Customer Reviews

Smithsonian Blues Box

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

 

 

It's hard to imagine a better introduction to pre-war American blues than this. It combines the well-known (e.g. Robert Johnson) with the obscure (e.g. Sippie Wallace) in such perfect proportion that anyone with any interest in blues will love it. The accompanying book makes for great history, great storytelling, and drawing the unifying threads. I love the piano-based tunes like Peetie Wheatstraw's "Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp" - don't let anyone fool you into thinking pre-wars is all National Steel Guitar! This and Rhino's Blues Masters series show the astonishing breadth and depth of the blues. A must!

I have been a blues fan for many years and have attended many blues festivals, including the BEST BLUES FESTIVAL in the United States - the Chicago Blues Festival. This CD box set more than surpasses its expectations of what Blues is meant to represent. A 5 STAR set! The music of today pales in comparison to this truly lost art. If you love Robert Johnson, you will absolutely love this box set. I recommend without hesitation. Do yourself a favor and enjoy life - order this box set!

I purchased this set last week and went crazy over how great it is. It really took me back to all the time I spent down on the Gulf between Corpus and Mobile when I was in the Merchant Marines. Boy can these selections take you back,it reminds me of my early days when a real treat cooked by a Sea Cook was nothing more then stewed okra and tomatoes. A lot of young kids won't have a clue about this music ,but if you can really dig the likes of the real pros like Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith you will have a ball with this priceless set as these songe are the real orginals not remakes by some new Motown group. I am even playing this stuff for my Grandchildren and they are enjoying it as much as I did when I first heard a lot of it over 40+ years ago ! If you ever lived with the Blues and loves listening to people who made it real then this set will mean as much to you as it does to me. "Enjoy"

The Blues, assembled and released under the auspices of the hallowed Smithsonian Institute, is a first-rate, 4CD collection that focuses primarily on early blues. Starting with Blind Lemon Jefferson (and "That Black Snake Moan"---what could he be referring to? Hmmm!!) and finishing with John Cephas and the "Dog Days of August" (where "the Devil is beating his wife," an old expression for rain) this collection will warm the hearts of blues fans everywhere, particularly fans of early, pre-1940's blues. If you thought that Robert Johnson was one of the earliest stars of the genre, well, think again, his contributions don't come until DISC THREE of this chronological set!! Of particular importance are ancient stalwarts Tommy Johnson (whose "Cool Drink of Water Blues", along with Henry Thomas' "Bull Doze BLues," were borrowed by Canned Heat for the sixties classic "Going Up the Country), Blind Willie Johnson (who played straight, 190-proof-Everclear, industrial-strength gospel blues---chilling!) and the early blues women Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie, and of course, Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues (in particular, Smith's "Backwater Blues" manages to sound plaintive and hopeful at the same time). In short, this collection is everything a serious collector could want for a great introduction to early blues. (The casual fan may wish to click on a few of the song samples before buying: Early blues is an acquired taste for many people.) Unfortunately, while discs three and four have outstanding selections as well, the compilers of this set chose to compress some fifty-plus years of latter-day blues into just two discs. Thus, the average fan may feel shortchanged; in particular, the 1950's and early 1960's, which many aficionadoes believe is the Golden Age of BLues, is woefully underrepresented. However, there is an excellent solution: If you have not done so already, please also purchase The Chess Box, that superb collection from the most outstandingest blues company in the business, along with this compilation. That way, you will have two great collections which will cover the first fifty years of blues recordings very nicely indeed. So again,if you want an excellent collection which is especially strong in "prehistoric" blues, purchase this wonderful set today. And, if you think you know who the earliest blues artists were, just listen to this fine collection and think again!!!

This four disc collection is an excellent overview of the blues genre. It covers seven decades chronologically, with the emphasis on the roots. The sound is extraordinary, as good or better than any other blues collection I've ever heard. The liner notes are very extensive, but a bit dry, almost encyclopedic, which is too bad because many of these blues artists were entertaining characters. Some amusing anecdotes would have been appreciated. Nevertheless, this is a must for any blues library!