h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Now that you know some names, let me offer some advice from my years of listenting to set those of you who want to hear the best of this music on the right track. These are just a few basics. If you are curious for more, just let me know. I am an absolute maniac for old blues, so - all false modesty aside - I can answer some questions and point you in the right direction, if you like. I hope you enjoy the music!

-Bart



Here goes...

The double CD (from Columbia's Roots and Blues series), "The Definitive Blind Willie McTell" is very definitive and very good. A lot of his commercial music is rather repetitive, to be sure, but when you repeat the same cool things over and over, it works. Willie McTell is absolutely a cornerstone of this early music.

Son House made his best recordings during a few sessions in, of all places, Grafton, Wisconsin in, if I am not mistaken, 1930. If you have not heard much music from this era, the sound quality will taking some getting used to. However, it is well worth the effort. His intensity is amazing and infectious - it's very easy to catch on to. While he made later recordings of songs like "Preachin' Blues", "Walkin' Blues" and "My Country Mama", you have to hear the Grafton recordings to get him at his best. Also, if you enjoy his work, a friend of mine recently found a DVD of footage of him (and Bukka White, whose "The Complete Bukka White" from the Roots and Blues series is also excellent) and it is amazing. Jaw-dropping. If you are a guitar player, you will flip when you see it. Granted, as a long-time fan, I have my strong biases towards this music, but seeing Son House play is one of the coolest things I've EVER seen.

Robert Johnson's "The Complete Recordings" box set (Roots and Blues series, again) has some noteworthy magic: "Kind Hearted Woman", "Come on in my Kitchen", "32-20 Blues" and "Preachin' Blues" are among the many great songs, which are played and sung in an absolutely masterful manner.

In general, the "Roots and Blues" compilations featuring various artists are good, too. The "String Dazzlers" CD, for example, starts out with an INCREDIBLE instrumental duet with Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang. It's less intense emotionally than the music mentioned above, but, good God, the men can really jam like no one's business (caution: if you are a guitar player, hearing how good these guys are - and how good you will never be - will make you feel like a dog!). It features a nice cross section of artists, so you can get a feel for who does things that you like and who does not.

Also, for a latter-day interpretation of early blues, ANYTHING from "Mississippi" Fred McDowell is well worth whatever you may have to cough up to purchase it. It's actually got that amazing hypnotic effect that really good middle eastern music or sitar music has.

As for Blind Blake, his stuff is somewhat hit or miss (like most of these guys), but even an over-priced CD of utter rubbish is made worthy if it includes the song, "Southern Rag", which is an incredible jam: he absolutely wails out this fast and cool ragtime on his guitar (like a God!) and just talks all sorts of trash over the top of it. It's great.

The Smithsonian/Folkways recordings of Leadbelly feature a lot of folk and country music, as well as blues, but have some seriously great songs on them. CCR fans will enjoy hearing the original versions of "Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields".

Just to say agree whole heartedly with the recomendation of the Smithsonian/Folkways recordings of Leadbelly, I've had one of these on CD for years now and its still one of my all time fav blues CDs.. actually scratch that, just one of my fav all* time CDs from a pretty acletic collection which covers a good few decades worth of various music...