Various – An Anthology Of 20th Century Blues – 4CD

The Acrobat catalogue contains a wealth of blues collections by artists from across the spectrum of the genre, and this fantastic-value 100-track 4-CD set comprises recordings selected from just about every artist represented in the catalogue, and offering a rich cross-section of the finest blues of the 20th century. Inevitably it draws on every strand of the blues and just about every regional variation, from country blues from the Delta, to electric blues from Chicago, post0war California blues, New Orleans blues, Piedmont blues, New York Blues and more. The genre’s most influential luminaries and its biggest stars are all here – B.B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Bill Bill Broonzy, Charley Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, Bessie Smith, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Ma Rainey, and dozens more. Presented more or less in chronological order, it offers an extraordinary feast of music which provides not only a window on the development of the music of the African-American population of the USA, who provide the vast majority of the recordings here, but an anecdotal social commentary on their lives and observations which are the subject of many of the songs. It’s a collection which anyone with the remotest interest in the blues will undoubtedly enjoy.

Track Listing:

CD1: Alberta Hunter: 1. Stingaree Blues -   Ma Rainey with Her Georgia Jazz Band: 2. See See Rider Blues -   Papa Charlie Jackson: 3. Shake That Thing -   Willie Jackson: 4. Old New Orleans Blues -   Blind Lemon Jefferson: 5. Gone Dead On You Blues -   The Memphis Jug Band: 6. Kansas City Blues -   Victoria Spivey: 7. Dope Head Blues -   "Texas" Alexander: 8. Levee Camp Moan Blues -   Furry Lewis: 9. Kassie Jones - Part 1 -   Charley Patton: 10. A Spoonful Blues -   Lonnie Johnson & Blind Willie Dunn: 11. Guitar Blues -   Charlie McCoy: 12. Last Time Blues -   Blind Blake: 13. Diddie Wa Diddie -   Alfred Lewis: 14. Mississippi Swamp Moan -   Charley Jordan: 15. Keep It Clean -   Scrapper Blackwell: 16. Hard Time Blues -   Memphis Minnie: 17. Crazy Crying Blues -   Pinetop & Lindberg: 18. East Chicago Blues -   Bumble Bee Slim: 19. M & O Blues Pt. 1 -   Tampa Red: 20. Black Angel -   Kokomo Arnold: 21. Milk Cow Blues -   Buddy Moss: 22. Dough Rolling Papa -   Walter Davis: 23. Sweet Sixteen -   Bessie Smith: 24. St. Louis Blues -

CD2: Big Joe Williams: 1. Baby Please Don’t Go -   Roosevelt Sykes: 2. The Honey Dripper -   Robert Johnson: 3. Sweet Home Chicago -   Robert Nighthawk: 4. Prowling Night Hawk -   Washboard Sam: 5. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It -   Trixie Smith: 6. My Daddy Rocks Me -   Tommy McLennan: 7. Bottle It Up And Go -   Bukka White: 8. Fixin' To Die -   Sonny Terry: 9. Blowin' The Blues -   Lil Green: 10. Romance In The Dark -   Jazz Gillum: 11. It's All Over Now -   Big Bill Broonzy: 12. I Feel So Good -   Sleepy John Estes: 13. Working Man Blues -   Big Maceo: 14. Worried Life Blues -   Champion Jack Dupree: 15. Junker Blues -   Cecil Gant: 16. I Wonder -   Miss Rhapsody (Viola Wells): 17. Downhearted Blues -   Josh White: 18. Motherless Children -   Leadbelly: 19. Ella Speed -   Big Joe Turner: 20. Sk Blues Pt. 1 -   Wynonie Harris: 21.  Wynonie’s Blues -   Louis Jordan & His Tympani Five: 22. Somebody Done Changed The Lock On My Door -   Jay McShann: 23. Garfield Avenue Blues -   Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup: 24. That's All Right -   Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson: 25. Old Maid Boogie -

CD3: Helen Humes: 1. Be-Baba-Leba -   T-Bone Walker: 2. Call It Stormy Monday But Tuesday Is Just As Bad -   Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston: 3. Midnight Special -   Annie Laurie with Paul Gayten & His Trio: 4. Since I Fell For You -   Jimmy McCracklin: 5. Jimmy’s Blues -   Pee Wee Crayton: 6. Blues After Hours  -   Hadda Brooks Trio: 7. Out Of The Blue -   Blind Willie McTell: 8. Don't Forget It -   Sunnyland Slim: 9. Every Time I Get To Drinkin' -   Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown: 10. My Time Is Expensive -   Goree Carter & His Hep Cats: 11. Rock Awhile -   Edgar Blanchard & The Gondoliers: 12. Creole Gal Blues -   Smokey Hogg: 13. Little School Girl -   Ivory Joe Hunter: 14. I Almost Lost My Mind -   Lowell Fulson: 15. Blue Shadows -   Elmore James: 16. Dust My Broom -   Mac Willis: 17. Howling Woman -   Griffin Brothers: 18. Weepin' And Cryin' -   Sonny Boy Williamson: 19. Eyesight To The Blind -   Floyd Dixon With Johnny Moore's Three Blazers: 20. Telephone Blues -   Peppermint Harris with Maxwell Davis and His All-Stars: 21. I Got Loaded -   Little Bobby Harris: 22. Love Love Love -   Eddie Boyd Sings And Plays: 23. Five Long Years -   Guitar Slim: 24. The Things That I Used To Do -   Little Junior's Blue Flames: 25. Feelin' Good -

CD4: B.B. King: 1. Every Day I Have The Blues -   Muddy Waters: 2. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man -   Jesse Fuller: 3. San Francisco Bay Blues -   Smiley Lewis: 4. I Hear You Knockin' -   Big Maybelle: 5. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On -   Earl King: 6. Those Lonely, Lonely Nights -   Nappy Brown: 7. Don't Be Angry -   Howlin' Wolf: 8. Smokestack Lightning -   Bo Diddley: 9. Pretty Thing -   Jimmy Reed: 10. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby -   Bobby Bland: 11. Farther Up The Road -   Huey Smith and The Clowns: 12. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu - Part 1 -   Snooks Eaglin: 13. This Mean Old World -   Lightnin' Slim: 14. Rooster Blues -   Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 15. Talking Blues -   Little Walter: 16. My Babe -   John Lee Hooker: 17. Boom Boom -   James Cotton: 18. So Glad I'm Living -   John Hammond: 19. You Got Me Walkin' And Talkin' -   Son House: 20. Judgement Day -   Canned Heat: 21. Rollin' And Tumblin' -   Memphis Slim: 22. Born With The Blues -   Lightnin' Hopkins: 23. Easy On Your Heels -   Mike Bloomfield: 24. Prescription For The Blues -   Jimmy Witherspoon & Richard Holmes: 25. California Blues -   Magic Sam Aka Ron Thompson: 26. Just Pickin' -