RobBob]

I found a copy of Best Brand Goin' at Amazon US and UK.  Bought the one at Amazon US and got word of it shipping today.

[Stumblin]

BH, that's interesting.
How about we all email Chris Strachwitz, thereby demonstrating that a groundswell of public opinion is clamouring for more Smoky Babe, dud accompanists or no?
Just a thought, if that.
But still...

[Bunker Hill]

BH, that's interesting.
How about we all email Chris Strachwitz, thereby demonstrating that a groundswell of public opinion is clamouring for more Smoky Babe, dud accompanists or no?
Just a thought, if that.
But still...

I'd be surprised if he'd even cover his production costs on the sales he'd get on such a release. I'd happily be proved wrong.

In the meantime here's a scan of the Smoky Babe entry in The Blues Discography as mentioned by Stefan. Probably will turn out a dog's breakfast when posted but layout looks good now.
=========================================

SMOKY BABE 

Robert Brown, v/g.
         Scotlandville, La, 6 February 1960
      Shake, shake Mattie   unissued
      Biscuit bakin? mama   unissued

         Scotlandville, 10 February 1960
      Long way from home   BvLP 1063
      I?m goin? back to Mississippi   BvLP 1063
      Baby don?t you want to go?   unissued

V/g with Sally Dotson (v).
         Scotlandville, 25 February 1960
      Dell on the mountain   unissued

V/g.
         Scotlandville, 27 February 1960
      Bad luck and trouble   unissued
      Now your man done gone   BvLP 1063
      
From above sessions: V/g with Sally Dotson (v -1) Henry Thomas (Lazy Lester) (h -2)
William Dotson (v -3) Clyde Causey (h -4).

      I?m broke and I?m hungry   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Bad whiskey   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Going back home   Folk Lyric LP 108
      Melvanie blues   Bv LP 1063
      Ocean blues   Bv LP 1063
      Boogy woogy rag   Bv LP 1063
      Low down woman   unissued
      Rabbit blues -1   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Black ghost -1   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Mississippi river (so deep and wide)  -2   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Too many women -2   Folk Lyric FL 108
      My baby put me down -2   Folk Lyric FL 108
      My baby she told me -2   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Two wings -3   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Ain?t got no rabbit dog -4   Folk Lyric FL 108
      Black gal -4   BvLP 1063
      Locomotive blues -4   BvLP 1063
      Coon hunt -4   BvLP 1063
      
G only.
         Scotlandville, 6 March 1960
      Boogie   Stv(Dk) SLP 129

V/g with Sally Dotson (v) Hilary Blunt (g).
         Scotlandville, 14 April 1960
      Your dice won?t pass   Folk Lyric FL 111

V/g.   
         Scotlandville, 3 November 1960
      Goin? downtown boogie   Folk Lyric FL 111
       (Talkin? blues or baby)
      Leavin? blues   unissued

         Scotlandville, 6 January 1961
      No special rider   unissued
      Mean mistreatin? woman   unissued

V/g with Sally Dotson (v -1) Henry Thomas (Lazy Lester) (h -2.)
         Scotlandville, 10 February 1961
      Chicago bound   unissued
      Somethin? wrong with my machine -2   BvLP 1063
      Down  by the waterfall -1   unissued

V/g.   
         Scotlandville, 10 March 1961
      Hard times blues   unissued

         Scotlandville, 27 March 1961
      Insect blues   BvLP 1063

         Scotlandville, 1 April 1961
      Workin? blues   unissued
      I went down 61 Highway   Stv(Dk) SLP 129
      Hottest brand goin?   BvLP 1063

poss above date.

      Regular blues   Stv(Dk) SLP 129

         Scotlandville, La, 14 June 1961
      Cold, cold snow   BvLP 1063

         Vance, Ms, 10 August 1961
      Cotton field blues   Arh CD 372

         Vance, 11 August 1961
      Friends, goodbye   unissued
      Terraplane blues   unissued
      Car trouble blues   unissued
      Back home again   unissued

V/g with Annie Brown (v -1) Clyde Causey (h -3)  prob Hilary Blunt (g -2).

      Won?t be back til Fall  -2   unissued
      Bad bad whiskey   unissued
      Shoot him along   unissued
      Ain?t it hard to be a nigger -1   unissued
      Ship-y-show   unissued
      Segregation blues -3   unissued
      Mr. Bug  & Mr. Bug No. 2  -3 (inc)   unissued

[Stumblin]

Thanks again, BH,
Just back from regular pub acoustic blues session, critical faculties and spelling somewhat diminished.
I'll look this through during breaks tomorrow.
Mahalo!
 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Unreleased cuts are an interesting issue.  Serious fans would quite often like to hear everything that their favorite musicians recorded, but often the recording musicians themselves are at best ambivalent about initially rejected takes being made available to the public.  I remember the great Jazz guitarist Jim Hall remarking once, re a bunch of alternate takes being made available years after the sessions at issue were recorded, to the effect that, "The takes that were released in the first place were selected for a reason." 

I know that almost every recording project I've been involved in has had tunes that didn't make it on to the final product, and in all but a few instances I've certainly not mourned their loss.

All best,
Johnm

[Stumblin]

I know that almost every recording project I've been involved in has had tunes that didn't make it on to the final product, and in all but a few instances I've certainly not mourned their loss.

Good point, well made.
I'm just the same way, most of what I record is too diabolically excruciating for public, or private, consumption. Sometimes though, I just have to lower my standards in order to release anything at all into the wild.