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The greatest band to come out of Chicago during the 1960s? This one without question, or at least as it existed on their first two albums. Even though I'm a product of the Chicagoland area, most of the local outfits from that aforementioned decade have never impressed me that much. Although there are some notable exceptions, I've always felt that there was just a little too much of a teenybopper element present in the sound of a lot of Windy City rock groups of the era. That, however, was hardly the case with vocalist-harmonicist Paul Butterfield's Blues Band, who, in its earliest incarnation, was not only Chicago's finest musical aggregation from the 1960s, but also deserves greater recognition as one of the most talented and innovative groups in the United States during this period.
L TO R: MIKE BLOOMFIELD, BILLY DAVENPORT, & PAUL
BUTTERFIELD AT THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM, 1966
The most distinguished early visitors were Paul Butterfield's Blues Band, whose first appearance, a full-house Family Dog stomp (with Quicksilver Messenger Service) at the Fillmore the weekend of March 25 (1966), was a pivotal gig. Simply put, Mike Bloomfield's incendiary guitar and the six-man band's swinging ensemble approach were inspirational to San Francisco's new musicians. The tight, compact songs from the group's year-old first album were now stretched open, retaining their shape but brimming with solos by Bloomfield, second guitarist Elvin Bishop and organist Mark Naftalin. There were real jazz licks, Oriental riffs and wailing Mideastern desert winds - all compatibly placed in the instrumental travelogue "East West," as yet unrecorded. After the second set, local boys like John Cipollina and Jerry Garcia went home with their ears buzzing and their fingers twitching, eager to put as much into - and get such sustained highs out of - their own music.
STANDING L TO R: BISHOP, NAFTALIN, BUTTERFIELD,
& ARNOLD - SEATED L TO R: BLOOMFIELD & DAVENPORT
As indicated by the title, East-West Live collects different in-concert versions of this trailblazing instrumental epic that add considerably to its legacy. Dave Marsh's booklet notes provide some fascinating details on the origins of this piece as well as its technical aspects:
Mark Naftalin says that Michael Bloomfield brought "East-West" to the Butterfield Band in the days following an all-night acid trip (in Cambridge in late 1965). "Mike sequestered himself in the wee hours of the night," Naftalin recalls, "and when he emerged at dawn he said he'd had a revelation into the workings of Indian music." At first simply called "the raga," "East-West" was an exploration of musics that moved modally, rather than through chord changes. As Naftalin explains, "This song was based, like Indian music, on a drone. In Western music terms, it 'stayed on the one.' The song was tethered to a four-beat bass pattern and structured as a series of sections, each with a different mood, mode and color, always underscored by the drummer, who contributed not only the rhythmic feel but much in the way of tonal shading, using mallets as well as sticks on the various drums and the different regions of the cymbals. In addition to playing beautiful solos, Paul played important, unifying things in the background - chords, melodies, counterpoints, counter-rhythms. This was a group improvisation. In its fullest form it lasted more than an hour."
Although this CD does not feature that fabled 60-plus-minute rendition mentioned above, the three versions it does include are still nothing short of breathtaking. The sound quality is quite good, even if the performances were captured by the relatively primitive portable tape recording technology of the day. Each interpretation of "East-West" has its own virtues and ably demonstrates the ongoing evolution of the piece. But for my money, "#3," which clocks in at 28 minutes and even quotes the Christmas carol "Joy to the World," wields the greatest transportative powers.
1. East-West, Live Version #1 (Hollywood, Winter 1966)
2. East-West, Live Version #2 (Chicago, Spring 1966)
3. East-West, Live Version #3 (Huntington Beach, Winter 1967)
BUTTERFIELD & BLOOMFIELD MUG FOR THE CAMERA
Often mentioned in the same breath as fellow Armenian-American oud master (Udi) John Berberian, George Mgrdichian (1935-2006) was slightly older than his counterpart and, according to cognoscenti, his musical equal at the very least. Debates concerning the perceived instrumental superiority of one over the other quickly prove to be pointless exercises much in the same way that arguments about particular jazz virtuosi can be considered fruitless exercises. Who was the better saxophonist - John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins? Well, it all depends on one's musical tastes. The same thing can be said about these two oudists extraordinaires.
GEORGE MGRDICHIAN LOOKING A LOT LIKE AN
OUD-PLAYING YOGI BERRA IN THIS PARTICULAR PHOTO
Like Berberian, Mgrdichian (mug-er-DICH-ee-an) owes much of his esteemed reputation to the innovations he brought to oud playing. As his New York Times obituary notes, he helped bring greater exposure to the instrument by performing alongside jazz, classical, and other Middle Eastern musicians as well as adopting cutting-edge techniques such as playing single notes, utilizing chords, and fingering his instrument's fretboard with four digits as opposed to the typical two-digit method. Although Mgrdichian originally hailed from Philadelphia (where he recorded his first long player, The Oud), he relocated to New York City during the early 1960s to study at the Julliard School of Music, at which he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. Throughout that decade and up until his death, he performed at concerts all around the world and participated in numerous recording sessions both as a leader and an accompanist. Efforts such as On the Oud, One Man's Passion, Instrumental Armenian Folk Songs and Dances, and Romanzas Sefarditas will doubtlessly appeal to those with a fondness for Middle Eastern recordings that incorporate both traditional and progressive musical elements.
The Now Sounds of the Middle East dates from 1969 and, as its title implies, seeks to present the listener with what was then considered a more modern approach to playing music of this variety. Assisted by Monitor label-mates and Feenjon Group members Menachem Dworman on guitar, Lou Mavrogian on bass, and Moulay Ali Hafid on dumbeg, Mgrdichian creates an eclectic album that includes impeccable renditions of age-old Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and Israeli standards in addition to interpretations of "now" pop and jazz material. The end results are quite impressive as long as one is not expecting the heavy sounds featured on Berberian's Middle Eastern Rock or the Devil's Anvil Hard Rock from the Middle East, to name two examples. Among the album's 12 instrumentals, the Turkish ("Nehavend Longa," "Sultan Yoga," "Laz Bar," "Chat Araban," "Caderemen Ustune [Rampi]," and "Shenez Longa"), Greek ("Marinella"), and Armenian (the melancholy "Sev Khavar") numbers rank as my personal favorites. Mgrdichian was also well-known for his predilection for traditional Jewish music, an interest most effectively displayed on "Aley Giva" and the medley of "Erev Shel Shoshanim" and "Cholot Mid Bar." The most experimental moments on The Now Sounds of the Middle East belong to a pleasant if not earth-shattering cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday" and the more interesting adaptation of the Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Take 5," which would have benefited from just a bit more exploration on the part of the participating musicians.
GEORGE MGRDICHIAN BIDS YOU ADIEU
1. Nehavend Longa
2. Sultan Yoga
3. Yesterday
4. Laz Bar
5. Chat Araban
6. Aley Giva
7. Caderemen Ustune (Rampi)
8. Israeli Medley: A). Erev Shel Shoshanim B). Cholot Mid Bar
9. Marinella
10. Take 5
11. Shenez Longa
12. Sev Khavar
Without question, this CD is one of the best items from Document Records' 5000-series of releases from the 1990s. I remember coveting it for quite some time before ultimately acquiring it during my grad student days about 15 years ago. For the most part, I was satisfied with the quality of the performances. This collection of prewar blues recordings has been around in the blogosphere previously, but I think someone asked me about it last year, and I'm always happy to take requests. The "Complete Recorded Works" approach particular to Document precludes it from assembling regional compilations in the same fashion that Yazoo did with several of their classic LPs from the 1960s and 1970s. Even though the former's modus operandi is often not conducive to consistent listenability, it occasionally produces brilliant results, especially when it presents the total output of prewar blues musicians who were talented but not particularly prolific and groups these sides on the same CD. Of all the albums in Document's catalogue, few, if any, succeed on this level better than Backwoods Blues.
Two extremely significant rural blues guitarists are profiled here, and their tracks alone make this disc essential to fans of this style of music. The first, James "Bo Weavil" Jackson (pictured in the hazy photo on the booklet cover), bears distinction for being one of the first of his kind to make records in 1926. Labels were frantically searching for another Blind Lemon Jefferson, whose debut 78, "Long Lonesome Blues," from earlier that year became an unexpected smash hit. Brought to the attention of Jefferson's label Paramount by Birmingham piano store owner and talent scout Harry Charles, Jackson has previously been misidentified as an East Coast bluesman but was more likely one who was based in Alabama and made intermittent forays into Mississippi. While Paul Oliver's booklet notes state that the "Sam Butler" pseudonym Jackson used on his recordings for Vocalion may have incorporated his mother's maiden name, Stephen Calt and Gayle Dean Wardlow's research suggest that Charles came up with this alternate identity so he could present his street singer discovery to another label and double his profits from referral fees. It is regrettable that so little is known about Jackson as his life story would undoubtedly be as fascinating as his delightfully idiosyncratic music. No other prewar blues guitarist played as frantically as he does on Paramount sides such as the "Crow Jane" variant "Pistol Blues," the irresistibly titled "Some Scream High Yellow," and the Son House-like slide masterpiece "You Can't Keep No Brown" (the later test pressing for Vocalion is a completely different, less-interesting song). "Why Do You Moan?" almost sounds like a vaudeville piece and displays Jackson's versatility, as do his spirited renditions of gospel tunes "When the Saints Come Marching Home" (aka "When the Saints Go Marching In"), "I'm on My Way to the Kingdom Land," "Christians Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long," and "Heaven Is My View." Upon further listening, "Devil and My Brown Blues" reveals itself to be an interpretation of "The Ballad of the Boll Weevil," the song from which Jackson appropriated his nickname. Strangely enough, this test pressing was recorded for Vocalion, the label that billed him as "Sam Butler," but apparently was never attempted for Paramount. "Poor Boy" is actually another performance of "You Can't Keep No Brown" (Paramount version) that is marred by its sluggish execution, while the Charles-penned "Jefferson County Blues" became something of an Alabama blues standard by virtue of additional versions by Priscilla Stewart and William Harris (who waxed it as "Keep Your Man out of Birmingham").
King Solomon Hill is the second of the two exceptional guitarists whose works are collected on Backwoods Blues. It would be impossible to mistake him for any other blues musician, as one listen to his unique vocals and lap-style bottleneck approach will readily demonstrate. Quite simply, no one else before or since has sounded anything like Hill, suggesting that his 1932 sides for Paramount recorded just before the label's collapse are artistry of the highest caliber. He recasts Lonnie Johnson's "She's Making Whoopee in Hell Tonight" as "Whoopee Blues" (the first take not featuring his usual falsetto) and Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe's "What Fault You Find of Me?" as "Tell Me Baby," both being outstanding examples of his singular genius for interpretation. His own extradordinary compositions, "Down on My Bended Knee" and the incomparable "Gone Dead Train" have no parallels in the history of recorded blues. (Two additional King Solomon Hill sides would surface more than ten years after this CD was issued and will be featured in a future post.) Hill's true identity became the focus of a particularly vicious disagreement between blues scholars Gayle Dean Wardlow and David Evans. The former contends that a musician named Joe Holmes adopted King Solomon Hill (a small community that was in the vicinity of Minden, Louisiana) as his nom de disc, a view that has largely been accepted as fact in today's blues community. Meanwhile, Evans has not been able to present any evidence that convincingly refutes Wardlow's assertion.
Unfortunately, nothing is known about the other two artists whose material is included on Backwoods Blues. Bobby Grant was another rural bluesman who was recorded early (1927) and whose driving slide guitar showpieces "Nappy Head Blues" and "Lonesome Atlanta Blues" denote a possible Mississippi background, the title of the latter notwithstanding. Regarding the haunting "Hard Time Blues" and "California Desert Blues," I can't help but wonder if Lane Harden was actually a hillbilly performer whose lone 78 from 1935 was marketed as a race record. While his compelling guitar playing comes off as legitimately bluesy, his vocals could very well be that of white singer. Then again, Mississippi John Hurt and Sleepy John Estes don't sound very "black" on some of their vintage sides, thus proving that one can never be too sure about racial identity on certain obscure recordings from the prewar era.
1. Pistol Blues - Bo Weavil Jackson
2. Some Scream High Yellow - Bo Weavil Jackson
3. You Can't Keep No Brown - Bo Weavil Jackson
4. When the Saints Come Marching Home - Bo Weavil Jackson
5. I'm on My Way to the Kingdom Land - Bo Weavil Jackson
6. Why Do You Moan? - Bo Weavil Jackson
7. Devil and My Brown Blues (test) - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
8. Poor Boy Blues - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
9. Jefferson County Blues - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
10. Jefferson County Blues (alt. take) - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
11. You Can't Keep No Brown (test) - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
12. Christians Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
13. Heaven Is My View - Sam Butler (Bo Weavil Jackson)
14. Nappy Head Blues - Bobby Grant
15. Lonesome Atlanta Blues - Bobby Grant
16. Whoopee Blues (first take) - King Solomon Hill
17. Whoopee Blues (second take) - King Solomon Hill
18. Down on My Bended Knee (first take) - King Solomon Hill
19. Down on My Bended Knee (second take) - King Solomon Hill
20. The Gone Dead Train - King Solomon Hill
21. Tell Me Baby - King Solomon Hill
22. Hard Time Blues - Lane Hardin
23. California Desert Blues - Lane Hardin
While preparing for today's review, I was really struck by the similarities as well as the dissimilarities between this performer and another contemporary artist from the same region. It's always been my belief that Joe South and Tony Joe White should be mentioned in the same breath during discussions about important white Southern musicians who were popular circa 1965-1975. In addition to their shared geographic origins, they are also superb guitarists, excellent songwriters, and difficult to pigeonhole on account of the numerous influences they incorporate into their own unique styles. It is also possible, however, to view them as opposite sides of the same coin. Whereas White is a country boy from the Louisiana bayou with an outsider background, the citified South hails from Atlanta and started his career in the music industry while he was still a teenager. White remains musically active, while South has kept a much lower profile since personal tragedy led to his gradual withdrawal from the public eye beginning in the early 1970s. His continued relative inactivity and retirement remains our loss.
YOUNG JOE SOUTH AS PICTURED ON THE BACK OF THE ALBUM SLEEVE
A Look Inside marked the end of South's tenure with Capitol Records and, without any hit singles, was his least successful effort, commercially-speaking. Prior to the recording sessions for this album, South's brother Tommy (who played drums in both his studio and touring bands) had committed suicide after losing a protracted battle with substance abuse. Although this sad event initiated a downward spiral from which Joe has never fully recovered, somehow he was able to persevere in spite of his loss, escalating drug use, and a fading presence on the music charts. Given those factors, this LP very well could have been a disaster. Nevertheless, it's still a pretty good one, and South should be commended for turning a lot of lemons into a product that is mostly lemonade.
Not surprisingly given the aforementioned circumstances, an air of sadness permeates A Look Inside. The songs feature more of an emphasis on confessional lyrics instead of the instrumental flash heard on the Danelectro Sitar Guitar-heavy tracks (e.g. "Games People Play") of South's earlier records. Ironic as it may be, several performances acknowledge the dangers of drug abuse: the gospel-like "Coming Down All Alone" ("Soon you'll believe there's no kind of bummer that a dime bag couldn't cure"), "Imitation of Living" ("Too many memories that alcohol won't drown...too many pills I just can't make it without"), and "I'm a Star" ("And to run this frantic pace requires enough amphetamine to blow a fuse"). That last song is the one that really drove home the parallels between Joe South and Tony Joe White to my reckoning. Just as the latter's "A Night in the Life of a Swamp Fox" from his first Warner Brothers album insightfully comments on life as a professional musician while quoting his best-known hit ("Polk Salad Annie"), "I'm a Star" offers a variation of the same theme while using the previously-cited "Games People Play" in a similar fashion. Although it sounds more instrumentally upbeat upon first inspection, "One-Man Band" further assesses the cons of being a successful recording artist, chief among them fan-imposed demands. "It Hurts Me Too" is not a cover of the blues classic but expresses a similar sentiment, while "Real Thing" apparently reminds listeners to appreciate what they already have. "Misunderstanding" stresses the importance of clearly communicating in an effort to avoid conflicts - at least that's my interpretation. The somewhat smug "Misfit" finds South taking pride in exceeding the expectations of others and doing things his way, never mind the fact that his formula for commercial success was beginning to lose its potency at this point in his career. When he sings "Save Your Best," he's talking about conserving time and effort only for the people who truly love you. "All Nite Lover, All Day Friend" encourages the addressee to let South put this philosophy into action for her.
1. Coming Down All Alone
2. Imitation of Living
3. It Hurts Me Too
4. Real Thng
5. One Man Band
6. Misunderstanding
7. Misfit
8. Save Your Best
9. I'm a Star
10. All Night Lover
I occasionally hear the complaint that prewar calypsos all sound the same. While I'll concede that some melodies were recycled with a certain degree of frequency, every performance that I've ever heard has always been lyrically unique. In contrast to their blues and jazz counterparts in the United States, only a relatively small number of calypsonians from Trinidad had 78s released during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. When this did occur, there were significantly fewer labels that sold this kind of music. Recording sessions almost always took place in New York City, and it is likely that the producers often used the same backing instrumentalists while in the studio. These factors may partially explain the musical sameness that pops up on particular calypso performances.
ATILLA THE HUN IN HIS DAYS AS A PORT
OF SPAIN COUNCILMAN (CIRCA 1950)
With this in mind, several of the tracks on Fall of Man: Calypsos on the Human Condition 1935-1941 may sound similar to those already compiled on previously-reviewed collections of Trinidadian music, including Calypso Breakaway 1927-1941, Roosevelt in Trinidad: Calypsos of Events, Places, and Personalities 1933-1939, Calypsos from Trinidad: Politics, Intrigue & Violence in the 1930s, Calypso Pioneers 1912-1937, and Calypso Calaloo. As its title suggests, however, this CD features performances that, according to John H. Cowley's booklet notes, focus on "philosophical observations, the role of superstition, life, death, money, status and the eternal theme of male-female relations." Consequently, many of these tracks deal with the same thematic territory that is often covered in blues recordings from the same era, even if the arrangements and the calypso singers' generally more sophisticated vocabulary render them musically and lyrically distinct.
LEGENDARY CALYPSONIANS (L TO R): KING RADIO,
LORD BEGINNER, THE EXECUTOR, & THE TIGER
The most common subject addressed in these songs is intergender affairs, with some lyrics being sympathetic to women and others downright hostile. In a nod to Trinidad's ethnic Indian population, "Sadhu Man" by the Tiger (Neville Marcano) describes using Hindu ascetism as a remedy to black magic practiced by unfaithful women. Lord Beginner (Egbert Moore) and Atilla the Hun (Raymond Quevedo) blame rhumba records sold by retailer-promoter Eduardo Sa Gomes for causing their women to lose interest in them as detailed in "Young Girl's Touch." Despite their seemingly complimentary titles, several performances warn male listeners about the dangers of increased female power and autonomy, among them Atilla's "Women Will Rule the World" and "Woman Is Not the Weaker Sex" in addition to "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" by King Radio (Norman Span). The names of other songs are more blatant statements of misogyny as demonstrated by Atilla's "Vagaries of Women" and "Not Me with Matrimony." King Radio and the Lion (Rafael de Leon) respectively utilize Biblical allegories to provide commentary on the battle of the sexes in "Ribs" and "Fall of Man," while Beginner and Atilla's "Women Are Good and Women Bad" and the Lion and Atilla's "I Will String Along with You" offer a more balanced view of things. Calypso lyrics often concern themselves with polyamory and infidelity. In the case of "Radio Fifty Wives," King Radio boasts of his multiple lovers, whereas the Growler (Errol Duke) condemns his lady for her involvement with other men in "Don't Hide Him Behind the Door." Atilla continues with his gripes about the opposite sex on "Martiniquen," in which he details the treacherous ways of a wanton girl from Martinique but also acknowledges her superb romantic skills. In "Calypso Behind the Wall," the Growler cautions men about the dangers of relationships with women who would give birth to children out of wedlock, or as he simply puts it, "Try an' keep away from bastardy." "Only Foreigners" gives the singer an opportunity to fantasize about women (from Trinidad and elsewhere) of non-African heritage who were off-limits to the lowborn calypsonians. Of course, even the most hardened womanizers and battle-scarred veterans of the dating game have a soft spot for Mom in their hearts, a sentiment touchingly reflected in "Warning the Children Towards Mother" by King Radio and "Mother's Love" by the Mighty Destroyer (Clifford Morris).
ADVERTISEMENT FOR EDUARDO SA GOMES'S SHOPS IN TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO WHERE CALYPSO RECORDS WERE SOLD (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
The subject matter of the remaining tracks on Fall of Man centers on other elements of human existence expressed in a uniquely Trinidadian fashion. The imitative primate portrayed in "Monkey" - a musical observation on peoples' behavior by King Radio, the Lion, and the Tiger - allows the singers to comment on "their own activities," while "rivalry between the monkey and singers provides comic tension," according to Cowley. Wealth, or lack thereof, was another subject that lent itself well to calypsos. The Executor (Philip Garcia) stresses the importance of education in escaping poverty in "Hold Up Black Bird Hold Up," while Atilla exhorts his listeners to beware duplicitous associates attracted only to money in "Friends." In "Exploiting," the Caresser (Rufus Callender) holds the objects that one can acquire with wealth in high regard but also condemns the means by which various opportunists achieved their affluence. Atilla's "If I Won a Sweepstake," a musical daydream about winning the lottery to which we all can probably relate, closes out the list of money-related songs. Finally, we have the Lion's insightful meditations on gossip, as articulated in "Malicious Neighbours," in addition to the fate that awaits us all, better known as "Death."
1. Sadu Man - The Tiger
2. Young Girl's Touch - Lord Beginner with Atilla the Hun
3. Women Will Rule the World - Atilla the Hun
4. Vagaries of Women - Atilla the Hun
5. Ribs - King Radio
6. Women Are Good and Women Are Bad - Lord Beginner with Atilla the Hun
7. Fall of Man - The Lion
8. Monkey - King Radio, The Lion, The Tiger
9. Radio Fifty Wives - King Radio
10. Warning the Children Towards Mother - King Radio
11. Hold Up Black Bird Hold Up - The Executor
12. Friends - The Atilla
13. Martiniquen - The Atilla
14. I Will String Along with You - The Lion and Atilla
15. Exploiting - The Caresser
16. Calypso Behind the Wall - The Growler
17. Not Me with Matrimony - Atilla the Hun
18. Only Foreigners - The Growler
19. Malicious Neighbours - The Lion
20. Woman Is Not the Weaker Sex - Atilla the Hun
21. Death - The Lion
22. Don't Hide Him Behind the Door - The Growler
23. If I Won a Sweepstake - Atilla the Hun
24. Mother's Love - Mighty Destroyer
25. Man Smart, Woman Smarter - King Radio
Most of you are probably familiar with the legendary Takoma Records label, established by master guitarist John Fahey in 1959. Although this venture eventually branched out into other musical styles during the 1960s and 1970s, it never strayed far from its original focus on acoustic instrumentalists, blues singers, experimental artists, and various types of roots-inspired performers. Since that time, the company's catalogue has been acquired by three larger corporate entities: Chrysalis (1979), Fantasy (1995), and Concord (2004). The first parent company - with a roster that included extremely dissimilar acts typified by Pat Benatar, Jethro Tull, and Ultravox - would seem to have been the least compatible, a theory supported by the brief three-year period that the subsidiary's master tapes were under their control. During that time, however, Chrysalis engaged in an impressive vinyl reissue campaign of Takoma's outstanding series of blues albums. With the exception of not using the original cover artwork, the larger label did a nice job with these rereleases. Not surprisingly, the LPs did not sell and were quickly consigned to cutout bins, making them easy to find in used record stores throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
PONDERING LIFE AS A FREE MAN SOMETIME IN THE MID 1960s
When this album was recorded and originally released in 1966, Robert Pete Williams already had a small but supportive group of fans who championed him as one of the greatest discoveries of the postwar blues revival. Ethnomusicologists Harry Oster and Richard Allen found him at the infamous Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana serving a life sentence (for shooting another man) while the pair toured the South making field recordings. With their assistance, Williams was paroled in 1958, although he essentially lived as an indentured servant on a farm until the mid 1960s, which greatly curtailed his musical activities. His appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival marked his first performance outside of his home state, and he was able to start playing the college and coffeehouse circuit with rediscovered prewar bluesmen and other recently-unearthed rural black musicians (e.g. Mississippi Fred McDowell, Mance Lipscomb, etc.) the following year. After making recordings for labels such as Arhoolie, Sonet, and (of course) Takoma and taking part in a 1966 European tour, the singer-guitarist settled down to enjoy a normal life of freedom for the remainder of the decade. The 1970s found him returning to concert and festival appearances in a professional capacity, which gradually became less frequent until his death in 1980.
ROBERT PETE WILLIAMS, LABORER AND GUITARIST
Titled simply Louisiana Blues, this lone effort for Takoma may very well be the definitive LP by Robert Pete Williams, one of the most unorthodox blues musicians who ever lived. His unique artistic approach rendered him distinct from other performers with whom he often shared bills. While Williams's playing style was a refreshing change of pace from the hackneyed variety of blues peddled by many of his contemporaries, it also did much to limit his appeal among those accustomed to less challenging music. I'll admit that I didn't like this album very much when I first got it 15 or so years ago because something about it just didn't sound "right." As my musical horizons broadened over time, however, the songs began to grow on me, and I learned to appreciate Williams's idiosyncratic talent. To my non-musician's ears, it sounds like he often employs a distinct call-and-response method of performing whereby his improvisatory guitar lines follow the lead established by his equally extemporaneous and singular lyrics. The liner notes by Canned Heat guitarist Al "Blind Owl" Wilson more or less support my contention, and I suggest that you read them for a much more detailed analysis of this blues musician's technique. Due to its sui generis nature, the songs on this LP defy easy description. For lack of a better way to put it, "Freight-Train Blues," "It's Hard to Tell," the epic "This Is a Mean Old World," and "It's a Long Old Road" are quintessential Robert Pete Williams since none of these tracks sound like any other blues musician. "Somebody Help Poor Me" seems to have been inspired by Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues" but is interpreted in a completely original fashion. On the other hand, "I'm Going Down Slow" bears no similarities to the like-titled Jimmy Oden composition as far as I can tell. "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time" demonstrates Williams's ability to handle spiritual pieces just as well as he does secular material, with "Ugly" (aka "I've Grown So Ugly") being his best-known work by virtue of Captain Beefheart's cover version on Safe As Milk. "So Long Boogie" is the most straightforward blues item on this album, not that there is anything wrong with that. The significance of the title of "High As I Want to Be" remains obscure since it is practically an instrumental performance. But as such, it displays this bluesman's ingenious guitar picking style to excellent effect.
LOUISANA BLUES (SIC): SOMEONE FORGOT TO PROOFREAD
THE LABEL BEFORE STICKING IT ON THE VINYL
1. Somebody Help Poor Me
2. Freight-Train Blues
3. It's Hard to Tell
4. I'm Going Down Slow
5. Motherless Children Have a Hard Time
6. Ugly
7. So Long Boogie
8. This Is a Mean Old World to Me
9. High As I Want to Be
10. It's a Long Old Road
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