This is such a great idea for a thread! I don't really know very much about pre-war country or blues music, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what people who do know have to post.
Excellent advice. Everything on the Yazoo and Blues Images labels is esssential and sometimes unique, while the sound is relatively good to excellent. The Blues Images CDs come with their calendars, but when a new calendar is published, the previous CDs become available separately. With the exception of Vol.1 all Blues Images CDs are still available at reasonable prices: http://bluesimages.com/ For Big Bill Broonzy I'd recommend the Yazoo CDs, for Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake and Blind Willie McTell the later Yazoo CDs, all titled The Best Of... They have better sound than the earlier Yazoo CD issues. As for Leroy Carr, get the 2 Magpie (UK) CDs if you can, they have relatively great sound: The Piano Blues: Leroy Carr Vol.1, 1930-1935 and The Piano Blues: Leroy Carr Vol.2, 1929-1935. Sony released a Leroy Carr 2 CD-set years ago with sound that was unfortunately processed a bit too much, but it still has great tracks: Whiskey Is My Habit, Good Women Is All I Crave. Blues CDs on the UK Frog label are also excellent, especially their Bessie Smith series, which was mastered by the late John R.T. Davies: http://www.frog-records.co.uk/search?q=bessie smith These CDs are far preferable to the Columbia 2CD-sets, whose sound was manipulated so badly that I find them unlistenable compared to the Frogs.
Thanks for the kind and much appreciated advice, J.A.W. I checked out the Yazoo and Blues Images stuff and found pretty much everyone I was looking for. Their prices are fairly reasonable too. I can't get them straight away, but I don't think I'll be waiting too long for some of these. Blind Willie Johnson and Skip James are a couple of others who's entire output from the era is available, which I'm very happy to see.
I seem to have split my reply into two! Anyway...thanks for your help Exile, once again, for steering me towards the better sounding releases. I also believed that the quality of those JSP CD's of the '20's and '30's blues guys was as good as could be so I'm very happy to be shown otherwise. I wonder if I can resist the temptation to go overboard?
Thanks for this thread. A much needed one. John Hurt is one of my favorites. His blues are on the more happy sounding side.
btw, the collection suggestions are much appreciated. Its many times difficult to sort through which are sonically the best to obtain.
Now listening to: Lightning Hopkins - The Gold Star Sessions, Vol.1 - Arhoolie. These are actually post-war (late 1940s) recordings, but the style is derived from pre-war blues, so I thought it'd be OK to post it here
As was mentioned in another thread the 2016 Blues Images calendar is now avaialble: http://bluesimages.com/ Track Listings: January to December artwork (1) My Monday Blues • Jim Jackson (2) When The War Was On • Blind Willie Johnson (3) Walking Blues • Charlie Kyle (4) Atlanta Moan • Barbecue Bob (5) Boogie Woogie • Papa Charlie McCoy (6) Some Cold Rainy Day • Curly Weaver And Ruth Willis (7) Wabash Rag • Blind Blake (8) ’Lectric Chair Blues • Blind Lemon Jefferson (9) Beale Street Breakdown • Jed Davenport And His Beale Street Jug Band (10) Vampire Women • Spark Plug Smith (11) Georgia Cake Walk • Ma Rainey (12) The High Cost Of Sin • Black Billy Sunday Bonus tracks (artwork doesn't exist for these songs) (13) Will You Spend Eternity In Hell • Black Billy Sunday (14) Special Question Blues • Hattie Hyde (15) T & N O Blues • Hattie Hyde (16) No Baby • Charlie Kyle (17) Country Guy Blues • Papa Charlie McCoy (18) See That My Grave Is Kept Clean • Blind Lemon Jefferson (19) Tar Road Blues • Jaydee Short (20) Flaggin’ It To Georgia • Jaydee Short
Now: Various Artists - 15 Classic Blues Songs from the 1920s, Vol.1 - Blues Images (remastered by Yazoo owner Richard Nevins)
It would be excellent if Yazoo issued their Papa Charlie Jackson LP compilation on CD as well... http://discogs.com/Papa-Charlie-Jackson-Fat-Mouth-1924-1929/release/6591888 Apparently the only dedicated Papa Charlie CDs are on the Document label; there's a JSP box, but I'm guessing Document was their source. His last known Paramount recording... Self Experience (1930)
Received this today, and played disc 1 (of 6). What an awesome set, huge booklet that I can't wait to begin reading ..The audio quality has been pretty amazing considering what I listened to thus far was recorded in the 20's.
Also, there's a career-spanning (1924-1934) compilation CD on the Japanese P-Vine label, Papa's Lawdy Lawdy Blues (1998).
Discovered this gem yesterday That was pretty moving. What a sad destiny. This article, with interview of his daughter, is very interesting as well. Obviously, I want to hear more. I see 3 possibilities to explore the 30 songs he recorded: The Complete (on Legacy), The Essential (on Legacy as well) or the two on Yazoo. They all are on Qobuz. The Legacy are orobably easy to find. Any advice, regarding SQ?
@PonceDeLeroy For Skip James, Sleepy John Estes and Charlie Patton their most recent Yazoo CDs are preferable sound-wise, and that's an understatement. http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Times-Killin-Floor-JAMES/dp/B0009F2EGE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1450620767&sr=8-5&keywords=skip james http://www.amazon.com/Aint-Gonna-Worried-More-1929-1941/dp/B000000G8G/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1450620854&sr=1-1&keywords=sleepy john estes http://www.amazon.com/Best-Charlie-Patton/dp/B0000CC4V5/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1450620934&sr=1-1&keywords=charlie patton yazoo http://www.amazon.com/Primeval-Blues-Rags-Gospel-Songs/dp/B0007GAEUI/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1450620934&sr=1-4&keywords=charlie patton yazoo
