Showing posts with label Bessie Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bessie Smith. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Various - Worried Life Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:45
Size: 111.6 MB
Styles: Folk/Gospel/Blues, Acoustic blues
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. Sonny Boy Williamson II - Good Morning School Girl
[2:20] 2. Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup - My Baby Left Me
[2:53] 3. Big Maceo - Worried Life Blues
[3:11] 4. St. Louis Jimmy - Going Down Slow
[3:05] 5. Memphis Slim - Grinder Man Blues
[3:21] 6. Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go
[3:05] 7. Lead Belly - Midnight Special
[2:56] 8. Tampa Red - Sweet Little Angel
[3:35] 9. Tommy Johnson - Canned Heat Blues
[2:51] 10. Robert Petway - Catfish Blues
[3:15] 11. Alberta Hunter - Beale Street Blues
[2:50] 12. Big Bill Broonzy - Keep Your Hands Off Her
[2:56] 13. Lilgreen - Why Don't You Do Right
[2:55] 14. Sleepy John Estes - The Girl I Love, She Got Long, Curly Hair
[3:25] 15. Bessie Smith - Down Hearted Blues
[3:01] 16. Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - How Blue Can You Get (Downhearted)

In the year of blues, amid the Martin Scorsese films and their requisite 30 CDs of material, other labels with substantial blues holdings got in on the act to (over)saturate the market. The good news is that a lot of material came out on CD for the first time, interesting anthologies abounded, and even the harder to find works by major and mid-level artists came to the fore. Worried Life Blues is just such a collection from BMG's massive Bluebird vaults. These 16 recordings are a who's who of the pre- and WWII era (only one cut, "Sweet Little Angel" by Tampa Red, was recorded after 1948). From Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues," Bessie Smith's "Downhearted Blues," and Leadbelly's "Midnight Special" to Tommy Johnson's "Canned Heat Blues," Big Joe Williams' "Baby, Please Don't Go," Big Bill Broonzy's "Keep Your Hands Off Her," and Alberta Hunter's "Beale Street Blues," this collection runs the gamut of prewar blues. There are a couple of real surprises here, tracks not usually included on blues compilations -- though they should be: Robert Petway's "Catfish Blues," Lil Green's "Why Don't You Do Right," St. Louis Jimmy's "Goin' Down Slow," and Johnny Moore's Blazers read of "How Blue Can You Get." In all, this is a fine-sounding, well-compiled set with great notes by no less than Colin Escott. ~Thom Jurek

Worried Life Blues mc
Worried Life Blues zippy

Monday, June 27, 2016

Bessie Smith - The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:01
Size: 126.0 MB
Styles: Classic female blues, Early jazz
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[3:24] 1. Downhearted Blues
[3:27] 2. 'tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
[3:11] 3. My Sweetie Went Away
[3:09] 4. Weeping Willow Blues
[3:08] 5. St. Louis Blues
[3:03] 6. Reckless Blues
[3:27] 7. You've Been A Good Ole Wagon
[3:20] 8. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle
[3:08] 9. Young Woman's Blues
[3:06] 10. Muddy Water
[3:11] 11. Mean Old Bed Bug Blues
[6:22] 12. Empty Bed Blues, Pts. 1-2
[2:57] 13. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
[3:07] 14. Black Mountain Blues
[3:25] 15. Do Your Duty
[3:29] 16. Gimme A Pigfoot (And A Bottle Of Beer)

While there's no denying the importance and quality of Columbia/Legacy's Complete Recordings series, nine discs may seem a bit intimidating to the newcomer. Collection, a mid-priced, 16-track collection which spans most of Smith's career, ultimately does a better service to the casual listener with a limited budget. This is probably the best introduction -- undoubtedly many will seek out the more comprehensive packages afterward. ~Chris Woodstra

The Collection