Son House - The Complete Library of Congress Sessions, 1941-1942

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Music reviews of The Complete Library of Congress Sessions, 1941-1942

Music Review: The Real Blues--Raw and Dirty
Rating: 5 Stars

Son House is my favorite blues performer. No one--not even his proteges Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters--could match him when it came to the raw emotion. Sure, Robert inspired later blues-rock giants like the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Stevie Ray Vaughn (to name a few...) and Muddy revolutionized the blues by 'inventing' electricity. But this collection, when coupled with the album "The Complete Recorded Works of Son House & the Great Delta Blues Singers" (ASIN: B000000J26--recorded in 1930; another essential disc), offers the listener a true glimpse into history.

The first few tracks include House singing and playing guitar with his band: Willie Brown (who has since attained legendary status as his name is mentioned in Robert Johnson's lyrics; he was also was the central character in the 1986 movie "Crossroads") on harmonica, and Fiddlin' Joe Martin on mandolin. These songs are amazing. The only word I can use to describe House's slide guitar technique is FEROCIOUS. His mixture of slams and slaps, when combined with the shouts, moans, and grunts of his vocals, is nothing short of frightening. "Walking Blues"--which, of course, was a hit for both Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters but was written by House--is one particular standout. It is nearly seven minutes long (House is famous for his "epic" performances...in concert, his songs were known to exceed twenty minutes), a relentless barrage of blues. "Levee Camp Moan" is another strong point. The rhythms and shouts are incomparable.

Perhaps the best analogy is "a frontal assault on the soul".

The remaining songs are House's solo efforts, although the striking force has not deminished at all. In fact, they may be even more powerful--it's hard to believe that only ONE guy is singing...!

When House was rediscovered during the '60s blues revival, he recorded his first and only studio album in 1965 ("Father of the Delta Blues"--ASIN: B000002877) for the Columbia label. Most who have heard of Son House know him based on these recordings alone. There is no arguement that this is a magnificent album--the emotional quality has only increased with is age. But while the sound quality is definitely better than these early field recordings (mono recordings into a single microphone in the stockyard of a train depot--you can even hear railway sounds in the background!!), House's old age hindered the ferocity of his slide guitar playing, forcing his tempo to slow down. If you want to hear the true capabilities of the man who I think is the greatest bluesman who ever lived, you must listen to these Library of Congress recordings (and then check out "...and the Great Delta Blues Singers").

Description of The Complete Library of Congress Sessions, 1941-1942

Blues CDs

• Music > Styles
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• Pop