The Best of Blind Willie McTell

Blind Willie McTell

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 2004)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yazoo
• ASIN: B0002PUH6K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,333 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #19 in	Music > Blues > Regional Blues > East Coast Blues
  #80 in	Music > Blues > Delta Blues

Track Listings

1. Broke Down Engine Blues

2. Statesboro Blues

3. Travelin' Blues

4. Searching the Desert for the Blues

5. Dark Night Blues

6. Three Women Blues

7. Atlanta Strut

8. Writing Paper Blues

9. Come Around To My House Mama

10. Scarey Day Blues

11. Mama Let Me Scoop For You

12. Mama, Tain't Long Fo' Day

13. Death Cell Blues

14. Kind Mama

15. Low Rider's Blues

16. Loving Talking Blues

17. Drive Away Blues

18. Love Changing Blues

19. Southern Can Is Mine

20. B and O Blues No. 2

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Blind Willie McTell was one of the greatest of the pre-World War II country blues artists; he was also an anomaly. Throughout the history of the blues, few artists have matched his total command of rural traditional music. He was a brilliant guitarist equally adept in a variety of styles and had a unique ability to reinvent a few favorite arrangements into new-sounding pieces. He sang, composed and preserved some of the most inventive and breath-taking traditional songs, blues and arrangements of all time. Although his nasal voice did not have great range, it processed volumes of warmth and conviction and was charged with sensitivity and a broad range of emotion. McTell plays the 12-string guitar with unusual clarity and precision, whether performing slow blues with a bottleneck/slide or a fast ragtime dance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest Blind Willie compilation for selection & sound!, December 18, 2006

By	Robert G. Martinez "Doctor of Rock" (Brooksville FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been also a fan of old blues recordings since the early 1970's. Blind Willie is one of my favorites. If you love twelve-string guitar, he was the master. McTell was from Atlanta, so he never got the credit like those from the Mississippi Delta (Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Son House etc) and McTell's form of blues was categorized as the "Piedmont Style" and featured some pop and ragtime influences than just hard-core blues. It was also sunny and cheerful at times. I've owned blues compilations with Blind Willie cuts and also owned the Columbia/Legacy version and found the guitar and overall balance to have less presence than this new Yazoo release. These are the finest sounding recordings ever on McTell. The sound is crisp and vibrant and you can hear the 12-string ring like a bell or a train whistle. This Yazoo CD covers the best of the early Victor recordings and also the Columbia ones. The only knock I have is that there are no specific dates when the songs were recorded. The Victors are from 1927 to 1932 and the Columbias are from around 1928 to 1935, but it would have been nice for "record nerds" like me to know exactly when they were recorded, so we could figure out who he was influenced by (current events,crazes, other musicians, movies etc.). Music can be influenced by the style of the times. Anyway, if you love guitar and folk blues excellence, Blind Willie is fantastic, plus he had a way with words. Bob Dylan is a also a fond admirer of McTell and even wrote a great song about him. This CD offers the finest selection of his greatest songs and with the greatest sound ever released. If you are a blues historian or fan, this is a must for your collection!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Of The Greatest Lines Can Be Found On This CD, February 5, 2005

By	J. Deighton "J. Deighton" (Inches From My Computer) - See all my reviews

They are, and I quote: "She looked like a lump of Lord have mercy," and "I drink so much I stagger when I sleep."
As to the rest of the CD, McTell was a bit more urbane than many of his delta blues contemporaries. (And yes, I meant "urbane" not "urban.") His guitar playing has a more jazzy feel to it, and you can tell that the music will be making its way to the big city soon. He's probably my favorite Delta blues guy, and young whipper snappers will be able to hear where Jack White got his schtick.
How's the sound quality on this release? Um, pretty darn excellent, all things considered.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great compilation, March 11, 2008

By	David Ognibene - See all my reviews

I highly recommend this compilation to all music lovers. Blind Willie McTell was an outstanding 12-string guitar player, songwriter, and performer. This release truly gives you a sense of Blind Willie's hilarious personality. He had a funny way with words, and seemed to love singing about the ladies. However, the woman's voice heard on these recordings is from his life-long wife, Kate McTell. In addition, the sound quality is quite remarkable given the time frame of the recordings. This is a must have for all acoustic blues enthusiasts.