Customer Reviews

Paramount Masters

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

 

 

Wow! JSP certainly deserves some sort of award for making this historic collection available. If you're reading this, I assume you already know about the Paramount label, which recorded some of the greatest "race" (as they were called at the time) records ever. Superstars on Paramount included Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton, and Blind Blake. The set collects many of the lesser known artists who recorded sides for the label. Someone more expert than me would have to verify this, but I imagine that some of these sides are being issued on CD for the first time ever. What's amazing is the consistency of quality and the originality and charisma of even the most obscure artists here. The variety makes this one of the most entertaining box sets I own. This is old-time blues of every kind: barrelhouse, delta, hokum, jazzy, gutbucket, you name it. I know it's saying a lot, but this belongs on your shelf not far from the immortal "Anthology of American Folk Muisc," and unlike that set you won't have to take out a loan to make the purchase. I have a very minor complaint that the notes jump from factoid to factoid and are somewhat confusedly written: a more well-written, thorough, and sequential history of the label and some of these artists would have been appreciated. But JSP did a great job with the music, and that's what counts. Superb!

Of all these JSP box-sets I own, none has been a bigger surprise to me than this one. I bought this one as a curiosity but it is much more. Going by the tracklist there were a handful of people I knew, but most were new to me. If this exact same box had been released by another label and was more along the lines of $40 to $60 I would have never purchased it. Knowing JSPs reputation for quality transfers and low prices I just decided to go for it, hoping along the way that there would at least be 2 discs worth of stuff I enjoyed. "At least" certainly came true!

This may be the singlemost entertaining JSP box I own (given what they have released so far)! The sheer number and diversity of artists and styles presented here makes it possible to sit down and listen to this whole box in one sitting and all the way feel like you don't know what's coming next.

From songs you've never heard of (and may never hear elsewhere again), to songs with familiar themes, to a handful of tunes that are straight-up rip-offs of tunes by famous musicians, it's all here. King Solomon Hill's "Whoopee Blues" is probably my favorite rip-off tune here. It being Lonnie Johnson's "She's Making Whoopee In Hell Tonight". I say rip-off because I have to assume that Lonnie didn't see a penny worth of royalties from this cover of his tune.

That will be my only mention of specific tunes/musicians. The magic of this box is that it is about no one and everyone. There are a couple relative stars here (in the eyes of history), but for the most part these are musicians whose voices and work have been forgotten by time. You listen to this box-set and you'll be wondering why. More than being about any one person or any one style, this box is a tribute to an era and a culture. An era where music was like the work of that era itself... you made it your own self and you did it with your own two hands. A culture that made the most out of a horrendous situation that should have never existed in the first place.

As for the technical sonic quality, it is everything that is Paramount. Most of the sides contained here are in that "average to very good" range. A couple of them are cleaner than any other Paramount sides I have ever heard, and there are only a couple that could be considered in that "Wow even bad by Paramount standards!" range. If you already own a substantial amount of Paramount sides you have absolutely heard alot of things that sound alot worse than the majority of what is here. JSP has done another wonderful job with the transfers. I hope every single person at that label is proud of this box! Another thing that must be said is that if you like some pre-war stomp-down blues piano, this box is definitely for you.

If you've been eyeing this one and "Should I or shouldn't I??"... you should. You really should. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, to say the least.

This is the Motherlode of pre-war blues reissues. It is likely JSP's finest release to date. Paramount started business in Wisconsin as a furniture manufacturer in the late 1800's but figured that the demand for record playing machines ensconced in wood cabinets would create a new market for shellac and vinyl records as well. In spite of their hamfisted business practices (Paramount was bankrupt by the 1930's), they managed to get a whole lot of fabulous Afro-American talent to record for their label (thanks to talent scout J. Mayo Williams), the likes of Charley Patton, Meade Lux Lewis, Bo Weevil Jackson, Bumble Bee Slim, Moanin' Bernice Edwards, Little Brother Montgomery, Roosevelt Sykes, Charlie Spand, Papa Charlie Jackson, and of course, the peerless Geeshie (Geechie) Wiley. If you've never heard her "Eagles on a Half", you deserve to listen to it now. This set has 100 titles of some of the rarest blues ever recorded for just $25. Some of the 78's from which this collection was dubbed, sell on the collector's market for hundreds, even thousands of dollars a shot. In spite of the poor quality shellac that Paramount pressed their music on, the virtuosity of this music still comes through some 80 years later. Get it. You won't regret it. Similar material worthy of this set is contained on Yazoo Records "The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of", and Revenant Records "American Primitive, Vols 1 and 2".

I love this stuff. Warts and all. You have really got to be into roots music, or be in love with the brittish blues movement of the 60's to fully appreciate this collection. Considering this music is over 70 years old, they did a great job with remastering, (which is half the fun). You can even hear when all they had to work with was an old 78 and listen as the music and vocal double back on itself. WOW!

And that music-in most cases, excellent. You can hear why Clapton, Page, Beck, Mayall et al idolised these guys and gals. You'll find yourself humming Preacher gotta have some too. Play this on a good system, where you can hear and appreciate the clarity and the passion. Much of this was recorded when blacks were still working the fields in the south for little compensation. The bio is skimpy but the music speaks volumes, and it is at a reasonable price, well worth it.

After reading the other reviews, I was really looking forward to this collection. I am very disappointed. The sound quality is terrible. These are very old recordings and have not been treated well. Even with the restoration mastery of JSP, at least 50% of the tracks on this collection are painful to listen to.