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Furry Lewis - Fourth & Beale (Lucky Seven CD 9202)

Track listing:
  1. Goin' To Brownsville 5:04
  2. John Henry 5:06
  3. Casey Jones 4:46
  4. St. Louis Blues 3:22
  5. Judge Boushe Blues 5:24
  6. Just A Little Fun 1:35
  7. Goin' Back To Gary 7:47
  8. When The Saints Go Marchin' Home 3:50
  9. A Dog Named Blue 0:47

Notes


Recorded in Memphis on March 5, 1969, with Lewis in bed — essentially an impromptu concert for the microphone and whoever happened to be there — these nine tracks show Lewis to fairly good advantage. They're more laidback than his work at the other end of the decade for Prestige/Bluesville, with Lewis playing more slowly and singing more roughly than those earlier sessions. His slide work is still stingingly effective, however, and his voice still highly expressive, and he knows how to put over a song even at this late date, playing with an almost hypnotic intensity — the songs include new renditions of "John Henry" and "Casey Jones," as well as "When the Saints Go Marching In" and W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues."