Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton [BOX SET]

Charley Patton

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2001)
• Original Release Date: October 23, 2001
• Number of Discs: 7
• Format: Box set
• 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: Revenant Records
• ASIN: B00005QD75
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,878 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #22 in	Music > Indie Music > Blues > Delta Blues
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton is the musical equivalent of a limited-edition, fine-press book, and it's easily one of the most beautiful collections of recorded music ever assembled. Exquisitely designed, this 78-album-inspired, seven-CD package contains a wealth of information and music, featuring not only the Delta blues pioneer's complete recorded works, but the music of peripheral players (including Son House, Howlin' Wolf, and Henry "Son" Sims), a disc of fascinating audio interviews with Patton associates, and hours of reading material on the enigmatic songster.

It's hard not to romanticize the music contained within this set as you open its retro-looking slipcase, but Patton (1887-1934) doesn't let you down. Under the haze of 78 rpm record hiss, his 50-odd preserved recordings spellbind with great guitar playing and moving lyrics about love, loss, and catastrophes. Who cares if his life lacked the mystique of Robert Johnson, or his low, growling voice wasn't the creepy falsetto of Skip James? Patton's repertoire was unparalleled; his guitar playing--punctuated by striking syncopated, percussive beats--is always in tune and precise; and his slide playing is full subtle whines and flourishes. These remastered tracks sound better than ever, but there's still plenty of hiss (for some tunes, just one abused and poorly pressed record has survived). Copious, scholarly (and, at times, a little arcane) liner notes debate and survey Patton's mysterious life and tunes; the complete lyrics to his songs are included, too--no small feat. But it's the music--utterly raw, striking, and influential blues--that steals the show here.

Revenant Records has outdone itself--this is a poignant dream project that label cofounder/guitar great John Fahey didn't live long enough to see completed--and it's well worth every penny. Only a handful of musical artists deserve this lavish a treatment; as evidenced here, Patton--the first great Delta blues musician on record--is certainly one of them. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best. Album. EVER., November 8, 2003

By	Homer (Springfield, USA) - See all my reviews

This is the musical equivalent of a family Bible. You will pass it down from children to grandchildren. It cannot be likened to any other boxed set I have ever seen - not even the lavish and fantastic Bear Family country and rockabilly sets from Germany. The Folkways reissue of the Anthology of American Folk Music comes close in look and feel, but it's still 100 miles behind.

There are three points that I would make to a potential purchaser that may not be totally obvious:

1. These recordings sound really, really good for those on the old Paramount label - where the recordings were done poorly, no metal parts exist, and all extant CDs are dubbed from 78 RPM shellac pressings, some of which are in pretty bad shape (at one point the only existing copy of Willie Brown's "Future Blues" was broken in half!). I have not heard JSP's Patton boxed set, which would seem to be a great substitute at $25 for somebody who does not want to pay $150. However, I do have JSP's "Legends of the Country Blues," which has the 1930 Son House Paramount recordings that are on disc 4 of this set. This sounds much better. The JSP sounds more No-Noised to me, while this sounds more alive on the high end. I say that as someone who has bought a lot of the JSP sets, and who would have no hesitation recommending their work generally.

2. This is not 7 CDs of just Charley Patton. This is a really good introduction to pre-Robert Johnson Delta blues. You get all the Paramount recordings of Son House, Willie Brown and Louise Johnson, two of whom were seminal figures, and the last of whom was just fun. (Somebody ought to make a movie about the roadtrip Patton, House, Brown and Johnson took to Wisconsin to record these tracks. They could get Charles Dutton to play the guy from the Delta Big Four who drove them.) You get a CD of some pretty essential stuff by various artists, including Tommy Johnson. You get the Delta Big Four, Son Sims and some others. You get a CD of interviews.

3. It's bittersweet to say, but this set may get overtaken by future discoveries. It's criminally ironic that a full-body, first-generation photo of Charley Patton finally surfaced a year after this box came out. Also, it's known that there are other Patton recordings for which 78s have yet to be found; they may turn up if they haven't already.

You KNOW you want to buy it. Don't you?

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Has To Be Seen (and Heard) To Be Believed, December 27, 2001

By	Demoley "demoley" (Danbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews

"Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton" is without a doubt the most impressive box set I have ever seen. The astronomical cost is justifiable once you see the craftsmanhip, love and pride that has been put into this overwhelming set.
The attention to detail is so phenomenal that this will be the box set by which all others are judged (and believe me, they will come up short). Presented in reproduction of the original 78 rpms (the exterior covers, album sleeves and cardboard reproduction of the vinyl on which the CDs are mounted) helps to bring back the feel of a time long gone.
There are biographies, advertising poster reproductions, album label reproductions and the sound quality is perhaps the best I've heard for this sort of transfer. This set even has the music and reminiscences of Patton's contemporaries.
If I could find one thing wrong with it that would be that I am now disappointed with all my other "Complete Works of..." and other box sets. All other recording labels should look at this and hang their heads in shame.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blues Lover's Dream Come True!!!, January 13, 2002

By	tin2x "tin2x" (Staten Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I agree with everything everyone else said. This set is 100% superb! I got it for Christmas and am nowhere near through absorbing all the material.

I remember when I got the 2CD Robert Johnson set when it first came out (my first EVER blues purchase, or even listening for me!) and I was amazed by the material. Well consider that this is essentially 3-4x that! And the sound had to be restored and really, re-invigorated more. Heaven!!!

It's amazing how far we've come... We went from 2CDs of Robert Johnson to the 3CD Muddy Waters Chess Box set, and now this...

Anyway I couldn't possibly say enough good things about this set, but there is 1 very important point I'd like to make.

The listing of tracks is not quite accurate. There are some negative tracks, eg -1, -2 which you have to rewind on your CD player to get to. Disks 2 and 3 if I remember correctly. Anyway this is fine unless like me you have a CD player that can't play these tracks (alternate takes so you're missing takes not material). When I discovered this I e-mailed Revenant and they very kindly, and free of charge, burned the 4 tracks in question onto a CD and sent it me. So that's a little info for you out there. So if you have the set and can't play the negative tracks or are considering buying this is just something to be aware of.

The only other CD I've come across with a similar situation is the 00 track on Maxwell's Embrya album. I've still NEVER heard it! Of course I don't care as much in that case.

But it is a tribute to the fine folks at Revenant Records that they stand behind their set so well! This is beyond first class.

The price is prohibitive it's true, but this is absolutely everything a box set of this caliber should be. It is a true collector's piece that will offer you years of education and insight into a founder of the modern blues form and the blues in general. This is one of the places that so much later music sprnag from that it's impossible and pointless to list.

I'm sure the 3CD Catfish set is fine and gives you the essential Patton sides, but this provides so much in context, and analysis. ... If you like the blues you will NOT regret this, and if you LOVE the blues, bet you're figuring out to afford it and get it into your hands.

Here's hoping it's the start of many lovingly produced sets by Revenant and others to help preserve the tradition of the blues.