THE BEALE STREET SHEIKS (Stokes & Sane) – Frank Stokes' Complete Paramount Recordings In Chronological Order (1927-1929) DOCD-5012 (1990) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Forget the shaky sound and noise on some of the tracks, and the slightly sketchy notes, and the fact that some tracks on this supposedly "complete" collection are missing -- these are Paramount recordings, and we're lucky to have what we do, as good as it does sound. What's here are 19 songs cut by Frank Stokes and Dan Sane between August of 1927 and March of 1929. Included are lyrics on numbers like "You Shall" (in two different versions, either one worth the price of the disc) that constitute historical artifacts, going back to the era of slavery; topical songs like "Mr. Crump Don't Like It," that tell of Memphis's life and death as a blues Mecca; and infectiously catchy pieces like the sly, witty, supposedly anti-prostitution pieces like "It's a Good Thing" (also in two different versions). At their best, which is most of this CD, they had an appeal that transcended the decades -- the interweaving of the two guitars is about as tight as anything in blues, the rhythms are catchy, and the vocal phrasing by Stokes is delicious. Bruce Eder

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. It was in 1927 that Frank Stokes and Dan Sane made their first recordings for Paramount, by which time they were one of the tightest blues guitar, with Sane’s flat-picked embellishments sliding through Stokes’ strong but nimble rhythms like fish through the sea. Jazzin’ The Blues, whose title defers to fashion, has one sung verse, but is thereafter an instrumental showpiece, with Frank Stokes calling out the chord changes (doubtless already agreed) to Dan Sane. Outside music, Stokes worked as a blacksmith, and his guitar playing has a metalworker’s combination of strength and precision. He was also blessed with an exceptionally powerful voice, and impressive breath control, as may be heard on It’s A Good Thing. The two men were billed as the Beale Street Sheiks, and Stokes songs often refer to Memphis, as on Beale Town Bound and Mr. Crump Don’t Like It, a topical adaptation of ‘Mama Don’t Allow’ that refers to local politician E.H. Crump, a segregationist, but one who realised the value of black votes. Along with the blues that became popular when they were growing up, Frank Stokes and Dan Sane played older, medicine show and minstrel songs like Last Go Round. You Shall includes verses that date back to slavery, and Chicken, You Can Roost Behind The Moon is related to a song published in 1899. In his blues, Stokes projects an image of himself as a rounder, playing the field with women; It’s A Good Thing is a sly, extended joke on this image, with Stokes attacking prostitution, but concluding that ‘one woman’ll never do’ for him. In 1928, the duo switched to Victor (see Document DOCD-5013), but they returned to Paramount for one session in 1929, from which six songs were issued, with a seventh surviving as a test pressing. They were still combining blues with the hokum of the medicine show and the street: Wasn’t That Doggin’ Me lies somewhere between the two, and Rockin’ On The Hill Blues features crosstalk that still sounds funny and spontaneous, even when Sane uses the most overworked slogan of black music in the ’20s, ‘Tight like that!’ They were fond of a little figure in dotted rhythm; it occurs several times on their records, never more effectively than on Hunting Blues, where it appropriately mimics the hunters’ horn call. Original 78 rpm records of the Beale Street Sheiks fall into the ‘extremely rare’ category, suggesting that their records sold in low quantities, perhaps poorly. Perhaps the duo’s style sounded a little aged for the record buying public who also had the choice of the merriment and ‘low down, dirty blues’ of the Memphis Jug Band or the slick slide guitar playing of the young Furry Lewis or the driving blues of the feisty Memphis Minnie. Yet the music of the Beale Street Sheiks is regarded as a pure delight and a wonderful insight into blues carried forward by two older men who were there at the beginning. DOCD-5012
Tracklist :
1    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    You Shall    2:46
2    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    It's A Good Thing    2:52
3    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Sweet To Mama    2:52
4    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Half Cup Of Tea    2:50
5    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Beale Town Bound    2:50
6    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Last Go Round    2:53
7    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Jazzin' The Blues    2:45
8    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    You Shall    2:40
9    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    It's A Good Thing    2:55
10    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Mr. Crump Don't Like It    2:36
11    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Chicken You Can Roost Behind The Moon    3:03
12    Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes And Sane)–    Blues In "D"    2:40
13    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Ain't Goin' To Do Like I Used To Do    2:50
14    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Hunting Blues    3:03
15    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Rockin' On The Hill Blues    3:08
16    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Fillin' In Blues - Part 1    3:05
17    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Fillin' In Blues - Part 2    3:12
18    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Wasn't That Doggin' Me    3:06
19    The Beale Street Sheiks–    Jumpin' On The Hill    3:03
Credits :
The Beale Street Sheiks (Stokes & Sane) :
Frank Stokes, Vocal / Guitar; Dan Sane, Guitar/Speech

FRANK STOKES — The Complete Victor Recordings in Chronological Order (1928-1929) DOCD-5013 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. With nearly forty songs issued on record, some of them in two parts, Frank Stokes was one of the most extensively recorded of the Memphis blues singers of the ’20s; only Jim Jackson’s total of recordings is comparable, and many of Jackson’s were remakes of “Kansas City Blues”. Like Jackson, Stokes blends blues with songs from the medicine shows and from the ragtime days of his childhood. Not only was his repertoire one of the most interesting of its time, it was superbly sung, and backed, whether solo, in partnership with Dan Sane, or with Will Batts, by some of the most accomplished and appropriate blues and ragtime playing on record. When Victor’s field recording unit came to Memphis early in 1928, among the black musicians waiting for it was Frank Stokes. Not only was his repertoire one of the most interesting of its time, it was superbly sung, and backed, whether solo, in partnership or with Will Batts, by some of the most accomplished and appropriate blues and ragtime playing on record. He had already made records for Paramount with his regular partner, Dan Sane (see Document DOCD-5012), and it was probably with Sane that he cut his first session for Victor. At this session, in February 1928, the emphasis was on blues, rather than the older songs that were also part of Stokes’ repertoire; but when Victor returned in August, to record Stokes solo, he played I Got Mine, one of a body of pre-blues songs about gambling, stealing and living high. More up to date was Nehi Mamma Blues, which puns on the Nehi soft drink and the knee high skirts that were the fashion sensation of the jazz Age. Dan Sane rejoined Frank Stokes for the second day of the August 1928 session, and they produced a remarkable two-part version of Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do, a song well known in versions by Bessie Smith and Jimmy Witherspoon, but one which pre-dates blues recording. 1929 saw Frank Stokes and Dan Sane briefly rejoining Paramount, and resuming their “Beale Street Sheiks” (see Document DOCD-5012) billing, but in September Stokes was back on Victor to make his last recordings, with Dan Sane replaced by the fiddle of their string band associate Will Batts. Many of his songs were autobiographical as both the promiscuous ladies’ man and as the rejected lover pleading for another chance. Will Batts matches his varying moods perfectly whether with bouncy chords on the macho South Memphis or with the seductive, shimmering melody on Right Now Blues that obeys Stokes’ injunction, “Don’t be rough with me Batts, be easy like you used to”. DOCD-5013

This 20-song compilation of Frank Stokes' late-'20s recordings for the Victor label is a more expansive version of the Stokes collection available on Yazoo Records, with very little overlap between the two. The sound is variable, as is usually the case with Document's releases, some songs sounding like they came from decent master sources and others purely of academic interest, in terms of the playback quality. What isn't variable is the quality of Stokes' playing, singing, and songwriting, which is filled with wry humor throughout, veiling a certain degree of pride and restlessness, and all manner of clever lyrical and musical conceits. This disc is well worth owning in tandem with CDs devoted to Stokes' work with the Mississippi Sheiks. Bruce Eder
Tracklist :
1     Downtown Blues 3:14
Dan Sane / Frank Stokes
2     Downtown Blues 3:15
Dan Sane / Frank Stokes
3     Bedtime Blues 3:00
Frank Stokes
4     What's the Matter Blues 3:07
Frank Stokes
5     Mistreatin' Blues 3:19
Frank Stokes
6     It Won't Be Long Now 3:25
Frank Stokes
7     It Won't Be Long Now 3:06
Frank Stokes
8     Nehi Mamma Blues 3:08
Frank Stokes
9     I Got Mine 3:10
Frank Stokes
10     Stomp That Thing 3:22
Frank Stokes
11     'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do, Pt. 1 (Take 1) 3:25
Porter Grainger / Robert Prince / Clarence Williams
12     'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do, Pt. 2 3:18
Porter Grainger / Robert Prince / Clarence Williams
13     'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do, Pt. 1 (Take 2) 3:19
Porter Grainger / Robert Prince / Clarence Williams
14     Take Me Back 3:12
Frank Stokes
15     How Long 3:22
Frank Stokes
16     South Memphis Blues 2:56
17     Bunker Hill Blues 02:56
18     Right Now Blues 3:07
19     Shiney Town Blues 3:08
20     Frank Stokes' Dream 2:55
Frank Stokes          
21     Memphis Rounders Blues 2:48
Credits :
Guitar – Dan Sane (faixas: 1 to 4, 11 to 15)
Violin – Will Batts (faixas: 16 to 19)
Vocals, Guitar – Frank Stokes