BLIND WILLIE McTELL - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Vol.3 (1927-1931) DOCD 5008 (1990) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Blind Willie McTell's final pre-war sessions are the subject of the third and last disc in Document's series. The set begins with a September 1933 session covering a wide range of stylistic ground, ranging from the songster staple "Honey Fare Thee Well" (covered here as "East St. Louis Blues") to Bumble Bee Slim's "B and O Blues"; most remarkable is "Bell Street Lightnin'," a gripping and vivid portrait of Depression-era life at its most tragic. The final dates, from April 1935, comprise McTell's material for Decca, recorded with wife Kate and guitarist Curley Weaver; assembled in large part of gospel material, they also include "Hillbilly Willie's Blues," an overt and hugely entertaining attempt to appeal to the Southern white listening audience. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist:
01. B And O Blues No. 2 (take 1)
02. B And O Blues No. 2 (take 2)
03. Weary Hearted Blues
04. Bell Street Lightnin'
05. Southern Can Mama
06. Runnin' Me Crazy
07. East St. Louis Blues (Fare You Well)
08. Ain't It Grand To Be A Christian
17. Lay Some Flowers On My Grave
09. We Got To Meet Death One Day (take A)
10. We Got To Meet Death One Day (take B)
11. Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around
12. I Got Religion, I'm So Glad
13. Dying Gambler
14. God Don't Like It
15. Bell Street Blues
16. Let Me Play With Yo' Yo-Yo
18. Ticket Agent Blues
19. Cold Winter Day
20. Your Time To Worry
21. Cooling Board Blues
22. Hillbilly Willie's Blues

BLIND WILLIE McTELL - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Vol.2 (1927-1931) DOCD 5007 (1990) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The second volume in Document's series opens with the first of two October 1931 sessions pairing Blind Willie McTell with the Atlanta street singer Ruth Willis; although her vocals remain the primary focus, these tracks contain some of McTell's most impressive instrumental work, with his playing deceptively simple and loose. Curley Weaver lends second guitar to a number of other performances, allowing McTell's 12-string to return to its proper position of prominence; also included are his early excursions into gospel, with performances of "Lord Have Mercy If You Please" and "Don't You See How This World Made a Change" distinguished by some devastating slide work.Jason Ankeny
Tracklist:
01. Rough Alley Blues (w Ruth Willis, Vcl)
02. Experience Blues (w Ruth Willis, Vcl)
03. Painful Blues (w Ruth Willis, Vcl)
04. Low Rider's Blues
05. Georgia Rag
06. Low Down Blues (w Ruth Willis, Vcl)
07. Rollin' Mamma Blues
08. Lonesome Day Blues
09. Mamma, Let Me Scoop For You
10. Searching The Desert For The Blues
11. Warm It Up To Me
12. It's Your Time To Worry
13. It's A Good Little Thing
14. You Was Born To Die
15. Lord Have Mercy If You Please
16. Don't You See How This World Made A Change
17. Savannah Mamma
18. Broke Down Engine
19. Broke Down Engine No. 2
20. My Baby's Gone
21. Love-Makin' Mamma
22. Death Room Blues
23. Death Cell Blues
24. Lord, Send Me An Angel

BLIND WILLIE McTELL - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Vol.1 (1927-1931) DOCD 5006 (1990) FLAC (tracks), lossless

 Of all the compilations of McTell's early work, this is probably the most rewarding, because it includes both his Victor songs (including "Statesboro Blues") and his Columbia sides (which have been issued separately by Columbia-Legacy), and RCA-BMG seems to be in no hurry to put any of the Victor material out as a comprehensive collection. The songs all have some noise -- there are no "masters" to speak of on acoustic blues of this vintage -- but none of it is overly obtrusive, and the orderly chronology is very illuminating. Subsequent volumes from Document are also worthwhile, but Sony-Legacy does have superior workmanship in dealing with much of the same material. Bruce Eder
Tracklist:
01. Writin' Paper Blues
02. Stole Rider Blues
03. Mama,'Tain't Long Fo' Day
04. Mr. McTell Got The Blues #1
05. Mr. McTell Got The Blues #2
06. Three Women Blues
07. Dark Night Blues
08. Statesboro Blues
09. Loving Talking Blues
10. Atlanta Strut
11. Travelin' Blues
12. Come On Around To My House Mama
13. Kind Mama
14. Teasing Brown
15. Drive Away Blues
16. This Is Not The Stove To Brown Your Bread
17. Love Changing Blues
18. Talkin' To Myself
19. Razor Ball
20. Southern Can Is Mine
21. Broke Down Engine Blues
22. Stomp Down Rider
23. Scarey Day Blues