V.A. (ROUGH GUIDE TO UNSUNG HEROES OF COUNTRY BLUES) 商品一覧

「UNSUNG HERO=影のヒーロー」を取り上げたシリーズ、カントリーブルース編に第2弾が登場!比較的知られていないブルースマンに焦点をあてたコンピレーション。■VOL.1はこちらThis second volume digs that bit deeper into the early days of recorded country blues and sheds light on other mysterious figures, many of whose contribution to the blues is easily overlooked. None more so than Sylvester Weaver who was the first artist to record a blues instrumental and whose featured ‘Guitar Rag’ shows off his slide-guitar brilliance which was much imitated by other players. Likewise Ramblin’ Thomas from Louisiana was famed for his bottleneck guitar playing and truly makes his guitar weep on his homesick lament ‘Poor Boy Blues’. By carefully selecting artists from across the different sub-genres this collection serves as a refreshing and alternative overview of country blues. The East Coast is well represented, being a real hotbed for guitar virtuosos. One such master was Willie Walker who was once described by Josh White as the best guitarist he had ever heard, even better than Blind Blake. Fellow East Coast bluesmen include the singing barber William Moore who, when not cutting hair, found time to cut several classic sides for Paramount, and Charley Lincoln, the brother of Barbecue Bob. The influence of these brother’s open-tuned, banjo-like guitar style can clearly be heard in the playing of the mysterious Willie Baker. The laid back blues of the East Coast is a far cry from the raw intensity and emotion of the Delta Blues. Both Kid Bailey and Ishmon Bracey were part of a circle of blues greats that included Tommy Johnson and Son House. One of the great blues mysteries is whether Kid Bailey was in actual fact the incredibly influential Willie Brown in disguise. The Delta blues diva Mattie Delaney’s variant of Tommy Johnson’s ‘Big Road Blues’ shows how she possessed one of the most remarkable voices in country blues. Aside from her two solitary recordings nothing more is really known of her life, which is a similar story to others on this compilation such as Bobby Grant and George Torey, both exceptionally gifted players who faded into total obscurity. Although not related Papa Charlie Jackson and Jim Jackson both bridged the gap between the blues and the earlier songster traditions. Armed with huge repertoires of songs from different genres they performed in minstrel and medicine shows and knew how to play something for any occasion. The sublime harmonica player Jaybird Coleman was another who worked the minstrel shows and proved that country blues wasn’t just about the guitar. The same can be said of the Memphis Jug Band who were made up of all manner of instruments and provided a training ground for musicians including Memphis Minnie, who coincidentally accompanies her first husband Kansas Joe on the classic opener ‘Bothering That Thing’. Blind Joe Taggart was one of the first guitar evangelists to record the gospel form of country blues, but also recorded "devil's” music under other pseudonyms. Ed Bell eventually turned his back on the blues for religion, and is joined in the track listing by his friend Pillie Bolling who’s raggy ‘Shake It Like A Dog’ is a real hidden gem. Many early country bluesmen had ragtime influenced songs in their repertoires not least Buddy Boy Hawkins whose sophisticated guitar playing can be heard to the full on ‘Snatch It And Grab It’. Most of these artists are just a small footnote in the story of the blues, however their songs have in common a timeless quality and passion to rival that of any of their more famous peers, beautifully demonstrated by Little Hat Jones who’s signature tune ‘Bye Bye Baby Blues’ winds things down to a perfect conclusion.

入門に最適なシリーズ、ROUTH GIDEにボトル・ネックギター特集が登場!サン・ハウスやチャーリー・パットン、ブラインド・ウィリー・ジョンソン、ブッカ・ホワイト他、ボトルネックを独特の音楽表現に変えた革新者達の名曲・名演集。

入門者~中級には最適のコンピ盤『ROUGH GUIDE』がアナログで登場!こちらは1927-1935年の録音を収録したカントリー・ブルース編。■ダウンロード・コード封入Very little is known about many of these featured early blues artists, other than the simple fact that their classic recordings are like arrows through time and have a cutting edge coolness which defies the age in which they were recorded. These tracks are essential listening for any blues connoisseur, and an adventure into some of the more hidden recesses of country blues. There is no space for the likes of Charley Patton, Robert Johnson or Son House in this roll of honour, as it's time for the usual suspects to stand aside and let the limelight fall on some of the lesser-known country blues masters, whose brilliance has always been slightly under the radar. This handpicked selection of beautifully re-mastered tracks ranks alongside anything by the more decorated blues greats of the time, and delves that bit deeper into the early origins of the genre. Far from being a best of the rest, this album brings to the fore classic masterpieces that need to be heard. Aside from the much reduced crackle and hiss synonymous with old country blues recordings, it is hard to believe that all of these tracks date from the late 1920s/early 1930s, as they have an evergreen quality and emotional depth quite unlike anything else recorded at this time in history. Being such a broad term, country blues is best described as acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues, often incorporating elements of ragtime, gospel, hillbilly and Dixieland jazz. This makes for an incredibly diverse selection of tracks, from sublime bottleneck guitar playing to upbeat rags and classic songster tunes to free work song inspired rhythms. Several of the more widely recorded artists on this compilation such as Gus Cannon, Henry Thomas, Frank Stokes and Peg Leg Howell bridged the gap between early blues and the minstrel and folk styles that preceded it and are central figures in the story of the blues. Likewise the music of Geeshie Wiley, who only recorded three records, provides the perfect example of how black secular music was merging with the blues, with truly mesmerising results. Some of the most haunting blues tracks ever recorded, by country blues diva Lottie Kimbrough and the slide guitar wizard King Solomon Hill, are complemented by the upbeat novelties of part-time bootlegger Charley Jordon and Freddie Spruell, one of the first Delta bluesmen ever to be recorded. Hambone Willie Newbern is hardly a household name, but there was always going to be room for his seminal track 'Roll And Tumble Blues', which has become a blues classic. If only guitarist extraordinaires Henry Spaulding, Garfield Akers and Bo Weavil Jackson had been invited back into the recording studio to cut a few more sides, as it's hard not to ruminate on what else they may have had in their arsenal of songs, now lost without a trace. These precious recordings will hopefully open your ears to some of the often overlooked & greatest blues pioneers of their day. ★★2016年4月16日 RECORD STORE DAY 限定商品★★

Very little is known about many of these featured early blues artists, other than the simple fact that their classic recordings are like arrows through time and have a cutting edge coolness which defies the age in which they were recorded. These tracks are essential listening for any blues connoisseur, and an adventure into some of the more hidden recesses of country blues. There is no space for the likes of Charley Patton, Robert Johnson or Son House in this roll of honour, as it’s time for the usual suspects to stand aside and let the limelight fall on some of the lesser-known country blues masters, whose brilliance has always been slightly under the radar. This handpicked selection of beautifully re-mastered tracks ranks alongside anything by the more decorated blues greats of the time, and delves that bit deeper into the early origins of the genre. Far from being a best of the rest, this album brings to the fore classic masterpieces that need to be heard. Aside from the much reduced crackle and hiss synonymous with old country blues recordings, it is hard to believe that all of these tracks date from the late 1920s/early 1930s, as they have an evergreen quality and emotional depth quite unlike anything else recorded at this time in history. Being such a broad term, country blues is best described as acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues, often incorporating elements of ragtime, gospel, hillbilly and Dixieland jazz. This makes for an incredibly diverse selection of tracks, from sublime bottleneck guitar playing to upbeat rags and classic songster tunes to free work song inspired rhythms. Several of the more widely recorded artists on this compilation such as Gus Cannon, Henry Thomas, Frank Stokes and Peg Leg Howell bridged the gap between early blues and the minstrel and folk styles that preceded it and are central figures in the story of the blues. Likewise the music of Geeshie Wiley, who only recorded three records, provides the perfect example of how black secular music was merging with the blues, with truly mesmerising results. Some of the most haunting blues tracks ever recorded, by country blues diva Lottie Kimbrough and the slide guitar wizard King Solomon Hill, are complemented by the upbeat novelties of part-time bootlegger Charley Jordon and Freddie Spruell, one of the first Delta bluesmen ever to be recorded. Hambone Willie Newbern is hardly a household name, but there was always going to be room for his seminal track ‘Roll And Tumble Blues’, which has become a blues classic. If only guitarist extraordinaires Henry Spaulding, Garfield Akers and Bo Weavil Jackson had been invited back into the recording studio to cut a few more sides, as it’s hard not to ruminate on what else they may have had in their arsenal of songs, now lost without a trace. These precious recordings will hopefully open your ears to some of the often overlooked & greatest blues pioneers of their day.