Vanguard Records
2000
3 Disc Set containing the Vanguard studio albums:
Disc 1: Today!
[Originally Released in 1966]
<>Guitar/Vocals: Mississippi John Hurt
Disc 2: The Immortal
[Originally Released in 1967]
<>Guitar/Vocals: Mississippi John Hurt. 2nd Guitar on tracks 2 & 8 only: Patrick Sky
Disc 3: Last Sessions
[Originally Recorded 1966]
<>Guitar/Vocals: Mississippi John Hurt
<>Recorded February, 1966 at Manhattan Towers Hotel, New York
Below are reviews from allmusic.com, which have a few factual errors- assuming the liner notes are correct.
Review of 'Today!' by David Freedlander (from allmusic)
Today is Mississippi John Hurt's first and finest studio release since his "rediscovery" on his Avalon farm by folklorist Tom Hoskins in 1963. Eclipsed possibly only by his earlier 1928 Sessions, this album shows a more mature Hurt picking his way through standards and originals after the Depression years and Hurt's fall into obscurity before the folk revival of the 1960s. It shows, however, that all that the great bluesman has lost is years; his voice retains its characteristic Buddha-esque warmth and it is still difficult to believe that there is just one man playing on the seemingly effortless guitar work. The music on the album comes from a variety of different influences, from the fun and poppy "Hot Time in Old Town Tonight" and "Coffee Blues," to the bluesy standards "Candy Man" (Hurt's most famous song) and "Spike Driver's Blues" to the soulful spirituals "Louis Collins" and "Beulah Land." Hurt's tranquil guitar work -- mixing country, Scottish folk, and Delta blues -- strings all of the songs along the same simple and elegant thread. Hurt himself never could explain his guitar playing, as he used to say, "I just make it sound like I think it ought to." Regardless, that sound, along with a mellow and heartfelt voice, wizened here by decades, combine to make Today an unforgettable whole. A truly essential album of the folk revival, unrivaled in its beauty and warmth.
Review of 'The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt' by Brian Beatty (from allmusic)
One of the best albums of country blues ever recorded. The fingerpicking is delicate, the vocals
mellow and sweet. Many tunes that remain associated with Hurt are included here in versions that
rival his legendary recordings from the late '20s. "Richland Woman Blues," "Stagolee," "The Chicken,"
and "Since I've Laid My Burden Down" sound as fresh as ever in these '60s versions. This album
leaves little doubt as to why Hurt was so beloved after his rediscovery.
Review of 'Last Sessoins' by Bruce Eder (from allmusic)
Recorded in New York during February and July of 1966, the 17 songs on this collection represent
Mississippi John Hurt's final studio efforts. It is astonishing that this man, in the final months
of his life, could do 17 songs that were the equal of anything he had done at his first sessions 45
years earlier, his playing (supported on some tracks with producer Patrick Sky on second guitar) as
alluringly complex as ever and his voice still in top form. Hurt is brilliant throughout, his voice
overpowering in its mixture of warmth, gentleness, and power, and in addition to the expected crop
of standards and originals, he covers songs by Bukka White ("Poor Boy, Long Ways from Home") and
Leadbelly ("Goodnight Irene") -- all of it is worthwhile, with some tracks, such as "Let the Mermaids
Flirt with Me," especially haunting.
Review of 'The Complete Studio Recordings' by Thomas Ward (from allmusic)
Although not as consistently magnificent as Hurt's 1928 recordings, the performances the artist
recorded for Vanguard in the mid 1960's would be the zenith of many blues artist's entire careers.
Songs like the opening "Payday" and "Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home" rank with any folk-blues song
ever recorded. This fantastic set collects the three albums Vanguard released in Hurt's lifetime
and as such is undeniably the package to go for to acquire these later gems.