Great compilations of early R&B

[Dan Gould]

Thanks, BBS ... I'd throw in the Stompin' volumes,  LP and CD.  They might not be great for 100% of every release but I have never been disappointed in one of them.  

[Big Beat Steve]

4 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Thanks, BBS ... I'd throw in the Stompin' volumes,  LP and CD.  They might not be great for 100% of every release but I have never been disappointed in one of them.  

See my first post a bit earlier today. I mentioned both the Stompin' and Savage Kick series LP there. I have all of the vinyls. I did not go far into the Stompin' CDs, though, as they recycled most of the LP contents on the CDs again (at least on those I have checked out) and I definitely did not wish to unload my vinyls.

Edited 4 hours ago by Big Beat Steve

[Dan Gould]

1 minute ago, Big Beat Steve said:

See my first post a bit earlier today. I mentioned both the Stompin' and Savage Kick series LP there. I have all of the vinyls. I did not go far into the Stompin' CDs, though, as they recycled most of the LP contents on the CDs again and I definitely did nt wish to unload my vinyls.

I've enjoyed the Stompin volumes so much that I compared the CDs and the original vinyl and replaced as needed. Like the Vanguard reissues, that is a bit of a discographical nightmare. Pretty sure too that the CDs eventually outstripped the vinyl completely - there are CD volumes with no vinyl analogue.

 

[Big Beat Steve]

Yes that is one way to go, but it was just too much for me at the time. Their contents ARE a nightmare as they draw their material from almost anywhere among Black music from that era (like the Koko Mojo CDs now), so at the time (when they were current) I preferred to invest primarily in somewhat more focused reissues in that field. 

[Rabshakeh]

A huge thank you for these detailed answers. I have a lot of homework to do here.

Over my lunch break I greatly enjoyed a brief listen to the Savage Kick compilations. Quite a surprise to hear African American Rock'n'Roll of this sort. In many cases the performers appear to my ears to adopt a "white" style of vocal delivery (or white-coded vocal delivery), particularly by eschewing the bass falsetto(?) that is in my mind so prominent in blues and R&B. Not dissimilar of course to what Chuck Berry does on his records, but Chuck Berry is an established "thing" for me and perhaps I never noticed him doing it. Whereas on these comps it is very noticable. 

[Big Beat Steve]

Not wanting to twist your arm, but from what you said I'd think you would enjoy the abovementioned "Jamaican" 3-CD sets on Fantastic Voyage as introductory starters. Each one of them neatly segues from the mid-40s (jazzy Jump Blues) to the late 50s R&B with more or less distinct Black R'n'R overtones. So you get all shades of early R&B as it developed in various nuances during that time span.

Edited 3 hours ago by Big Beat Steve

[Rabshakeh]

7 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

I am not sure what you refer to as "shit that stinketh". (Any examples of what stinks to you? ) I'd venture a guess these feelings are more of a matter of taste than anything else (particularly i that field where the rough cohabits with the sophisticated). At least to those who dig deeply into this and who are prepared a) not to be turned off by less-than-perfect fidelity of ultra-rare 78s being reissued, and b) to take the tracks above all as unpretentious dance and entertainment music for the "average man" (and woman ) of the target audience of those bygone days (plus those who are into it again now).

It is certainly a matter of personal taste, only.

I like blues a lot but I don't really enjoy some styles. In particular, I don't normally like urban blues from the 1930s onwards that has AAB lyrics and an obvious 12 bar blues structure. Not always bad, but sometimes I find it slow going waiting for the lyrics to repeat, or for the inevitable resolution.  I don't want to overstate the point, because there is lots of that music that I do like (Kokomo Arnold and Roosevelt Sykes are favourites), but it isn't my natural "sweet spot".  

1940s / 1950s R&B is obviously part of the urban blues continuum, and there's a lot of AAB / 12 bar moments in any comp. The trade off as far as I am concerned is that R&B is often far more rhythmic, raucous and less elegant than the older styles, so the style can be entertaining and powerful, even if you are stuck listening to the lyrics over and over. A song like "Fannie Brown Got Married" by Roy Brown is always going to be a burner. But I often don't like the slower tunes or mid tempo tunes that don't also have some sort of "spark" or phrasing that sets it apart. As a result, I find that the "hit" rate for R&B comps of songs I love to those that I don't like is pretty low. But it's still worth the trawl.

14 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Not wanting to twist your arm, but from what you said I'd think you would enjoy the abovementioned "Jamaican" 3-CD sets on Fantastic Voyage as introductory starters. Each one of them neatly segues from the mid-40s (jazzy Jump Blues) to the late 50s R&B with more or less distinct Black R'n'R overtones. So you get all shades of early R&B as it developed in various nuances during that time span.

They don't seem to be on Spotify. I want to find them as they look really good.

[Big Beat Steve]

7 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

They don't seem to be on Spotify. I want to find them as they look really good.

Individual tracks probably are. You might have to search tune by tune.

As for what you don't like about 30s blues and more conventional and/or sparsely instrumented post-war blues, particularly the slower ones: I understand and agree somewhat. But remember (and this seems to be very obvious to me) those 78s were never intended to be listened to in one row for 12 songs (or more) one straight after another. At the time the audience usually absorbed ("consumed") them in "instalments" of 2 tracks from each newly-bought 78. That does make a listening difference.  And even a certain sameness of diction and intonation will then be less noticeable or repetitive.

BTW, re- Roosevelt Sykes: At a recent local clearout sale I picked up one of his "blues revival" LPs (Storyville label recordings from 1966). Rather a lot of sameness there overall. So to be taken in small doses in the future. But who am I to complain at an outlay of 1 EUR?

[JSngry]

By all means check out thede guys;

 

[Big Beat Steve]

@Rabshakeh:
Re-Steve Gibson & The Red Caps (a recommendation I'll second any time) :
That group evolved over time. Their earlier records (c. 1943-46) for the Joe Davis-owned Beacon label were looser and more overtly geared to the Black market. A cross-section of their recordings from that period is on two LPs on the Krazy Kat label. Their later RCA records (post-1950) sound a bit more polished and may have been produced with an eye on potential crossover sales to white listeners. But they are not to be dismissed at all for that matter either. Their RCA period is covered on a Bear Family CD.
The further tracks on the above Youtube link of "Tuscaloosa" (56 tracks in all) will provide you with enough samples. But note the tracks are not arranged in chronological order.