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Son House - DELTA BLUES...
The 'Sixties folk boom brought a lot of surprises - while new
performers grew famous, old figures (bluesmen, etc.) were
"rediscovered" and returned to the stage. The
biggest surprise was Son House, in 1964 - it was actually the THIRD
time he'd been rediscovered! First recorded in 1930, House
found music a hard life and became a laborer; Alan Lomax found him
in Mississippi and recorded five titles. Lomax returned the
following year ; this time Son is alone and has some new songs,
including a blues for World War II. The sound startles: you
can almost see the past, and the sharp ring of the National Steel.
The songs seem unearthed, new and heartfelt as the blues itself.
It's a potent brew, with the passage of time making it only
stronger.
The '41 session took place in a general store near Memphis; with Son
is his old partner Willie Brown, plus some local musicians. A
major presence is
Fiddlin' Joe Martin; his mandolin trills steady as the grainy voice
tells his
woe. Some girl cries at the "Levee Camp"; Martin
does the weeping.
"Government Fleet" is a simpler plaint: harp gets it going
but up close is
Son's guitar, thumping out a bassline. Someone shouts
encouragement
(Brown?); the words are muffled, though the message is clear.
"Walking" has the tune of "Levee Camp", and the
classic theme of the restless soul. Almost on cue a train
rattles through; the tracks ran next to the store. With
"Delta Blues" we get a duet: Williams shouts and Son gets
busy. (An apparent miscue is fixed with a new rhythm part,
seemingly spur of the moment.) He floats big loping notes on
the solo; Williams lurches in fevered response. A great
effort; the session may be over but, as it turned out, Son House had
only begun to play.
The solo tracks are more varied, showing Son's guitar to good
advantage. The low string plays bass, the high one melody -
and spooky slides when needed.
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