Re-issued for Record Store Day 2024 on Yellow Vinyl is this fine collection of The Paramount Recordings in 1929 by Charley Patton, one of the earliest Mississippi delta blues men to be recorded. I'm sure Charley would not have believed anyone telling him that nearly 100 years after he recorded these songs, they would still be regularly re-issued for record collectors to snap up. He is legendarily one of the first, if not the first guitarist to play his guitar behind his head and back while performing live.
The A-side opens with Pony Blues that has the hiss and surface noise of an old 78, Charley's deep vocals and strummed acoustic allow for plenty of room for this tale to unfold about how he's found his latest Pony to take on a ride, this song has been a template for loads of other blues acts who have reworked it. Like lots of classic blues songs it is full of double meanings.
Banty Rooster Blues is a sparse blues, hoping to be able to buy a bantam to put in his yard, so he can have some eggs if he can get his rooster to do his duty.
Shake It And Break It is a great salacious blues, that has a good pace and sounds like it would speed up live, this tale of wanting some of that jelly roll to Shake It And Break It, using jelly roll in a straight forward way that still fooled me as a kid, when my dad would go on endlessly about Jellyroll Morton.
I Shall Not Be Moved is one of the earliest recordings of this legendary gospel hymn come playground, striking workers chant, Charley keeps to the original god-fearing lyrics.
Down The Dirt Road Blues is dustbowl era blues for the hard-working man who has to go on down that road, possibly to the reservation in search of another job, with foot stomping percussion under the carefully picked guitar.
Jesus Is A Dying-Bed Maker is a down at heel gospel blues covered in hiss and crackles that take nothing away from the power of the vocals.
The B-side opens with Lord I'm Discouraged he's been let down again and can't figure out why, except for the harsh realities of the times he was living in, he seeks solace in the glories of the lord but still feels abandoned.
I'm Going Home is another classic gospel blues, that sounds like it should have a large congregation singing along with Charley at a Wednesday night prayer meeting.
Some Summer Day the lord will come and everything will be alright, this has some glorious guitar and a down home feel.
A Spoonful Blues he wants his fair share, whatever you do don't make him mad, just sit and marvel at what's going on in that guitar picking.
Elder Greene Blues (Take 2) has some gentle fiddle along with his guitar while all the fussing and fighting goes on down in Chicago.
The album closes with Some These Days I'll Be Gone a song full of regret telling the one he loves that he's going away and you're gonna miss him, I'm sure Bertha Lee missed him, no matter how hot a relationship they had.
Find out more at https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/18350
