Junior Wells: In My Younger Days (1972)

Red Lightning 007

Hoodoo Man Blues was one of the first blues LPs I ever heard. I checked it out of the university library and recorded a cassette of it to listen to at work. Not long after, I was lucky to see Junior Wells and Buddy Guy in concert in a small venue that held about 300 people.

About half of the tracks on this LP are on the CD Calling All Blues; the rest are not on CD.

This was a thrift shop find (99¢), in good shape except for some scuffing on side 1.

From the LP: "Most blues collectors are aware of the extreme rarity of early American fifties blues 45s and 78s, which constitute this album."

So All Alone

'Bout the Break of Day

Tomorrow Night

Just Dave Van Ronk (1964)

 

Mercury SR/MG 20908 

Dave Van Ronk was a folk and blues singers whose first LP was released on Folkways Records in 1959. According to wikipedia, "Van Ronk was regarded as the friendly uncle of Greenwich Village, presiding over the coffeehouse folk culture and acting as a friend to many up and coming [sic] artists, inspiring, aiding and promoting them. Folk performers whom he befriended included Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton...Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Joni Mitchell."

Richard Meyer of allmusic said of this record, "Van Ronk's understated guitar style is perfect for these intimate performances. His naturally rough voice allows him to sing these songs believably without any ethnic affectation or false energy."

This was a thrift shop find (99¢), in good condition. It is not on CD.
Update: This album became available on iTunes in May 2012. The sample tracks have been removed.

The Roger Wagner Chorale: Songs of Stephen Foster (1954)

Capitol P8267

I got turned on to Stephen Foster through Nonesuch Records' "Songs By Stephen Foster," so when I saw this LP in the dollar bin at an Austin, Texas record store, I picked it up.

According to wikipedia, "The world's leading conductors and musicians, among them Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, [and] Serge Koussevitsky, hailed Wagner's incomparable genius in the field of choral music."

This LP is in good shape. A Japanese CD, "Home Sweet Home," was allegedly produced in 2003 containing the contents of this LP as well as the Wagner Chorale's "The Negro Spiritual," however, it appears to be out of print.

Old Black Joe

Some Folks

Beautiful Dreamer

U Svatého Antonička: Moravian Folk Songs and Dances

Apon 2442

According to wikipedia, "The traditional music of Western Moravia is closely related to the music of Bohemia. It was influenced by folk music of Germany and other western regions as well as classical music, especially in the Baroque and Classical eras. The music is mainly written in major keys, and its rhythm and structure are regular and firm."

This was a 99 cent thrift shop find, in good shape. It sounds like a compilation made from older recordings. It is not on CD.

Ej Od Buchlova Větor Věje

Trajdavá Píseň

Vinohrady, Dobré Vínko Dávate

Bill Doggett: Fingertips (1963)

Columbia CS 8882

I had never heard of Bill Doggett when I saw this LP in the thrift shop for 99¢. It was in such good shape that I took a chance on it. According to allmusic, "With his instrumental hit "Honky Tonk" in February 1956, Bill Doggett created one of rock's greatest instrumental tracks. Although it generated scores of offers to perform in rock & roll clubs throughout the United States, Doggett remained tied to the jazz and organ-based R&B that he had performed since the 1930s." Amazon says "Doggett probably did more to popularize the organ as an instrument in rock and pop than any other artist."

Fingertips is an album of R&B instrumentals. It is not available on CD.

If You Need Me

Hot Fudge

Without Love