Search - Lucille Bogan :: Shave Em Dry: Best of

Lucille really shaves them dry

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 07/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of the 1920's to 1930's female blues singers, Lucille Bogan was one of the earthiest. Shave'em Dry takes the last set of recordings she did on Banner and ARC records, from 1933 to 1935, on ARC records. Accompanying her was pianist Walter Roland, also on that label. Her songs were groundbreaking in terms of explicitness, the use of double entendres, innuendos, and metaphors, and also of a woman in a man's world. She went under her Bessie Anderson persona, Bessie derived from her legendary contemporary, Bessie Smith.



One of her better known songs is the somber "Drinking Blues" "The blues have got me drinking, trouble's got me thinking, and it's gonna carry me to my grave," she sings in the first verse, on the oft-told story of trying drink one's worries away.



Her use of food as a metaphor for prostitution and the "dirty deed" is abundant here. On "Barbecue Bess," she invites men to her place to sample her goods, if one knows what I mean: "I'm selling it cheap cause I got good stuff and if you try one time you can't get enough" and "If you want my meat, you can come to my house at twelve." But "55 cents and you can get some twice?" Now that IS cheap! Another is "Groceries On The Shelf" where Piggly Wiggly, the name of a grocery chain down South, is analogically a whorehouse. "Stew Meat Blues" revolves around a man who's going up the river, and wants to be credited for some of her stew. Well, stew means, yes, just that.



"Hungry Man's Shuffle" is a skit by the Jolly Jivers, which is Bogan, Roland, and singer Sonny Scott, who portrays a man who dances to keep from starving. Roland's uptempo piano and the shuffling sounds of Scott's dancing gives this is a cheery atmosphere, as well as Bogan's generosity in offering Scott some chili. The same trio return for "Watcha Gonna Do," on the problems ones face on the aftermaths of mistreating one's mate.



"Boogan Ways Blues" is another "mean mistreater" type song, while "Reckless Woman" is on a love gone cold, with a man whom she lets run around. The cruelty and harshness of the world has turned the protagonist in "Pig Iron Sally" into someone who doesn't even trust a squirrel.



"Shave'em Dry" refers to shaving one's skin without soap so that it itches, making it a sort of payback for being wronged. However, it takes on a more explicit meaning in the X-rated version of that song, which is the one briefly played in Martin Scorcese's Blues series, the Warming By The Devil's Fire movie. These recordings were unheard until the days of the LP. Anatomical descriptions, "grind me until I cry," and references to arousing a dead man, are present, and she really gets into strong language until she cracks up laughing before regaining her composure. Ditto for "I'm Gonna Shave You Dry" sung by Roland, with speaking accompaniment by Bogan. And "Till The Cows Come Home" refers to how long one wants to be satisfied. However, she does some gender-swapping in terms of her anatomy. And this sixty years before P.J. Harvey sang "Bend over Casanova" in "50 Ft Queenie"!



A copy of an account entry for her services lists the songs she performed, the date and amount paid, and it's criminal how little she was paid for her hard work. Add to this, like many other blues singers those days, royalties was not included in their contract.



As many other people, I'd never heard of Bogan until the Scorcese series, and hopefully she'll get some sort of recognition, given a strong vocal delivery that put her alongside Bessie Smith. Oh, and thanks to my Amazon Friend Eric Andrews for getting this for my birthday."

Loose Lucy

My Uncle Stu | Boston | 07/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
She deserves better. Ms. Bogan doesn't seem to be as well known or respected as the likes of Bessie smith, "Ma" Rainey, or Ida Cox, but she is every bit as authentic a classic blues singer as any of them. I take it her musicianship was eclipsed by the bawdy themes her music explored, most notably rather explicit songs about prostitution ("barbecue Bess," "Stew Meat Blues," "Groceries on the Shelf"). She also sings- fairly explicitly even by today's standards- about adultery, lesbianism, alcoholism, coke-snorting ("Baking-Powder Blues)," and abusive men.



Check out "B.D. Woman's Blues," you can figure out what B.D. refers to, which rather openly celebrates emotional freedom and sexual liberation:



"Comin' a time, B.D. woman ain't goin' to need no men

`Cause the way they treat us is a low down and dirty sin."



We also get three different versions of "Shave `Em Dry," which is referred to as one of the most coarse blues songs every recorded, along with the braggadocios "Till the Cows Come Home." Of course the Blues are famous for songs that seemed to get away with sexual metaphors and oblique references that would be unacceptable in any other popular form. But even by blues standards, Ms. Bogan's music had a straightforward audacity that was a notch above the more pervasive veiled references of the time. But I'm not recommending this music purely for glimpses into the tough, libidinal world of the Birmingham black underworld of the Jim Crow era, although it certainly succeeds in that regard. There is also plenty of vulnerability and tenderness on display here as well, and plenty of good music. Good blues. From Lucille Bogan and from her accompanists.



But do not miss out on these gems, classic 1920's blues, with a rowdy tone, beautiful phrasing with a truculent delivery, and all without sacrificing the down home style. [excuse me, I just checked the liner notes, seems these songs were all recorded in the 30's, but I'll stubbornly stand by the characterization of this as solid 20's blues]



I know a lot of discriminatory music fans, guys who find themselves talking more about their speakers and equipment then the music, who avoid these older recordings, with their pops and crackles. It's their loss. You are supposed to listen to the music in between and underneath the snaps and pops. I'm sure there is some sort of unique pleasure that comes from obsessing about the technology, but you sure miss out on a lot of wonderful music if that's what you focus on.



Buy this CD. Thank you for listening.

"

...as big as two thumbs

jive rhapsodist | NYC, NY United States | 03/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lucille Bogan! She is a national hero! Give Bessie and Billie a rest and spend some time with this unregenerate reprobate. I kind of love her earlier records a bit more (see my review of the Yazoo compilation) but these are great too. And you can't live without Shave 'Em Dry. All three versions lovingly reissued on a major label! Is this a great world or what?"