Son House The Complete Library of Congress Sessions 1941-1942

 

Of course, I have been familiar with Son House for quite some time, as he is one of the premier bluesmen and a contemporary of both Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson who exchanged material with both men (among many others, of course). But, most of the recordings that I have are from House's reemergence in the blues revivals of the 60's, as opposed to his original material. While these recordings are not his earliest - those were done in the 30's - this still gives a good overview of the man still in his relatively early days and before the alcoholism that affected some of his later performances. 

Many of the later recordings that I have show House as a solo performer but the first cuts on this comp have him accompanied by harmonica, second guitar, fiddle and even mandolin, giving the songs a very different flavor, especially when the other members add their vocalizing. But Son is still front'n'center, with his powerful voice and stinging slide guitar playing. I do love that you can hear a train going by on some numbers here, as the session took place in a local store which had the necessary electricity needed for the equipment!

There are also some acapella "Camp Hollers" included - as the liner notes say, this is most likely due to Alan Lomax's prodding, rather than being part of House's regular repertoire - but it is numbers like "Delta Blues" that are the highlights for me - the title is truly apt, as this is about as true to the name as this music ever is! Of course, there are some solo performances, as well, and some numbers that I have heard in some version or another on other releases.

Overall, another great compilation of sessions from this powerful and unique bluesman!