The Pre-War Blues and Country Music thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by J.A.W., Sep 4, 2015.

  1. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks. I'm not expecting miracle sound, of course, but I like the idea of having ALL the 19 tracks by Tommy Johnson on one single CD.
     
    Jerry likes this.
  2. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    Wolf Records (2)
    Document Records (2)
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2017
  3. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    Yes, different companies in different countries.

    BUT, Johnny Parth compiles and produces for both labels. Discs made for both companies at A-1220 Vienna, Austria. Both labels use "Studio Hans Klement" for remastering. (Document also goes by "RST Records/Blues Documents.") The style of artwork and session info are identical on some releases (see Memphis Jug Band) and both companies refer you to the other for alternate takes. Other than that....
     
  4. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    Just for the record: I didn't say they didn't have anything to do with one another, I just linked some info :)
     
  5. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    OK, thanks! Without any comment, it would lead one to believe that neither were connected, as those links give no info about that. I just wanted to make the point about Wolf's sound quality being on par(th) :) with Document's, which is less than the other labels I mentioned. I know you agree, as you've pointed out in other threads. I'll always defer to you on these matters!

    :shtiphat: Thanks Hans!
     
    J.A.W. likes this.
  6. wildroot indigo

    wildroot indigo Forum Resident

    Does someone know the story behind the two takes[?] of I Want Someone To Love Me...? Listening to online samples, they both seem like the same performance, only the first has slower playback... Has any other release claimed an alternate take?

    Is there a matrix number with that title, or is it the same track as "Morning Prayer"? The Paramount test pressing of matrix L-231-1 was untitled, and has various names on long-playing releases:

    "Morning Prayer" on Document LP
    "Untitled Song--take 1 (Morning Prayer Blues)" on Document CD
    "Button Up Shoes" on Yazoo CD

    One identified recording that hasn't surfaced is Louisiana Blues (Victor matrix 45464-2).
     
  7. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    Have you tried Googling images of the 78 labels for matrix info?
     
  8. wildroot indigo

    wildroot indigo Forum Resident

    I don't know if there were official 78 labels for those titles… wasn't familiar with the title "Walking Shoes", but apparently it's a second Yazoo release of the same recording.



    Walking Shoes (Button Up Shoes)

    Both of those match Document's Take 2 ("Boogaloosa Woman"), but Blues and Gospel Records has Button Up Shoes as Take 1 ("Morning Prayer"), and Yazoo likewise identifies Walking Shoes as Take 1.
     
  9. bluesbro

    bluesbro Forum Hall of Shame

    Location:
    DC
    Any thoughts on these puppies?

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  10. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    I have Vol. 1 and 2. Great music, but the Sonics aren't great, very dead-sounding, the high end was rolled off.
     
    bluesbro likes this.
  11. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    "Mr. Yazoo" likely had little, if anything, to do with this new vinyl you purchased. At best, this is a licensed product that someone else is reissuing. But there is a strong belief in the pre-war blues community that these new Yazoo vinyl records (reissues of classic 1970s Yazoo albums) are in fact counterfeits, or bootlegs, or whatever you want to call them. Somebody has apparently decided to capitalize on the sterling reputation that Yazoo Records established for itself decades ago, in order to make a buck today.

    I don't blame you for wanting all the Tommy Johnson sides in one CD, but unfortunately, the sonic quality on this is quite compromised. Johnny Parth was a reissue pioneer, but a sonic restoration expert he was not.

    The Frog releases are stunningly great sonically. The reason: the label's owners had access to mint condition 78s that had been on file in the U.K. since the 1920s. The Frog "Memphis Blues Singers" CDs and the "Memphis Jug Band" CDs are among the best pre-war blues CDs ever reissued, both sonically and from a high performance standard. Run, don't walk, to purchase the Frog releases. And while you are at it, buy all 8 CDs of their Bessie Smith reissue series while they are still available, they run sonic circles around the junk that Sony issued in those box sets 25+ years ago. While you're at it, buy all 5 of the Frog Annuals too, they are amazing chronicles of blues and jazz history. Mortgage the house if you have to!

    (Thanks to Hans, a.k.a. J.A.W., for first tipping me off several years ago to Frog Records.....)
     
  12. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I appreciate the comments. That's why I participate in this Forum. This is where I can learn more about the music that I care about. I will hunt around for some of the other recommended CDs, even if I have to purchase a bunch of them to get everything by Tommy Johnson. I do have the Victor tracks already, but I am missing almost all of the Paramount tracks---which are more audio-challenged in terms of quality.
     
    Spadeygrove likes this.
  13. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    ...and don't forget the two excellent Leroy Carr CDs on Magpie (UK), though I have no idea if these are still easily available.
     
    signothetimes53 likes this.
  14. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    So are you telling me that the 180 gram job I bought Yazoo L-1058 2012 is counterfeit? Shocking if so
     
  15. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    Yes.

    They did not originate from Yazoo itself.
     
    Mark J likes this.
  16. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    Absolutely shocking heh heh.
     
  17. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    So how do we know what releases bearing a Yazoo label are not counterfeit?
     
  18. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    Vinyl?

    You need to purchase vintage Yazoo vinyl manufactured pre-1990.
     
    Mark J likes this.
  19. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    OK thanks
     
  20. fuzzbo

    fuzzbo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    According to discogs (Yazoo ), it looks like the last year that the official Yazoo label released an LP was around 1990 (most of the Yazoo bootlegs are from 2013). I think you'd probably be ok buying any Yazoo release that is not 180 gram.
     
    Mark J likes this.
  21. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    Yeh thanks Fuzzbo - was just going through it on Discogs meeself like.
     
  22. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    So what about Yazoo CDs folks? Do we have the same problem here?
     
  23. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    Why would anyone bootleg a CD you can find for under $10 in most cases?
     
  24. The Lew

    The Lew Senior Member

    The stuff that dreams are made of? £17/20
     
  25. Boswell

    Boswell Forum Resident

    Oh great to see Tommy J come up as a topic!

    "Button Up Shoes" is one of the two "Morning Prayer/Boogaloosa Woman" tunes due to the lyric

    "When I would visit you had button-up shoes to wear
    Now i've quit you and you're barefoot on the ground"

    I didn't realize that Wolf Tommy release was actually complete. But in inferior sound.
    John Tefteller is talking about expanding releases beyond his calendars and he own ALL the rare Tommy records, he's the man to put out a high-quality, American Epic-remastered Complete Tommy Johnson.

    So that "I Want Someone To Love Me" on the other side is the same? That's what I've heard. I had no idea this had been released on a Wolf CD, how did I miss that
     
    Mark J and Dave Simms like this.

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