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SON HOUSE
SPECIAL RIDER BLUES - ORIGINAL 1940-1942 MISSISSIPPI RECORDINGS (LP) (LTD)
| Label | VINYL LOVERS |
|---|---|
| Catalog | 6785471 |
| Format | LP |
| Discs | 1 |
| Category | JAZZ/BLUES/COUNTRY |
| Street Date | 2017-06-14 |
- LIMITED EDITION CLASSIC LPs.
HIGH-DEFINITION PREMIUM VINYL PRESSING FOR SUPER FIDELITY.
180 gram VINYL-AUDIOPHILE PRESSING. DIRECT METAL MASTERING.
This essential LP release opens with an early recording of Son House’s signature song， the soulful “Death Letter Blues” – a lament by a man who received a letter one morning telling him of the death of the woman he loved. Although it may be an old story from the blues idiom， this particular song offers richness and complexity in its combination of traditional stanzas and musical setting and thus serves as an outstanding example of the workings of time and narrative in the blues. Based on the 1930 tune “My Black Mama，” “Death Letter Blues” became a highlight of House’s live shows in the mid- and late Sixties where it went on for as long as 15 minutes.
However， the majority of the tracks featured here consist of two emblematic sessions recorded by Son House in 1941 and 1942. These two dates were taped in Robbinsonville and Lake Cormorant， Mississippi， by the folklorist Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress and Fisk University – 10 songs are solo performances by House， while 7 tracks feature accompaniment by other bluesmen， such as Willie Brown， Fiddlin’ Joe Martin and Leroy Williams.
House’s solo recording of Charley Patton’s big hit on Paramount， “Pony Blues” (which was in turn based on one of Son’s Paramount recordings) now exists only as a test pressing. Among the 1941 performances， featuring the full band supporting Son’s vocals， Fiddlin’ Joe Martin is in his element in his exchanges with House during “Camp Hollers，” which captures the sounds of the levee camps. “Delta Blues，” which only features Son and harmonica player Leroy Williams， was House’s personal favorite from the session. Highlights also include two versions of “Jinx Blues，” one of Son’s greatest masterpieces. The two readings are considerably different and certainly can’t be considered as “Parts 1 and 2” as they have most often been presented.
These sen
- Side 1:
1. Death Letter Blues
2. Special Rider Blues
3. Low Down， Dirty Dog Blues
4. The Jinx Blues – part 1
5. The Jinx Blues – part 2
6. The Pony Blues
7. Walking Blues – 1942 version
Side 2:
1. County Farm Blues
2. American Defense
3. Government Fleet Blues
4. Delta Blues
5. Levee Camp Blues
6. Camp Hollers
7. Four O’Clock Blues
Side 1， track 1: solo recording by Son House (vocals and guitar).
Recorded in Mississippi， early 1940s.
Side 1， tracks 2-7 / Side 2， tracks 1 & 2: solo recordings by Son House (vocals and guitar).
Recorded by Alan Lomax in Robbinsonville， Mississippi， July 17， 1942.
Side 2， tracks 3-7: Son House (vocals on all titles， guitar on tracks 3， 6-7)， with Willie Brown (vocals on side 2， tracks 5-7， guitar on tracks 3， 4 & 6)， Fiddlin’ Joe Martin (vocals on side 2， tracks 6 & 7， mandolin on tracks 3-5 & 7)， Leroy Williams (harmonica on tracks 3-5).
Recorded by Alan Lomax at Klack’s Store， Lake Cormorant， Mississippi， August 24-31， 1941.
