The View On Pop Culture: R.L. Burnside, Skip James, Walter Trout, Furry Lewis (2003)

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THE YEAR OF THE BLUES

By now you’ve watched every episode of the PBS documentary on the blues and you’re ready to celebrate the Congressionally-declared “year of the blues’ with a few new CD purchases. Well, you could choose from among the officially-sanctioned CD tie-ins to the PBS series, titles from deserving folks like Muddy Waters, Son House, and the obscure J.B. Lenoir. But if you really want to expand your musical vocabulary, look beyond the hype and marketing and discover these artists who offer several different shades of blue.

There are very few of the classic Mississippi bluesmen remaining, R.L. Burnside one of the last of a dying breed. Perhaps the best known of modern-day blues stylists, Burnside’s work has crossed over to a rock-oriented audience via collaborations with garage-rocker Jon Spencer and through the groundbreaking Come On In album. Remixed with an edge by Thom Rothrock and Alec Empire, the studio effects and loops enhancing Come On In only intensified Burnside’s already powerful performances, the resulting songs familiar to many listeners from movie and TV soundtracks.

The long-overdue reappearance of First Recordings (Fat Possum) on CD shows Burnside in a different light. Captured live in Mississippi by producer George Mitchell, these 1968 recordings – just R.L. and a beat-up acoustic guitar – preview the power and grace that will become Burnside’s legacy. Performing traditional juke-joint country blues in his Mississippi Fred McDowell-influenced “hill country” style, Burnside blazes through red hot readings of “Poor Black Mattie,” “My Time Ain’t Long” and his trademark “Goin’ Down South.” The recordings have been cleaned up to please modern ears, but Burnside’s hypnotizing vocals and strong, percussive guitar style are always a joy to listen to, First Recordings a welcome addition to the blues lexicon.

Country bluesman Skip James is considered by historians to be one of the most important figures in the history of the Delta blues. A troubled man haunted by the dichotomy of sin and salvation represented by the blues and gospel music, James’ unique guitar style and songwriting skills have inspired and influenced musicians across decades and genres, from Robert Johnson to Eric Clapton. A long-lost collection of previously unreleased material, Studio Sessions: Rare and Unreleased (Vanguard Records) had the potential to be a real gem, the sort of rare find that escapes the vaults from time to time. Unfortunately, it is only mildly interesting to the most hardcore of blues fans.

Recorded in 1967 near the end of his life, the collection offers an obviously world-weary James spinning through a selection of mostly Gospel-oriented tunes. There are times when James’ haunting, otherworldly vocals soar – most notably on “One Dime Was All I Had” – and his bordello learned piano playing takes flight on numbers like “Omaha Blues.” The purchase of Studio Sessions should be reserved until the newcomer to James’ unique talents has digested the artist’s Complete Early Recordings (Yazoo) from 1931 or the latter-era collection Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (Biograph) from the early-60s. Then you’ll know what all the brouhaha over Skip James is all about.    

Walter Trout is a blues-rocker of the Stevie Ray Vaughan school, mixing lightning-quick fretwork with traditional boogie styling, appealing to fans of amped-up guitar pyrotechnics. Trout earned his bones backing legends like John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton; he played in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and propped up Canned Heat for a while in the ‘80s. I must admit that I’ve found much of Trout’s studio work to be a snooze, but the recently released Relentless (Ruf Records), which captures Trout and his fine band the Radicals performing live in Amsterdam, has prompted me to reconsider.

The stage is obviously Trout’s element, the guitarist filling every song with incredible energy and, well…relentless six-string riffing that would please any blues-rock enthusiast. Trout’s whiskey glass vocals are appropriately suited to the music and what he lacks as a songwriter he more than makes up for with power, sweat and passion. The rocking declaration “The Life I Chose,” the Hendrix-inspired ballad “Cry If You Want To” or the anthemic “Collingswood” showcase an artist seriously in love with the blues. A lifer who may never get rich from his craft, Trout is nevertheless determined to make his mark playing the music that he loves and Relentless is a fine step in that direction.        

Walter “Furry” Lewis was a fixture on the Memphis blues scene for years beyond count, recording his first songs in the ‘20s, retiring from music in the ‘30s and being rediscovered in the ‘50s. While most of the original country bluesmen had fled the Delta for Chicago, Detroit and other points north, Lewis remained on Beale Street, traveled the Southeast in medicine shows and, along the way, forged a musical legacy that stands up with the greatest artists of the genre. The timing of the release of Good Morning Judge (Fat Possum Records) couldn’t come at a better time as it is one of the strongest collections of Lewis recordings that is currently available.

Recorded by producer George Mitchell in Memphis circa 1962, Good Morning Judge offers Lewis in fine form. The opening title cut is hilarious, Lewis stating that “I got arrested once,” and then going on to deny accusations of murder, fraud, forgery and even loitering, his light-hearted lyrics covering the deadly seriousness of institutional racism, his vocals accompanied by slinky bottleneck guitar. In fact, much of Good Morning Judge showcases Lewis’ unique and intriguing six-string style, the elder bluesman filling songs like “Blues Around My Bed” and “Roll and Tumble Blues” with spry energy and soulful performances. “Don’t You Wish Your Mama Had Named You Furry Lewis” and “Furry Lewis Rag” revisit these traditional blues tunes with more braggadocio than any hip-hop microphone fiend could muster. A wonderful introduction to the lively wit, musical talent and immense charisma of Furry Lewis, Good Morning Judge should be on the shelf of any serious fan of the blues. (View From The Hill, 2003)

The View On Pop Culture: Hadacol, Ryan Adams, R.L. Burnside (2002)

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The best-selling country music album of 2001 wasn’t by Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks or even old-faithful himself, Garth Brooks. No, the multi-platinum soundtrack to the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? grabbed that brass ring, the collection of traditional country, hillbilly and gospel music chalking up over three million in sales with little or no radio airplay. Apologists for the pop-flavored pabulum that Nashville has been cranking out these past few years are crying “foul” up and down Music Row, dismissing the aforementioned soundtrack as a mere fluke…but alt-country fans know better. A movement in search of commercial recognition found a hit in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the CD providing short-lived justification for the entire alternative country genre and it’s artistic call for a return to some sort of traditionalism in country music.

Lack of talent isn’t the reason why alt-country hasn’t broken big with mainstream audiences. The tendency for the genre to include everything outside of Nashville’s major label system might be its biggest problem, alt-country artists running the stylistic gamut from bluegrass and Western swing to country-rock and mountain-grown hillbilly rave-ups. It’s a mighty big tent that can include rough-hewn rockers like Slobberbone alongside Nashville traditionalists like BR5-49 or folkish singer-songwriters like Lucinda Williams. Two recent albums by so-called “alternative country” artists highlight the identity problems suffered by the genre, with roots-rockers Hadacol and former Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams offering widely different interpretations of the country tradition.

Hadacol – named after the tonic that once sponsored Hank Williams’ radio show – delivers a brilliant second album with All In Your Head (Slewfoot Records), offering up rollicking tunes with stylistic roots similar to other great American Midwestern bands like Uncle Tupelo, the Bottle Rockets and the Skeletons. Brothers Fred and Greg Wickham run the show here, swapping off songwriting duties on a roughly 50/50 basis, both contributing vocals and guitars to the band’s distinctive country-rock sound. The Wickham’s are individually quite talented songwriters, Hadacol’s lively tunes poetically exploring familiar themes of love and betrayal, family and friendship, life and its many ups and downs. Deft production from the musically sympathetic Lou Whitney of the Skeletons breathes a great deal of life and energy into tunes like the eerie “Watch It Burn,” the self-doubting “What I’m Doin’ Wrong” or the light-hearted “Airplane Song.” Sort of like the kudzu vine that frames the highways of the South, All In Your Head will grow on you more and more with every listen.

Ryan Adams, formerly of alt-country pioneers Whiskeytown, delivered one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2001 in Gold (Lost Highway). The Reverend is here to tell you that Adams lives up to his press clippings. Gold was released by Lost Highway, the fledgling alt-country label that shocked Nashville with the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and which has also released discs from Lucinda Williams and Billy Bob Thornton. Unlike the unabashed roots-rock style of Hadacol, or even his own earlier solo work, Adams’ sophomore effort blends equal measures of country, rock, pop and Southern-fried soul into a sort of musical hobo’s stew. The album opens with a love song for the artist’s newly adopted hometown, “New York, New York” a guitar-driven romp through Adams’ lyrical infatuation with the Big Apple’s charms. From that point, Adams uses his natural charisma and songwriting skills to drive home another fifteen wonderful tunes. From the country-flavored “Somehow, Someday” to the soulful “Rescue Blues” or the introspective “Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd,” Adams’ infectious voice and intelligent lyricism are guaranteed to fire the listener’s imagination.    

Although not an alt-country artist, many of those who choose to wear that label like a badge of defiance could learn a lot by listening to R.L. Burnside. One of the few remaining old-school bluesmen, Burnside’s music is a unique hybrid of Delta and Mississippi Hill Country blues. Enduring the scorn of uptight blues purists for the sin of tainting his sound through collaborations with “outsiders” like guitarist Jon Spencer or electronica producer Alex Rothrock, Burnside has nevertheless enjoyed a fair share of mainstream popularity during the past decade. Burnside’s increased audience has been built not through marketing hype but by the artist’s uncompromising and dynamic live performances.  

Burnside On Burnside (Fat Possum/Epitaph), recorded live at the Crystal Ballroom on, well, Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon, showcases a return to an earthier sound for Burnside. With a backing band that includes his twenty-two-year-old grandson Cedric and his longtime sidekick, guitarist Kenny Brown, the 74-year old musician delivers a red-hot set of classic raw blues. Burnside’s bent-note style of guitar playing, inspired by mentor Mississippi Fred McDowell, when matched with Brown’s looping slidework and the younger Burnside’s steady rhythms, creates an almost hypnotic tapestry upon which the bluesman embroiders his powerful vocals.

At home while on any stage, Burnside tells jokes, wanders across various musical pathways and generally plays what he wants to play. This is no slick Chicago-styled blues or the work of some studio-bred Texas guitarslinger – this is primal, no-frills, rockin-the-Casbah, honest-to-god jukejoint BLOOZE, delivered straight up, with no chaser. A gem among blues albums, Burnside On Burnside captures the music’s threatening ambiance and fiery essence like no other live album these ears have ever heard. (The View On Pop Culture, Janaury 2002)

Blues Bites: Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, CeDell Davis, David Malone & the Sugar Bears (2013)

This February 2013 About.com “Blues Bites” column took a glance through the looking glass and into the past to 1995, checking out a handful of influential releases that helped make Fat Possum Records one of the premiere blue labels of the 1990s and into the 2000s.

Junior Kimbrough – Sad Days, Lonely Nights (Fat Possum Records, 1995)
As the story goes, Fat Possum Records was created out of the desire of blues lovers Matt Johnson and Peter Lee to capture Mississippi blues legend Junior Kimbrough on disc. Save for a few regional singles, Kimbrough’s enormous body of work was destined for obscurity. A chance meeting between the duo and Widespread Panic keyboardist Jo Jo Hermann brought the financial support the young label needed and Fat Possum was off and running. The label went ahead to release Kimbrough’s album debut, All Night Long, a critically-acclaimed, award-winning disc that placed the small Mississippi label on the blues map alongside longtime players like Chicago’s Alligator Records and Black Top Records.

Kimbrough’s second Fat Possum release, Sad Days, Lonely Nights, is an excellent showcase for the incredible talents of this legend. Kimbrough’s guitar playing is top notch, soaring through the eleven cuts presented here like a bird-of-prey in flight. The former moonshine-runner and juke-joint owner brings an air of realism to his work that can only come from a lifetime of the blues. Although Sad Days, Lonely Nights has its share of highlights, the entire album is a blues lover’s dream come true. Razor-sharp guitar riffs ricochet from speaker to speaker, Kimbrough’s understated vocals driving cuts like “Crawling King Snake”, “I’m Gonna Have To Leave Here”, or the traditional “Old Black Mattie” with heartfelt emotion and sincerity. This is the sort of stone cold, authentic blues that a lot of rockers attempt to emulate, but few ever truly capture a portion of the life that Kimbrough breathes into each performance. Grade: B+

R.L. Burnside – Too Bad Jim (Fat Possum Records, 1995)
R.L. Burnside reminds me a lot of the great Muddy Waters. No uptown player, Burnside, eschewing the slick, highly-polished sound of those Chi-town bluesmen in favor of down-and-dirty Mississippi blues. Like Waters, Burnside has a gravel-lined growl of a voice, slurring lyrics into a mud-thick cocktail of passion and fire while the banging chords of the guitar keep a steady rhythm. Burnside’s Too Bad Jim was recorded live at Junior Kimbrough’s juke joint in Chulahoma, Mississippi, and is presented here, warts and all. The sound is hollow, often echoing Burnside’s throaty vocals and minimal guitar work. The resulting sound in not unlike what a lot of blues-based rock bands tried to achieve back in the late 1960s, cranking out lengthy jams in a large, cavernous hall for the tape player. On Too Bad Jim, the feel is entirely appropriate, imbuing the recordings with an ambiance that no studio engineer could ever hope to capture.

The songs performed by Burnside on Too Bad Jim, his second Fat Possum release, are rocking blues, Northern Mississippi style. The songs stand alone in the blues pantheon, unique compositions that are completely localized to a handful of rural Mississippi counties, featuring a musical and lyrical idiom shared by only a handful of artists. Cuts like “Shake ‘Em On Down”, “.44 Pistol”, and “Goin’ Down South” offer an original sound that is delivered in a traditional blues vein. They are highly-spirited works, full of vigor, imprinted by Burnside with a performance entirely his own. The scholars call it “Hill Country blues,” I simply call it invigorating. Grade: A   

CeDell Davis – The Best of CeDell Davis (Fat Possum Records, 1995)
CeDell Davis, stricken by polio at the age of ten and left partially paralyzed, adapted to his disability by turning his guitar over and playing it left handed. He developed a fierce slide guitar style that owes a lot to the Robert Johnson school of blues, and cuts like “CeDell’s Boogie” and “Broke and Hungry” sound a lot like Davis is a mere one step ahead of the hellhounds on his trail. The Best Of CeDell Davis is a fine collection of traditional blues delivered with a great deal of verve and energy.

Davis’ slide playing resonates throughout this material, at times fluid and melodic, at others chaotic and discordant. His voice booms above the mix, joyful and vibrant, lyrics hurriedly shouted so as to get back to the matter at hand, picking the guitar. Songs like “Keep Your Mouth Closed Baby” or “Baby Don’t Do It” would sound more familiar to the casual blues listener than, say, Kimbrough’s complex guitar-based material or Burnside’s obscure styling, but this does nothing to diminish their power. Davis is a classic bluesman, forged in poverty and tempered by the music he creates. As such, just about anything he would care to play could be considered “the best” of CeDell Davis. Grade: A-

David Malone & the Sugar Bears – I Got the Dog In Me (Fat Possum Records, 1995)
By comparison, David Malone is a mere babe in the woods among this bunch. Twenty-five to thirty years younger than his Fat Possum labelmates, Malone brings a modern electric influence to the traditional blues styling of Kimbrough and Burnside. Malone is actually Kimbrough’s son, and his backing band, the Sugar Bears, includes his brother Kenny on drums and Burnside’s son Dwayne on bass. All are seasoned veterans, playing regularly at Kimbrough’s Mississippi juke-joint, Malone first joining his father on-stage at the tender age of six years old.

Malone’s I Got the Dog In Me successfully mixes the local, Northern Mississippi Hill Country blues style with elements of funk, rock, and 1960s-era R&B. Coming of age during the 1970s, the juke-joint was Malone’s birthright, the musical revolution carried on outside of Mississippi his bread and butter. Influenced by folks like the Isley Brothers, Teddy Pendergrass, and even Prince as well as his father, Malone blends styles so easily as to inspire awe. Whereas a cut like the funky “Do the Romp” or the soulful “I Got the Dog In Me” would easily fit into any urban contemporary radio format, the G.Q. smooth “You’re Touching Me the Wrong Way” could sit easily alongside similar roots-oriented artists like Robert Cray or Bonnie Raitt on the charts.

It’s the blues that Malone keeps coming back, to, however, his bloodline seemingly preordaining his inevitable musical direction. Malone has earned his blues honestly, though. Raised in extreme poverty in rural Mississippi, Malone credits a long five year stint in his home state’s brutal Parchman prison for turning him away from drugs and saving his life. The result is an honesty and sincerity that shine through songs like “Raunchy Stuff”, “Home Alone”, and “Trying To Make It Over”. Contrary to musical naysayers, who claim that young African-Americans are moving away from the blues, I Got the Dog In Me is proof that as long as men and women are forced to live the blues, they’ll be inspired to sing the blues. Grade: B-

Spotlight on R.L. Burnside

R.L. Burnside photo by Bill Steber, courtesy Fat Possum Records

R.L. Burnside Select Discography:
Bad Luck City (Fat Possum Records, 1994)
Too Bad Jim (Fat Possum, 1994), produced by Robert Palmer
A Ass Pocket of Whiskey (Fat Possum, 1996) [with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion]
Mr. Wizard (Fat Possum, 1997) [two tracks with Jon Spencer]
Acoustic Stories (M.C. Records, 1997)
Come On In (Fat Possum, 1998)
My Black Name a-Ringin' (Genes, 1999) [vintage recordings from 1969]
Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down (Fat Possum, 2000)
Burnside On Burnside (Fat Possum, 2001) [live LP]
First Recordings (Fat Possum, 2003) [George Mitchell sessions circa 1967]
A Bothered Mind (Fat Possum, 2004)

North Mississippi Hill Country blues legend R.L. Burnside had been performing and recording for decades before he struck paydirt in the 1990s as part of an overall rediscovery by indie rock fans of Mississippi blues music that was fueled by Fat Possum Records. Burnside found a new audience with his sincere, high-energy blues sound among young punk and garage-rock fans after recording with indie rocker Jon Spencer in the middle part of the decade, but it was his own recordings like Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down and the live Burnside On Burnside that cemented his legacy as one of the most innovative and influential artists in the history of Mississippi blues. Sadly, Burnside left us in 2005 at the age of 78 years, but he leaves behind an enormous musical legacy that is being carried on to this day by his grandson Cedric Burnside.

Also on That Devil Music: R.L. Burnside - Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down CD review

Archive Review: R.L. Burnside's Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down (2001)

That R.L. Burnside would only begin experiencing some degree of artistic and commercial recognition so late in his career is the story of the blues, kids. Many of the blues greats – Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell, Skip James and Son House, to name a few – were old and gray before being “rediscovered” during the 1960s. In his 73 years, Burnside has certainly seen his share of ups and downs. Since his own revival a few years back - fueled by an appearance in Robert Palmer’s Deep Blues documentary film – he’s been burning the candle at both ends. Burnside’s 1998 release Come On In, with Tom Rothrock’s contemporary electronica production laid upon the bluesman’s organic guitar and vocals, was a breakthrough of sorts, reaching an audience who knew little of the blues, much less anything of Burnside.

Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down is Burnside’s follow-up to Come On In and a return to a more roots-based sound. Lyrically, this is possibly Burnside’s bleakest album, with many songs haunted by death and betrayal, carrying with them an ambience as dark as the Delta soil. The album is also an artistic triumph – Burnside’s vocals are rich, soulful and expressive, his lyrics direct and carefully crafted. Even when covering somebody else’s material – such as his haunting rendering of Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor” or an electric version of Don Covay’s R & B classic “Chain Of Fools” – Burnside’s talent and consistency make the songs his own. The title track is a traditional gospel tune that Burnside invokes with a great deal of fire and passion. Original songs such as the “Bad Luck City,” with its advice on romance, or “R.L.’s Story,” a spoken tract with minimal instrumental backing are as cutting edge as the blues will ever get.

For fans who only discovered Burnside through Come On In, there’s enough tape loops, turntable scratching and electronic tricks on Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down to satisfy your warped little tastes. A handful of producers, led by Andy Kaulkin, as well as contributions by guitarist Smokey Hormel and scratchers DJ Swamp, Iki Levy and DJ Pete B bring a modern feel to an art form that’s close to 100 years old. Burnside shines through all of the high-tech gimcrackery, though, with an originality and talent that places him alongside the greatest names in Mississippi blues.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: R.L. Burnside’s Wish I was In Heaven Sitting Down

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ webzine, 2001

Fat Possum Records' historic Worried Blues LP/CD series

Fat Possum Records is known these days for the label’s cutting edge rock releases by bands like Temples, Communions, or Bash & Pop. Back in the ‘90s, though, the up-and-coming indie imprint was a hothouse of blues, releasing albums by artists like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, Mississippi Hill Country veterans whose commercial breakthroughs during the age of college radio and alt-rock helped put Fat Possum on the map.

On July 21, 2017 Fat Possum will revisit its stories past with the release of the ten-album Worried Blues series on vinyl, CD, and digital download, available exclusively from Amazon Music. Worried Blues features rare, lost, and long out-of-print recording from ten architects of 20th century blues music: R.L. Burnside, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Houston Stackhouse, Rev. Gary Davis, Honeyboy Edwards, Furry Lewis, Little Brother Montgomery, Rev. Robert Wilkins, and Bukka White, each of which are represented by an individual collection in the Worried Blues series.

Much of the material found on the Worried Blues albums was recorded from 1963 to 1972 by Gene Rosenthal, the founder of Adelphi Records, with help from legendary guitarist and musicologist John Fahey. The artists represented by the series provide a rich tapestry of blues music from across the Mississippi Delta and hill country, all of them rather obscure until rediscovered by a new generation of fans. Although these recordings were released on CD in the early ‘90s, they’ve all been out-of-print for over 20 years and have never been released on vinyl. There’s a lot of history here, as well – Skip James’ recordings for Rosenthal were his first in 30 years while historic recordings by Bukka White and Mississippi John Hurt, made at the dawn of the ‘60s “folk blues” revival, sat in the archives for decades before their brief release by Adelphi.

The Worried Blues series covers a lot of stylistic ground as well. Although all ten artists hail from Mississippi, their individual hue of blues differs greatly, from John Hurt’s ragtime-flavored fretwork to Furry Lewis’ slide-guitar and from Skip James’ mournful sound to R.L. Burnside’s ebullient Hill Country stomp. These are no cut-rate budget releases, either, each Worried Blues album including 10 to 16 songs by the artist; the vinyl releases include a digital download card. Check out the Fat Possum Records website for track listings for each individual album, and you can buy them through our links to the vinyl releases on Amazon.com below.

Fat Possum's Worried Blues series:
• R.L. Burnside's Worried Blues 
• Rev. Gary Davis' Worried Blues
• Honeyboy Edwards' Worried Blues
• Mississippi John Hurt's Worried Blues
• Skip James' Worried Blues
• Furry Lewis' Worried Blues
• Little Brother Montgomery's Worried Blues
• Houston Stackhouse' Worried Blues
• Bukka White's Worried Blues
• Rev. Robert Wilkins' Worried Blues

Record Store Day 2017 Preview

Record Store Day 2017 is a mere three weeks away, falling on Saturday, April 22nd this year. As usual, both independent and major labels are flooding the market with a bunch of slick, shiny (and high-priced) vinyl relics designed to separate record collectors from their hard-earned pesos.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t offer some sort of preview of the holiday, so after poring over the massive RSD17 release list, the Reverend has personally ‘curated’ the below listed discs as those most likely to tickle the itch of any That Devil Music reader. Remember – ‘round these parts, every day is “record store day”! Support your local independent music retailer…

The list below is organized alphabetically by artist, with the size of the release (one disc, two, etc) and the number of copies of each limited edition LP (5000x, etc) included.

• David Bowie – Cracked Actor (3xLP, 5000x)
Rhino Records dug deep into the vaults to find this previously unreleased live recording from David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs tour in September 1974. The album’s title comes from a 1975 BBC television documentary film that followed Bowie during his series of concerts in Los Angeles. Whereas the producers of the film used concert footage from the September 2nd, 1974 performance, Cracked Actor the album uses a recording from September 5th and was produced by Bowie before his death and mixed by Tony Visconti. The three-album vinyl set features etching on the sixth side.  

• R.L. Burnside – Long Distance Call (LP, 2500x)
Reissue of 1982 recordings made in Groningen, Netherlands by producer Leo Bruin (founder of Swingmaster Records) and originally released on CD stateside by Fat Possum in 2000 as Mississippi Hill Country Blues. A stunning solo performance by legendary bluesman R.L. Burnside – just the man and his guitar – this is the first time these eleven sides have been offered on vinyl in the U.S.

• Marianne Faithful – Rich Kid Blues (LP, 2000x)
Recorded in 1971 and originally released in the U.K. on CD by Diablo Records in 1998 (and again in 2003), Marianne Faithful’s Rich Kid Blues reunites the singer with producer Mike Leander, who had arranged and recorded much of Faithful’s 1960s-era material for the Decca Records label. A low-budget affair, the album offers Faithful’s haunting acoustic readings of folk-rock songs by artists like Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, James Taylor, Sandy Denny, and Tim Hardin, among others. This is the first time on vinyl for Rich Kid Blues.

• Hawkwind – The Best of the United Artists Years: 1971-1974 (LP, 2500x)
There is certainly no lack of Hawkwind material to be found on the band’s early recordings and half-dozen (or more) compilation CDs that have been culled from the Hawk’s prolific and productive stint with United Artists Records circa 1971 to ’74. This eight-track LP offers up some of the best recordings from the psychedelic space-rock pioneers, including rare and alternative versions of songs from their studio albums like a live 1971 performance of the classic “Silver Machine” from the Roundhouse. This limited edition RSD release is pressed on swirl color vinyl and was manufactured by Pallas Group in Germany on audiophile-grade vinyl.

• Jimi Hendrix/Curtis Knight – Live At George’s Club 20 (2xLP, 3000x)
First legit vinyl release collecting raw live performances by the rock guitar great with bandleader Curtis Knight, recorded in December 1965 and January 1966, not long before Hendrix’s discovery by Animals bassist Chas Chandler. Live At George’s Club 20 offers up raucous R&B and blues covers of classic songs by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles, and others. A lot of this material was previously released by dodgy fly-by-night labels through the years, usually by Knight himself, but this specially priced two-disc set is offered by Dagger Records, the official bootleg label created by the Hendrix estate and restored by producer Eddie Kramer to their original status. 

• Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings: The Centennial Collection (3xLP, 2500x)
Delta blues legend Robert Johnson only made a total of 42 recordings during two sessions in 1936 and ’37, but they have been circulated endlessly over the past 50+ years, providing a blueprint for contemporary blues and blues-rock music. These influential, inspiring tracks have been recycled more than once, most recently on the centennial of Johnson’s birthday in 2011, when they were re-mastered and reissued on CD (and thumb drive!). This three-album limited edition set is drawn from those improved 2011 recordings and packaged in a deluxe gatefold jacket and includes extensive liner notes as well as a bonus poster with the original label artwork of Johnson’s 78rpm singles released in the 1930s and ‘40s by labels like Vocalion, Orion, Conqueror, and others. 

• Ken Kesey – The Acid Test (LP, 2000x)
Writer and ‘60s counterculture icon Ken Kesey was, perhaps, the best-known of the loose-knit group of friends called the Merry Pranksters whose experimentation with psychedelic drugs like LSD were immortalized in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. The 1966 album The Acid Trip was a private label release that was intended to recreate the vibe of an LSD trip for listeners. Allegedly Kesey, Ken Babbs, and other Merry Pranksters were tripping in the studio with members of the Grateful Dead and came up with this cultural curiosity, roughly 30 minutes of humorous spoken word, music parody, and rambling instrumental jams that probably made a lot of sense at the time.

• Motörhead – Clean Your Clock (2xLP, 1500x)

Lemmy may have left the planet in December 2015 but his music is eternal. Clean Your Clock is being billed as a ‘RSD exclusive’ but that’s stretching it a bit. Recorded live at the Zenith in Munich, Germany during Motörhead’s 2015 “Bad Magic Tour,” this performance was released on CD, DVD, and vinyl in 2016. This RSD release is a two-LP picture disc set, though, which is pretty cool in and of itself.

• Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (3xLP, 1200x)
Prior to the great David Bowie’s death in January 2016, his friend and fellow rock ‘n’ roll legend Iggy Pop revisited the music the two of them had made back in the late ‘70s with a live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Backed by a band that included Josh Homme and Dean Fertitia of Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders, Pop performed songs from albums like The Idiot and Lust For Life. This RSD ‘exclusive’ seems to be an expanded version of the 2016 CD and DVD release, packaged in a four-sleeve, book-style individually-numbered gatefold with a sixteen-page book featuring exclusive photos.

• Lou Reed – Perfect Night: Live In London (2xLP, 3000x)
A semi-acoustic live album recorded by Reed during the Meltdown ’97 festival in London, England and originally released on CD in 1998, Perfect Night gets its first vinyl reissue for Record Store Day. Reed performs a stellar set, including a version of the Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” originally sung by Nico, as well as solo material like “Coney Island Baby,” “New Sensations,” and the awesome title track.

• John Sinclair – Mobile Homeland (LP, 1200x)
Blues artist, poet, political activist, and 1960s-era cultural hero John Sinclair released Mobile Homeland on CD in 2016, so this is essentially the vinyl reissue of the collection of Sinclair’s beat poems set to music and produced by Tino Gross at Funky D Records in Detroit.

• Sun Ra – Janus (LP, 2000x)
Reissue of space-jazz innovator Sun Ra’s 1999 compilation CD features recordings dating from 1963 to 1970 that includes both studio tracks and wild live performances. I haven’t heard this one, but informed sources tell the Reverend that while it’s not a great introduction to the almighty Mr. Ra, it’s a “must have” disc for the hardcore faithful.
 

• Peter Tosh – Legalize It! (LP, 2000x)
Vinyl reissue of reggae great Peter Tosh’s 1976 debut album features the former Wailers member’s awesome title track as well as songs like “Why Must I Cry” (written with Bob Marley) and the original “Ketchy Shuby.”

• John Trudell – AKA Graffiti Man (2xLP, 2000x)
Reissue of the American Indian activist and poet’s 1992 sophomore album features Trudell’s erudite spoken-word pieces set to a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack with elements of indigenous folk music. Several songs were co-written by Jesse Ed Davis and tracks like “Rockin’ the Res,” “Baby Boom Che,” and the title song earned the artist a truckload of critical acclaim back in the wild ‘n’ wooly alternative 1990s.

• Towns Van Zandt – Live at Austin City Limits (LP, 2500x)
The late Texas-bred songwriting legend was inducted into the Austin City Limits ‘Hall of Fame’ in 2015 and this RSD exclusive release features Van Zandt’s 1976 appearance on the long-running TV show, performing country-tinged folk-blues songs like “Dollar Bill Blues,” “Talkin’ Karate Blues,” “The Ballad of Ira Hayes,” and “Fraternity Blues.” Highly recommended if you like eloquent songwriting and haunting solo performances.  

• Link Wray – Beans and Fatback (LP, 2400x)
Guitar great Link Wray is best-known for his enduring classic 1958 instrumental “Rumble,” which inspired a rash of U.K. fretburners like Eric Clapton, Peter Townshend, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. By the late ‘60s, though, Wray was an afterthought in a market flush with blues-drenched rockers. Beans and Fatback, recorded at the same time as the guitarist’s self-titled 1971 “comeback” album, was released in 1973 to critical acclaim. A raucous collection of hard-rockin’, whiskey-soaked songs recorded in a chicken coup, the album led to the pairing of Wray and rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon for a series of late ‘70s LPs.

Record Store Day 2017 also offers up a bunch of interesting 7” and 10” releases along with the above-listed full-length albums, including discs from Steve Earle, the Drive-By Truckers, the Old 97s, the Kinks, Patti Smith, the Zombies, and Sharon Jones & the Daptones, among many others. Check out the entire list on the Record Store Day website and get your pennies ready to spend on April 22nd!

Fat Possum Records celebrates 25th Anniversary

Launched in 1991 by blues fan Matthew Johnson, the Oxford, Mississippi-based Fat Possum Records quickly earned a name for itself by recording artists that had largely been overlooked by established blues imprints like Alligator and Blind Pig Records. Specializing in artists well-versed in the (then) obscure branch of the genre known as Mississippi Hill Country blues, Fat Possum gained respect and recognition with releases like Junior Kimbrough’s All Night Long and R.L. Burnside’s Bad Luck City, which were produced by respected musician and former New York Times music critic Robert Palmer.

It’s been a quarter-century since Johnson formed his ground-breaking label, and throughout the ensuing years Fat Possum has branched out, releasing acclaimed albums by bluesmen like Robert Belfour and T-Model Ford as well as rockers like the Black Keys and the Stooges. The underdog Southern label whose motto is “we’re trying our best” celebrates its Silver Anniversary in 2016 with an ambitious, year-long program that will feature the first-time-on-vinyl release of thirty phenomenal, ground-breaking blues recordings from the Fat Possum archives. Many of the titles will also be made available as digital downloads.

Among the fresh-to-vinyl reissues to be released by Fat Possum as part of its 25th anniversary celebration are Junior Kimbrough’s Meet Me In The City, which was originally released on CD a year after the bluesman’s death in 1998, and T-Model Ford’s outrageous LPs Pee Wee Get My Gun (1997) and Bad Man (2002), the latter produced by Memphis music legend Jim Dickinson. Other classic titles receiving the deluxe ‘hot wax’ treatment include Asie Payton’s Just Do Me Right (2002), Robert Belfour’s What’s Wrong With You (2000), and R.L. Burnside’s Unplugged, an anticipated collection of performances recorded in Europe in 1982, years before Fat Possum’s most beloved bluesman signed with the label.

Additionally, the Fat Possum-affiliated Big Legal Mess Records will be releasing ten album reissues on its own on vinyl and digitally, vintage bluesmen recorded by producer and music historian George Mitchell in the field between 1963 and 1982. Many of these albums have been unavailable since their original release, and among the titles are great records like R.L. Burnside’s Mississippi Hill Country Blues (1981) and Furry Lewis’s Good Morning Judge (1960s-era recordings from the Memphis bluesman). John Lee Hooker’s Alone, a solo live set recorded at Hunter College in New York in 1976 will be released as two single vinyl albums.

Fat Possum has long been known for the label’s inspired compilation discs, and collections like the label’s three volumes of Not The Same Old Blues Crap (from 1997, 2001, and 2004 and featuring Fat Possum artists and rockers like Hasil Adkins and Paul Westerberg’s Grandpaboy); 1998’s All Men Are Liars (with Bob Log III and the Neckbones); and its 2005 Junior Kimbrough tribute Sunday Nights (featuring the Black Keys, Iggy & the Stooges, and Mark Lanegan) will also be released on vinyl and digitally. We have the label’s release schedule for the rest of the year listed below, and you can join in the anniversary celebration at Fat Possum’s website.

Fat Possum Records 25th Anniversary Vinyl Releases:

April 8th: Furry Lewis - Good Morning Judge [LP/digital]
April 8th: Houston Stackhouse & Friends [LP/digital]
April 16th: Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough [Record Store Day LP]
April 16th: Junior Kimbrough - I Gotta Try You Girl (Daft Punk edit) [Record Store Day LP]
May 6th: R.L. Burnside - Mississippi Hill Country Blues [LP]
May 20th: John Lee Hooker - Alone, Volume 1 [LP]
May 20th: John Lee Hooker - Alone, Volume 2 [LP]
May 27th: T-Model Ford - Pee Wee Get My Gun [LP]
May 27th: T-Model Ford - Bad Man [LP]
June 10th: Jim Bunkley & George Henry Bussey [LP/digital]
June 10th: Junior Kimbrough - Meet Me in the City [LP]
June 24th: R.L. Burnside - Unplugged [LP]
July 15th: Asie Payton - Just Do Me Right [LP]
July 15th: Robert Belfour - What's Wrong With You [LP]
July 22nd: All Men Are Liars compilation [LP/digital]
August 17th: Jimmy Lee Harris - I Wanna Ramble [LP/digital]
August 17th: Robert Cage - Can See What You're Doing [LP]
September 9th: Johnny Farmer - Wrong Doers Respect Me [LP]
October 7th: Dewey Corley & Walter Miller [LP/digital]
October 7th: Paul “Wine” Jones - Mule [LP]