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Various Artists - The Encyclopedia Of Early Blues Classics

Track listing:
Volume 1
  1. Gulf Coast Blues - Mildred Bailey 3:11
  2. Big Bill Blues - Big Bill Broonzy 3:03
  3. Four Day Creep - Ida Cox 3:28
  4. Lord I Wish I Could See - Blind Gary Davis 3:04
  5. Death Bell Blues - Tom Dickson 3:10
  6. Little Rock Blues - Pearl Dickson 3:03
  7. Homesick and Lonesome Blues - Blind Boy Fuller 3:09
  8. John Henry - Woody Guthrie 2:45
  9. Mister Crump - W.C. Handy 2:02
  10. Loveless Love - Billie Holiday 3:17
  11. Black Man Blues - John Lee Hooker 3:30
  12. Guitar Lightnin' - Lightnin' Hopkins 4:18
  13. Louis Collins - Mississippi John Hurt 2:47
  14. Match Box Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson 3:10
  15. Dark Was The Night - Blind Willie Johnson 3:21
  16. I Believe I'll Dust My Broom - Robert Johnson 2:59
  17. The Gallis Pole - Leadbelly 3:05
  18. Billy Lyons And Stackolee - Furry Lewis 2:36
  19. Atlanta Blues - Sara Martin 2:55
  20. Scarey Day Blues - Blind Willie McTell 3:01
Volume 2
  1. Where Is My Good Man At? - Memphis Minnie 3:02
  2. 34 Blues - Charlie Patton 2:58
  3. Sleep Talkin' Blues - Ma Rainey 3:13
  4. Sugar Mama Blues - Tampa Red 3:28
  5. May Be The Last Time - Otis Rush 4:00
  6. The Gin House Blues - Bessie Smith 3:15
  7. I Just Want a Little Bit - Otis Spann 3:33
  8. Black Gal - Victoria Spivey 2:48
  9. Mountain Blues - Sonny Terry 3:12
  10. Ball and Chain - Big Mama Thornton 7:29
  11. Red Hot Mama - Sophie Tucker 2:44
  12. Doin' Time - T. Bone Walker 3:02
  13. Blue Mood - Little Walter 3:30
  14. St. Louis Blues - Ethel Waters 2:17
  15. Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters 3:04
  16. Special Stream Line - Bukka White 2:55
  17. Black and Evil Blues - Josh White 3:15
  18. Cool Cool Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson 2:45
  19. Skidrow Blues - Jimmy Witherspoon 2:51
  20. Evil - Howlin' Wolf 5:11

Notes


This two-disc budget collection is a mishmash of old 78s, and 1960s rediscovery recordings of blues and folk artists. What makes it unusual, although it probably isn't a selling point, is that the musicians are presented in sequence alphabetically. There are some great songs and performances here, but nothing so rare that it can't easily be found elsewhere.