Search - Blind Willie Mctell :: Best of Blind Willie Mctell

Two Of The Greatest Lines Can Be Found On This CD

J. Deighton | Inches From My Computer | 02/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"They are, and I quote: "She looked like a lump of Lord have mercy," and "I drink so much I stagger when I sleep."

As to the rest of the CD, McTell was a bit more urbane than many of his delta blues contemporaries. (And yes, I meant "urbane" not "urban.") His guitar playing has a more jazzy feel to it, and you can tell that the music will be making its way to the big city soon. He's probably my favorite Delta blues guy, and young whipper snappers will be able to hear where Jack White got his schtick.

How's the sound quality on this release? Um, pretty darn excellent, all things considered."

The finest Blind Willie compilation for selection & sound!

Robert G. Martinez | Brooksville FL | 12/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been also a fan of old blues recordings since the early 1970's. Blind Willie is one of my favorites. If you love twelve-string guitar, he was the master. McTell was from Atlanta, so he never got the credit like those from the Mississippi Delta (Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Son House etc) and McTell's form of blues was categorized as the "Piedmont Style" and featured some pop and ragtime influences than just hard-core blues. It was also sunny and cheerful at times. I've owned blues compilations with Blind Willie cuts and also owned the Columbia/Legacy version and found the guitar and overall balance to have less presence than this new Yazoo release. These are the finest sounding recordings ever on McTell. The sound is crisp and vibrant and you can hear the 12-string ring like a bell or a train whistle. This Yazoo CD covers the best of the early Victor recordings and also the Columbia ones. The only knock I have is that there are no specific dates when the songs were recorded. The Victors are from 1927 to 1932 and the Columbias are from around 1928 to 1935, but it would have been nice for "record nerds" like me to know exactly when they were recorded, so we could figure out who he was influenced by (current events,crazes, other musicians, movies etc.). Music can be influenced by the style of the times. Anyway, if you love guitar and folk blues excellence, Blind Willie is fantastic, plus he had a way with words. Bob Dylan is a also a fond admirer of McTell and even wrote a great song about him. This CD offers the finest selection of his greatest songs and with the greatest sound ever released. If you are a blues historian or fan, this is a must for your collection!"