It's The Best Stuff Yet! Great Piedmont Blues

Various Artists
It's The Best Stuff Yet
Frog Records UK

This is a double CD set of rare Piedmont blues packaged in a DVD sized box with a 32-page booklet. One CD is a collection of rare sides, unissued tests, clean originals and field recordings of classic Piedmont blues. The second CD contains the entire 1956 sessions by Blind Willie McTell (The Last Session) that was recorded by Ed Rhodes that includes material that was not included in the original Prestige release of such material. The handsomely illustrated 32-page booklet includes essays from Paul Swinton and Chris Smith, along with full discographical information.

The first disc includes some spectacularly wonderful performances of Piedmont blues with a spotlight primarily, but not exclusively, on the blues of Atlanta. It opens with a wonderful duet by Ruth Willis and Blind Willie McTell, "Talkin' to You Wimmin About the Blues," followed by McTell accompanying a vocal by her. Then comes the sublime first recording by McTell, "Mamma, T'aint Long Fo' Day'," with a wonderful vocal and superlative 12-string slide guitar. Performances like this as much as the better-known "Statesboro Blues" explain why McTell is regarded as among the greatest blues artists who ever played. Also included on this disc is McTell's Library of Congress recording of "Delia's Gone," about a 14-year-old girl shot by her 14-year-old boyfriend.

The McTell sides are not the only brilliant performances here. There is Blind Blake's "West Coast Blues" from his initial recording session, as well as a previously unissued test by Blind Boy Fuller of "Rag, Mama, Rag #1." This superb, animated performance had the great Fuller supported by Gary Davis on guitar and Bull City Red on washboard. Then there are two terrific performances by Prince Moore about who little is known and two wonderful performances from unissued tests by Buddy Moss. "Red River Blues #2" is another fabulous Piedmont fingerpicked blues. Curley Weaver, with harmonica player Eddie Mapp, deliver a bit of hokum on the title track, while there are two dynamic songs from Barbecue Bob with his robust vocals and 12-string guitar playing. Also, there is a radio aircheck of Josh White performing "John Henry," as well as short unexpurgated party disc of "Darktown Strutters," that definitely is not radio-friendly. The great Virginia Piedmont blues artist, John Jackson is heard on two stunning selections from private recordings that show the influence of Blind Blake.

The remaining selections on this first disc are of similar interest and merit. If this was issued as a single disc, one would recommend it highly. The second disc contains the entirety of the recordings, both songs, and interview segments, that Ed Rhodes made with Blind Willie McTell and issued in part as "The Last Session." as we hear him tell stories about the instrumental "Kill It Kid Rag," and "The Dyin' Crapshooter's Blues." There are surprising songs like "Pal of Mine," 'Salty Dog," "My Blue Heaven," and "Wabash Cannonball," along with McTell's remembrances of his early life and more. This second disc is not only a historical document but contains more exquisite blues and folk songs. In addition to this, there is an interview by Larry Cohn of Ed Rhodes discussing Mctell and the recordings produced by Rhodes decades later.

There have been some extremely important releases of historical blues material this year. "It's The Best Stuff Yet!" is as good as any of them and would make a terrific holiday gift to the blues fan in your world, or simply a marvelous gift for oneself. For more information on this release visit Frog Records at their website: https://www.frog-records.co.uk/products/its-the-best-stuff-yet. Frog Records has a superb catalog of vintage blues and jazz reissues including what is generally considered the best sounding reissue of Bessie Smith's music (on 8 CDs).

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