18 Classic Blues Songs from the 1920's Volume 6

 

Another fantastic collection from the good folks at Blues Images (and what images they are! The calendar that originally accompanied this CD would have given a better view, but the booklet contains advertising images for the first 12 songs on the comp) starring a number of the incredible musicians that made up the earlier releases from this series - Blind Blake, Skip James, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Memphis Minnie, etc. - but with a number of special, unique entertainers and tunes.

I've been a fan of Blind Blake's since I first heard him and his "Night and Day Blues" is another goodie with fine git-playing, Kokomo Arnold is another great talent as he shows in "Milk Cow Blues", Charley Patton is, of course, a legitimate legend and a blues originator and "Shake It and Break It" is an upbeat, light-hearted classic, Skip James is also an amazing talent and he gets religious in "Jesus Is a Mighty Good Leader", then things change course a bit with some honky-tonk piano on the Paramount All Stars (actually an advertisement for several of their recording artists, so there are a variety of styles) "Home Town Skiffle Parts 1 and 2".

Buddy Boy Hawkins brings us back to some down home acoustic guitar blues'n'story telling in "Jailhouse Fire Blues", Blind Lemon Jefferson never fails, as well, and "Worried Blues" is about as real as it gets, Memphis Minnie often teamed up with her husband, Kansas City Joe, as on "Cherry Ball Blues" where I believe that Minnie is the lead guitarist and Joe is the vocalist, then Ida Cox tells the morbid, orchestrated tale of "Graveyard Dream Blues" before Elgar's Creole Orchestra gives us "Nightmare", the devilish  delirium depicted on the cover of the CD. In a change of pace, the Rev. Emmett Dickenson gives a spoken word eulogy to "The Death of Blind Lemon", and Rev. A.W. Nix warns us that "Death May Be Your Christmas Present"! 

Back to Blind Blake as he sings some slow blues in "Sun to Sun", Ben Curry strums his banjo mirthfully in "The Laffing Rag" and the silly "Hot Dog", there is a test recording for the Paramount All Stars Skiffle ad, and for the finale, we get a couple of cuts from another legend, Tommy Johnson, to close things out.

I love these early blues recordings as anyone who reads my blog well knows so I am always going to recommend a collection like this! Terrific stuff!