BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings, Vol. 5 : The Final Chapter (2CD) 1996 / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Bessie Smith cut 160 sides for the Columbia and OKeh labels between 1923 and 1933, and the four previous two-CD/cassette box sets of her complete recordings released in the 1990s covered 154 of them, which introduces the question, what can a fifth two-CD/cassette box set contain in addition to the remaining six cuts? First, there are five previously unreleased alternate takes; second, there is the 15-minute low-fi soundtrack to the two-reel short St. Louis Blues, which constitutes the only film of Smith; and third, taking up all of the second CD/cassette, there are 72 minutes of interview tapes of Ruby Smith, Bessie Smith's niece, who traveled as part of her show. The box contains a "Parental Advisory -- Explicit Lyrics" warning because of the nature of Ruby Smith's reminiscences. You won't learn much about Bessie Smith's music from her niece's remarks, but you will learn a lot about her sexual preferences. by William Ruhlmann

The last two-CD set in this five-volume collection contains a lot of curiosities, and several pieces of required listening as well: "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl," "Do Your Duty," and "Gimme a Pigfoot" are all here. For curiosities, there's the St. Louis Blues soundtrack, from a film short that contains the only footage of Smith. The second CD consists entirely of interviews with Smith's niece, Ruby Smith, which, while of secondary interest to the music, make for fascinating listening. In a gradual, rambling way, Ruby constructs an image of her famous aunt that reveals additional facets of the Empress of the Blues. by Genevieve Williams

Tracklist 1:

1. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl 2:50

2. Safety Mama 3:26

3. Do Your Duty 3:27

4. Gimme A Pigfoot 3:31

5. Take Me For A Buggy Ride 2:38

6. I'm Down In The Dumps 3:12

7. The Yellow Dog Blues 3:18

8. Soft Pedal Blues 3:22

9. Nashville Women's Blues 3:19

10. Careless Love Blues 3:30

11. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) 3:16

12. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Band Intro 0:45

13. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Crap Game 5:43

14. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - St. Louis Blues 8:19

 Tracklist 2:

1. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Bessie Disappears 4:50

2. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Waldorf-Astoria Party 7:15

3. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Bessie & Jack, I 2:52

4. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith Bessie & Jack II - Bessie & The Ladies 10:23

5. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Life On The Road, I 11:14

6. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Life On The Road, II 14:02

7. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith Bessie & Gertrude Saunders - Life On The Road, III 21:18

CD 1: tracks 1-6 - 20 November 1931 - 24 November 1933

CD 1: tracks 7-12 (Alternate Takes & Live) - 6 May 1925 - Late June 1929

CD 2: Ruby Smith Dialogue/Interview