Memphis Blues - Important Postwar Blues (4 CD Box Set) - 2006

Product Description: With over one hundred tracks of post war Memphis blues and early RB, most of it on the rare and hard to find side, this JSP box set will find its greatest appeal with blues collectors, although the more general blues fan will find a lot to treasure here, too. Among the many highlights are Sleepy John Estes' sly "Rats in My Kitchen," Rufus Thomas' "Hound Dog" variation, "Bear Cat," Bobby Bland's desolate "Drifting From Town to Town," Pat Hare's farfromsubtle "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby," and Junior Parker's classic "Mystery Train."

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Memphis Blues - Important Postwar Blues (4 CD Box Set) - 2006

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Review: As usual, JSP is not shy with the quantity of titles provided in this amazing 4-CD set of Memphis Blues. All of the songs in this collection were recorded by Sam Phillips at his Memphis Recording Services studio between 1951 and 1954, with some of them getting released on his home-grown Sun label. Many of the titles however, were not released until years after they were recorded, due to recording quality issues or due to Phillips' reluctance to market them as hit-parade material.
While some of these songs overlap the ones issued on the Varese 3-CD set "Sun Records: Ultimate Blues Collection", there is plenty of stuff here for collectors and non-collectors alike to go crazy with. The sheer volume of material itself is almost overwhelming but the musical integrity suffers not in spite of.
Sam Phillips had a sensitive nose for talent and this attribute ensured that many who came to his studio looking to make a record were not overlooked. Even Sam Phillip's janitor/plumber got to put down 2 songs (Mose Vinson) and the evidence is that the guy could have made a living as a musician. The long term result of all of this musical activity is that JSP have compiled here, a priceless miniature archive of indigenous Memphis area blues circa post-WW2.
Here also, are some rare and early titles by better-known artists like Earl Hooker, James Cotton, Little Jr. Parker, Little Milton, Howlin' Wolf, Rufus Thomas, Big Walter Horton, Ike Turner, Bobby Bland, and Johnny Ace. All of these artists went on to other labels and more success following the demise of Memphis Recording Services.
The real treasures however, are the numbers waxed by the artists who made a few titles then left the business or vanished. The listener of this set will be treated to much additional pleasure from Doctor Ross, Joe Hill Louis, Jimmy DeBerry, Sammy Lewis, Willie Johnson (who became Howlin Wolf's working guitarist for a while), Willie Nix, and Houston Stokes.
Liner notes by long-term blues booster Neil Slaven are comprehensive and do a good job of drilling directly to the political times, the music business, and to the historical significance of this fine music. Collect this music now while it is still available in an artistically presentable format; it won't stay around like this forever.
Listeners who enjoy the music on this collection are encouraged to seek out the 4 single CD volumes of Memphis and neighbouring area blues, recorded for the Modern Records label (a competitor to Sun Records) around the same time, and re-released recently by Ace Records in England.
Five Stars JSP. Keep it coming.

Track Listing:
01 - Joe Hill Louis - Gotta Let You Go - 2:46
02 - Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park - 2:50
03 - Henry Hill - That Ain't Right (Take 1) - 2:54
04 - Doctor Ross - Little Soldier Boy (take 2) - 3:00
05 - Doctor Ross - Country Clown (take 1) - 2:56
06 - William Stewart - County Farm Blues - 1:59
07 - William Stewart - They Call Me Talkin' Boy - 2:25
08 - Jimmy & Walter - Easy - 3:02
09 - Jimmy & Walter - Before Long - 3:01
10 - D.A. Hunt - Lonesome Ol' Jail - 3:02
11 - D.A. Hunt - Greyhound Blues - 2:40
12 - Sleepy John Estes - Registration Day Blues - 3:13
13 - Sleepy John Estes - Rats In My Kitchen - 3:08
14 - Willam Stewart - Rattlesnake Mama - 2:52
15 - William Stewart - Forty Four Blues - 3:05
16 - Joe Hill Louis - I Feel Like a Million - 2:34
17 - Joe Hill Louis - Heartache Baby - 3:04
18 - Charlie Burse - Shorty the Barber - 2:30
19 - Woodrow Adams - Woodrow Adams - The last time - 2:56
20 - Woodrow Adams - Train Is Comin' - 3:07
21 - Pinetop Perkins - Pinetop's Boogie Woogie - 2:49
22 - Sleepy Joe Estes - Policy Man Blues (Take 1) - 3:17
23 - Coy ''Hot Shot'' Love - Wolf Call Boogie - 2:40
24 - Coy 'Hot Shot' Love - Harmonica Jam - 2:37
25 - Jimmy DeBerry - Take A Little Chance - 2:23
26 - Doctor Ross - Tailor Made - 2:48
27 - Doctor Ross - The Boogie Disease - 2:55

Track Listing:
01 - Howling Wolf - Moanin' At Midnight - 2:46
02 - Howling Wolf - Bluebird - 2:50
03 - Earl Hooker - Move On Down The Line - 2:20
04 - Earl Hooker - The Hucklebuck - 3:09
05 - Walter Horton - Walter's Instrumental - 2:59
06 - Walter Horton - Grandmother Got Grandfather Told - 3:01
07 - Willie Nix - Midnight Showers Of Rain - 3:05
08 - Willie Nix - Prison Bound Blues - 2:45
09 - Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat - 2:54
10 - Rufus Thomas - Married Woman - 2:51
11 - Rosco Gordon - Roscoe's Boogie - 2:51
12 - Rosco Gordon - City Women - 3:19
13 - Earl Forest - Baby, Baby - 3:02
14 - Earl Forest - Rock The Bottle - 2:52
15 - Little Jr. Parker - Bad Women, Bad Whiskey - 3:03
16 - Little Jr. Parker - You're My Angel - 2:00
17 - Bobby Bland - Good Lovin' - 2:26
18 - Bobby Bland - Drifting From Town To Town - 3:05
19 - James Cotton - My Baby - 2:26
20 - James Cotton - Straighten Up Baby - 2:23
21 - Shy Guy Douglas - Work With Her Boy - 1:56
22 - Shy Guy Douglas - Detriot Arrow Blues - 2:13
23 - Houston Boines - Carry My Business On (take 1) - 2:35
24 - Houston Boines - Crying In The Courthouse (take 1) - 3:06
25 - Charlie Booker - Walked All Night - 2:47
26 - Charlie Booker - Baby I'm Coming Home - 2:42
27 - Pat Hare - I'm Gonna Murder My Baby - 2:59
28 - Pat Hare - Bonus Pay - 2:10

Track Listing:
01 - Rosco Gordon - T-Model Boogie - 2:38
02 - Rosco Gordon - Saddled The Cow (And Milked The Horse) - 2:57
03 - Willie Nix - Seems Like A Millon Years (Take 1) - 2:52
04 - Willie Nix - Riding In The Moonlight - 3:17
05 - L.B. Lawson - Can't Love Me And My Money Too - 2:32
06 - L.B. Lawson - Flypaper Boogie - 2:26
07 - Little Milton - Somebody Told Me - 2:58
08 - Little Milton - If You Love Me - 2:37
09 - Little Milton - Feelin' Good - 2:59
10 - Little Milton - Fussin' And Fightin' Blues - 3:01
11 - Billy 'Red' Love - Hart's Bread Boogie - 2:42
12 - Billy 'Red' Love - Blues Leave Me Alone - 3:32
13 - Joe Hill Louis - She Comes To See Me Sometime (take 1) - 2:43
14 - Joe Hill Louis - We All Gotta Go Sometime - 2:40
15 - Honeyboy Edwards - Sweet Home Chicago (take 1) - 3:03
16 - Mose Vinson - Mistreating Boogie - 2:37
17 - Mose Vinson - Worry You Off My Mind - 3:15
18 - L.C. Hubert - Lucy Done Moved - 2:30
19 - Eddie Snow - Don't Dog Me Around - 2:51
20 - Eddie Snow - Skin And Bone (Take 1) - 2:50
21 - Johnny O'Neal - Dead Letter Blues (take 1) - 3:42
22 - Johnny O'Neal - Ugly Woman (take 3) - 2:32
23 - Houston Stokes - You'll Be Sorry - 2:23
24 - Houston Stokes - Blue And Lonsome - 2:06
25 - Raymond Hill - Long Gone Raymond - 2:43
26 - Raymond Hill - I'm Back Pretty Baby - 2:45
27 - Kenneth Banks - Blue Man (take 1) - 3:22
28 - Kenneth Banks - High (take 1) - 2:25


Track Listing:
01 - Rufus Thomas - Tiger Man - 2:50
02 - Rufus Thomas - Save That Money - 2:46
03 - Little Milton - Lookin' For My Baby - 2:39
04 - Little Milton - Homesick for My Baby - 2:55
05 - Sammy Lewis & Wille Johnson - Feel So Worried - 2:30
06 - Sammy Lewis & Willie Johnson - So Long Baby, Goodbye - 2:12
07 - James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues (Take 1) - 3:05
08 - James Cotton - Hold Me In Your Arms - 2:50
09 - Howling Wolf - Come Back Home (Take 1) - 2:39
10 - Howling Wolf - Chocolate Drop - 2:45
11 - Earl Hooker - Blue Guitar - 2:50
12 - Boyd Gilmore - Believe I'll Settle Down - 3:10
13 - Walter Horton - We All Gotta Go Sometime - 3:01
14 - Walter Horton - Off The Wall - 2:19
15 - Little Junior - Love My Baby - 2:37
16 - Little Junior - Mystery Train - 2:25
17 - Bobby Bland - Dry Up Baby - 2:03
18 - Bobby Bland - Crying All Night Long - 3:06
19 - Billy 'Red' Love - Way After Midnight (Take 1) - 2:54
20 - Billy 'Red' Love - Hey Now (Take 1) - 2:47
21 - EARL FOREST - I Wronged A Woman - 2:55
22 - EARL FOREST - I Can't Forgive You - 2:31
23 - Johnny Ace - Midnight Hours Journey - 3:34
24 - Raymond Hill - My Baby Left Me - 2:31
25 - Ike Turner - You're Driving Me Insane - 2:23
26 - Ike Turner - Trouble And Heartache - 2:35
27 - Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - When It Rains It Pours - 3:08
28 - Billy "The Kid" Emerson - Move Baby Move - 2:44