Customer Reviews

Father Of The Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The problem is after listening to Son House everything else seems decidedly low-octane. Compared to something like Death Letter Blues, the so-called angst of the latest boy band isn't really something for a reasonable person to get worked up about.

His lyrics always obey the "show 'em, don't tell 'em" aesthetic. When he sings "Late in the evening, I went out on the outskirts of town; I choose me a seat, and watch the evening sun go down" you know exactly how he's feeling.

So Son House is a must. The only question is what to buy first. House recorded three main times: seven sides for Paramount in the 1930's, nineteen songs for Alan Lomax in the 1940's, and then this studio session in the 1960's. I'd say that this two disk version of the Vanguard stuff is essential. (I bought the single disk version and regretted it.) The complete Alan Lomax field recordings are on a disk called "Complete Library of Congress Recordings 1941-1942". The Paramount stuff is best heard on the Document CD "Complete Recorded Works". There are some other compilations (Delta Blues, Preachin' The Blues, etc.) but they don't give you the complete picture.

I'd say buy this Vanguard stuff first. As you move back in time the performances get more fiery, but the sound quality gets much, much worse. So start here until you get yourself acclimatized.

(Also check out his buddy Charley Patton.)

The Blues- either you get it or you don't. If you're one of the ones who does and you don't have this, then you need to stop whatever you're doing and get this. NOW. It's just that damn good. It's just that damn great! This is one of the CDs that gets me through the high times, the low times and all time in-between.

For me it ultimately comes down to two guys: Skip James and Son House. The two embody the differing poles of early blues aesthetic: James' eerie falsetto keen, odd/moribund lyrics (I'd rather be the Devil) minor key-tuned guitar and intricate finger work, under-stated and introspective; then you got House's deep and (utterly masculine) hollerin' vocals, his combative slide work on his National Steel resonator, his frenetic performances- visceral.

Both men had a deeply spiritual bent.

Now then, there are purists and then there are PURISTS. Some reviewers may say that the later Son House (these studio recordings) is lacking the ferocity and skill and power/delivery of his earlier self (the Lomax Library of Congress recordings and the Paramount recordings from the 30's). They may be right but I don't think so. I'm not knocking his earlier recordings- I swear by everything the man did. It's a tradeoff, basically- sound quality vs. intensity is one way of putting it, though, again I disagree: I think the man was just as gigantic on these two CDs as he was back in the day... And you can tell that his soul, his voice, his anima, had been tempered by the passing years. His intensity seems focused and buttressed to me, not worn out. He sounds like the most alive man I have ever heard.

These two CDs beyond are great, though I like the first better. The classic, "Preachin Blues," puts fire in your guts. "Death Letter," (maybe the best blues tune ever crafted) is jilting and hair-raising. Both takes. The same for "Levee camp Moan." The a capella versions of "John the Revelator" are marvelous. "Louise McGhee" is sublime.

Now- On some of the later alternate takes, House loses a bit of luster... The man coughs a little towards the end, but so what. Alan Wilson's harp never gets in the way, and works well. The Charley Patton cover is a fine time.

I've blathered about enough. I hope I've persuaded you a little- read on. My two cents: All of this is essential. ALL. You just don't hear stuff this good. It will have you humming along, singing at work, tapping your foot. It will make you want to learn to play the blues (and there's hope for you! Incidentally, House didn't learn guitar 'til he was 24- picked it up in a matter of weeks, so they say).

Pick this up.

Son House taught Robert Johnson the slide blues. Son House taught Muddy Waters. When Son House started performing at Blues festivals again in the mid 1960s, some of Muddy's younger band members would start to go off for a smoke or whatever when the old man came on stage. Muddy wouldn't let them. Muddy Waters would tell all his band members to be quiet and pay attention when the man played because even compared with Muddy, this was the real deal.

Rediscovered in Rochester, New York, relearning to play the guitar, (how this country abuses the masters that come from its people, particularly its Black people), put back on the stage by the folk revival's blues section.

People outside of the blues life focus on the guitar playing or the rhythm of the singing, but where the power comes from is the feeling and the words that are put together, the life and the meaning of the blues. Son House in his youth and his old age, on this and his other sides, always gave it.

So Like Muddy Waters, I would like you to know that
Son House is the real deal.
Listen and learn

I`ve written reviews for releases by Charley Patton and Robert Johnson,the importance of those recordings are well understood and that leads us to Edward"Son"House.Although others made their mark no one had more influence over the blues scene in the 30`s than this man.A combination of preacher and bluesman,Son was always in conflict because of his secular upbringing and the freedom and experiences that being a traveling blues singer could and did offer.
Although he only recorded a few sides in the early 30`s and then again in the early 40`s,that was it.Soon after he moved up north taking a job as a porter on the railways of the northeast.Fast forward to the early 60`s when he was tracked down and asked to perform,which he did,basically re-learning the guitar and then landing gigs at coffee houses and colleges then later festivals around the U.S. and Europe.In 1965 when he recorded these tracks he was at the height of his powers....with a hard often violent playing style and powerful voice he brought the delta blues style he helped create into the present with powerful performances of such classics as Death Letter,Grinnin in Your Face,Preachin Blues,Pony Blues and the list goes on.
With sound quality as an excuse for not wanting to listen to recordings of 78`s from 60 or 70 years ago,these discs are of the highest fidelity so the choice is yours.
Essential and worth every penny,you should make this part of your collection....the blues has never sounded better than this.

First of all, this is not a pop record. I give it five stars, not because it makes you want to dance and party all night long, but because these recordings are so incredibly intense and so essential to anyone who want to learn about the origins of modern popular music.

Son House was an elderly gentleman in his sixties when these recordings were made, in the spring of 1965 in New York City. Some of these songs were first recorded in 1930, and most people claim that these "rediscovery" recordings do not quite match the power and ferocity of House's earlier sides.
Maybe they don't, quite, and maybe Son House's guitar playing has slowed down a bit, although his health was still quite good when these songs were comitted to tape.
But to me this is still the best place to start. The sound is clean an clear, unlike House's 1941-42 recordings and very much unlike his original 1930 Paramount masters. Son's voice is clear and strong, without the slur that marrs some of his 60s and 70s recordings. And his guitar playing is solid and powerful.

Most of these tracks features just Son House and his large steel-bodied National guitar, played usually with a metal slide, but on a few cuts, House is accompanied by Alan Wilson (later of Canned Heat) on either guitar or harmonica. This pairing works especially well on the 9½-minute "Levee Camp Moan" where Wilson plays harmonica fills which bolster the sound without ever becoming obtrusive.

This man is without a doubt the most intense performer I have ever heard, overshadowing even the might of the Howlin' Wolf. Son House's voice cuts through the air like a knife, belying his age, and he plays his guitar like a stringed drum, snapping the strings and coaxing mornful wails from the copper slide.
The nine tracks on disc 1 were the ones originally issued. They feature the incredible intensity of "Death Letter" and "Grinnin' In Your Face", the powerful call-and-response slide guitar workout "Pearline", and of course "Preachin' Blues", "John The Revelator" and the epic "Levee Camp Moan".
Disc 2 contains alternate takes of all of these tracks, plus several previously unissued recordings such as House's rendition of Charley Patton's "Shake It And Break It" and the tracitionals "Motherless Children" and "Yonder Comes My Mother (when the roll is called up yonder)", as well as a re-recording of "Pony Blues" and Son House originals "Downhearted Blues" and "'A' Down The Staff".

The fact that this two-disc set features several alternate takes, and a total of 21 songs, should deter no-one. This is one of the very few totally essential albums for anyone with even the remotest interest in traditional Delta blues, and this is the very best place to start appreciating the power and glory of the great Son House.

From a technical viewpoint of his guitar playing, Son House was past him prime by the time of these recordings. Even so, there was no one else who belted out the blues when he had steel guitar in hand and an audience in front of him. Alan Wilsons' harp adds texture to several tracks, and never upstages, but complements House perfectly.

I claim that anyone who really listens to 'Death Letter' and does not get chills up and down their spine, has their very soul on vacation.

For historical interest, I recommend comparing this set with the Library of Congress recordings on the Biograph label. Both the differences in the approach to the music, and the similarities of two compositions, are striking and well worth noting.

This is definetly the place to start your Son House collection - the old man by some accounts was as old as 79 at the time, yet this was the first time he was captured on modern recording equipment, in stereo, no less.

My introduction to Son House came while listening to the blues collection from the Sony 100 years of sound box set. I was reading a book while listening and when I heard the opening bars of death letter blues with its aggressive, slapping bass string guitar and Son's emotional vocals my jaw hit the floor and I was instantly hooked. The next day I went out and bought the complete sessions set and have been a huge Son House fan ever since.

While I agree with many of the other reviewers that the earlier recordings released on CD by Document are clearly superior and highly recommended their sound quality can present somewhat of a barrier for new listeners. The sound quality of this set is light years ahead of the earlier issues and is decent though not great by modern standards. I find the between song banter on the second disc, which is all previously unreleased material, to actually be enjoyable and provides just a little bit better picture of who Son House was.

If you like Son House you should also track down some of the video footage of him playing. This guy was unbelievable as he launched into a tune his eyes would roll back and the music would pour forth and you just knew that what you were witnessing was as real as the blues can get. I'm just sorry I'm too young to have ever seen him in person.

I own a large collection of delta blues cds,lps and 78s.This cd would only be of use to Son House absolute fanatics and completists. There is much in between song banter and confusion througout,although, it does have it's moments(i.e. John the Revelator will knock your socks off). For anyone interested at Son at his most devilish and in his prime,I would suggest the Document disk with Willie Brown,Garfield Akers and others. I would also suggest the 1941 Library of Congress field recordings available on Biograph.

I have a large collection of blues, especially the delta variety, and this one may be the very best. House is astonishingly powerful. The tones of his National will make you visualize his knarled and heavily calloused fingers banging the strings while the sweat pours off his head. This is primal gutbucket blues. The emotion in his voice evokes the steamy cotton plantations and the only relief from the hardscrabble tedium - a good-looking woman and a bottle of hooch. One minor annoyance - I didn't think the a cappella stuff worked as well, especially John the Revelator. But overall this set is magical!

if you are looking for raw, gutbucket, spiritual, 100% authentic blues by someone who has acutually lived them, then you've come to the right church. as noted above, "death letter" is unbelievably powerful. if you are looking for fancy guitar playing, just keep on walking. but if emotional content is important in the music you listen to, this is your cd. "grinnin' in your face" is another highlight for me.

it seems that the "bonus" tracks, which are alternate takes could have been left out. the takes on the first disk are better by far.