Search - Lightnin Hopkins :: Gold Star Sessions 1

Lightnin' at his best

Jason Warfel | Lexington, KY United States | 02/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a Lightnin' fan for almost 10 years and I have probably 20 of his discs. This, along with Autobiography in Blues is one of my favorites. Lightnin' has always been one of my favorite blues musicians because he sings and plays from the heart. Isn't that what the blues is really about? This album showcases Lightnin's guitar playing skills at his best and his singing at its most emotional. True, the sound quality is not great by today's standards, but Lightnin's mastery of the blues idiom comes across in every track. Personally I think the scratchiness of the tracks adds something to them. Nobody plays the blues like Lightnin'. This is truly an essential album for any blues fan."

Great blues can be rough

Tim Weber | Iowa | 02/10/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A previous reviewer found fault with the sound quality of this disc, which features some of the earliest recordings of Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins. Well, no real argument there. Sound quality does vary, sometimes widely, and recordings made directly from old 78s (as most of these were) more than 50 years ago just are not going to be perfect. But marvelous music does not have to be pristine; anyone who rejects songs this great because of sound quality is going to miss out on incalculable treasures. Anyone who truly loves blues can look past the hisses (and the CD is not unlistenable). There is strong music here. Only a couple up-tempo boogies. It's mostly just Lightnin' and his guitar and the beautiful sound they make, although there is a cool track of Lightnin' playing his impression of zydeco on a sort of roller-rink sounding organ and one fun cut with a small combo. This would easily get 5 stars on basis of the music. It deserves 4 1/2 but I have to give it 4 in this ratings system, solely because of the sound. It might be fun if somebody tried to clean these up using the latest noise reduction equipment. Anyway, Volume 2 in this series is just as good, and for true perfection buy the better-sounding "The Complete Aladdin Recordings", cut at about the same time and featuring the same kind of stellar Texas country blues."

Early Lightnin'

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 11/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lightnin' Hopkins was one of the most prolific blues artists of all time, recording hundreds of songs for scores of labels. These early Gold Star recordings were made in Houston during the late 1940s and contain some of his greatest sides. Hopkins was always at his best on slow, down-home tunes where the verses just poured out of him like water from a faucet. (Hopkins composed blues verses at the drop of a hat; I bet he dreamed in the 12-bar form.) SHORT HAIRED WOMAN (a theme he sang about on numerous occasions), AUTOMOBILE BLUES, TRAVELER'S BLUES, and GOODBYE BLUES are just a small selection of the excellent examples of Hopkins's repertoire included here.



From the first chords he plays on his amplified guitar we know it's Lightnin', his style is distinct. Styles changed in blues while Hopkins was on the scene, but his never did - and that was totally fine by me. Anybody interested in the blues needs to check out Lightnin' Hopkins if they haven't done so already. And this is the best of his early stuff. Go for it! [There's a Volume 2 on Arhoolie of additional Gold Star sides that is just as good as this CD; in fact, the two CDs are a tandem. Get both.]"