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Son House - Legendary 1969 Rochester Sessions (1969)

Track listing:
  1. Son's Blues 20:41
  2. Yonder Comes My Mother 1:54
  3. Shetland Pony Blues 3:46
  4. I'm So Sorry, Baby 2:38
  5. Plantation Song 0:48
  6. Mister Suzie-Q 2:49
  7. Evening Train 4:51
  8. Sundown 7:26
  9. Preachin' The Blues 7:23
  10. Empire State Express 8:49
  11. Never Mind People Grinnin' In Your Face 3:47
  12. Sun Goin' Down 7:11
  13. A Spoken Message 7:06

Notes

Recorded at his home in September of 1969 by blues enthusiast Steve Lobb, Son House turns in one of the most vital and compelling performances available from his late career comeback. While the 1965 Columbia Records sessions require explanations about his age and extended retirement, there is no excuse necessary for the contents of this CD. Opening with the 20-minute long "Son's Blues," he radiates explosive power, his voice surging and his guitar strings snapping against the fretboard in a slow, fiery performance. The tension and sustained strength of this one piece makes this CD far more valuable as a specimen of Son's best work than any of the CBS material -- this is the perfect companion to his inimitable Alan Lomax and Paramount recordings of the 1930s and early 1940s. Nothing else here quite matches the opening track, although Son still seems in far better form than he did on some of his better-known comeback recordings.