Search - Son House :: Preachin the Blues

Disappointing Cd

J. campbell | 07/16/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hi, unfortunately, this CD is not what the record company claims, or at least, not all of it is. The first track is supposed to be the recently recovered "lost" version of "Walkin' Blues", recorded at the same 1929 Grafton, Wisconsin sessions, the same time that tracks 2-7 were done. It is obvious that this is the version of Walkin' Blues that was recorded later by Alan Lomax, with Leroy Williams on harmonica. When I pointed this out to the company, after purchasing this album, they basically said, "oops, oh well!" and offered no fix for it.The 1929 Grafton tracks and teh later Lomax - Library of Congress tracks are all phenomenal records, and a must have. But All have appeared on several other Son House collections. If you are buying this, as I was, for the "lost" walkin blues track, you're better off sticking with The Complete Library of Congress sessions, which contains the same tracks, but labelled correctly."

Intense, gripping, moving.

J. campbell | 07/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Son House was a legend. A contemporary of Charlie patton and an influence to Robert Johnson and countless others, his contribution to the blues cannot be overstated. Son House was the real thing. He didn't play blues as a style, but as a direct form of expression. He was intense. Once you've heard Son House, you're not likely to forget him. A highly religious and reverential man, Son house wrestled with the dichotomy he feared existed between serving the lord and serving the music of the devil. Rather than falling in the middle of the road or giving alienated performances, however, Son House used the very friction he felt existed between these two worlds to fuel and deliver his impassioned music.And sadly, for such an important artist, his recorded legacy is rather scant. Prior to his rediscovery in the 60's, all that exists are 6 titles recorded in the 30's and an album's worth of material recorded by Alan Lomax in the early 40's. And it is from these recordings that Preachin the Blues collects its material.Preachin the Blues gives an excellent, nearly complete, overview of Son House's pre 60's recordings. The recording fidelity is rather poor on some cuts, but one listen will reveal that Son House is obviously doing more than his fair share on the other side of the hiss and pops. And besides, these early recordings are the only window we have into this important artist's seminal years. Powerful and moving. Not to be missed."