Well, I started this as a dedicated thread for pre-war blues and country music because most blues and country threads here are about post-war stuff, and as far as I can see most of the magazine's articles are not about pre-war music. But I don't want to start an argument either, I just wanted to make clear what I meant with this thread.
Thanks for this thread!! This is why I keep coming back to this forum. So many brilliant music lovers with great recommendations. Thanks!!
Apparently this set has been delayed. According to JPC Germany delivery time is at least 4 weeks, and no delivery time is mentioned on Amazon Germany. Just checked the Bear Family site and as far as I can see it's gone. Doesn't sound good... [edit] This link still works, though: The King Of Country Music, The Foundational Recordings Complete 1936-51 (9-CD & 1-DVD) | Bear Family Records » Strange...
It seems that ALL information about Bear Family is rumor these days. We just don't know when, or if ever, the Roy Acuff or George Jones boxes will ever be on the market. The upgraded reissue of the Lefty Frizzell box has not been mentioned in a long while. The facts about the cancelled Patsy Cline box are unknown. Richard Weize's new series on pre-war country has only been mentioned in passing. I wish the customers could help get things moving again.
Been listening to some Sister Rosetta, though the sides I am AppleMusic streaming are post-war (Document vol 3). But I snuck in some Son House, too. "Preachin Blues" and "John the Revelator" from The Original Delta Blues. Okay, so those tracks were also recorded postwar, on the Father of the Delta Blues set. I'll allow it. These tunes could easily be 1928.
Been listening to Tommy Johnson's Victor sides today and I am in love with his music. I haven't been brave enough to seek out his Paramount sides yet because they are supposed to be even worse quality than Lemon and Blake. Speaking for only his Victor recordings Tommy was THE most haunting blues singer I have ever heard.
"John the Revelator", unbelievably good track. I still struggle to settle down and get into the mindset to listen to a pre-war blues album (or, in this case, a post-war album in the pre-war blues style). But a few months ago, "John the Revelator" came up when I had my iPod on shuffle, and it's absolutely stuck with me ever since.
American Epic It looks like this is finally coming out. Available for pre-order on Amazon USA June 13, 2017 From executive producers T Bone Burnett, Robert Redford and Jack White, this is the story of early American recorded music when the musical strands of a nation first combined to spark a cultural renaissance that forever transformed the future of music and the world. Also includes a feature-length film of in-studio sessions, with leading contemporary artists recording early American music on a restored 1920s recording machine.
I've enjoyed pre-war blues and country for several decades. When I inherited a cd collection of several hundred blues, jazz, and old country cds from an uncle a few years back, my entire outlook on music was enriched as I started listening to my new library. I picked up Rough Trade's new 'Guide to Hillbilly Blues' when it was released. It's a very aptly-named and thoughtful collection, but the liner notes just consist of the list of songs, and an essay, but little information about the artists and songs.
It's supposed to be broadcast on BBC so they'll probably have a Europe version for sale at some point I would imagine.
Tommy Johnson's Canned Heat Blues for Victor and Alcohol And Jake Blues for Paramount are of course the same song just with a major reworking on the later release. Which one do you consider to be the better of the two? I myself go with the original Victor release but I DO like the call and response on Alcohol and Jake.
Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost by Tony Russell can be recommended. Maybe not as detailed as some books, but everybody gets mentioned, and points for convenience, that is, having so much in one book. https://www.amazon.com/Country-Music-Originals-Legends-Lost-ebook/dp/B004Y4UT4K
It will be on PBS May 2017 in 3 Episodes: May 16 The Big Bang (56 min) Travel to 1920s Tennessee as the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Memphis Jug Band make their first records with producer Ralph Peer on a revolutionary portable recording machine, creating the first recordings of R&B and country songs. May 23 Blood and Soil (56 min) Travel to the rural South as Elder Burch, Charley Patton and others record early Delta blues, gospel and protest songs. The Great Flood of 1927 devastates Mississippi River communities, leading to northern migration and Chicago Blues by Howlin' Wolf. May 30 Out of the Many, The One (1 hour 26 min) Discover how America's diverse cultures contribute to its musical styles: from the Hopi tribe to Hawaii's Joseph Kekuku to Mexican-American Lydia Mendoza and the Cajun Breaux Family. Mississippi John Hurt's blues inspires a generation of musicians. \
30 years - 1927 to 1957 - the greatest, most remarkable period in American music history - country, blues, jazz, rhythm n blues, rock and roll, tin pan alley, and more. No period was ever as influential (for those obsessed with the 1960's, that music derived directly from these remarkable 30 years)
Coincidentally (maybe not?) this period began with the birth of the "high fidelity 78 RPM" (or electrical recording) and the final death (for all practical purposes) of the 78 RPM record
American Epic: The Soundtrack: Amazon.co.uk: Music American Epic: The Soundtrack [VINYL]: Amazon.co.uk: Music The original press releases for this mentioned box sets accompanying the films but this is all I can find so far: CD Disc: 1 1. Gonne Die with My Hammer in My Hand - Williamson Brothers & Curry 2. On the Road Again - Memphis Jug Band 3. Frankie - Mississippi John Hurt 4. Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow - The Carter Family 5. Mal Hombre - Lydia Mendoza 6. Peg and Awl - Carolina Tar Heels 7. Tomi Tomi - Sol K. Bright with The Aloha Serenaders 8. The Indian Tom Tom - Big Chief Henry's Indian String Band 9. Cocaine Habit Blues - Hattie Hart & The Memphis Jugband 10. Up Above My Head - Sister Rosetta Tharpe 11. Down the Dirt Road Blues - Charley Patton 12. Allons A Lafayette - Joseph Falcon 13. Stackalee - Frank Hutchison 14. Waiting for a Train - Jimmie Rodgers 15. Jole Blon - The Breaux Brothers with Louis Michot Vinyl: Disc: 1 1. Gonne Die with My Hammer in My Hand - Williamson Brothers & Curry 2. On the Road Again - Memphis Jug Band 3. Frankie - Mississippi John Hurt 4. Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow - The Carter Family 5. Mal Hombre - Lydia Mendoza 6. Peg and Awl - Carolina Tar Heels 7. Tomi Tomi - Sol K. Bright with The Aloha Serenaders 8. The Indian Tom Tom - Big Chief Henry's Indian String Band Disc: 2 1. Cocaine Habit Blues - Hattie Hart & The Memphis Jugband 2. Up Above My Head - Sister Rosetta Tharpe 3. Down the Dirt Road Blues - Charley Patton 4. Allons A Lafayette - Joseph Falcon 5. Stackalee - Frank Hutchison 6. Waiting for a Train - Jimmie Rodgers 7. Jole Blon - The Breaux Brothers with Louis Michot
The American Epic people finally (after, what, 4 yrs?) issued a press release today! It's official! PBS and BBC Arena announced today that the AMERICAN EPIC three-part historical documentary will air in the U.S. on PBS on Tuesdays May 16, 23 and 30 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). In the U.K. the episodes will air on BBC in May. THE AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS will air in the U.S. on PBS on Tuesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. (check local listings) and in the U.K. on BBC in June. On May 12th Sony Music's Legacy Recordings will release a companion soundtrack, 100-song box set, and additional archival recordings from the 1920s and 1930s. Columbia Records will release new studio performances from THE AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS. Third Man Records, the independent record label founded by Jack White, will release THE AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS soundtrack and a selection of AMERICAN EPIC archival recordings from the series on vinyl. For these releases, Nicholas Bergh refined a transfer process using a mix of both modern and vintage equipment in order to extract the remarkable resolution from the records that is often missed. This 'reverse engineering' approach to the transfer process enabled the restoration team of Grammy Award winning engineer Peter Henderson, Duke Erikson and Joel Tefteller to get the resulting audio closer to the original performance than ever before. This is not "remastering," in the normal sense, but something closer to fine art restoration. The intent is not for people to marvel at the antiquity of these discs, but rather to experience them as vital, immediate performances that speak to us as directly as they did on the day they were recorded—not simply great art for their time, but great art for all times. On May 2nd Touchstone will release AMERICAN EPIC, a companion book to the series featuring behind the scenes stories and exclusive and unpublished photos.
I wonder how the "reverse engineering approach" mentioned above will sound? I think the same engineering was used on the Blues Image Calendar disc the last two years.
