Mean Old World: Blues

Various Artists - Blues | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 23, 1996)
• Original Release Date: 1940
• Number of Discs: 4
• Label: Smithsonian Collection of Recordings
• ASIN: B0000017SU
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,091 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > East Coast Blues
  • #12 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > West Coast Blues
  • #21 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Memphis Blues

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Ma Rainey - Memphis Minnie

2. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town - Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five

3. Mean Old 'Frisco Blues - Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup

4. Bourgeois Blues - Leadbelly

5. Mean Old World - T-Bone Walker

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Rollin' And Tumblin' (Pt. I) - Muddy Waters

2. Mother Earth - Memphis Slim And The Houserockers

3. Please Send Me Someone To Love - Percy Mayfield

4. Dust My Broom (I Believe My Time Ain't Long) - Elmore James

5. How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotten

2. Junker's Blues - Champion Jack Dupree

3. Sweets' Blues - Jimmy Witherspoon

4. Living With The Blues - Sonny Terry And Brownie McGhee

5. Shake 'Em On Down - Fred McDowell

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Crosscut Saw - Albert King

2. Every Night And Every Day - Magic Sam

3. Why I Sing The Blues - B. B. King

4. Everybody Knows About My Good thing (Pt.1) - Little Johnny Taylor

5. Little Bluebird - Little Milton

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

One of the most complete collections of Blues Music you can own. Volume 1: The Blues 1940-1994 Volume 2: The Blues 1940-1994 Volume 3: The Blues 1940-1994 Volume 4: The Blues 1940-1994

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Your Poor Weak Mind, Body, and Soul, September 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mean Old World: Blues (Audio CD)

This is a magnificently broad collection, as Smithsonian ones usually are. The 4 CD's and 80 tracks run cover a lot of post-war blues: from the retro-acoustic Elzabeth Cotten's "Freight Train" to Taj Mahal's neo-funk-blues "Big Leg Women Are Back in Style Again" to classic Chicago stuff. There are beautiful rare nuggets: "I Wonder" by Cecil Gant being my fave. They hit socially conscious stuff here harder than most blues collections - a big plus. Not as uniform a knock-out as their "The Blues", this set is still quite satisying.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, May 29, 2009

By 

Kenneth Coates "The Kenman" (Lithia Springs, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mean Old World: Blues (Audio CD)

I bought this product for a friend of mine that had just lost both his parents. I knew he loved the blues. He has not stopped thanking me for it. I only wish I could find another for myself. Fast shipping, great price, great product. Thanks.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Compilation, March 31, 2009

By 

L. Katz "The DoonAgency" (Line Lexington Pa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mean Old World: Blues (Audio CD)

Though it took a bunch of times to actually GET a complete set of Cd.s and booklet,it was well worth it. Why gems like this go out of print I never understand. The music is a great sampling of the fabulous blues stuff that was done and under appreciated when first released(at least by us white folks) but thankfully we get to live, learn, and catch up with those who knew in the first place.If you're a guitar player like me, you get to hear some great Blues material to inspire and emulate as well as tunes that are there for the refreshing to modern times. Get it if you can .