Details
Track Listing
1. Revenue Man Blues
2. Some Summer Day
3. Hang It on the Wall
4. You Gonna Need Somebody When You Die
5. Jim Lee Blues - (part 1)
6. Pea Vine Blues
7. Elder Greene Blues - (unissued take 2)
8. Love My Stuff
9. Hammer Blues - (unissued take 1)
10. Rattlesnake Blues
11. I'm Goin' Home
12. Jersey Bull Blues
13. Some These Days I'll Be Gone - (unissued take 1)
14. Lord I'm Discouraged
15. Oh Death
16. Running Wild Blues
17. Prayer of Death - (part 1)
18. Prayer of Death - (part 2)
19. Some Happy Day
20. Troubled 'Bout My Mother
21. I Shall Not Be Moved
22. Mean Black Cat Blues
23. Jesus Is a Dying-Bed Maker
| Details | | Distributor: | E1 Distribution (USA) | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Mono | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Compiled from rare 78s, newly remastered. Includes liner notes by Stephen Calt and Don Kent.
Charlie Patton is one of the originators, innovators, and undisputed masters of the Delta Blues. Often overlooked in favor of Robert Johnson (who was heavily influenced by Patton), Patton is stylistically unique and seems to have no antecedents. With a highly imaginative and percussive guitar technique, an almost overpoweringly strong, guttural baritone, and a raw, exuberant energy that sometimes borders on punk, Patton barrels through the 23 tracks on this Yazoo compilation with ferocious intensity.
Featured here are some of his finest sides, including "Revenue Man Blues," "Pea Vine Blues," and the ragtime-inflected "Hang It On The Wall." Though many tracks feature the accompaniment of a second guitar, a violin, or harmony vocals, it is Patton's astounding guitar attack that fills the space. By varying dynamics, plucking strings, and banging on the guitar, Paton's playing echoes vocal phrases, displays thumb-work, and accentuates beats and counter-rhythms. His voice--fierce, sensitive, and deeply soulful--packs an unbelievable punch. This is especially clear on such gospel-based tunes as "Oh Death," a chilling, call-and-response duet with his wife, Bertha Lee Patton, that is arguably the highlight of the set. KING is an essential purchase for anyone remotely interested in the blues.
Industry Reviews
3.5 Stars - Good Plus - ..an invaluable historic collection of 23 songs from the late '20s and early '30s that captures the pioneering bluesman belting out seminal barrelhouse and church blues..
Down Beat (05/01/1992)
5 Stars - Classic - ..Patton was popping bass strings, zinging off eerie bottleneck runs and miming obscene acts with his guitar as early as 1911, the year Robert Johnson was born...After 60-odd years, Patton's sheer focus and magnetic, almost palpable presence will still jump out of your speakers and grab you by the throat...an American archetype..
Rolling Stone (03/05/1992)
..among the most treasured blues recordings in existence..
Musician (12/01/1992)
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