Mississippi Blues: Rare Cuts 1926-41 [Box set, Original recording remastered]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Jsp Records
• ASIN: B000MTOLNG
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,340 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Cottonfield Blues Part 1 - Garfield Akers

2. Bedside Blues - Jim Thompkins

3. Mississippi Bottom Blues - Kid Bailey

4. Poor Boy Blues - Sam Butler

5. I'm Leavin' Town - William Harris

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Mississippi County Farm Blues - Son House

2. When The Levee Breaks - Joe McCoy

3. Ninety Nine Blues - Blind Joe Reynolds

4. Snake Doctor Blues - Jelly Jaw Short

5. Little Girl In Rome - Otto Virgial

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. My Buddy Blind Papa Lemon - King Solomon Hill

2. Snatch It Back Blues - Walter 'Buddy Boy' Hawkins

3. Machine Gun Blues - Willie '61' Blackwell

4. Revenue Man Blues - Arthur Petties

5. Mr Freddie's Kokomo Blues - Freddie Spruell

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Clarksdale Moan - Son House

2. Adam And Eve In The Garden - Bogus Ben Covington

3. Lonesome Man Blues - George Torey

4. Leaving Home Blues - Walter Rhodes

5. Loving Lady Blues - Sam Collins

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare but fine Country Blues of the Highest Caliber, May 13, 2007

By 

Curtiss Clarke (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mississippi Blues: Rare Cuts 1926-41 (Audio CD)

JSP continues to challenge Yazoo and Document records with their re-releases (with very good mastering to boot) of country blues and this set is no exception. For 25 bucks you get some of the finest and rarest country blues put to shellac (this set was mastered from 80-year old 78's where in some cases, only 1 or 2 copies is known to exist).

Unfortunately, some of these artists recorded for Paramount records, a company notorious for manufacturing records that would self-destruct after 20 plays.

Don't be discouraged by the sound quality; in most cases on this set, it is exemplary considering that the bulk of this material was recorded before 1930. What we have here are some of the earliest examples of country blues (i.e. Freddie Spruell), pure and unaffected because it preceded the advent of radio airplay and music company marketing hyperbole.

Those who have not reveled in the fabulous bottleneck playing and tortured singing of Sam Butler (Bo Weevil Jackson) or King Solomon Hill (Joe Holmes) are missing the origins of much popular "roots" music and the regional musical styles that existed before the depression.

Similarly, listen to the late Robert Lockwood's earliest acoustic sides before he went on to embellish Sonny Boy Williamson's (Willie Rice Miller) and Little Walter's most famous Chess material, and Otis Spann's beautiful recordings for Candid records.

This set has too many superlatives to mention in an Amazon review, but it must be said that these recordings, although performed when the term "indigenous music" could be applied without exaggeration, were to become a major influence on so much of the popular music that followed it 10 and 20 years later.

As always, JSP has delivered a lot for a little. If you have any interest in pre-war country blues, it doesn't come any better than this.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Blues for Real People, June 16, 2007

By 

Peter D. Page (Wickenburg, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mississippi Blues: Rare Cuts 1926-41 (Audio CD)

This is the way it is supposed to sound. Why some people think that old 78's will magically sound like current digital recordings is beyond belief! That aside, this is a GREAT collection of country delta blues played by real people who lived the blues. This is the real deal for a very reasonable price. The neat thing about collections like this is that you hear real blues from different people with different styles. This is how you expand your appreciation. This is how you learn. This is how your grow. Get over the occasional nicks and scratches in the sound; think of it as adding to the experience, and appreciate what is being performed. This stuff is really great!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Collection of Mostly Previously Unavailable Music, July 20, 2007

By 

Joel Fritz "Barrelhouse Solly" (N Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mississippi Blues: Rare Cuts 1926-41 (Audio CD)

Caveat: You probably have to like country blues to like this set. If you don't you may be put off.

If you are familiar with this style of music this is a treasure trove. Among other things there are recordings by Freddie Spruell, and the only appearances on record of the legendary Hacksaw Harney (as an accompanist to piano player Walter Rhodes.) Other highlights include the four acoustic tunes recorded by Robert Lockwood, Jr,the recently discovered Son House recording (Mississippi County Farm and Clarksdale Moan) and records by the brothers Joe and Charlie McCoy including a delightful version of the song Skip James recorded as Devil Got My Woman called here Evil Devil Woman.

The sound is very good for the money. Someone like the late John R. T. Davies probably could have made them all sound like pristine electric 78s but these are remarkably free of noise, particularly the annoying crackle that often came from Paramount discs straight from the factory. Remember too that a lot of these are acoustic recordings and are more limited in frequency and dynamic range than the electrical recordings that started in the later 1920s.

If you're interested in country blues and want a good sample of the styles that were popular in Mississippi in the 20s and 30s this is well worth the money. I think it's worth it because it's darned good music but that's only my opinion; I may be right; I may be wrong.