18 Classic Blues Songs From the 1920's Volume 8

 Obviously, I love this series and have picked up the entire lot since they are discontinuing it, so I am still working through the last few collections. Always great, and always with some surprises and even some previously unreleased material, although Blues Images does have their favorites who often appear - Kokomo Arnold, Charlie Patton, Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey, etc. But, who can complain about hearing more from these stellar stars?

This comp opens with the fabulous Kokomo Arnold and his terrific slide guitar in "Sissy Man Blues" (not sure what the title refers to, as the lyrics seems to be a standard blues about missing his woman), Charley Patton gives us his "Pea Vine Blues", Furry Lewis does his classic interpretation of "Billy Lyons and Stock O'Lee", Blind Lemon Jefferson gives us the title cut in his unique way with fine guitar and raw vocals, and while I'm not familiar with Tom Dickson, his "Labor Blues" is another fine acoustic blues.

Hattie McDaniel and Papa Charlie Brown duet on the rather silly and over wrought piano blues, "Dentist Chair Blues Parts 1 and 2" (where cocaine and liquor are recommended and the final comment by Hattie is "oh doctor, you're rough but you're so good"!), Skip James is always exceptional as he shows on "Cherry Ball Blues", Papa Harvey Hull and Long Cleve Reed gives us a rapid-fire vocal on "Hey! Lawdy Mama - The France Blues", then the Mississippi Sheiks perform a sparse (for them) guitar/piano arrangement of "I'll Be Gone, Long Gone", a variation on their biggest hit, "Sittin' On Top of the World".

Ma Rainey's blues are always a bit more orchestrated, with bouncy piano'n'horns, such as in "Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues", Jabo Williams' "Ko Ko Mo Blues Parts 1 and 2" are scratchy but fun, movin' piano-backed pieces, Reverend J.M. Gates had many variations of his holiday sermon and here we have "Will The Coffin Be Your Santa Claus?", Charley Patton returns with "Tom Rushen Blues", followed by a previously unreleased - and great - take by Furry Lewis on "Cannon Ball Blues" and then his "Dry Land Blues" and another previously unreleased number, Tommy Johnson's test of "Lonesome Home Blues", which makes me wonder how much better the "official" version could be?! To close things out appropriately (considering the cover song) we get Rabbits Foot Williams (Jaybird Coleman) doing "Save Your Money - Let These Women Go" and "Mistreatin' Mama" - neat, harmonica'n'vocal blues.

Another fab comp - you know I'm gonna recommend it!