MA RAINEY - Mother of the Blues (2007) RM / 5CD BOX SET / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This superb five-disc box set gives a sweeping overview of the hugely influential music of blues legend Ma Rainey. Rainey was already a seasoned performer by the time she made her first recordings in 1923, and though she only recorded for six years she cut over 100 songs, many of which went on to become blues classics. Those tunes, including "C.C. Rider," "Bo Weavil Blues," and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," are here, alongside dozens of other gems. Rainey ranged across styles and settings, from acoustic blues to jazz to jug bands, but her saucy, gritty vocal delivery remained a lynchpin. Given the historical impact of Rainey's output, the set's title--MOTHER OF THE BLUES--is no understatement.  by AllMusic

Disc A : Featuring Tommy Ladnier & Lovie Austin

A-1 Bad Luck Blues

A-2 Boweavil Blues: 1

A-3 Boweavil Blues: 2

A-4 Barrel House Blues

A-5 Those All Night Long Blues: 1

A-6 Those All Night Long Blues: 2

A-7 Moonshine Blues

A-8 Last Minute Blues

A-9 Southern Blues

A-10 Walking Blues

A-11 Lost Wandering Blues

A-12 Dream Blues

A-13 Honey, Where You Been So Long?

A-14 Ya Da Do: 2

A-15 Ya Da Do: 3

A-16 Those Dogs Of Mine

A-17 Lucky Rock Blues

A-18 South Bound Blues

A-19 Lawd, Send Me A Man Blues

A-20 Ma Rainey's Mystery Record

Disc B : Featuring Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson & Louis Armstrong

B-1 Shave 'Em Dry Blues

B-2 Farewell Daddy Blues

B-3 Booze And Blues

B-4 Toad Frog Blues

B-5 Jealous Hearted Blues

B-6 See See Rider Blues, Pt. 1

B-7 See See Rider Blues, Pt. 2

B-8 Jelly Bean Blues

B-9 Countin' The Blues, Pt. 1

B-10 Countin The Blues, Pt. 2

B-11 Cell Bound Blues

B-12 Army Camp Harmony Blues, Pt. 1

B-13 Army Camp Harmony Blues, Pt. 2

B-14 Explaining The Blues, Pt. 1

B-15 Explaining The Blues, Pt. 2

B-16 Louisiana Hoo-Doo Blues

B-17 Goodbye Dady Blues

B-18 Stormy Sea Blues

B-19 Rough And Tumble Blues

B-20 Night Time Blues, Pt. 1

B-21 Night Time Blues, Pt. 2

B-22 Levee Camp Moan

B-23 Four Day Honorary Scat, Pt. 1

B-24 Four Day Honorary Scat, Pt. 2

B-25 Memphis Bound Blues

Disc C : Featuring Buster Bailey, Fletcher Henderson & Coleman Hawkins

C-1 Slave To The Blues

C-2 Yonder Comes The Blues

C-3 Titanic Man Blues, Pt. 1

C-4 Titanic Man Blues, Pt. 2

C-5 Chain Gang Blues

C-6 Bessemer Bound Blues, Pt. 1

C-7 Bessemer Bound Blues, Pt. 2

C-8 Oh My Babe Blues

C-9 Wring And Twisting Blues

C-10 Stack O'Lee Blues

C-11 Breaken Hearted Blues

C-12 Jealousy Blues

C-13 Seeking Blues, Pt. 1

C-14 Seeking Blues, Pt. 2

C-15 Mountain Jack Blues, Pt. 1

C-16 Mountain Jack Blues, Pt. 3

C-17 Down In The Basement

C-18 Sissy Blues

C-19 Broken Soul Blues

C-20 Trust No Man

Disc D : Blind Blake, Kid Ory & Claude Hopkins

D-1 Morning Hour Blues

D-2 Weeping Woman Blues

D-3 Soon This Morning

D-4 Little Low Mama Blues

D-5 Grievin' Hearted Blues

D-6 Don't Fish In My Sea

D-7 Big Boy Blues

D-8 Blues Oh Blues

D-9 Damper Down Blues

D-10 Gone Dady Blues, Pt. 1

D-11 Oh Papa Blues

D-12 Misery Blues

D-13 Dead Drunk Blues

D-14 Slow Driving Moan

D-15 Blues The World Forgot, Pt. 1

D-16 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

D-17 Blues The World Forgot, Pt. 2

D-18 Hellish Rag

D-19 Georgia Cake Walk

D-20 New Bo Weavil Blues

D-21 Moonshine Blues

D-22 Ice Bag Papa

Disc E : Featuring Georgia Tom Dorsey, Tampa Red & Papa Charlie Jackson

E-1 Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues

E-2 Log Camp Blues

E-3 Hear Me Talking To You

E-4 Hustlin' Blues

E-5 Prove It To Me Blues

E-6 Victim Of The Blues

E-7 Traveling Blues, Pt. 1

E-8 Traveling Blues, Pt. 2

E-9 Deep Moaning Blues, Pt. 1

E-10 Deep Moaning Blues, Pt. 2

E-11 Daddy Goodbye Blues

E-12 Sleep Talking Blues, Pt. 1

E-13 Sleep Talking Blues, Pt. 2

E-14 Tough Luck Blues

E-15 Blame It On The Blues

E-16 Sweet Rough Man

E-17 Runaway Blues

E-18 Screech Owl Blues

E-19 Black Dust Blues

E-20 Leaving This Morning

E-21 Black Eye Blues, Pt. 1

E-22 Black Eye Blues, Pt. 2

E-23 Ma And Pa Poorhouse Blues

E-24 Big Feeling Blues

CHARLEY PATTON – Complete Recordings 1929-1934 (2002) RM | 5CD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

At the end of just the first disc on this five-CD set, the listener may feel like he/she was in the audio equivalent of a visual "white-out," so powerful are the sounds on that disc. From the opening bars of"Pony Blues," Charley Patton becomes a gigantic musical presence, who gets even bigger as his work goes on; with a guttural, stentorian voice that paves the way for everyone from Louis Armstrong to early Bob Dylan -- but especially for Howlin' Wolf -- he cuts through the poor condition surviving Paramount pressings like a call from the Great Beyond, almost unnaturally powerful and expressive in its smallest gesture. What's more, Patton must have broken more than his share of strings, because his playing also comes through on these sides better than almost any artist that ever recorded for Paramount, even on ruined masters like "Pea Vine Blues." This is all a lot more than a trip through history for the scholar, and some sides are just too close to some classics of the future to ignore -- "Down In The Dirt Road Blues," which could be where Willie Dixon got the idea for "Down In The Bottom," and the notion that Howlin' Wolf was the man to record it; similarly, "Some Summer Day," from the other end of Patton's career, could easily have been the demo for "Sittin' On Top Of The World" -- actually, the geneology of both songs is a lot more complicated than that, but each of these could easily have been a key part of the evolutionary chain for one or the other. And there is a raw, primordial power to Patton's music that not only grabs the listener but leaves them wanting more; that's why this box makes perfect sense, even for the casual blues listener -- the man never recorded a second-rate side or one that didn't offer at least a few of the attributes that made his best work so powerful. On a cautionary note, however, the producers have actually been a bit misleading by presenting this set as 92 sides by Charley Patton -- there are actually 63 sides by Patton, and the rest, appended to each disc, are recordings by other artists and are believed to have featured Patton, playing and singing or just playing, and people who were featured on Patton's sides; the latter two groups include Son House, Louise Johnson, Henry "Son" Sims, and Willie Brown, with the Big Delta Four filling out the last disc. And these sides offer some fascinating sounds, including killer tracks by Son House in his prime, and oddities like Brown's "Future Blues," which lifts part of its content from Jimmie Rodgers' repertory. The audio is remarkably consistent and, in fact, the whole set is so rewarding, that it raises an interesting notion -- might JSP or another enterprising label consider doing a series of Paramount Records boxes, assembling the surviving sides, blues, gospel, or whatever, in chronological order, as Bear Family did with Sun Records a few years back?  Bruce Eder 

 

 Disc: 1

1. Pony Blues

2. Spoonful Blues

3. Down The Dirt Road Blues

4. Prayer Of Death

5. Prayer Of Death

6. Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues

7. Banty Rooster Blues

8. Tom Rushen Blues

9. It Won't Be Long

10. Shake It And Break It (But Don't Let It Fall Mama)

11. Pea Vine Blues

12. Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues

13. Lord I'm Discouraged

14. I'm Goin' Home

15. Snatch It And Grab It

16. Rag Blues

17. How Come Mama Blues

18. Voice Throwin' Blues

Disc: 2

1. Hammer Blues

2. I Shall Not Be Moved

3. High Water Everywhere

4. High Water Everywhere

5. I Shall Not Be Moved

6. Rattlesnake Blues

7. Going To Move To Alabama

8. Hammer Blues

9. Joe Kirby

10. Frankie And Albert

11. Magnolia Blues

12. Devil Sent The Rain Blues

13. Runnin' Wild Blues

14. Some Happy Day

15. Mean Black Moan

16. Green River Blues

17. That's My Man

18. Honey Dripper Blues: No. 2

19. Eight Hour Woman

20. Nickel's Worth Of Liver Blues: No 2

Disc: 3

1. Some Of These Days I'll Be Gone

2. Elder Green Blues

3. Jim Lee

4. Jim Lee

5. Mean Black Cat Blues

6. Jesus Is A-Dying

7. Elder Green Blues

8. When Your Way Gets Dark

9. Some Of These Days I'll Be Gone

10. Heart Like Railwood Steel

11. Circle Round The Moon

12. You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die

13. Be True Be True Blues

14. Farrell Blues

15. Tell Me Man Blues

16. Come Back Corrina

Disc: 4

1. Some Summer Day

2. Bird Nest Bound

3. Future Blues

4. M & O Blues

5. Walkin' Blues

6. My Black Mama

7. My Black Mama

8. Preachin' The Blues

9. Preachin' The Blues

10. Dry Spell Blues

11. Dry Spell Blues

12. All Night Long Blues

13. On the Wall

14. All Night Long Blues

15. By The Moon And Stars

16. Long Ways From Home

Disc: 5

1. Dry Well Blues

2. Moon Going Down

3. We All Gonna Face The Rising Sun

4. Moaner Let's Go Down In The Valley

5. Jesus Got His Arms Around Me

6. God Won't Forsake His Own

7. I'll Be Here

8. Where Was Eve Sleeping

9. I Know My Time Ain't Long

10. Watch And Pray

11. High Sheriff Blues

12. Stone Pony Blues

13. Jersey Bull Blues

14. Hang It On The Wall

15. 34 Blues

16. Love My Stuff

17. Poor Me

18. Revenue Man Blues

19. Troubled 'Bout My Mother

20. Oh Death

21. Yellow Bee

22. Mind Reader Blues

 Credits :
Baritone Vocals – Will Mosely (faixas: 5-3 to 5-10)
Bass Vocals – Archie Smith (faixas: 5-3 to 5-10)
Lead Vocals – Wheeler Ford (faixas: 5-3 to 5-10)
Tenor Vocals – Ivory Lou Allen (faixas: 5-3 to 5-10)
Vocals – Bertha Lee (faixas: 5-19 to 5-22)
Vocals, Fiddle – Henry Sims (faixas: 3-13 to 3-16)
Vocals, Guitar – Walter Hawkins (faixas: 1-15 to 1-18), Charley Patton (faixas: 1-1 to 1-3, 1-7 to 1-11, 1-13, 1-14, 2-1 to 2-16, 3-1 to 3-12, 4-1, 4-2, 5-1, 5-2, 5-11 to 5-20), Elder J J Hadley (faixas: 1-4, 1-5), Son House (faixas: 4-5 to 4-11), The Masked Marvel (faixas: 1-6, 1-12), Willie Brown (faixas: 4-3, 4-4)
Vocals, Piano – Edith North Johnson (faixas: 2-17 to 2-20), Louise Johnson (faixas: 4-12 to 4-16)

IDA COX - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order, Vol. 2 (1924-1925) DOCD-5323 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Unlike most of her contemporaries, who spent at least part of their time singing vaudeville-type material and pop songs, Ida Cox stuck throughout her career to the blues. On the second of four Document CDs that reissue all of her 1920s material (although some of the many alternate takes are bypassed), Cox is mostly accompanied by either Lovie Austin's Blues Serenaders (which usually includes cornetist Tommy Ladnier and clarinetist Jimmy O'Bryant, although the great Johnny Dodds is on six selections) or, on one date, members of Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra. The recording quality of these Paramount 78s (which cover a 13-month period) is erratic, but there are a few classics here, including "Chicago Monkey Man Blues" (which has some lyrics that would later be used for "Going to Chicago"), "Blues Ain't Nothin' Else But," "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues" and "Death Letter Blues." Throughout, Ida Cox (who was second to Bessie Smith at the time) is quite consistent, making the most of her limitations. Recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist  :
1 Mean Lovin' Man Blues (Take 3)  2:49
Accompanied By – The Pruit Twins
Banjo – Milas Pruitt
Guitar – Miles Pruitt
Vocals – Ida Cox
2 Down The Road Bound Blues (Take 2)  3:20
Accompanied By – The Pruit Twins
Banjo – Milas Pruitt
Guitar – Miles Pruitt
Vocals – Ida Cox
3 Last Time Blues (Take 2)  2:58
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano, Leader – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
4 Worried Any How Blues  3:04
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano, Leader – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
5 Chicago Monkey Man Blues (Take 1)  2:58
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano, Leader – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
6 Chicago Monkey Man Blues (Take 2)  2:52
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano, Leader – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
7 Mean Papa Turn Your Key  3:03
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano, Leader – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
8 Blues Ain't Nothin' Else But! (Take 2)  3:13
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Unknown Artist
Piano – Lovie Austin
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Ida Cox
9 Worried In Mind Blues (Take 1)  2:58
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone [Poss.] – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant, Stump Evans
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
10 My Mean Man Blues (Take 1)  2:42
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Alto Saxophone [Poss.] – Charles Harris 
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant, Stump Evans
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
11 Kentucky Man Blues  2:58
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
12 Cherry Picking Blues  3:19
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
13 Wild Women Don't Have The Blues  2:27
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
14 Worried In Mind Blues (Take 3)  3:00
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
15 Death Letter Blues  3:04
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
16 My Mean Man Blues (Take 4)  2:36
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
Clarinet – Johnny Dodds
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
17 Those Married Man Blues  2:52
Accompanied By – Her Five Blue Spells
Banjo – Charlie Dixon
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Don Redman
Cornet – Elmer Chambers
Drums [Prob.] – Kaiser Marshall
Piano – Fletcher Henderson
Trombone – Charlie Green
Vocals – Ida Cox
18 Misery Blues  3:13
Accompanied By – Her Five Blue Spells
Banjo – Charlie Dixon
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Don Redman
Cornet – Elmer Chambers
Drums [Prob.] – Kaiser Marshall
Piano – Fletcher Henderson
Trombone – Charlie Green
Vocals – Ida Cox
19 Graveyard Bound Blues  3:20
Accompanied By – Her Five Blue Spells
Banjo – Charlie Dixon
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Don Redman
Cornet – Howard Scott 
Drums [Prob.] – Kaiser Marshall
Piano – Fletcher Henderson
Trombone – Charlie Green
Vocals – Ida Cox
20 Mississippi River Blues  3:12
Accompanied By – Her Five Blue Spells
Banjo – Charlie Dixon
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Don Redman
Cornet – Howard Scott 
Drums [Prob.] – Kaiser Marshall
Piano – Fletcher Henderson
Trombone – Charlie Green
Vocals – Ida Cox
21 Georgia Hound Blues  3:12
Accompanied By – Her Five Blue Spells
Banjo – Charlie Dixon
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Don Redman
Cornet – Howard Scott 
Drums [Prob.] – Kaiser Marshall
Piano – Fletcher Henderson
Trombone – Charlie Green
Vocals – Ida Cox
Whistle – Unknown Artist
22 Blue Kentucky Blues  2:54
Accompanied By – Her Five Blue Spells
Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Don Redman
Cornet – Elmer Chambers
Drums [Prob.] – Kaiser Marshall
Piano – Fletcher Henderson
Trombone – Charlie Green
Vocals – Ida Cox
23 Black Crepe Blues  2:53
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Serenaders
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox
24 Fare Thee Well Poor Gal  2:50
Accompanied By – Lovie Austin And Serenaders
Clarinet [Prob.] – Jimmy O'Bryant
Cornet – Tommy Ladnier
Piano – Lovie Austin
Vocals – Ida Cox

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings Vol. 2 (1924-1925) 2CD (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Bessie Smith, even on the evidence of her earliest recordings, well deserved the title "Empress of the Blues" for in the 1920s there was no one in her league for emotional intensity, honest blues feeling, and power. The second of five volumes (the first four are two-CD sets) finds her accompaniment improving rapidly with such sympathetic sidemen as trombonist Charlie Green, cornetist Joe Smith, and clarinetist Buster Bailey often helping her out. However, they are overshadowed by Louis Armstrong, whose two sessions with Smith (nine songs in all) fall into the time period of this second set; particularly classic are their versions of "St. Louis Blues," "Careless Love Blues," and "I Ain't Goin' to Play Second Fiddle." Other gems on this essential set include "Cake Walkin' Babies From Home," "The Yellow Dog Blues," and "At the Christmas Ball." by Scott Yanow

 Tracklist 1:

1. Frankie Blues 3:34

2. Moonshine Blues 3:19

3. Lou'siana Low-Down Blues 3:25

4. Mountain Top Blues 3:14

5. Work House Blues 3:23

6. House Rent Blues 3:08

7. Salt Water Blues 3:29

8. Rainy Weather Blues 3:38

9. Weeping Willow Blues 3:12

10. The Bye Bye Blues 3:20

11. Sing Sing Prison Blues 3:06

12. Follow the Deal on Down 3:18

13. Sinful Blues 3:11

14. Woman's Trouble Blues 3:07

15. Love Me Daddy Blues 3:16

16. Dying Gambler's Blues 3:00

17. The St. Louis Blues 3:12

18. Reckless Blues 3:05

19. Sobbin' Hearted Blues 3:01

Tracklist 2:

1. Cold In Hand Blues 3:15

2. You've Been a Good Ole Wagon 3:30

3. Cake Walkin' babies (From Home) 3:11

4. The Yellow Dog Blues 3:05

5. Soft Pedal Blues 3:21

6. Dixie Flyer Blues 3:11

7. Nashville Woman's Blues 3:45

8. Careless Love Blues 3:27

9. J.C. Holmes Blues 3:05

10. I Ain't Goin' to Play Second Fiddle 3:23

11. He's Gone Blues 3:11

12. Nobody's Blues But Mine 2:53

13. I Ain't Got Nobody 3:11

14. My Man Blues 3:32

15. New Gulf Coast Blues 3:23

16. Florida Bound Blues 3:15

17. At the Christmas Ball 3:26

18. I've Been Mistreated and I Don't Like It 2:55

SYLVESTER WEAVER - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order, Vol. 2 (1927) (1992) DOCD-5113 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Document's second volume devoted to the (nearly) complete recordings of blues guitarist Sylvester Weaver covers the second half of his brief recording career, beginning with three titles waxed on August 31, 1927 and filling the rest of the picture with 18 sides cut three months later on November 26, 27, and 30. Opening with the last two solo records he is known to have made, this tasty collection gathers in all of Weaver's collaborations with guitarist Walter Beasley, blended with five titles featuring a young vocalist by the name of Helen Humes. Like Weaver a native of Louisville KY, Humes was only 14 years old when she recorded these salty sides with titles like "Cross Eyed Blues," "Garlic Blues," and "Nappy Headed Blues." Although Weaver is said to have "discovered" her, Humes' recording debut actually took place more than half a year earlier in April at the age of 13! The Weaver/Beasley duo was a fine unit that compares and contrasts nicely with that of Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang, who would begin making records together in November 1928 with Lang billed as Blind Willie Dunn in an attempt by the record company to mask his whiteness. Many of the Weaver/Beasley duets were issued under Weaver's name, and in fact the only titles released as by Walter Beasley were "Georgia Skin" and "Southern Man Blues." Four titles were recorded as by Weaver and Beasley: "Soft Steel Piston," "St. Louis Blues," "Bottleneck Blues," and the delectable "Me and My Tapeworm," subtitled "Hungry Blues," which the squeamish management at OKeh left unissued for some unaccountable reason. Taken at face value, a song about an intestinal parasite occupies a special niche in musical history alongside the "Mean Old Bedbug Blues," Memphis Minnie's report on her bout with meningitis and other bracingly honest testimonials describing problems that make the usual interpersonal relationship woes pale by comparison. Think about it. What could bring on the blues more viscerally than discovering that you are playing host to your very own tapeworm? Years later, Alan "Duke of Ook" Seidler made a valiant effort to explore this thorny issue with his "Oozing Cyst Blues," and dozens of equally gross examples have probably surfaced since then in the blues and other fecund genres. arwulf arwulf 
Tracklist :
1 Can’t Be Trusted Blues
2 Penitentiary Bound Blues
3 Soft Steel Piston
4 Chittlin Rag Blues
5 Cross-Eyed Blues
6 Garlic Blues
7 Railroad Porter Blues
8 Me And My Tapeworm
9 Rock Pile Blues
10 Devil Blues
11 Polecat Blues
12 Alligator Blues
13 Nappy Headed Blues
14 Race Horse Blues
15 Bottleneck Blues
16 St. Louis Blues
17 Georgia Skin
18 Southern Man Blues
19 Toad Frog Blues
20 Sore Feet Blues
21 Black Spider Blues
Credits :
Guitar – Sylvester Weaver, Walter Beasley (tracks: 3 to 21)
Vocals – Helen Humes (tracks: 5, 6, 12 to 14), Sylvester Weaver (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 7 to 11, 21), Walter Beasley  (tracks: 17 to 20)

IDA COX - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 1 (1923-38) DOCD-5322 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ida Cox was one of the most powerful blues singers of the 1920s, ranking just below Bessie Smith. The Document label has reissued all of Cox's 1920s recordings on four CDs, leaving out many of the alternate takes (since there are a great deal from 1923-24) to be put out on a later series. The first CD has the master takes of all of Cox's recordings from 1923, plus four alternates. Except for the closing "Bear-Mash Blues," which finds the singer joined by her future husband Jesse Crump on piano, the music either features accompaniment by pianist Lovie Austin (an underrated blues player) or assistance from Austin, the great cornetist Tommy Ladnier and clarinetist Jimmy O'Bryant. Cox was one of the few singers from this early period who could overcome the technical limitations of the primitive recording equipment and really communicate with the listener. Among the highlights from her first year on records are "Any Woman's Blues," "Graveyard Dream Blues" (which is heard in three versions), "Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues," "Moanin' Groanin' Blues," "Come Right In" (which has some lines that would become quite familiar in later songs) and "I've Got the Blues for Rampart Street." Highly recommended. Scott Yanow 
Tracklist :
1 Any Woman's Blues 3:36
2 Bama Bound Blues 3:17
3 Lovin' Is The Thing I'm Wild About 3:01
4 Graveyard Blues [Take 1] 2:55
5 Graveyard Blues [Take 2] 2:55
6 Weary Way Blues 2:47
7 Blue Monday Blues 2:48
8 I Love My Man Better Than I Love Myself 2:56
9 Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues [Take 3] 2:51
10 Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues [Take 4] 2:41
11 Moanin' Groanin' Blues 2:44
12 Chattanooga Blues 2:47
13 Chicago Bound Blues [Take 2] 2:41
14 Chicago Bound Blues [Take 3] 2:31
15 Come Right In 2:44
16 I've Got The Blues For Rampart Street [Take 3] 2:45
17 I've Got The Blues For Rampart Street [Take 4] 2:48
18 Graveyard Dream Blues [Take 2] 2:52
19 Mama Doo Shee Blues 3:03
20 Worried Mama Blues 3:15
21 So Soon This Morning Blues 2:59
22 Mail Man Blues 3:01
23 Confidential Blues 2:58
24 Bear-Mash Blues 2:47

VICTORIA SPIVEY — Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 1 (1926-1927) DOCD 5316 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first of four Document CDs that contain all of singer Victoria Spivey's pre-war recordings has her first 23 sides. Spivey made her initial reputation with her series of dark blues that were full of symbolism, such as her trademark "Black Snake Blues" -- snakes and tuberculosis were common topics in her lyrics. Her first four selections were recorded in St. Louis from May 11-13, 1926 (she was 19 at the time); she then relocated to New York. Spivey is heard backed by several ensembles led by pianist John Erby in August 1926 (including her first meetings with guitarist Lonnie Johnson) and on five pieces in October 1927 with Johnson and pianist Porter Grainger. By the time the latter sides were recorded, her style was becoming a little more lighthearted and softer but no less powerful. Among the highlights of this superior set are "Black Snake Blues," "Hoodoo Man Blues," "Spider Web Blues," "Got the Blues So Bad," "The Alligator Pond Went Dry," "T.B. Blues," and "Garter Snake Blues." This is highly recommended, as are the other three CDs in this important series. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Black Snake Blues 3:08
Vocals, Piano – Victoria Spivey
2 Dirty Woman's Blues 3:10
Speech [Male] – Unknown Artist
Vocals, Piano – Victoria Spivey
3 Long Gone Blues 3:05
Cornet – Pierce Gist
Piano – De Lloyd Barnes
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
4 No More Jelly Bean Blues 3:18
Cornet – Pierce Gist
Piano – De Lloyd Barnes
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
5 Hoodoo Man Blues 2:40
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
6 Spider Web Blues 3:03
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
7 It's Evil Hearted Me 2:55
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
8 Santa Fe Blues 3:21
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
9 Humored And Petted Blues 2:27
Clarinet – Unknown Artist
Drums – Unknown Artist
Orchestra – Erby's Fidgety Five
Piano – John Erby
Trombone – Unknown Artist
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
10 Big Hoston Blues 2:45
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano [Prob.] – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
11 Got The Blues So Bad 3:02
Piano [Prob.] – John Erby
Violin – Lonnie Johnson
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
12 Blue Valley Blues 2:53
Clarinet – Unknown Artist
Drums – Unknown Artist
Orchestra – Erby's Fidgety Five
Piano – John Erby
Trombone – Unknown Artist
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
13 Steady Grind 3:27
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
14 Idle Hour Blues 3:01
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
15 Arkansas Road Blues 3:20
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
16 The Alligator Pond Went Dry 2:44
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
17 No. 12 Let Me Roam 3:32
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
18 T-B Blues 3:15
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – John Erby
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
19 Garter Snake Blues 3:17
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – Porter Grainger
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
20 Christmas Morning Blues 3:28
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – Porter Grainger
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
21 Dope Head Blues 3:21
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – Porter Grainger
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
22 Red Lantern Blues 3:11
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – Porter Grainger
Vocals – Victoria Spivey
23 Blood Thirsty Blues 3:03
Guitar – Lonnie Johnson
Piano – Porter Grainger
Vocals – Victoria Spivey

LUCILLE BOGAN (BESSIE JACKSON) - 1923-1930 Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1994) FLAC (tracks), lossless

A native of Amory, MS who came up in Birmingham AL, Lucille Bogan sang about life as she knew it in a rough and tumble environment that provided her with plenty of material for songs about gambling ("War Time Man Blues," "Roll and Rattler"), the production and peddling of bootleg liquor ("Whiskey Selling Woman"); prostitution ("Tricks Ain't Walking No More"); marijuana ("Pot Hound Blues"); turbulent domestic relationships ("My Man Is Boogan Me," "House Top Blues") and unconventional sexual preferences ("B.D. Woman's Blues," "Women Won't Need No Men"). She sang the blues in a gutsy, honest manner that placed her in league with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Back in the 1990s, Document reissued 66 of Bogan's records dating from the years 1923-1935 in a chronological survey that filled three CDs. Volume one opens with "The Pawn Shop Blues," recorded in Atlanta, GA for the Okeh record label in July 1923 with Henry Callens at the piano. Bogan shared material with several of her contemporaries; "Pawn Shop" was also recorded during this period by Martha Copeland, and several of Bogan's earliest efforts competed with versions of the same songs by Gladys Bryant, Lena Wilson, Alberta Hunter, Viola McCoy, and Trixie Smith. Bogan's piano accompanists during this phase of her career included Thomas A. Dorsey, Eddie Heywood, Sr., Eddie Miller, Frank James, and early boogie-woogie innovator Will Ezell, whose affair with Bogan is believed to have contributed to the singer's estrangement from her first husband. On some of the Brunswick dates, she was accompanied by Tampa Red and Cow Cow Davenport. The banjoist heard on "Kind Stella Blues," "Jim Tampa Blues," and "War Time Man Blues" was none other than Papa Charlie Jackson, himself a solid link with Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. arwulf arwulf 
Tracklist 
1 The Pawn Shop Blues 2:54
Piano – Eddie Heywood  
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
2 Lonesome Daddy Blues 3:00
Piano – Henry Callens
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
3 Chirpin' The Blues 2:41
Piano – Henry Callens
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
4 Triflin' Blues 3:04
Piano – Henry Callens
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
5 Don't Mean You No Good Blues 3:18
Piano – Henry Callens
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
6 Sweet Patunia 2:43
Piano – Alex Channey
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
7 Levee Blues 2:26
Piano – Alex Channey
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
8 King Stella Blues 2:40
Piano – Will Ezell
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
9 Jim Tampa Blues 2:47
Banjo, Vocals [Shouts] – Papa Charlie Jackson
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
10 War Time Man Blues 2:39
Guitar – Papa Charlie Jackson
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
11 Cravin' Whiskey Blues 2:40
Piano – Will Ezell
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
12 Nice And Kind Blues 2:35
Piano – Will Ezell
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
13 Women Won't Need No Men 2:55
Piano – Will Ezell
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
14 Doggone Wicked Blues 2:46
Piano [Prob.] – Will Ezell
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
15 Oklahoma Man Blues 2:25
Piano [Prob.] – Will Ezell
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
16 New Way Blues 2:47
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Poss./Or] – Georgia Tom
Piano [Prob./Or] – Cow Cow Davenport
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
17 Pay Roll Blues 2:54
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Poss./Or] – Georgia Tom
Piano [Prob./Or] – Cow Cow Davenport
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
18 Coffee Grindin' Blues 3:24
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Poss./Or] – Georgia Tom
Piano [Prob./Or] – Cow Cow Davenport
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
19 Pot Hound Blues 3:07
Guitar – Tampa Red
Piano [Poss./Or] – Georgia Tom
Piano [Prob./Or] – Cow Cow Davenport
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
20 My Georgia Grind 2:52
Piano – Charles Avery
Vocals – Lucille Bogan
21 Whiskey Selling Woman 3:09
Piano – Charles Avery
Vocals – Lucille Bogan

BESSIE SMITH - The Complete Recordings Vol. 1 (1923-1924) 2CD (1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Bessie Smith wasn't the first of the classic blues singers to record, but once she did, she became the form's dominant force, with a voice that combined clear diction, great power, and a unique capacity to convey complex emotions. Weariness gives way to resilience and sorrow to joyous triumph in Smith's performances, and there's nobility in her delivery of even the sometimes tritely comic lyrics she sang. This is the first of five two-CD sets that gather all her known recordings. The first 38 songs, from February 1923 to April 1924, are here. Smith was a presence when she first arrived in the studio: "Downhearted Blues," her first record and already a hit for its composer, Alberta Hunter, would sell nearly 800,000 copies in its first six months of release. It's a riveting performance, but there's greater substance just a couple of months later in the bending notes of "Oh Daddy Blues." There are many majestic performances here, with Smith usually accompanied by just piano, played by songwriter Clarence Williams, her working accompanist Irving Johns, or Fletcher Henderson. When her accompaniments begin to expand, Don Redman makes an appearance on clarinet, but the great band recordings with Louis Armstrong remain in the future. The liner notes, by Smith's biographer, Chris Albertson, are excellent, filled with illuminating background 

Tracklist 1:

1. Down Hearted Blues 3:28

2. Gulf Coast Blues 3:07

3. Aggravatin' Papa 3:19

4. Beale Street mama 3:37

5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home 2:58

6. Oh Daddy Blues 3:07

7. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do 3:29

8. Keeps On A-Rainin' (Papa, He Can't Make No Time) 3:09

9. Mama's Got The Blues 2:58

10. Outside Of That 3:30

11. Bleeding Hearted Blues 3:08

12. Lady Luck Blues 3:09

13. Yodling Blues 3:14

14. Midnight Blues 3:20

15. If You Don't, I Know Who Will 3:38

16. Nobody In Town Can Bake A Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine 3:34

17. Jail-House Blues 3:16

18. St. Louis Gal 3:30

19. Sam Jones Blues 2:47

Tracklist 2:

1. Graveyard Dream Blues 2:46

2. Cemetery Blues 3:31

3. Far Away Blues 3:02

4. I'm Going Back to My Used to Be 2:56

5. Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time 3:12

6. My Sweetie Went Away 3:13

7. Any Woman's Blues 3:28

8. Chicago Bound Blues 3:18

9. Mistreating Daddy 3:19

10. Frosty Morning Blues 3:16

11. Haunted House Blues 3:31

12. Eavesdropper's Blues 3:13

13. Easy Come, Easy Go Blues 3:11

14. Sorrowful Blues 3:19

15. Pinchbacks - Take 'Em Away 3:17

16. Rocking Chair Blues 3:16

17. Ticket Agent, Ease Your Window Down 3:20

18. Boweavil Blues 2:54

19. Hateful Blues 3:09

CHARLEY JORDAN - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order: Vol.2 (1931-1934) DOCD-5098 (1992) FLAC (tracks), lossless

As good as the Charley Jordan material here is, the real find of this disc is Hi Henry Brown's recording of "Titanic Blues" and its guitar duet between Brown and Jordan. As a piece of belated topical blues, it is an extraordinary song, but the exciting interplay between two guitars really makes the record and, coupled with Brown's rough-hewn voice, makes it a track to own -- the additional Brown/Jordan tracks "Preacher Blues" and "Nut Factory Blues" constitute a good bonus. This volume of Charley Jordan's material covers the period from his brief stay at Victor Records (four sides cut in September of 1931) to his first session with a full band on Decca Records in the summer of 1934. The four Victor sides (which were cut in Chicago) have a peculiar, authentic "live" ambience that, coupled with their good fidelity, makes them especially vibrant; Peetie Wheatstraw's piano accompaniment has a certain distance and echo that evokes a true club atmosphere. Jordan's subsequent Vocalion sides give much greater prominence to the guitar and Wheatstraw's piano isn't nearly as vivid. As a solo player, Jordan was more laidback, but he still manages to impress as a virtuoso. The four Decca sides are the best recordings here on a technical level -- "It Ain't Clean" is amazingly crisp -- but two of them, "Lost Airship Blues" (what a title, and what a phallic image) and "Rolling Moon Blues," are particularly notable for the presence of a full band, complete with sax and violin. Their sound is completely different (although Jordan still makes himself felt on guitar) from Jordan's earlier output, but both find him able to work well in this more sophisticated idiom. The overall audio quality is good, apart from the barely listenable "Brown Skin Angel" -- a few sides, like "Hell Bound Boy Blues" and the wonderful "Rolling Moon Blues," are a little noisy, but that's par for the course. Bruce Eder   

Tracklist
–Charley Jordan Greyhound Blues 3:23
–Charley Jordan Workingman's Blues 3:22
–Charley Jordan Santa Claus Blues 2:53
–Charley Jordan Bad Breaks Blues 2:57
–Charley Jordan Doin' Wrong Blues 3:02
–Charley Jordan Honey Sucker Blues 3:16
–Charley Jordan Sugar Farm Blues 3:16
–"Hi" Henry Brown Titanic Blues 3:08
–"Hi" Henry Brown Preacher Blues 3:24
–Charley Jordan Cherry Wine Woman 2:51
–Charley Jordan Hell Hound Boy Blues 2:47
–"Hi" Henry Brown Nut Factory Blues 2:54
–"Hi" Henry Brown Hospital Blues 2:54
–"Hi" Henry Brown Brown Skin Angel 2:35
–"Hi" Henry Brown Skin Man Blues 2:50
–Charley Jordan Don't Pat It So Long 3:20
–Charley Jordan Bottle Passing Blues 3:05
–Charley Jordon Lost Airship Blues 3:09
–Charley Jordon Rolling Moon Blues 3:20
–Charley Jordon It Ain't Clean (That Thing Ain't Clean) 2:56
–Charley Jordon Tight Time Blues 3:07