Customer Reviews

Great Blues Guitarists: String Dazzlers

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Remastered, cleaning out as much noise as possible, "Great Blues Guitarists: String Dazzlers" gives us fun, yet historical blues tunes. With over 20 pages of liner notes and pictures, guitarists and bluers fans alike with enjoy this CD.

Two fast-paced Lonnie Johnson acoustic tunes start things, but Texas Alexander gets low with a carefully picked "Work Ox Blues."

The fourth track, "I'm Busy and You Can't Come In" by Sylvester Weaver is loaded with tape hiss. The guitar seems to have recorded too far from the mike, and this takes away from an otherwise nice piece. His banjo piece in track seven, sounds clearer. In track eight, he moans, "I'm so hungry, I can't get enough to eat... I'd'a ate the dishes if someone hadn't been around."

Blind Willie McTell is in fine vocal form for tracks six and seven. Despite being recorded 1931-33, McTell sounds as if he just stepped off the Prairie Home Companion stage.

The star of this CD is the gravel-throated Blind Willie Johnson. Sounding something like Froggie of the Little Rascals, or Louis Armstrong with a cold, he manages to drive power into "When the War Was On" in a duet with Angeline Johnson.

Led Zeppelin and harp man Darrell Mansfield fans might recognize "It's Nobody's Fault But Mine." This is the original, from 1927, not a cover. Blind Willie sings it the way he intended it to be heard, with just a guitar.

"How You Want It Done" by Big Bill Broonzy has great guitar scales, but the vocals are weak. His "Getting Older Every Day" sounds like a blues song is supposed to sound. Bring him into any smoke-filled bar in Chicago, and he'd fit right in.

"Guitar Swing" brings things up tempo, with a very southern flavor.

Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang lay down an interesting track with "Bull Frog Moan." It'll grow on you.

Seems the snakes moan as well as the frogs, as Blind Lemon Jefferson aches out "Black Snake Moan." Tape hiss is heard in the background, but doesn't hurt the song.

Joshua White gives us "Little Brother Blues" and "Prodigal Son," complete with Little Richard-like howls and some very fine picking. In "Prodigal Son" he laments "I broke my momma's heart, Lord, when I run away."

"Denver Blues," from 1934, is a contemplative guitar solo by Tampa Red. He stretches each note. It is one of my favorites here.

You've not got the blues unless you've got those "Away Down in the Alley Blues." Another guitar solo, this time by Lonnie Johnson, it has a multi-layered effect. This is one song that needs no more instruments, and words would ruin it. He shows off his skills, and lyrically demonstrates a complex texture, lifting Johnson a notch above other blues guitarists.

The CD finishes with Johnson's "I Love You, Mary Lou." While not as strong as his other song here, we hear him do the vocals as well.

I fully recommend "Great Blues Guitarists: String Dazzlers."

Anthony Trendl

A million thanks to Larry Cohn for producing this terrific compilation from the Columbia vaults. The quality of the recordings is outstanding, being digitally remastered from the original monaural masters. The quality of the music he has chosen is top notch. Jazz, blues and gospel, and all of it first rate stuff. More, Please!

why do they need a review? They sent it to me and was fine. I get sick of the review BS.

Sometimes a review, especially a review of old time blues guitar artists, is a very easy chore. That is certainly the case here with this Columbia Legacy series production highlighting most of the known names from the early days of the genre. I have spilled some ink here previously discussing the impact of the early acoustic blues artists on the post-World War II explosion of electric blues, most notably the Chicago blues sound. Well, here they are all together in one place for the beginner and for the aficionado. The CD is weighted heavily toward the instrumental side to show virtuosity, although most of the performers here were well known for their vocals as well. A role call of honor here tells the tale. A young Lonnie Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson and his religiously oriented blues, the well-traveled Big Bill Broonzy, the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tampa Red, Joshua White at home in the "juke joint" as well as the New York café, and so on. I think I have made my point. Right?

One of the finest collections of early blues artists and styles currently available. Every cut on this CD has been remastered from the original (in most cases from old recordings of these artists when they performed live on old radio shows). GREAT!