Bo Weavil Jackson - Complete Recordings in Chronological Order

All Music Guide

Sure, it is kind of a dry title for an album, but the effect it has on country blues fans is a bit like holding up a "free beer" sign in the lobby of a sorority. With many of these tracks previously available only on compilations, if at all, this pressing became something of a classic, its baker's dozen of Bo Weavil Jackson acquiring the shimmer of golden eggs. Supposedly this is the entire recording output of this man, all done within one month in Chicago circa the mid-'20s. The bluesman represents an attractive combination of elements one might associate with other, more well-known and prolifically recorded acoustic bluesmen. He plays slide, but not exclusively. All his playing is done with a touch so delicate it sounds like his fingers are dancing on the strings. This picking style sometimes sounds a bit like the ragtime-influenced 12-string bluesman Blind Willie McTell. Other tracks sound a bit like Blind Lemon Jefferson, perhaps more for the amount of original surface noise than m...usical similarities, although there are some, such as the rapid, wordy vocal lines and the intense rhythmic pace. The slide playing in the low register of the guitar has a wonderfully chunky sound. One unusual touch is the version of "When the Saints Go Marching In," part of his repertoire along with several traditional gospel numbers and a brace of blues numbers, some of them slightly on the raunchy side. This is a good one for blues fans to keep a watchful eye for, since pressings were limited and snatched up fast. - Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide Read more Less