Blues Vinyl 208 Items

This release of Lightnin' Hopkins "Soul Blues" completes the series of 25 Prestige label stereo reissues from Analogue Productions. Of the 50 titles (25 stereo, 25 mono) in this reissue series, 49 of them were mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original analog tape. For "Soul Blues" Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound created a 24/192K hi-res file from a needle drop on a clean original LP.
This was done because the tape supplied for mastering proved to be from a needle drop itself, not the original, which has been lost since the early 1970s. Smith took the original LP, did a new needle drop and meticulously worked to eliminate the minimal tics and pops that remained. Then he mastered the album for LP and SACD from the hi-res file.

At age 82, bluesman LEO “BUD” WELCH rocks on stage like a teenager—dancing and spinning as he beats out jagged chords and grimy solos on his pink, sparkle-covered guitar. That raw youthful energy and Welch’s old-school juke-joint jones blend full-throttle in the 10 songs on I Don’t Prefer No Blues, his second release for Fat Possum Records’ subsidiary Big Legal Mess. The album is a garage-blues manifesto that weds waves of prickly six-string distortion and gutbucket drums with Welch’s smoke-and-ash voice and mud-crusted guitar—and lives up to Fat Possum’s history of producing edgy but deeply rooted recordings by artists like Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside.

I Be Trying might be the title of the new record from two-time Grammy nominee Cedric Burnside, but it's also a mission statement in an era when plenty of us have discovered what "the blues" really means. Recorded over three days at Royal Studios in Memphis (the home studio of Al Green and Hi Records in the 60s and 70s), this album is the ultimate statement of purpose for a critically acclaimed artist who has proudly carried the mantle of Mississippi Hill Country blues around the world. Over thirteen tracks, Burnside delivers his bruised but unfettered truth over blistering guitar and deep pocket drums-a sound birthed in his soul but developed and perfected on the road. But no matter how far he travels, the righteous sound he makes could only come from one place. I Be Trying is the sound of modern Mississippi. Produced by second-generation Memphis soul trailblazer Boo Mitchell ("Uptown Funk") and featuring guest appearances from Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) and Zac Cockrell (Brittany Howard), I Be Trying takes the sound that Burnside learned from his grandfather, blues legend R.L. Burnside, and reinterprets it into a modern, bold Black American sound that expands the sonic landscape while respecting and honoring its roots.

The main ingredient to a good duet is that of
mutual respect, professional admiration, even
love, which often shines through a particular
performance, and the pairings of Louis
Armstrong with Bing Crosby on the relaxed
“Gone Fishing”, or with Velma Middleton on
“Honeysuckle Rose” or with “The Voice” Frank
Sinatra on “Ad-Lib Blues”, or Ella Fitzgerald
on “Summertime”, the great Louis “Satchmo”
Armstrong significantly being the common
denominator in each duo. Also included are two
rare duets with Billie Holiday on “My Sweet
Hunk O’ Trash” and “You Can’t Lose A Broken
Heart,” while Armstrong and bandleader Louis
Jordan perform an entertaining version of the
classic “You Rascal You”.

Gatefold 180g Includes Rare Or Exclusive Artwork Inside

Daptone Records is honored to announce the release of Innov Gnawa's forthcoming full length, Lila. Hailing from Morocco, but based in NYC, Innov Gnawa have been making waves locally and abroad with their hypnotic live shows - which is why producer, Bosco Mann invited the group to come record at the Legendary Daptone House of Soul. Gnawa is a music and spiritual tradition rooted in Morocco and dates back many centuries. Over the years, the liberated slaves of Northern and Western Africa integrated their musical rhythms and religious beliefs into the culture of Morocco creating a unique style of music and dance called Gnawa. It's not religious music, but rather music and rhythms that promote healing through trance and spirituality. The infectious rhythms of Gnawa songs are invocations for saints and spirits of freedom and liberation.

Gnawa groups consist of a Ma'Alem, or master, who plays the Guembri(or Sintir) - an ancient three stringed bass that later evolved into the modern day banjo, accompanied by a brotherhood of musicians playing the karkabas, which are metal castanets, representing the shackles and chains of slaves. The title of this album, Lila, literally means Night, and is a traditional Gnawa ceremony in which the Ma'Alem and his karkaba ensemble dedicate an evening of healing through music. A traditional Lila has many parts with a very extensive repertoire, and can last anywhere from a few hours to few days, and even weeks in some cases. The hypnotic poly-rhythms, along with incense and ceremonial ambiance induces states of trance in the musicians and guests. This all night rhythm fest is a spiritual ritual that cleanses the body, mind and spirit. It would be impossible to capture an entire Lila on on LP, but what Innov Gnawa delivers is a concise glimpse into this ancient Moroccan tradition. We invite you to immerse yourself into Lila. Experience freedom, liberation and the power of healing through music. You are not alive if this music doesn't move you.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

180g vinyl!

Not known for his acoustic work, Buddy Guy unplugs for a rare album-length excursion into folk blues. The guitarist gets down and dirty with 12 tracks that sound like they were recorded after hours in his living room or on his back porch.

Copy close to NM. Cover signed on the back.

Still sealed.

The earliest days of blues music has its roots in the deep South region of the United States. It was there that the likes of Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Big Bill Broonzy, and innumerable other performers cut their teeth, performing and recording largely across the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, and various other deep Southern states, gradually spreading to its most famed hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Oft forgotten in these stories is that of the Carolinas, and the surrounding Atlantic Coast. Frequently overshadowed by their Memphis, Chicago, and Mississippi contemporaries, it's an area that contains some of the blues' oldest traditions. This region was home to major traditional blues players like Blind Blake, Tampa Red, and Sam Butler, among many others, and are collected here in the tracks of Guitar Wizards: 1926-1935.

One of the earliest blues performers of the pre-war era, and an offspring of a family of freed slaves, Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas was one of the most influential, but also one of the most enigmatic practitioners of the blues genre. Much of Thomas' life was un-chronicled by historians (The exact date of his death is still a point of contention) except to say that much of his life he lived as a drifter, making his living by performing on street corners and for railway employees. Though his personal life is still shrouded in mystery, his music remains significant, so many decades later. Thomas stood out from his peers primarily by the way he strummed his guitar; as one would strum a banjo. His songs emphasized dance rhythm over complex picking, and often utilized instruments unorthodox to blues music, such as the Deep South folk instrument the quills. This sound proved to be instrumental in the development of the Texas blues sound, and would be his trademark across the 24 sides that he recorded for Vocalion Records, of which only 23 would be released commercially.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.
Includes original inner sleeve.

Still in shrink, but opened, with hype sticker

Limited Edition.

Record with just a few paper scuffs.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.

Yellow vinyl.

Sealed copy.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.

close to NM

Still in shrink, but opened, with hype sticker. Original inner sleeve with seam splits

Record Store Day edition 2011.

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Copy closer to NM

Yellow vinyl. Tiny wear. Limited edition. With insert