HIGH BIAS -- reissues

High Bias refreshed

SKIP JAMES
Rare and Unreleased
(Vanguard)
Original country bluesman Skip James made only two records following his rediscovery in the 60s; he died in 1969. But apparently he recorded enough for Vanguard to assemble Rare and Unreleased, a collection of outtakes. For the diehard, this will be an occasion for rejoicing; for anyone else, however, it may not attract more than a second glance. Perhaps it's because these are tracks not originally meant for release, but there's nothing here to justify James' lofty reputation in the annals of the country blues. The mixture of blues and gospel tunes, performed on either guitar or piano, should lend a textural variety to this record, but instead it sounds like the same song over and over again. (Wags who argue that this describes all blues can just show themselves the door.) His much-vaunted fingerpicking makes for good accompaniment but isn't particularly notable on its own, and his falsetto is pure and soulful but not nearly as striking as that of, say, Robert Johnson. And his version of "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burnin'," an undisputed classic American gospel blues, pales next to Blind Willie Johnson's. Again, this may be an unfair assessment, considering that there's probably a reason these performances languished in the vault for 35 years, and longtime fans will no doubt plotz at the prospect of owning this. Neophytes, however, had best begin elsewhere. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell

DOC WATSON
Trouble in Mind: The Doc Watson Country Blues Collection, 1964-1998
(Sugar Hill)
Flatpicking legend Doc Watson is associated with bluegrass due to his prodigious guitar skills and encyclopedic knowledge of pre-rock & roll folk and country music. But Trouble in Mind, a compilation drawn from ten of his Vanguard/Sugar Hill albums, argues for an equal place for him in the blues pantheon. As the subtitle suggests, Watson has recorded his share of old-fashioned country blues over the years, as evidenced here by takes on traditionals like "Worried Blues," "Honey Babe Blues" and "Stackolee," not to mention lesser known but equally trenchant obscurities like "Deep River Blues" and Mississippi John Hurt's "Spike Driver Blues." And of course he takes on the jaunty "Sittin' On the Top of the World," one of the few tunes that's become a standard in both the blues and bluegrass realms. But Watson is also more than familiar with the blues influence on old-time country music a la Jimmie Rodgers, and he documents that influence with versions of Rodgers' "Anniversary Blue Yodel (Blue Yodel #7)," Dock Boggs' "Country Blues" (featuring Watson on Boggs-style blues banjo) and the yodeling "Never No More Blues." Filtered through Watson's craggy vocals and expert (but never flashy) picking, it becomes obvious that the blues may have different entry points into the universe, but it all comes from the same source. Next time you hear someone reeling off the names of the great country bluesmen, remind him not to forget Doc Watson. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Norman Blake, Rory Block, Alvin Youngblood Hart

HOWLIN' WOLF
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (Deluxe Edition)
(Chess/MCA/Chronicles)
Today the idea of putting together a backing band of notable personalities in support of a legendary older musician is a fairly common one, but in the early 70s it was still a fresh idea. One of the first albums in this mode was The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, in which blues legend Chester Burnett, AKA Howlin' Wolf, found himself transported to London to participate in sessions utilizing the talents of the young British upstarts who worshipped him and his fellow Chicago blues gods. Joined by Eric Clapton, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, pianist Ian Stewart and, on one cut, Ringo Starr, the mighty Wolf remakes a batch of his classics, plus a few deeper album cuts. This album has been the recipient of quite a bit of criticism, including some from the participants themselves. The results of the session allegedly amounted to less than the sum of its parts, due mostly to Wolf's ill health (indeed, Wolf suffered a minor heart attack during this time period) and the younger men's reluctance to push their idol. Frankly, the music doesn't stand up to such carping. Certainly, these necessarily relaxed tracks don't match up to Wolf's raw, savagely intense original recordings, but they're not at all bad. Watts and Wyman keep on chooglin' with obvious delight, Clapton contributes some of his starkest, most stinging solos and Wolf himself sounds great, his distinctively gravely voice sounding worse for the wear in the very best way. "Rockin' Daddy," "What a Woman!" and "Do the Do" sound as good as you would expect from a collaboration between British middle-class, blues-loving virtuosos and a cranky, Delta-born senior citizen, and that's pretty good indeed. And of course there's the infamous version of "Little Red Rooster" preceded by Wolf's attempt to teach these limeys the song's swampy rhythm. Also included in this edition are three tunes cut but not included on the original record ("Goin' Down Slow," "Killing Floor" and "I Want to Have a Word With You"), an interview with producer Norman Dayron and a second disk of rehearsal and alternate takes (check Clapton's unusually raw slide solo on "Highway 49" and the groovin' version of "I Ain't Superstitious"), with more Wolf dialogue. Blues purists will probably never stop belittling The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, but the rest of us can enjoy it for what it is: a relaxed, enjoyable collection of classic Wolfen blues. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Buddy Guy's 90s albums, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson