Customer Reviews

Rl's First Recordings

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Basically, this album is a must for any blues fan. I bought his recent live album "Burnside on Burnside" and thought that was good, until i heard just how good his early recordings were. His songs capture the feeling of the blues in the same way that Robert Johnson could. His simple single guitar and vocals style is in many ways right at the heart of the blues. And this older recording is incredibly high quality. Great, early blues music by a musician who had incredible staying power.

I can't say enough about this CD, I can't get enough of it and ended up buying all the Burnside I could get my hands on. I don't understand why this guy isn't HUGE. Bird Without a Feather is the best blues song I've ever heard. Deep, raw, hypnotic Mississippi delta solo acoutic blues.

this cd is the kind of thing that can get you lost on your way home from work. literally. one wrong turn around this place and im out twenty minutes. burnside just sucks you in and there's nothing you can do about it. emotion to rival 'a love supreme'. backhand to the cheek. swagger.

If you like R.L.'s guitar playing than this is the album for you. Man R.L. could play when he was that age, this THE best Cd to showcase R.L.'s Guitar playing. His voice isn't as good as it is now, but you won't care about that once you here his guitar. He does good Versons of his later standers like "Skinny women" and "Jumper hangin' on the line". Plus he does a great version of "My Baby" which is titled here "Little Baby". Oh and for all you guitar players. Burside drops his guitar a whole step for this album.

Oh and P.S. R.L. DID record "Bird Without a Feather" again. It is recorded under the title "Lost Without Your Love" on his Mississippi Hill Country Blues album.

Oddly enough I stumbled across RL back in the 90's while I was working on some stuff on the bench and MTV2 was on the TV in the background believe it or not playing music videos. I wasn't paying much attention to what was on then all of a sudden this song catches my attention. I turned around to watch the video and catch the song name and artist. I believe it was Let My Baby Ride from the Come on In album. Well within a few days I found the Come on In cd and I have been hooked on RL ever since.

I like pretty well anything from RL but the First Recordings is my favorite by far. I really wish I would have made an effort to go watch RL play live. It is sad that RL and many others didn't become popular or even known until late in life because there aren't making them like these guys anymore.

If you like real blues and don't have this CD don't give it a second thought pick it up and wear it out.

I hunt for music, and the hunt leads down paths that dead-end, aren't my thing, or whatever, but sometimes I get lucky. I discovered R.L. by chance after following links from a blues guitar instruction book page. Of all the R.L. stuff, this seemed the most basic and raw, and I bought it. Who knew I'd just discovered my favorite blues album ever!

This was recorded in R.L.'s living room one night after another explorer was lead down the Mississippi dirt road to the "best bluesman around". The recording has a raw quality but the sound is very good. But the music itself is spectacular. This is the real thing, no doubt about it. No Chicago blues here, this is raw and droning and hypnotic and tuneful. The guitar work is great, and his voice has depth and expression, and there is no heavy production; you are there in the dark muggy Mississippi night, R.L.'s foot thumping on the floorboards.

This discovery will be tough to top, and it's been in my top 5 CD playlist for months.

I 'm not interested in any fusion of hill country blues with hip-hop junk, so when I wanted to buy an R.L. Burnside CD, I went to the beginning. And man, I struck gold! R.L. just spellbinds the listener with his raw emotion and remarkable guitar playing. If you appreciate Robert Johnson's recordings, you're sure to like this as well, even though the music itself is a little different than Johnson's blues. Kind of a cross between Johnson and John Lee Hooker, with the "hypnotic trance" thing going. It's its own thing, actually--hill country blues!

Mr. Burnside's playing and singing is some damn fine blues. I definitely picked up a winner when I bought this gem.

Classic RL, solo acoustic captured at his home in his musical prime. If you own only 1 acoustic blues recording, this has to be it !

If you pass on this album, you will have passed on one of the best classic Blues albums you will ever hear. Period.