Time for some Blues

SpyderTracks

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Blues is an area i know very little about, except that i love it. I really need to educate myself on the genre.

I have a couple of Stevie Ray Vaughan albums, has anyone got any recommendations for some quintessential essential albums?
 

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Blues is an area i know very little about, except that i love it. I really need to educate myself on the genre.

I have a couple of Stevie Ray Vaughan albums, has anyone got any recommendations for some quintessential essential albums?
I really really love the turn of the century blues, If you can get decent recordings of some Robert or Tommy Johnson (Unrelated) it's sublime

There is also a massive amount of folklore surrounding Robert Johnson that's super fun to dive into. Deals with the devil at a crossroads and such
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
I like the blues! Love listening to it, love playing it, it’s brilliant. Here’s a few favourites that were easily available as YouTube clips…

Take My Hand Precious Lord by Blind Connie Williams (actually a gospel song but I love what he does with it)


Death Letter Blues by Son House


Death Don’t Have No Mercy by the Reverend Gary Davis


Trouble In Mind by Big Bill Broonzy


And if you’ve got an hour to kill, You See Me Laughin’ is a great documentary about Hill Country Blues. Nowhere near as well known as the Delta Blues but a wonderful variation.
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Now that we’re on the subject, my mind is racing! As you may have seen, I’m more of fan of trad blues, never got along with the likes of SRV or Rory Gallagher.

But this track by The Jimi Hendrix Experience is bluestastic. One guitar, one bass, one drumkit, one take. Absolutely electric.

 

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Now that we’re on the subject, my mind is racing! As you may have seen, I’m more of fan of trad blues, never got along with the likes of SRV or Rory Gallagher.

But this track by The Jimi Hendrix Experience is bluestastic. One guitar, one bass, one drumkit, one take. Absolutely electric.

One of the best guitarists ever
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
I hope we’ve opened the door to the blues for you, @SpyderTracks. Musicians have been creating amazing stuff for over a century with 12 bar blues, and that is an incredible feat in itself as it’s essentially based on three chords. Adding a flat fifth note in minor or a flat third in major is a simple move but it can do so much to a song.

(Big fat disclaimer: the people who created this genre of music most likely had no knowledge of what flat fifths were, had limited access to any kind of musical training, and were subjugated from the day they were born. It’s both beautiful and shameful that the blues exists)
 
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