Times Ain't Like They Used to Be, Vol. 7: Early American Rural Music

by TIMES AIN'T LIKE: EARLY AMER V7

Overview

Each volume in Yazoo Records' Times Ain't Like They Used to Be series (this one is the seventh installment) collects 1920s and '30s commercial 78s, and taken together they project a vital and energetic rural, early 20th century America of jug and string bands, country blues players, fiddlers, banjoists, sacred singers, and musical roustabouts of every conceivable rustic style imaginable. This process makes each volume remarkably similar even as the particular artists and songs included on each may be tremendously different. Volume 7 includes such rare gems as Jimmie Tarlton's impressive "Dixie Mail," Skip James' haunting "Hard Luck Child," an unhinged fiddle and banjo duet by Ben Jarrell and Francis Jenkins on "Jack of Diamonds" and the first part of Son House's classic two-part 78 rpm recording of "Dry Spell Blues." Since everything is drawn from exceedingly rare 78s, many of which were played to death by their original owners, there is a fair amount of ambient needle noise on most of these tracks, but that only adds to the overall feel of history actually coming alive that is inherent to these kinds of compilations. Well selected, varied, and artfully sequenced, Times Ain't Like They Used to Be, Vol. 7 is a welcome addition to a hopefully never-ending series. ~ Steve Leggett

Product Details

Release Date:	10/07/2003
Label:	Yazoo
UPC:	0016351206725
Rank:	81911

Tracks

1. Bust Down Stomp
2. Dixie Mail  - Jimmie Tarlton
3. Times Has Done Got Hard  - King Solomon Hill
4. Mineola Rag  -  East Texas Serenaders
5. Christ Arose  -  Sheffield Quartet
6. Rainy Night Blues
7. Good Gal Remember Me
8. Texas Quickstep  -  Red Headed Fiddlers
9. Ham Bone Blues  - Ed Bell
10. Cannonball Rag
11. Little More Sugar in the Coffee/Peter Went Fishin'
12. Devil and My Brown Blues  - Bo Weavil Jackson
13. Horseshoe Bend  -  Stripling Brothers
14. Primrose Hill  -  Daniels-Deason Sacred Harp Singers
15. Hard Luck Child  - Skip James
16. Go On, Nora Lee  - Uncle Dave Macon
17. Jeunes Gens Campagnard  - Dennis McGee
18. I'm Gonna Cross the River of Jordon Some of These Days
19. Only a Tramp
20. Jack of Diamonds
21. Dry Spell Blues, Pt. 1  - Son House
22. Pike's Peak  - Ted Sharp
23. I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Skip James   Primary Artist
Sheffield Quartet   Primary Artist
Ed Bell   Primary Artist
Uncle Dave Macon   Primary Artist
King Solomon Hill   Primary Artist
Jimmie Tarlton   Primary Artist
The East Texas Serenaders   Primary Artist
Bo Weavil Jackson   Primary Artist
Dennis McGee   Primary Artist
Red Headed Fiddlers   Primary Artist
The Stripling Brothers   Primary Artist
Daniels-Deason Sacred Harp Singers   Primary Artist
Ted Sharp   Primary Artist
Son House   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Son House   Composer
Richard Nevins   Remastering,Producer
Don Kent   Liner Notes