Finally the Blues

[medjuck]

What instrument is the non-guitarist playing on the Rpyal Palm Special (cd 3)? A harmonica and then a comb and paper or kazoo?

And who's the first stovepipe to whom you refer?

So many of these cuts are great and most are new to me.

[AllenLowe]

1) sorry, will have to listen again to Royal Palm -

2) there were two Stovepipes, and truthfully I get very confused telling them apart - though one was named, I think, Sam Jones, and was from the Cincinnatti area (anybody know how to spell Cincy?). The later one actually lived into the 1960s; there's a silent film clip of him playing in what was called Jew Town, the part of Chicago where there were lots of Jewish merchants as well as blues guys playing the streets.

as for Dranes, I mentioned this elsewhere, but she was one of the pioneers of the two-fisted boogie piano style; the line goes from her, with some Sanctified detours, to Jerry Lee Lewis.

[MomsMobley]

as for Dranes, I mentioned this elsewhere, but she was one of the pioneers of the two-fisted boogie piano style; the line goes from her, with some Sanctified detours, to Jerry Lee Lewis.

MOON MULLICAN

[Chuck Nessa]

"Jew Town" was also known as Maxwell St.

[AllenLowe]

1) with Moon Mullican, I also hear a bit more of the jazz influence (if you listen to the early Western Swing sides)

2) there's actually a whole film that was made about Maxwell Street, great shots of blues and gospel and dancing.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

2) there's actually a whole film that was made about Maxwell Street, great shots of blues and gospel and dancing.

If it's the same one, it was shown on UK TV in the late sixties. Very interesting.

MG

[Hot Ptah]

CD #1, Song 5: Poor Mourner, by the Dinwiddie Colored Quartet, November 29, 1902.

This song was copied by Bob Dylan for the final song on "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", recorded in 1962, "I Shall Be Free", with composer credit to Bob Dylan on the album. He wrote new lyrics to the Dinwiddie Colored Quartet's song.

[Hot Ptah]

CD #1, Song 5: Poor Mourner, by the Dinwiddie Colored Quartet, November 29, 1902.

This song was copied by Bob Dylan for the final song on "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", recorded in 1962, "I Shall Be Free", with composer credit to Bob Dylan on the album. He wrote new lyrics to the Dinwiddie Colored Quartet's song.

I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

I assume that virtually all of the songs on the early Dylan albums, which are credited to Dylan, have at least the music copied from an earlier song. When I can actually match the earlier song with a Dylan recording, there is a little shock of recognition.

[Hot Ptah]

I assume that virtually all of the songs on the early Dylan albums, which are credited to Dylan, have at least the music copied from an earlier song.

That seems to me to be true of the early albums and the more recent albums, cetainly the last three studio albums. I am not sure that it is true of the albums from Highway 61 through some point in the 1980s. It could be so, but I don't know if it is.

[AllenLowe]

in this Dylan was very traditional - thinking of how Woody Guthrie composed, not to mention virtually every Delta bluesman.

[AllenLowe]

since the moderator MR X won't make himself known, let it be said, by me, that my recently locked thread was intended as humor and not hostility.

I'm pretty much done with this place except on my own threads like this one.

[Hot Ptah]

I have been listening to Disc 1 and find it very interesting. The 1915 recording of "St.Louis Blues" by Prince's Band (Cut 15) is a much more distinctive arrangement and performance than many versions of the song from decades later. I am surprised by how heavily syncopated this performance is, and do I hear a bit of mambo rhythm there?

George O'Connor's "N Blues", from 1916, strikes me as the earliest song on Disc 1 which has the sound and feel of blues music as we commonly know it today. I love the various sound effects associated with train travel, which had to be done live while the singer was singing and the instruments were being played. Many people thought that the ship sound effects in the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" song from 1966 were so cool, but here George O'Connor's 1916 record had the same type of thing. I doubt that the Beatles added their sound effects during a live take.

[AllenLowe]

I like the O'Connor performance - abbreviated as I wrote the notes because the title was so offensive, though I meant to change it back when the set was issued (it's restored in one place, but not another) -

it's a very vaudevillian take on the blues, though the verses are, interestingly enough, very "accurate" to what would become known as traditional sources.

recordings like that make you wonder where this guy was and who he was listening to - clearly, as Peter Muir ponts out in his new book, the commercial song industry was aware of the blues well before even Handy's stuff was published.

[Ron S]

since the moderator MR X won't make himself known, let it be said, by me, that my recently locked thread was intended as humor and not hostility.

I'm pretty much done with this place except on my own threads like this one.

Hey Goofus, look at the last post in that thread (by MR X, himself).

And in terms of sticking to your own threads like this one, don't get our hopes up and make promises that you know you can't keep.

[AllenLowe]

well, it went right by be - Weizen? I thought he was a lot smarter than that - the point being that the thread actually was satirizing the arrogance to which Bev referred - and meant the opposite of what he thought it did - well, never overestimate the intelligence of a Republican -

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Hey, no political shots in this forum!! Ya know what? You should read this book some time. About Alf Landon he said "The difference between his loudest shout and his faintest whisper was probably no more than two decibels." Remind you of anyone?

[AllenLowe]

yes, Charlie Patton.

doesn't change the fact that you blew this one, Weizy boy. But you're handling it well.

and I feel terrible, because I blamed J.A.W. for it.

I hope that, wherever he is in Moderator Hell, he can forgive me.

Edited May 8, 2010 by AllenLowe

[jeffcrom]

I'm hoping there are few if any actual mis-identifications of tracks -

There continue to be revelations on every disc - some amazing stuff. I did find one of the above, though. Disc 3, track 12 is not "Red Man Blues" by Piron's New Orleans Orchestra. It's "Bull Frog Blues" by Charles Pierce and His Orchestra w/ Frank Teschemacher and Muggsy Spanier, recorded in February, 1928. It's a great track, though.

[AllenLowe]

ugh - thanks, Jeff. Not sure how that one happened, though I have found on some old reissue LPs that there are some mis-identifications,and that one probably came from an old LP source. Will have to head to the basement to take a look.

let me know if you find the actual Red Man Blues.

Edited May 8, 2010 by AllenLowe

[Neal Pomea]

Got my Volume 1 in the mail Saturday! Great job with the sound! Thanks for preserving this music.

So much of it was news to me, so I don't know where to start. I've got quite a bit of Butterbeans and Susie from Joe Bussard, and some Hersal Thomas too, so I will have to go back and listen more closely to the kind of humor you wrote about. I really liked the Bennie Moten piece on CD3. My copy from Joe B. was so mossy. This is going to be a great set to hear!

[AllenLowe]

that Moten was off an old European EMI 10 inch LP, if I remember correctly. Some great sound on those, as the Europeans seemed to have taken the time to find the right sources. As for Hersal, I decided to use a different cut than the one usually seen as representative. Hard to believe he was 16 when he died.

[jeffcrom]

As for Hersal, I decided to use a different cut than the one usually seen as representative.

I, for one, appreciate that. I had never heard "Hersal Blues," while "Suitcase" gets reissued over and over again.

Edited May 11, 2010 by jeffcrom

[J.A.W.]

Member Hot Ptah posted a thread about this project on the much-maligned Hoffman forum. It should help sales a bit.

[Neal Pomea]

Easy Rider Blues, Soileau and Robin (for Leo Soileau and Moise Robin), per Tony Russell's book.

Here is the label for Easy Rider Blues

Soileau and Robin, Easy Rider Blues

Great performance on CD 9!

[Tom Storer]

When the first shipment of "Really the Blues?" failed to show up on my Parisian doorstep, Allen graciously shipped me another copy, and this time it made it over. So--thanks, Allen! I've been listening to it these past few days and it's a killer. It's like the mix tape to end all mix tapes. I heard Blind Mamie Forehand's "Honey in the Rock" for the first time and was floored. And indeed there are many startling performances that stand out in this set. Loud applause for this fine achievement.