Customer Reviews

Vanguard Sessions: Blues From The Delta

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I have never written an Amazon review before, but the ridiculous attack by a previous reviewer on the Vanguard Skip James compelled me to rebut. Unlike any other early bluesman rediscovered in the 1960s, James had fundamentally changed his style, adopting a weird falsetto that, to some of us, is the most haunting and soulful sound in blues. Unfortunately, the white fans who spearheaded the blues revival have often been guitar nerds, who note only that James's technical skill on that instrument had deteriorated with age. This is true, but irrelevant to anyone interested in music rather than technique. The fact is, James's 1930s recordings and his 1960s recordings provide quite different experiences, with quite different strengths, and both are extraordinary. The Vanguard sessions are outstanding, among other things, for his new composition, "Washington DC Hospital Blues" (here called "Center Blues"), one of his greatest lyrics. As a longtime blues journalist, who has at times defended Stephen Calt's biography of James, which makes similar disparaging remarks about his later work (as well as some absurdly virulent attacks on James's character), I want to go on record as saying that, if I had to choose one era of his work, I would pick the 1960s. Fortunately, I don't. I can have both, for which I am supremely grateful. But, as my title says, this should be an unneccessary letter. Just listen to the record, and you will find out why virtually all the people who heard James in the 1960s consider it among the supreme musical experiences of their lives.

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful collections of blues I have ever heard. Skip James was a man of the Mississipi Delta and his music reflects his origins. The sound is sparse, the rhythms a melancholic mix of country, blues and ragtime. Over the top of deceptively simple arrangements for piano and acoustic guitar (to both of which James lends his distinctive sound), James' desolate falsetto recalls the deep sorrows of Depression-era black men with great poignancy.

While many of the songs on this collection at least superficially reflect the theme of lost love, there are darker moments too:
"Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" is a bleak and resigned commentary on the racial hatred and economic injustices faced by America's black poor in the 1930s; "Sick Bed Blues" explores the tragedy of a man alone.

Yet this CD is also infused with a real lightness of spirit: "... Hospital Center Blues" is a tribute to the musicians who rediscovered James in the 1960s and moved him to a private hospital so he could receive better treatment; and "Catfish Blues", with its refrain "I would rather be a little catfish/ so I could swim way down in the sea/ I wouldn't have no women/ setting out a line for me", is a refreshingly light fantasy of escape from impossible love.

The CD comprises recordings from the 1960s albums "Today!" and "Devil Got My Woman", so listeners don't have to cope with the appalling background hiss on re-releases of James' early Paramount sessions. Tracks 18 and 19 have never been previously released and are as brilliant as anything else on this incredible album.

Even if you have never heard of Skip James, you should check out this awesome collection of music from one of the Blues' truly great unsung masters.

Skip James is absolutely amazing! Anyone who says the latter-day Skip James can't play the guitar like he used to hasn't been listening. Just listen to the song Catfish Blues to see what I mean. It sounds like a wild animal escaping from his heart and bursting from his guitar.

The fidelity of this work compared to his 30's recordings is obviously far superior - this is a modern-sounding, professionally recorded album. The guitar is crisp and clear, rich and full. Most notably though the full rich timbre of James' voice is fully evident. I'm not as fond of his piano work, though it's clearly very competent.

A wonderful album by one of the great singer/songwriters of the last century. Of course, his Complete Early Recordings is also indespensible.

These tracks may not be quite as intense as Skip James' prewar singles, but from an audio standpoint they're certainly easier to take.
Committed to tape in 1966 and 1968, many of these twenty songs are re-recordings of the classic 30s singles which originally made Nehemiah "Skip" James famous. "Devil Got My Woman" is here, and so is "Little Cow, Little Calf Is Gonna Die Blues", "Crow Jane", "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues", and several other highlights including James' version of "Careless Love", and a number of fine songs from his 60s repertoire.

Skip James accompanies himself on guitar and piano, and his piano playing is almost as idiosyncratic as his work on the guitar.
James is probably something of an acquired taste, to be honest...he usually sings in a slightly eerie, fragile-sounding falsetto, his guitar is weirdly tuned, and his music is certainly much less accessible than that of, say, Muddy Waters or even Robert Johnson and Son House.
But if you know what you're getting into, and are looking for a good collection of James' "rediscovery" recordings to go with his original 30s singles, this fine compilation is for you. Newcomers should definitely start with "The Complete Early Recordings Of Skip James", however.

Skip James was the Theolonius Monk of the Blues, and his emotional pallette was broader than Monk's. If you listen with open ears you can hear James trying to invent and reharmonise the Blues vocabulary, as well as express a life of torment and joy. He is soft spoken, and elfishly whimsical, but his virtuoso skating of the thin knife edge between major and minor, African and Anglo melodies is guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. The very defination of goosebump music. I personally think that James was trying to invent Bebop twenty years before Bird met Diz. And his lyrics are haunting and powerful beyond all others in a haunting and powerful genre. Let those with ears to hear, listen.

It has long been my contention that Skip James, not Robert Johnson, is King of the Delta Blues, and I believe the tracks on this album bear me out. This is a guy with a voice that could melt steel, a voice that makes Howlin' Wolf sound like Boy George. And the songs! I'M SO GLAD, SPECIAL RIDER, DEVIL GOT MY WOMAN. . .Some of the most powerful music ever made.

I normally don't bother to write reviews, but I think this selection has gotten a bad rap by previous reviewers. I started out listening to the early recordings of Skip James, and worked my way to this CD, and I'm not disappointed. Sure, it lacks the raw emotion and feeling of his early work, but if you are a true fan, it is a must have.

Oh, Skip James, Skippy James...I first heard the man when I was 16 years of age. His music haunted me, literally--THAT ethereal voice dissimilar to ANY I've heard before OR since. And then there are those songs...there haven't been too many 'covers' of his songs, but one can easily see why. The late Skip James was one of the most profound bluesmen that ever sang, wrote or played 'the Blues'. Anyone unlucky enough to have never heard Skip James has been missing simply one of the deepest and greatest of Bluesmen..

The original Skip James recordings from 1930 are simply among the great recordings of all time...scratchy sound and all. To criticize this collection because it doesn't compare to the earlier recordings is just wrong. Nothing compares to the originals but these are a must have for fans. Let's just say that you should own both.

You listen to this album with wonder and gratitude that Skip James lived to perform his masterpieces on modern recording equipment. The fuzzy and sometimes distant recordings from the thirties are here realized in their full power. The virtuosity of his playing and singing are undiminished even after thirty years.