VA - The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions Vol. 1: Arkansas & Mississippi 1951-1952 (2003)

In the early '50s, the Modern label made numerous blues recordings in the Deep South, with Modern executive Joe Bihari and talent scout Ike Turner acting as sort of on-the-road A&R men. Though these were recorded in settings that by later standards would be considered primitive, including living rooms, they don't conform to the stereotype of blues "field recordings." Actually they sound about on par with the fidelity of many early electric blues sides cut in Memphis, Chicago, New Orleans, and Detroit, though lacking some of the innovative techniques pioneered by Chess and Sun. This CD assembles a couple dozen of Modern's efforts in this regard, most of which were issued at the time on singles, though some didn't emerge until many years later (and a couple of Boyd Gilmore tracks were previously unreleased). Just one of these artists, Elmore James (represented by two tracks), became a famous bluesman; the others (including Gilmore, Driftin' Slim, Ernest Lane, Houston Boines, Junior Brooks, Sunny Blair, and Charley Booker) are known only to aficionados. The sound is very much early electric juke joint blues for the most part -- raw and heartfelt, the passion of Delta country blues surviving in the vocals, but married to crudely amplified electric guitar and, often, boogie piano (and sometimes harmonica and drums). There is a reason, however, that these recordings in particular aren't as well-known as those from the same period by, say, John Lee Hooker or Howlin' Wolf. The songs have energetic sincerity, but they're not as imaginative as those by the top early electric bluesmen (and sometimes derivative of heavyweights like Muddy Waters), or even too different from each other. An exception is the anomalous (and frenetic) electric guitar-punctuated swing jazz track by Red Boyd & His Orchestra. When Elmore James comes on with his wailing vocals and distorted slide guitar on "Hand in Hand" and "Please Find My Baby," the level of artistry jumps noticeably. The voluminous liner notes by blues authority Jim O'Neal trace the tumultuous history of Modern's endeavors in this field in amazing detail, though the minutiae and multitudinous twists and turns might lose the interest of more casual blues fans. ~Richie Unterberger