A taste of the material gathered during these legendary road trips thru the South that lead to the discovery of many artists and the preservation of many others who would be otherwise lost. There are actually 5 volumes which follow this one if there appears to be any interest.
"The bulky title of this disc was sparked by its documentation of recordings assembled by Joe Bihari of Modern Records on scouting trips through the South for talent between 1948 and 1953. (Starting in 1952, the young Ike Turner also worked for Modern in this capacity.) Just two of the names on this 24-track anthology are famous: Howlin' Wolf, represented by an audition acetate of "Riding in the Moonlight" (first issued in 1991), and Elmore James, whose two cuts appeared on an Ace box set in 1993. Some other names -- like Smokey Hogg, Lil' Son Jackson, and Joe Hill Louis -- will catch the eyes of in-the-know blues experts, but for the most part even those with extensive blues collections will be mostly or totally unfamiliar with most of the artists. This is raw, Southern, just-post-World War II blues, caught in its transition from its rural roots to something more electric and citified. Certainly it's rawer than much commercially released blues of the time, and in fact about half of it was either previously unissued, or not first issued until many years later on other specialist collections. It's not that unhoned, though, and there's decent variety within the genre, from rollicking piano blues and juke-joint harmonica-driven numbers to mournful slow tunes that sound barely off the farm. Actually Arkansas Johnny Todd's "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You" sounds like it's still on the farm. But at the other extreme, Sunny Blair's "Please Send My Baby Back Home" (aka "Step Back Baby") is as well-produced and full-sounding as many a 1953 full-band electric Chicago blues single. This is not for everyone, certainly, but as a reflection of the sounds being unearthed as labels brought musicians from out-of-the-way Southern locales into the commercial world, it has considerable value. And the music is solid, if not as gripping as the best records in these styles. The fidelity is imperfect, as many of the tracks were taken from acetates or 78s, but has been cleaned up considerably by modern technology." AMG
10 comments:
Thanks for this one, KC. Looks fascinating.
Thanks for this one, KC. Looks fascinating.
I'd vote for more!!
It's exciting that all these sides from field trips have survived! 5 volumes? Yes, thanks.
I hope you provide the whole series. Whether the music sounds like it was recorded in a studio,juke joint,or on someone's front porch, it has cultural, historical, and musical significance. Many of the lesser known or unknown artists poured their souls into their music and craft, and I think they're worth exposure and a listen. I'm listening as I write and am really enjoying it all. It's a road trip through the post-World War II South that I would love to have made. Thanks for sharing it.
More than thirty years ago a college friend and I used to load up the car with beer and embark on road trips throughout New England to hear folk or blues music. On one trip we found a small nondescript club in the Hartford area. The band of African American musicians was tight and could play, but were playing disco-flavored tunes for the white suburban crowd of hair-sprayed and -teased women and the few men in polyesters sitting uncomfortably next to them. Tolerant or hopeful for love, if you will. We didn't have anything against decent disco but it wasn't what we were searching for. After twenty minutes the band took a small break and, fueled by too many beers, we approached the stage and asked the band members if they knew any blues and if so, could they play a few tunes. They beamed and the leader responded, "Do we? We'd love to play blues rather than this stuff but no one ever asks and we didn't think there was any interest." The rest of the evening they cranked it in fine blues style as the rest of the audience sat there stunned and trying to figure out what had happened and what they were listening to. My my friend, another companion, and I stomped and clapped in delirious joy at our table in the front. It was a wonderful, less than sober night of blues by an unknown band that loved to play the music. My friend and I are now in our late fifties but we still remember fondly the night we commandeered the band in some roadside bar in Connecticut whose name we can't remember any more. Whether in The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn or Kerouac's On The Road, the road trip has always had its romantic appeal for American youth and I still remember the scenes of Kerouac and his friends with jugs of wine yelling "go, go" at bebop bands in small clubs that they visited during their travels. So this disc hits me on many levels and, if nothing else, Lil' Son Jackson's Talking Boogie, Arkansas Johnny Todd's You Rascal You, and several other cuts make me want much more. Of course, sentimental fool that I am, I also vicariously revisit the road trips of years ago in my mind as my foot stomps to the beat. Thanks for letting me bloviate. I don't have the technical musical or historical knowledge to write aptly or well about the music as so many other contributors do, but when it hits it feels so good and I figure I'll just let you know I'm listening and appreciating it.
Bravo FO'B
Sounds like a good time memory - I love this stuff too - But in the UK we had to rely on records mainly , many like this disc the early original rural blues - I did get to stand directly in front of John Lee Hooker in a local music pub for a whole set when I was no older than 14 though - It was great !
Many thanks, as always, it's really amazing, for example, the title makes me think of what one would call a trip through the vaults of the inhabitants of this blog - and, as it's been said before, it's one thing to thank you for the msuic but the valuable information you provide is, at times, even more valuable to the listener then the upgraded recordings. Many Thanks
https://mega.co.nz/#!mFYj3B4Y!cX4jpjZHFYBBXa1zm7Fgu2wJmlYp2S6zeMji1N46sLo
Thanks bruh, been anticipating this one!!
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