[BillyC]

You might want to try this set too.

It is the best I have heard early Son House and Skip James sound.

JSP records http://www.jsprecords.com/ which is where the McTell set and this one are from have some great box sets at reasonable prices. Amazon usually has them for $25.99 to $28.99. I have built large prewar Blues, Jazz and Country/Bluegrass collections thanks to them.

 

[EdipisReks]

the Skip James albums recorded in the 1960s sound much better than the vintage stuff, and James played much of the same material, so the post-rediscovery stuff is where i would start for anyone that doesn't want to deal with the lower sound quality material.

 

[lionel marechal]

Based on this thread I digged into blues a bit. I do not know if it qulifies, I guess yes, but I had the crossroads 4 cds live by Clapton and some other albums.

I listen to several things and decided to keep BBking/Stevie Ray Vaughan ; "In Session' and BB King 'BLues on the bayou'.

I do not know blues that much so, at least for now, I do need good sound and I really enjoy those 2 albums.

Lionel

 

[zowie]

Another vote for John Hurt.

Also highly recommend Big Bill Broonzy!!

 

[Jbucla2005]

Some good recommendations here... I just picked up some Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Little Walter on the Chess label, and T-Bone Walker tonight from the local Barnes and Nobles bookstore. Very cool stuff. I am now interested in a whole genre that I never paid too much attention to before, which is fun. I'm sure I will be trying out more of the recommended artists in this thread soon.

 

[blessingx]

I have some funk/blues promos from an old record store gig from Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Along with a pro-O.J. Simpson dance track by Code Blue, they were my proud processions as worst music collected there. There is of course other great stuff by Watson, but not on those discs.

And sad to see Ali Farka Toure go recently

Best Blues disc I've heard in a looooooong time is Buddy Guys 2001 release Sweet Tea. I know it sounds tired, but it gave me faith in a genre I gave up on.

 

[Jubei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks the Skip James albums recorded in the 1960s sound much better than the vintage stuff, and James played much of the same material, so the post-rediscovery stuff is where i would start for anyone that doesn't want to deal with the lower sound quality material.

That was pretty much my line of thought. The folk / blues revival in the 60s meant that alot of the greats made a comeback with new recordings. While they are probably not as "seminal" as the vintage stuff, it is probably a good idea to start there - I am not sure whether I want to buy recording that date from the 20s and 30s, get totally turned off by the sound quality and end up giving up on the music. Better to start with tolerable sound, then go backwards in time.

 

[pds6]

Jubei says,
Quote:

Better to start with tolerable sound, then go backwards in time

I am not questioning the talent of many of the roots-blues players, but some of the records are more than 70 years old. The newer ones being 50 plus years old. It could be some hard sliding for the ill prepared.

An older album that sound o.k. and covers a lot of older blues musicians is "Bottles, Knives & Steel". It has Son House, Weaver and Beasley, Blind Boy Fuller, Buddy Woods and in my opinion, one of the best: Huddie William Ledbetter "Leadbelly".

 

[Headphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx ...Best Blues disc I've heard in a looooooong time is Buddy Guys 2001 release Sweet Tea. I know it sounds tired, but it gave me faith in a genre I gave up on.

Yeahhh!.. that album rocks!

Excellent sound quality too.

 

[augustwest]

I'll recommend Howlin' Wolf, the Chess Box Set. This is one of my favorites.

- augustwest

 

[DLeeWebb]

There are so many great blues recordings out there. I have really liked Eric Clapton's recent efforts "Me And Mr. Johnson" and "Sessions For Robert J."

 

[pds6]

I have always liked Buddy Guy. I liked the album "Bring 'Em In" (Some nice Chicago Blues, but with a good amount of Soul). Based upon a couple recommendations on this site, I purchased "Sweet Tea".

I do not claim that there is a deep white-line that separates Blues from Rhythm and Blues from Rock and Roll. Sweet Tea started out with the song, "Done Got Old" - straight blues. The last song, "It's a Jungle Out There" - straight blues. The seven songs between the first and the last are more Rhythm and Blues, if not outright Rock and Roll.

Very good album (I liked it more than "Bring 'Em In"), but not an album full of The Blues.

 

[Jubei]

I like Buddy Guy too - but much prefer his early stuff on Chess. I am also partial to his Vanguard album "A Man And The Blues". Don't have much of his more recent CDs - I only have Damn Right I've Got The Blues, Live! The Real Deal and Heavy Love. Can't say I like them very much. Having said that, his cover of Cream's Strange Brew is real funky.

Thing is the man can really play a mean guitar but his albums are rather spotty. When you compare him with his contemporaries like Otis Rush and Magic Sam, he doesn't really have many signature tunes. The only one I can think of is "My Time After Awhile".

 

[pds6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jubei "A Man And The Blues".

That's a Blues Album!

 

[Jubei]

Blues with god awful psychedelic cover art.