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Son House - Preachin' the Blues Audio CD

A fair review of the Son House "Preachin' the Blues" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Son House reviews here, or go back to the Son House tabs.

Son House Band: Son House
Title: Preachin' the Blues
Rating:
Release Date: 2000-04-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Walking Blues 2: My Black Mama, Pt. 1 3: My Black Mama, Pt. 2 4: Preachin' the Blues, Pt. 1 5: Preachin' the Blues, Pt. 2 6: Dry Spell Blues, Pt. 1 7: Dry Spell Blues, Pt. 2 8: Levee Camp Blues 9: Government Camp Blues 10: Shetland Pony Blues 11: Camp Hollers 12: Delta Blues 13: Special Rider Blues 14: Low Down Dirty Dog Blues 15: Depot Blues 16: American Defense 17: Am I Right or Wrong 18: County Farm Blues 19: Pony Blues 20: Jinx Blues

Son House...
I scanned the CDs in my local store - not all labels/products provide enough information to make an informed purchase (unless you break the seal). This is my first Son House CD; I wanted the earliest recordings. This is their (e. g. Fuel 2000) loss. I took a chance on the Catfish CD. I have the songs now but what about sound quality. . . I don't have other Son House CDs to compare. Inside, I also noticed that the Catfish write-up is incorrect: the Walkin' Blues tune (that also features a train) must be from the 1940's. I've never downloaded tunes from the internet but I'm beginning to understand why people do. Some CD makers should be more concerned about information for the consumer. However, I really enjoy listening to these old blues, over and over again. . . very powerful.


disappointing Cd
The first track is supposed to be the recently recovered "lost" version of "Walkin' Blues", recorded at the same 1929 Grafton, Wisconsin sessions, the same time that tracks 2-7 were done. Hi, unfortunately, this CD is not what the record company claims, or at least, not all of it is. It is obvious that this is the version of Walkin' Blues that was recorded later by Alan Lomax, with Leroy Williams on harmonica. When I pointed this out to the company, after purchasing this album, they basically said, "oops, oh well!" and offered no fix for it.

The 1929 Grafton tracks and teh later Lomax - Library of Congress tracks are all phenomenal records, and a must have. But All have appeared on several other Son House collections. If you are buying this, as I was, for the "lost" walkin blues track, you're better off sticking with The Complete Library of Congress sessions, which contains the same tracks, but labelled correctly.


Intense, gripping, moving.
A contemporary of Charlie patton and an influence to Robert Johnson and countless others, his contribution to the blues cannot be overstated. Son House was a legend. Son House was the real thing. He didn't play blues as a style, but as a direct form of expression. He was intense. Once you've heard Son House, you're not likely to forget him. A highly religious and reverential man, Son house wrestled with the dichotomy he feared existed between serving the lord and serving the music of the devil. Rather than falling in the middle of the road or giving alienated performances, however, Son House used the very friction he felt existed between these two worlds to fuel and deliver his impassioned music.

And sadly, for such an important artist, his recorded legacy is rather scant. Prior to his rediscovery in the 60's, all that exists are 6 titles recorded in the 30's and an album's worth of material recorded by Alan Lomax in the early 40's. And it is from these recordings that Preachin the Blues collects its material.

Preachin the Blues gives an excellent, nearly complete, overview of Son House's pre 60's recordings. The recording fidelity is rather poor on some cuts, but one listen will reveal that Son House is obviously doing more than his fair share on the other side of the hiss and pops. And besides, these early recordings are the only window we have into this important artist's seminal years. Powerful and moving. Not to be missed.


You can see a complete list of all Son House discography, or go back to the Son House tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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