I'd Rather Be The Devil (Import) (CD) ~ Skip James (Artist) Cover Art

I'd Rather Be The Devil (Import) (CD)

By: Skip James (Artist)


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Product Description


Track Listing

DISC 1 for I'd Rather Be The Devil (Import) (CD) Album By Skip James (Artist)
1   Devil Got My Woman  
2   Cypress Grove Blues  
3   Cherry Ball Blues  
4   Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues  
5   Little Cow And Calf Is Gonna Die Blues  
6   If You Haven't Got Any Hay Get On Down The Road  
7   22-20 Blues  
8   How Long Buck  
9   Be Ready When He Comes  
10   Drunken Spree  
11   I'm So Glad  
12   Special Rider Blues  
13   Hard Luck Child  
14   Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader  
15   Four O'Clock Blues  
16   Illinois Blues  
17   Yola My Blues Away  
18   What Am I To Do Blues  
 


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Review

Q (p.135) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e sang in a voice that was high, spooky and comparatively melodic, while his intricate picking and piano-playing possessed a delicacy entirely their own."

Review

Q (p.135) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e sang in a voice that was high, spooky and comparatively melodic, while his intricate picking and piano-playing possessed a delicacy entirely their own."

Title Note

They've been reissued as a piece before, and no doubt they'll be reissued together in the future. But here they are again on this 2007 compilation: all 18 surviving tracks that Skip James recorded in February 1931 for Paramount Records, which in fact represented the totality of his output on disc before he was rediscovered in the '60s. It's gotten to the point that which iteration of these sessions you prefer is probably based on the art work and the liner notes, which are perfectly fine in the case of this anthology on the British Rev-Ola label. The music remains some of the most revered pre-World War II country blues, both for the quality of James' guitar work (though he occasionally backs himself on piano) and his haunting high vocals. "I'm So Glad" and, to a lesser degree, "Devil Got My Woman" remain the only songs familiar to a non-blues specialist audience, but many of the other tunes have similar qualities that will find favor with those who like those two classics. Alas, problems with surface noise remain, though on the whole it's not a significant distraction. That's not the fault of Rev-Ola; it's quite possible no one's ever going to figure out how to make some of the tracks sound crisp and clean with even the utmost state of the art remastering technology, such is the state of the only surviving source discs. But for all its unavoidable imperfections, this body of work is a cornerstone of the acoustic Delta blues form. ~ Richie Unterberger

Album Description

They've been reissued as a piece before, and no doubt they'll be reissued together in the future. But here they are again on this 2007 compilation: all 18 surviving tracks that Skip James recorded in February 1931 for Paramount Records, which in fact represented the totality of his output on disc before he was rediscovered in the '60s. It's gotten to the point that which iteration of these sessions you prefer is probably based on the art work and the liner notes, which are perfectly fine in the case of this anthology on the British Rev-Ola label. The music remains some of the most revered pre-World War II country blues, both for the quality of James' guitar work (though he occasionally backs himself on piano) and his haunting high vocals. "I'm So Glad" and, to a lesser degree, "Devil Got My Woman" remain the only songs familiar to a non-blues specialist audience, but many of the other tunes have similar qualities that will find favor with those who like those two classics. Alas, problems with surface noise remain, though on the whole it's not a significant distraction. That's not the fault of Rev-Ola; it's quite possible no one's ever going to figure out how to make some of the tracks sound crisp and clean with even the utmost state of the art remastering technology, such is the state of the only surviving source discs. But for all its unavoidable imperfections, this body of work is a cornerstone of the acoustic Delta blues form. ~ Richie Unterberger



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