Customer Reviews

Demons & Angels

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Blind Gary Davis,best known as Reverend Gary Davis,since he bacame a preacher,1933,may be the most terrific,outstanding guitar player of the blues and gospel history with Blind Blake.His ragtime style,combined with this particular South Carolina touch,makes him one of the most gifted and impressive musicians of all times.Born in Laurens County,South Carolina,April 30,1896,he lived enough to be rediscovered in the early sixties,while he was a street singer in Harlem;he lived until 1972,and died May 5,one week after his 76th birthday,on his way to a concert date.THis three CD set,full of treasures,is issued by Stefan Grossman,who was a pupil of the Reverend.These are unissued recordings: CD 1 was recorded at the Columbia University,1958-1959;CD 2 was recorded at home,1964-1966;and CD 3 comes from concert dates,1962-1966.Of course,it includes some amazing music;Gary Davis was really alone in his field,that way of playing and singing sacred songs with this Carolina touch;his incredible,extremely difficult picking style (surely the most difficult one with Blind Blake's) ,with many ragtime touches,is a real delight.And I don't speak of the guitar he's playing;I just hope I'll have the opportunity to play such an instrument once in my life.
Gary Davis stopped playing blues in the fourties,and it's a great chance to hear him play it here.BUt if you buy this set,please start listening to "sporting life blues",(no,it's not Brownie McGhee's,even if the melody and chords are close to it),this is an amazing guitar solo which will drive you directly into Gary Davis' music.And Lord,what a sound!!!I won't try to tell you about all the songs,there are too many,and they're all amazing;the only regret I have,like another reviewer said,is that Gary Davis' masterpiece,"death don't have no mercy",doesn't figure here.Too bad.But there are other masterpieces: "God's gonna separate",for example;or many others.Nothing here has to be rejected.This here is an absolute concentrate of talent.Gary Davis is one of my favorite musicians for twenty years,one of my favorite guitar players,of course,and one of the most magnificent voices I've ever heard also.I think this 3 CD set is the first opus to buy,if you really wish to be introduced to the Reverend's music.Every minute of music played or sung by Gary Davis is one of the most essential ones of all times,so don't miss this magnificent set,full of things that have never been heard,full of noise and fury.Some of the most important music of the 20th century is here.The booklet is a fine one,and there are many lyrics transcribed.Sorry,you won't find the tablatures.So,try to find the Reverend's chords;good luck,sincerely.

Rev. Gary Davis is a giant of acoustic blues & gospel who is enjoying renewed interest. This impressive box set contains superior sound compared to the Riverside albums. Listening to the mostly live versions of classic Davis songs on this set yields rich rewards. Given to improvisation on many songs, he varies his picking and sometimes changes the verse order or the words in the verses. For example, the album Gospel, Blues and Street Songs on the Riverside Records label has a studio version (1956) of Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning that has Davis beginning the song with a verse, followed by the Chorus. By the time Davis plays it live at Columbia University sometime around '59 he is starting the song with the Chorus. Furthermore the verse that began, "Sister, don't stop praying . . . " is now, "Father, don't stop praying . . . " He also adds a new verse. The song Whistlin' Blues is noted by Grossman as the only song in all of Davis' recorded repertoire in an altered tuning (low to high - DADF#AB). The set contains songs that are not available anywhere else.

The box set is done right and includes a 35-page book the size of the box. Contained in the book are a 6-page bio, song lyrics, the songs key, some historical perspective for most of the songs, and a long list of published & online resources.

Fans of acoustic blues and American folk music will enjoy much of the music on this album. It includes great performances of Crucifixion, I am the Light of this World, Devil's Dream & Slippin 'til My Gal Comes in Partner, all released on CD here for the first time. A few of the performances are inferior, including Buck Dance and Soldier's Drill, which open the first CD. Grossman should have included the entire Children of Zion live recording, rather than just slightly over half of it - the missing cuts from that old Kicking Mule LP are superior to performances of the same material in this box set. Some of the playing and singing seems very casual and rough compared to Davis' best. The graphics and essay are a mixed bag also. The box graphics seem amateurish, and certainly less appealing than those on recent Fantasy and Vanguard rereleases of Davis material. The photos in the booklet are very good and well reproduced. The essay conveys interesting information about Davis, but the writing style is plodding and mediocre. Also, it is an old essay. A classic piece on Davis from the 60s or 70s would have been worth reproducing. Stefan Grossman leaves out important details of the performances, such as who is playing and singing with Davis on "Soon My Work Will All be Done." I mention these points because this box set is likely the largest compilation of Davis material that will be released any time soon - I don't really expect anything else comparable to surface in my lifetime. It's a shame that it suffers somewhat from poor packaging, a mediocre essay and several performances that don't stack up to Davis' best. That said, I expect to listen to the great music on this box set from now on (although I'll be listening selectively).

This is a 'must own' for those who are serious about Gary Davis' music. It is filled with sloppy outtakes of tunes rarely recorded (and obviously rarely practiced), licks he didn't attempt in performance, and some incredible playing failures that only further show his mastery of the instrument. In other words, in here aren't so much polished gems of performance but the raw and uncut rock that might be mined for future musicianship.

A whole disc is devoted to recordings of him playing in his house. The listener will find that the mic is often moved around loudly, people in the house talk in the background, and various other ambient noises can be heard. Thus, again do not expect a polished recordings from a studio. Instead, expect a lazy performance of a Sunday afternoon sitting in his parlor.

I would recommend that newbies start with "Pure Religion, Bad Company", "Harlem Street Singer" and "Live at Newport" as the first discs in a set. I first bought Pure Religion, Bad Company almost twenty years ago and in the intervening years I've had to rebuy it three times - because before the advent of the MP3 player, I actually wore the discs out. I love that disc beyond all reason (in fact, the only other disc I've worn out through repeated playing was Tom Waits' Big Time).

All that said, if you're a serious Gary Davis head, then BUY THIS DISC SET. And if you're attempting to play Country Blues, this is an absolutely MANDATORY BUY. If you listen carefully, you will notice all sorts of new licks, counterpoint progressions, and variations on his more well known songs. That alone is worth the price of admission.

This material will show you the warts of his playing. His musical doodles. The limits of his amazing virtuosity, even as he was in the twilight years of his life. I cannot thank Stefan Grossman and the publisher enough for this disc set.

This is fantastic complilation of rev. gary davis songs. The three cd's are divided into Columbia University 1958-1959, at home 1964-1966, and in concert 1962-64. Each cd is over an hour and the sound quality is very good. The 36 page book is provides a short biography, a brief write up on each song, lyrics, and black and white photos. highly recommended.

I can't believe this guy became governor of California! Amazing!