Artist: Blind Blake
Title Of Album: All the Published Sides
Year Of Release: 2003
Label: JSP
Genre: Blues
Quality: flac
Art: scans
No.
Notes:
As with many comprehensive pre-1940s blues sets, especially those devoted to artists who recorded on the old Paramount label, the five-CD All the Published Sides set is both a godsend and a study in frustration. Paramount wasn't known for its high-quality pressings when it was in business, and its bankruptcy in the early '30s and the destruction of its masters completed the picture, as far as sound quality. That said, this set is a modest improvement over Document Records' various Blind Blake CD issues of the late '80s, as well as being significantly cheaper; there's still plenty of noise on some of the tracks, and even the third version of "West Coast Blues" -- the best-sounding side on disc one -- contains some minor noise and slight distortion. This pattern is repeated throughout the 110 sides, very clean-sounding 78s juxtaposed with what must be the most abominable condition sources imaginable. Nowhere is this more frustrating than what ought to be a highlight of the entire set, "Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It, Pt. 1" and "Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It, Pt. 2," pairing the almost primordial bluesman Papa Charlie Jackson with Blake -- yet neither side is in good enough shape to yield more than the most minimally audible playing and vocals; it's just possible to make use of that material, and it is followed by two wonderfully clean-sounding sides featuring Blake and "Chocolate Brown" Irene Scruggs, on which every nuance of his playing can be heard, and then two more that are in wretched shape. Those wildly variable tracks, however, pale next to the dazzling displays of music dexterity that pour out of Blake's fingers and off of his guitar -- he may well have been one of the great virtuoso talents of the 20th century, as you're reminded constantly on these CDs -- and his nearly as impressive vocal skills. The annotation is reasonably thorough if a bit repetitive; there's just not that much known about Blake's life or career -- the producers do appreciate the significance of such matters as his momentary move toward gospel music on "Beulah Land," and provide plenty about his occasional sidemen and collaborators, but basically this set is a lot like his whole legacy, brimming over with talent supported by precious little information. ~ Bruce Eder
Tracklist:
1. Dying Blues
2. Ashley St. Blues
3. Early Morning Blues
4. West Coast Blues
5. Too Tight
6. Blake's Worried Blues
7. Come On Boys Let's Do That Messin' Around
8. Tampa Bound
9. Skeedle Loo Doo Blues
10. Stonewall Street Blues
11. State Street Men Blues
12. Down The Country
13. Back Biting bee Blues
14. Wilson Dam
15. Buck-Town Blues
16. Black Dog Blues
17. One Time Blues
18. Bad Feelin' Blues
19. Dry Bone Shuffle
20. That Will Happen No More
21. Brownskin Mama Blues-Take 1
22. Brownskin Mama Blues-Take 2
23. Hard Road Blues
24. Hey Hey Daddy blues
25. Sea Board Stomp
26. You Gonna Quit Me Blues
27. Steel Mill Blues
28. Southern Rag
29. He's In The Jailhouse Now
30. Wabash Rag
31. Doggin' Me Mama Blues
32. CC Pill Blues
33. Hot Potato
34. Southbound Rag
35. Pay Day Daddy Blues
36. Elzadie's Policy Blues
37. Good-Bye Mama Moan
38. Tootie Blues
39. That Lovin' I Crave
40. That Lonesome Rave
41. Terrible Murder Blues
42. Leavin' Gal Blues
43. No Dough Blues
44. Lead Hearted Blues
45. Let Your Love Come Down
46. Rumblin' And Ramblin' Boa Contritctor Blues
47. Bootleg Rum Dum Blues
48. Detrioit Bound Blues
49. Beulah Land
50. Panther Squall Blues
51. Walkin' Across The Country
52. Search Warrant Blues
53. Ramblin' Mama Blues
54. New Style Of Loving
55. Back Door Slam Blues
56. Notoriety Woman Blues
57. Cold Hearted Mama Blues
58. Low Down Loving Gal
59. Sweet Papa Low Down
60. Poker Woman Blues
61. Doing A Strech
62. Fightin' The Jug
63. Hookworm Blues
64. Slippery rag
65. Hastings St
66. Diddie Wah Diddie
67. Too Tight Blues No.2
68. Chump Man blues
69. Ice Man Blues
70. Police Dog Blues
71. I Was Afraid Of That: Part 2
72. Georgia Bound
73. Keep It Home
74. Sweet Jivin' Mama
75. Lonesome Christmas Blues
76. Third Degree Blues
77. Guirtar Chimes
78. Blind Arthur's Breakdown
79. Baby Lou Blues
80. Cold Love Blues
81. Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It: Part 1
82. Papa Charlie And Blind Blake Talk About It: Part 2
83. Stingtree Man Blues
84. Itching Heel
85. You've Got What I Want
86. Cherry Hill Blues
87. Diddie Wah Diddie No.2
88. Hard Pushin' Papa
89. What A Lowdown Place The Jailhouse Is
90. Ain't Gonna Do That No More
91. Playing Policy Blues
92. Righteous Blues
93. Fancy Tricks
94. Rope Strechin' Blues: Part 2
95. Rope Strechin' Blues: Part 1
96. Champagne Charlie Is My Name
97. Depression's Gone From Me Blues
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