Blues' Blues

The Blues Masters series, much to Rhino`s credit, adopts an expansive definition of blues, allowing the likes of Count Basie, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Muddy Waters and even Louis Prima admission. There is none of the purist`s quibbling over strict 12-bar form or the relative significance of prewar and postwar styles.
What Rhino delivers instead is the blues in all its myriad guises. This music is old and new, black and white, acoustic and electric, folksy and jazzy, performed by women and men, and yet it is all still blues at its core.

Various Artists - Nothing But The Blues 1923-1948 (1998) {40CD Box Set Remastered - The International Music Company AG}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 5.16 Gb
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© 1923-48, 1998 The International Music Company AG, Germany | 201931-302 A/B ~ 201950-302 A/B
Blues / Traditional Blues / Acoustic Blues / Electric Blues / Regional Blues / Folk Blues

40 CD box set. Artists include John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, Mississippi John Hurt, Memphis Minnie, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Williams and many more. 725 tracks all digitally remastered to enhance the original recordings without manipulating the character of the music. Recordings made between 1923 and 1948. 20 double slimline jewel cases housed together in a cardboard box.

This Dutch blues band was formed in the Hague around 1967, becoming a regular outfit from 1969. The early line-up included Bjorn Toll (vocals), John Lagrand (harmonica), Ted Oberg (guitar), Ruud Fransen (bass) and Niek Dijkhuys (drums) but although the name remained wholesale changes soon took place, bringing in a new singer, Nicko Christiansen, and new bass and drums, Peter Kleinjan and Beer Klaasse, the latter pair being swiftly replaced by Gerard Strutbaum and Cesar Zuiderwijk, while keyboard player Henk Smitskamp was added. Other changes followed through the 70s, by which time the band’s repertoire was more inclined towards rock. Musicians involved included bass players Ruud van Buuren, Jan van der Voort, Jaap van Eijk and André Reynen, drummers John Lejeune, Herman van Boeyen, Cor van Beek, Michel Driessen, Kenny Lamb and Arjen Kamminga; the latter pair played in the band simultaneously for a spell…

This set includes music perfect for Halloween that isn't actually about Halloween, although everything included here is definitely scary on one level or another. Consisting of vintage jazz and blues tracks issued between 1925 and 1961, there are plenty of songs here about devils and witches, including Tampa Red's "Witchin' Hour Blues," Sippie Wallace's "Devil Dance Blues," and the Mississippi Sheiks' "I Am the Devil," among others. There's also a classic version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins doing his signature tune, "I Put a Spell on You," this one done with the Leroy Kirkland Orchestra.

For fans of the American blues-rock Good Whiskey Blues - just a gift. Cool melodies, captivating rhythms, original things … and what voice !? Bluesmen such as Bleu Jackson, Freddie & The Screamers, Sy Clopps, would look absolutely win-win next to any superstar, and slide guitar of Michael Henderson is not worse than, say, the same Dave Hole.

This three-CD set documents some historic country-blues performances by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Mance Lipscomb. The urban side of things is well represented by Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters with Otis Spann, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The Chambers Brothers turning in a riveting rendition of “See See Rider.” Included here are 11 previously unreleased tracks. A must for acoustic-blues fans.

This four-disc, 68-track collection paints a broad definition of the blues, with cuts ranging from vintage country blues (Robert Johnson's “Cross Road Blues,” Son House's “Death Letter Blues”) to uptown jazz blues (Nina Simone's “Blues for My Mama,” Billie Holiday's “Billie’s Blues”), Chicago blues (a live version of “Howling Wolf” by Muddy Waters), British blues (Jeff Beck's “JB’s Blues”), and contemporary acoustic blues (“Am I Wrong” by Keb' Mo'), with plenty of stops in between, making for a random but varied playlist that circles the different approaches and musical definitions of the genre.