Perfect companion to "Down in the Basement"
J. Davis | Music Fan | 12/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This soundtrack from the documentary film about record collector Joe Bussard, which was also entitled "Desperate Man Blues", is a terrific addition to the CD collection "Down In The Basement: Joe Bussard's Treasure Trove of Vintage 78s 1926-1937" (featuring the likes of Uncle Dave Macon, Rev. Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, and the Stripling Brothers). If you are even a thousandth as interested in classic country, blues, and folk music recordings as that notorious old curmudgeon Bussard, you will delight in these songs from the 20s through the 50s (after which, of course, no music worth recording has ever been produced, at least according to Bussard, the old coot). Macon and the Striplings also make an appearance on this album, along with Robert, Lonnie, and Willie Johnson, as well as Charlie Patton, Son House, the Carter Family, and many other more obscure artists. Bussard is heard making parenthetical (and typically irascible) comments between songs, and his opinionated remarks also serve as liner notes."