Topic: Bluesville Years/Fantasy Jazz

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It's great to see all? the recordings being added to the Juke.? For those who are not familiar with the "Bluesville Years" anthologies, they include a couple of tunes apiece of most of the musicians who made albums on Prestige Bluesville in the 1960s.? Unless you have the original albums, these anthologies are probably your best bet for hearing the music people like Doug Quattlebaum, Wade Walton, Robert Curtis Smith, Alec Seward, Brooks Berry and J.T. Adams recorded for Bluesville, since it seems very unlikely, at this point, that Fantasy will re-issue their albums on CD.? There is still a lot of great stuff that has been re-issued on CD from the Bluesville catalog of those years, including
? ?* 3 solo CDs of Pink Anderson, and one in which he shares the program with Rev. Davis
? ?* A Baby Tate solo CD
? ?* Two CDs by Memphis Willie B.
? ?* A double CD set of Furry Lewis
? ?* A CD of Scrapper Blackwell
? ?* A CD of Pete Franklin
? ?* A CD of Robert Pete Williams
   * A CD of Smokey Babe
? ?* A CD of Snooks Eaglin
? ?* 2 CDs of K. C. Douglas
? ?* 2 autumnal CDs of Tampa Red
? ?* 4 CDs of Rev. Davis, plus the one shared with Pink Anderson
   * Several CDs of Big Joe Williams
? ?* Tons of Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry and Lightnin' Hopkins
A lot of this stuff is really good, and not expensive.? It can be ordered direct from www.fantasyjazz.com.? You can go their website and get a more complete picture of their re-issue program.
All best,
John

[Bunker Hill]

? ?* 2 autumnal CDs of Tampa Red

Wonderful euphemistic expression. That's the kindest description?I've yet to see.? Seem to recall that Record Research gave those two LPs a 'tongue-lashing' review when released in 1961.
Pity Fantasy haven't reissued the Brooksie Berry/Scrapper Blackwell and Doug Quattlebaum on CD in their place. The former has been one of my all time favourite Bluesville LPs.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wasn't trying to be clever, Bunker Hill, in describing Tampa Red's two Prestige albums as "autumnal", just accurate, and I hope, fair.? Certainly the albums have none of the instrumental fireworks of his early career, but the accompaniments are perfectly serviceable, and I really like his singing, much more than his singing as a young man, actually.? He does an amazing version of "How Long", and his singing is really sad and soulful, much like that of Scrapper Blackwell in his later years (though Scrapper's instrumental skills remained pretty much intact until his death).? Tampa Red also does the saddest kazoo playing you will ever hear on those records.?
I had a chance to look at a Fantasy catalog today, and saw that, as I expected, I had forgotten a number of people whose recordings from the Prestige Bluesville era have made it on to CD.? There are many CDs by Lonnie Johnson, Jesse Fuller and CDs by
Little Brother Montgomery and Curtis Jones, too.
All best,
Johnm

[Bunker Hill]

I had a chance to look at a Fantasy catalog today, and saw that, as I expected, I had forgotten a number of people whose recordings from the Prestige Bluesville era have made it on to CD.? There are many CDs by Lonnie Johnson, Jesse Fuller and CDs by
Little Brother Montgomery and Curtis Jones, too.
All best,
Johnm

Here's a nice pictorial discography courtesy the ever resourcesful Stefan Wirz.
http://www.wirz.de/music/blvilfrm.htm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I received a new catalog from the Concord Music Group a few days ago, and it appears they have purchased Fantasy Jazz.  The number of releases from the old Prestige Bluesville recordings of the 1960s that have survived into the new Concord catalog is scarily slim--basically a couple of Rev. Davis and some Lightnin' Hopkins.  I have no way of knowing if other items from the Prestige Bluesville catalog of that era will be released by Concord in the future, but I certainly wouldn't count on it.  That being the case, you might want to pick any of the following you are interested in and can afford on sight.
   * Scrapper Blackwell--Mr. Scrapper's Blues
   * Smokey Babe--Hottest Brand Goin'
   * Robert Pete Williams--Free Again
   * Baby Tate--See What You Done Done
   * Pink Anderson--vols. 1, 2, and 3 and the one with Rev. Davis
   * Blind Willie McTell--Last Sessions
   * Guitar Pete Franklin--Guitar Pete's Blues
   * Furry Lewis--Shake 'Em On Down
and many others.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

I'd add any Jesse Fuller you can find too. That's really terrible news about Concord, John. I remember I have some great Jim Hall on Concord, but I still won't forgive them.   Fortunately, I've picked up a large number of the Bluesville/Fantasy releases over the years. I was having a lot of trouble getting Pink Anderson vol 2, and knew Fantasy had been picked up by Concord, and assumed that was the problem. I finally got it a month or so ago but have still been unable to get some other stuff like some Jesse Fuller I'm missing. All those titles you mention, I would consider essential (with the exception of the Pete Franklin, which I don't have, but will take your word for it). I consider them some of my favorite postwar recordings.

Hopefully they come to their senses...

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It occurs to me that there is an opportunity to serve our community here.  I am reasonably certain that I can find some of the Bluesville CDs in stores near where I live.  I would be willing to pick them up and sell them to people who want them for what I paid for them.  Anyone interested in this idea can send me a personal message with a wish list.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I just received my new catalog from Red Lick (www.redlick.com), the terrific roots CD,DVD, and book distributor located in Wales.  They are advertising a nice selection of Original Blues Classics CDs, originally on Prestige Bluesville, for sale at 4.95 pounds/disc, which is a great price.  Among the CDs listed are:
   * Smoky Babe--"Hottest Brand Goin'"
   * Rev. Davis--w/Pink Anderson, "The Guitar and Banjo of", "Say No To The Devil", "Harlem Street Singer"
   * Jesse Fuller--"The Lone Cat"
   * Snooks Eaglin--"That's All Right"
   * Pete Franklin--"Guitar Pete's Blues"
   * Pink Anderson--"Carolina Bluesman, vol. 1"
Also listed for sale at the same rate is the Gus Cannon rediscovery CD, "Walk Right In", originally on Stax, as well as an excellent selection of Documents for 5 pounds apiece.  I have ordered from Red Lick in the past, and they are perfectly fine with sending orders to the States, Canada or wherever.  These former Bluesville releases figure to be pretty hard to find in the not-too-distant future, so I thought I would mention it in case anyone was interested.
All best,
Johnm

[Richard]

OMG history!!!

I remember - and still have - LPs I bought c1970 when this place was known as The Cob Records...

[jharris]

I highly recommend two piano blues records on Bluesville:

-Curtis Jones: Trouble Blues
-Little Brother Montgomery: Tasty Blues

Both of these are beautiful piano blues records. The Little Brother Montgomery features some wonderful guitar playing by Lafayette Thomas. This one has been reissued on CD. Not sure about the Curtis Jones.

The following I've always wanted to hear but don't think they've been issued on CD (except as select tracks on the Bluesville comps):

-Henry Townsend: Tired Of Bein? Mistreated
-The Blues of Wade Walton: Shake Em On Down
-Brooks Berry & Scrapper Blackwell: My Heart Struck Sorrow

[Doug]

I don't know how difficult the Bluesville stuff is to find, or people's opinions about downloading music from a subscription service, but a lot of the Bluesville/Fantasy stuff is available on Emusic (www.emusic.com).

It's where I listened to a bunch of the stuff  (including the compilation albums, the Davis ones, the Pink Anderson, Lightning Hopkins, Scrapper Blackwell, Lonnie Johnson & Elmer Snowden, etc.), and it was a good introduction to their catalogue.  (And Snowden's playing on the Johnson/Snowden albums are amazing!)