The buzz in blues circles began at the end of last year when word got out that the long lost Son House 78 had been found. Son's waxing of "Mississippi County Farm Blues/Clarksdale Moan" was the holy grail of blues finds stemming from that mythical 1930 Paramount session that produced masterpieces not only by Son but also by Charlie Patton, Willie Brown and Louise Johnson. "Mississippi County Farm Blues" is every bit as good as we had hoped it would be. This is a very different and superior version than the one he cut for the Library of Congress in 1942. Son plays this fast and extremely powerful laced with some gorgeous ringing slide as he sings/moans this prison tale with incredible intensity. The song has the same melody as "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" which was obviously intentional as Son stated in a 1965 interview: "Art Laibly wanted the artists to do a version of a popular Jefferson song. 'I want all of you, either one of you. I'm not gonna pick so much on the words and they don’t have to be the same words that he used on See That My Grave Is Kept Clean just let it be words that rhyme, pertaining to the title of the song but I want that BEAT in there that he had.'" By contrast, while quite good, "Clarksdale Moan" isn't nearly as powerful and feels a bit underdeveloped. It's already been suggested that Willie Brown is playing a good deal of the guitar and indeed Son's distinctive slide is only really heard in the song's final flourish. Those songs would be reason enough to pick up the 2-CD The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of but of course there's plenty more, certainly living up to the cover blurb -"Super Rarities & Unissued Gems of the 1920's & 30's." Indeed this collection is chock full of incredibly rare (1 or 2 known 78 copies) blues, country and gospel numbers that will make collectors week in the knees. In fact the theme of the 20 page illustrated booklet is about the mania of collecting, something I'm sure many of us can relate to and perfectly illustrated by the great Robert Crumb cover. While Richard Nevins pokes gentle fun at the wacky collectors we owe them a great debt for without them all this fabulous music may have been lost forever. I'm not the best qualified to judge the country items although I'm sure previously unissued sides by the Georgia Pot Lickers and Grayson & Whitter will elicit the same excitement as those Son House sides do for blues fans. The House sides are the only unissued blues items but we do get some wonderful sides by Long "Cleeve" Reed & Harvey Hull, Jaybird Coleman, Lottie Kimbrough, Jesse Thomas, King Solomon Hill, Luke Jordan and others. Sound quality ranges from very good to terrible, which is to be expected considering the rarity of these sides. My only complaint is little or no background is given on the performers, no analysis of the records is provided and no discography is included. I'd sure like to know more about where that Son House 78 showed up but alas the mystery remains.

Yank Rachell

 If Mississippi John Hurt never recorded again after his 1928 Okeh session his place in blues history would still be assured. The 13 issued sides were among the most lyrically beautiful blues of the era, marking Hurt as a true original. He might have retreated back to Avalon, Mississippi and let time pass him by if it wasn't for a remarkable turn of events that would turn the soft spoken Hurt into a genuine celebrity in the 1960's. The folk music revival of the late '50s and early '60s renewed interest in the old blues singers and in a relatively short time once mysterious figures like Skip James, Son House, Bukka White, Furry Lewis were back in the spotlight. Hurt's turn came in 1963 when he was found still residing in Avalon, the town he immortalized on "Avalon Blues." D.C. Blues: Library of Congress Recordings Vol. 2 was recorded 35 years after his initial recordings and finds Hurt in exceptional form. His was a gentle brand of blues with complex finger picking and a gentle, conversational vocal style far removed from rougher contemporaries like Charlie Patton and Son House. The 37 songs on this two-disc set were recorded live for the Library of Congress during two marathon sessions on July 15 and 23, 1963 in order to capture Hurt's artistry for posterity. For Hurt fans this is a motherlode of wonderful blues, ballads and spirituals played with perhaps even more warmth and intimacy than his studio recordings from this period. Hurt obviously knew a lot of songs, not just blues, and he digs deep here resurrecting old pieces like "Waiting For You (I Forgive You Before I Go)", "Alabama Bound", "Shortin' Bread" plus reworkings of earlier numbers like "Nobody's Dirty Business", "Avalon Blues", "Frankie" and "Monday Morning Blues" (cut in 1928 but never issued). Like Vol. 1, these recordings have never appeared domestically so it's great to have theses timeless sides together in one easily available package.

 There's no shortage of live Freddie King material, both legitimate releases and bootleg recordings. Quality varies on some of these but Live At The Electric Ballroom, 1974, originally issued on Black Top in 1996, is a good one, finding Freddie in superb form and boasting good sound. The performances come form two sessions in the early 70's. Six tracks stem from an intimate studio interview with Dallas DJ John Dillon. The rest of the recordings were taped at Atlanta's Electric Ballroom in 1974 and gathered dust for over 20 years before finally being released. The studio recordings catch a relaxed Freddie doing a couple of laid back interview segments plus two wonderful acoustic performances of "That's Alright" and "Dust My Broom." According to the liner notes these are the only acoustic recordings of Freddie known to exist. Freddie was an incendiary live performer and the concert here is a good one although the band here is more bombastically rock oriented when compared to his 60's recordings. Freddie's blistering guitar work and passionate vocals are heard to great effect on the soulful "Woman Across The River", the spare, heartfelt "Ain't Nobody's Business", a number Freddie always made his own, plus fiery versions of "Key To The Highway", "Sweet Home Chicago" and others. King fans will certainly want his one although there's a few others live ones that may be better including "Live In Germany", "Texas and Oklahoma Club Dates 75" and "Live At The Texas Opry House" (apparently his last recording). Fans should also check out the recently issued The!!!! Beat DVD's which capture Freddie in jaw dropping form on over a dozen songs circa 1966.

Earl Gaines hasn't had an easy time in the music business, achieving success only sporadically in career that stretches back to the mid-50's and continues to this day (Gaines issued "The Different Feelings of Blues and Soul" in 2005). Gaines got his big break when he started singing lead Louis Brooks and his group the Hi-Toppers who one were one of Nashville's most in demand R&B outfits. Their first recording hit pay dirt with "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)" rising to number two on the R&B charts in 1955 and giving the fledgling Excello label it's first taste of national exposure. Gaines began cutting sides under his own name for Excello, Champion and by 1963, he'd joined Bill "Hoss" Allen's stable of artists, scoring a hit with "Best of Luck to You." He subsequently recorded record for Deluxe/King and Sound Stage 7 with little success. The recordings that comprise The Lost Soul Tapes were recorded for the Seventy-Seven label, a subsidiary of Sound Stage, between 1972-1975 plus one single for Johnny Vincent's Ace imprint. Gaines earlier sides have been well documented on reissue collections, but this 20 track collection features sides that have unfairly been ignored. Gaines is a gritty, explosive singer and is in terrific form on this uniformly strong collection of 70's soul. While the production isn't as distinctive as what Hi and Stax were laying down, it's still well produced featuring some punchy horns and a tough rhythm section. Gaines is in top form although the material is a bit mixed. Highlights include scorchers like "Keep Your Mind On Me" and "I Can't Face It" featuring some odd, but effective New Orleans style piano. There's several covers include a passionate take on O.V. Wright's "That's How Strong My Love Is", a great cover of Joe Simon's "Nine Pound Steel", Mighty Hannibal's "Hymn Number 5" which hit #36 on the R&B charts and a rousing, funky version of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light." The earlier stuff Gaines cut for Excello is still the place to start but if you have that this collection is well worth investigating.

Roscoe Shelton's volcanic voice came to full maturity in the mid to late 60's when he waxed a slew of smoking soul platters for a number of small labels, most notably John R's Sound Stage 7 imprint. Like many who followed him, Shelton got his start singing gospel, first for the legendary Fairfield Four and later for a spin off of the group called the Skylarks. He then landed at Excello where he cut some fine singles for the label between 1958-1961 which were issued on the superb LP "Roscoe Shelton Sings" (expanded for CD reissue in 1995). Forty-fives were being released on various labels after the debut album, recording for Ted Jarrett's Valdot label in 1962, those sides getting licensed to Battle Records. In 1964-1965 the work was issued on the Simms imprint, resulting in the hit "Strain on My Heart." Simms was absorbed by Sound Stage Seven, a label operated by former DJ John R. Sound Stage Seven released the singer's music between 1965 and 1967. The 27 tracks on Deep In My Soul come from that period. Shelton's gritty, gut wrenching singing packs a wallop, retaining the strong bluesy feel of his Excello period with the gospel fervor of his early days. Shelton was a decade older than both Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett and was undoubtedly an influence on both. The production is tough and hard hitting with some top drawer songs although only two numbers hit the charts; the aforementioned "Strain On My Heart" tipped in at #25 on the R&B charts while the aching "Easy Going Fellow" hit #32. Despite the dearth of hits the music ranks as some of the most emotionally wracked soul of the era as evidenced on cuts like the brassy, soaring "The Fire Still Burns", the vicious stormer "Soon As Darkness Falls", as wicked as anything Wilson Pickett ever cut, the pounding "Running From Your Life" and the super charged ballad "There's A Heartbreak Somewhere." These are just a few of the highlights on this flawless collection.

Johnny Young

Roscoe Shelton's volcanic voice came to full maturity in the mid to late 60's when he waxed a slew of smoking soul platters for a number of small labels, most notably John R's Sound Stage 7 imprint. Like many who followed him, Shelton got his start singing gospel, first for the legendary Fairfield Four and later for a spin off of the group called the Skylarks. He then landed at Excello where he cut some fine singles for the label between 1958-1961 which were issued on the superb LP "Roscoe Shelton Sings" (expanded for CD reissue in 1995). Forty-fives were being released on various labels after the debut album, recording for Ted Jarrett's Valdot label in 1962, those sides getting licensed to Battle Records. In 1964-1965 the work was issued on the Simms imprint, resulting in the hit "Strain on My Heart." Simms was absorbed by Sound Stage Seven, a label operated by former DJ John R. Sound Stage Seven released the singer's music between 1965 and 1967. The 27 tracks on Deep In My Soul come from that period. Shelton's gritty, gut wrenching singing packs a wallop, retaining the strong bluesy feel of his Excello period with the gospel fervor of his early days. Shelton was a decade older than both Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett and was undoubtedly an influence on both. The production is tough and hard hitting with some top drawer songs although only two numbers hit the charts; the aforementioned "Strain On My Heart" tipped in at #25 on the R&B charts while the aching "Easy Going Fellow" hit #32. Despite the dearth of hits the music ranks as some of the most emotionally wracked soul of the era as evidenced on cuts like the brassy, soaring "The Fire Still Burns", the vicious stormer "Soon As Darkness Falls", as wicked as anything Wilson Pickett ever cut, the pounding "Running From Your Life" and the super charged ballad "There's A Heartbreak Somewhere." These are just a few of the highlights on this flawless collection.