Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings Vol 1-5 [10 CD, 1991-1993]

 

The first major blues and jazz singer on record and one of the most powerful of all time, Bessie Smith rightly earned the title of "The Empress of the Blues." Even on her first records in 1923, her passionate voice overcame the primitive recording quality of the day and still communicates easily to today's listeners (which is not true of any other singer from that early period). At a time when the blues were in and most vocalists (particularly vaudevillians) were being dubbed "blues singers," Bessie Smith simply had no competition.

Back in 1912, Bessie Smith sang in the same show as Ma Rainey, who took her under her wing and coached her. Although Rainey would achieve a measure of fame throughout her career, she was soon surpassed by her protégée. In 1920, Smith had her own show in Atlantic City and, in 1923, she moved to New York. She was soon signed by Columbia and her first recording (Alberta Hunter's "Downhearted Blues") made her famous. Bessie Smith worked and recorded steadily throughout the decade, using many top musicians as sidemen on sessions including Louis Armstrong, Joe Smith (her favorite cornetist), James P. Johnson, and Charlie Green. Her summer tent show Harlem Frolics was a big success during 1925-1927, and Mississippi Days in 1928 kept the momentum going.

However, by 1929 the blues were out of fashion and Bessie Smith's career was declining despite being at the peak of her powers (and still only 35). She appeared in St. Louis Blues that year (a low-budget movie short that contains the only footage of her), but her hit recording of "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" predicted her leaner Depression years. Although she was dropped by Columbia in 1931 and made her final recordings on a four-song session in 1933, Bessie Smith kept on working. She played the Apollo in 1935 and substituted for Billie Holiday in the show Stars Over Broadway. The chances are very good that she would have made a comeback, starting with a Carnegie Hall appearance at John Hammond's upcoming From Spirituals to Swing concert, but she was killed in a car crash in Mississippi. Columbia has reissued all of her recordings, first in five two-LP sets and more recently on five two-CD box sets that also contain her five alternate takes, the soundtrack of St. Louis Blues, and an interview with her niece Ruby Smith. "The Empress of the Blues," based on her recordings, will never have to abdicate her throne.

• The Complete Recordings Vol.1 (1923-1924)
• The Complete Recordings Vol.2 (1924-1925)
• The Complete Recordings Vol.3 (1925-1928)
• The Complete Recordings Vol.4 (1928-1931)
• The Complete Recordings Vol.5 (1931-1933)

The Complete Recordings Vol.1 (1923-1924)

Disc 1:

1. Down Hearted Blues

2. Gulf Coast Blues

3. Aggravatin' Papa

4. Beale Street Mama

5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home

6. Oh Daddy Blues

7. 'Taint Nobody's Bizness If I Do

8. Keeps On Rainin' (Papa He Can't Make No Time)

9. Mama's Got The Blues

10. Outside Of That

11. Bleeding Hearted Blues

12. Lady Luck Blues

13. Yodling Blues

14. Midnight Blues

15. If You Don't, I Know Who Will

16. Nobody In Town Can Bake A Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine

17. Jail House Blues

18. St. Louis Gal

19. Sam Jones Blues

Disc 2:

1. Graveyard Dream Blues

2. Cemetery Blues

3. Far Away Blues

4. I'm Going Back To My Used To Be

5. Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time

6. My Sweetie Went Away

7. Any Woman's Blues Listen

8. Chicago Bound Blues

9. Mistreating Daddy

10. Frosty Morning Blues

11. Haunted House Blues

12. Eavesdropper's Blues

13. Easy Come, Easy Go Blues

14. Sorrowful Blues

15. Pinchbacks-Take 'Em Away

16. Rocking Chair Blues

17. Ticket Agent, Ease Your Window Down

18. Boweavil Blues

19. Hateful Blues

The Complete Recordings Vol.2 (1924-1925)

Disc 1:

1. Frankie Blues

2. Moonshine Blues

3. Lou'siana Low-Down Blues

4. Mountain Top Blues

5. Work House Blues

6. House Rent Blues

7. Salt Water Blues

8. Rainy Weather Blues

9. Weeping Willow Blues

10. The Bye Bye Blues

11. Sing Sing Prison Blues

12. Follow the Deal on Down

13. Sinful Blues

14. Woman's Trouble Blues

15. Love Me Daddy Blues

16. Dying Gambler's Blues

17. The St. Louis Blues

18. Reckless Blues

19. Sobbin' Hearted Blues

Disc 2:

1. Cold In Hand Blues

2. You've Been a Good Ole Wagon

3. Cake Walkin' babies (From Home)

4. The Yellow Dog Blues

5. Soft Pedal Blues

6. Dixie Flyer Blues

7. Nashville Woman's Blues

8. Careless Love Blues

9. J.C. Holmes Blues

10. I Ain't Goin' to Play Second Fiddle

11. He's Gone Blues

12. Nobody's Blues But Mine

13. I Ain't Got Nobody

14. My Man Blues

15. New Gulf Coast Blues

16. Florida Bound Blues

17. At the Christmas Ball

18. I've Been Mistreated and I Don't Like It

The Complete Recordings Vol.3 (1925-1928)

Disc 1:

01 - Red Mountain Blues

02 - Golden Rule Blues

03 - Lonesome Desert Blues

04 - Them 'Has Been' Blues

05 - Squeeze Me

06 - What's The Matter Now_

07 - I Want Every Bit Of It

08 - Jazzbo Brown From Memphis Town

09 - The Gin House Blues

10 - Money Blues

11 - Baby Doll

12 - Hard Driving Papa

13 - Lost Your Head Blues

14 - Hard Time Blues

15 - Honey Man Blues

16 - One And Two Blues

17 - Young Woman's Blues

18 - Preachin' The Blues

19 - Back Water Blues

20 - After You've Gone

21 - Alexander's Ragtime Band

Disc 2:

01 - Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan)

02 - There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight

03 - Trombone Cholly

04 - Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair

05 - Them's Graveyard Words

06 - Hot Spring Blues

07 - Sweet Mistreater

08 - Lock And Key

09 - Mean Old Bedbug Blues

10 - A Good Man Is Hard To Find

11 - Homeless Blues

12 - Looking For My Man Blues

13 - Dyin' By The Hour

14 - Foolish Man Blues

15 - Thinking Blues

16 - Pickpocket Blues

17 - I Used To Be Your Sweet Mama

18 - I'd Rather Be Dead And Buried In My Grave

The Complete Recordings Vol.4 (1928-1931)

Disc 1:

01. Standin' In The Rain Blues (2:56)

02. It Won't Be You (2:49)

03. Spider Man Blues (3:24)

04. Empty Bed Blues (Part 1) (3:03)

05. Empty Bed Blues (Part 2) (3:22)

06. Put It Right Here (Or Keep It Out There) (3:00)

07. Yes Indeed He Do! (3:17)

08. Devil's Gonna Git You (3:12)

09. You Ought To Be Ashamed (3:08)

10. Washwoman's Blues (3:10)

11. Slow And Easy Man (2:58)

12. Poor Man's Blues (3:26)

13. Please Help Me Get Him Out Of My Mind (2:58)

14. Me And My Gin (2:52)

15. I'm Wild About That Thing (2:50)

16. You've Got To Give Me Some (2:44)

17. Kitchen Man (2:58)

18. I've Got What It Takes (But It Breaks My Heart To Give It Away) (3:11)

19. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out (3:00)

20. Take It Right Back ('Cause I Don't Want It Here) (3:20)

Disc 2:

01. He's Got Me Goin' (3:15)

02. It Makes My Love Come Down (2:58)

03. Wasted Life Blues (3:05)

04. Dirty No-Gooder's Blues (3:00)

05. Blue Spirit Blues (2:58)

06. Worn Out Papa Blues (2:51)

07. You Don't Understand (3:06)

08. Don't Cry Baby (3:12)

09. Keep It To Yourself (3:33)

10. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues (2:59)

11. See If I'll Care (3:26)

12. Baby Have Pity On Me (3:21)

13. On Revival Day (A Rhythmic Spiritual) (2:57)

14. Moan, You Moaners (3:13)

15. Hustlin' Dan (3:33)

16. Black Mountain Blues (3:11)

17. In The House Blues (3:02)

18. Long Old Road (3:28)

19. Blue Blues (3:15)

20. Shipwreck Blues (3:20)

The Complete Recordings Vol.5 (1931-1933)

Disc 1:

01. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl (2:50)

02. Safety Mama (3:26)

03. Do Your Duty (3:27)

04. Gimme A Pigfoot (3:31)

05. Take Me For A Buggy Ride (2:38)

06. I'm Down In The Dumps (3:12)

07. The Yellow Dog Blues (3:18)

08. Soft Pedal Blues (3:22)

09. Nashville Women's Blues (3:19)

10. Careless Love Blues (3:30)

11. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) (3:16)

12. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Band Intro (0:45)

13. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Crap Game (5:43)

14. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - St. Louis Blues (8:19)

Disc 2:

01. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith / Bessie Disappears (4:50)

02. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith / Waldorf-Astoria Party (7:15)

03. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith / Bessie & Jack, I (2:52)

04. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith Bessie & Jack II / Bessie & The Ladies (10:23)

05. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith / Life On The Road, I (11:14)

06. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith / Life On The Road, II (14:02)

07. Smith, Bessie & Ruby Smith Bessie & Gertrude Saunders / Life On The Road, III (21:18)

Bessie Smith - Chattanooga Gal [4 CD, 2004]

 

Bessie Smith's big, beautiful voice and emotionally naked interpretation made her into one of the all-time stars of the gramophone record, influencing talents as wide ranging as Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson and Janis Joplin. This 4CD set includes all of her best known songs, whose raw energy and emotion shine out across the decades and show just why she became such a star. Transcending the worlds of blues, gospel and popular song, Bessie is a seminal figure in modern music and this box is the ultimate overview of her career.




Personnel: Bessie Smith (vocals, kazoo); Lincoln Conaway, Bobby Johnson (guitar); Elmer Snowden, Buddy Christian , Charlie Dixon (banjo); Abraham Wheat (clarinet, soprano saxophone); Ernest Elliott (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Don Redman, George Baquet, Benny Goodman, Buster Bailey (clarinet); Garvin Bushell (alto saxophone); Chu Berry, Coleman Hawkins, Greely Walton (tenor saxophone); Frankie Newton (trumpet); Ed Allen, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Ladnier, Shelton Hemphill (cornet); Joe Williams , Jack Teagarden, Jimmy Harrison, Charlie Green (trombone); Cyrus St. Clair, Bob Escudero (tuba); Fred Longshaw (piano, reed organ); Clarence Williams, Fletcher Henderson, Isadore Myers, Irving Johns, James P. Johnson, Jimmy Jones , Steve Stevens , Porter Grainger, Buck Washington (piano).


CD1- Down Hearted Blues {01:15:06}


01. Down Hearted Blues [03:28]
02. Gulf Coast Blues [03:07]
03. Beale Street Mama [03:37]
04. Baby Won't You Please Come Home [02:58]
05. 'Tain't Nobodies Bizness If I Do [03:29]
06. Bleeding Hearted Blues [03:08]
07. Lady Luck Blues [03:09]
08. Midnight Blues [03:20]
09. Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time [03:12]
10. Any Woman's Blues [03:27]
11. Chicago Bound Blues [03:18]
12. Moonshine Blues [03:19]
13. Work House Blues [03:23]
14. House Rent Blues [03:07]
15. Rainy Weather Blues [03:37]
16. Weeping Willow Blues [03:12]
17. The Bye Bye Blues [03:20]
18. Sinful Blues [03:11]
19. Dying Gambler's Blues [03:00]
20. The St. Louis Blues [03:12]
21. Reckless Blues [03:05]
22. Sobbin' Hearted Blues [03:02]
23. Cold in Hand Blues [03:14]


CD2 - Careless Love Blues {01:16:36}


01. You've Been a Good Ole Wagon [03:31]
02. Cake Walkin' Babies (from Home) [03:11]
03. The Yellow Dog Blues [03:04]
04. Soft Pedal Blues [03:21]
05. Careless Love Blues [03:27]
06. Nashville Woman's Blues [03:45]
07. J.C. Holmes Blues [03:05]
08. I Ain't Goin to Play Second Fiddle [03:23]
09. He's Gone Blues [03:12]
10. I Ain't Got Nobody [03:11]
11. I've Been Mistreated and I Don't Like It [02:57]
12. Red Mountain Blues [03:13]
13. Golden Rule Blues [03:05]
14. Lonesome Desert Blues [03:26]
15. Them 'Has Been' Blues [03:33]
16. Squeeze Me [02:54]
17. What's the Matter Now? [02:46]
18. I Want Every Bit of It [02:38]
19. Jazzbo Brown from Memphis Town [03:21]
20. The Gin House Blues [03:14]
21. Money Blues [03:11]
22. Baby Doll [03:01]
23. Hard Driving Papa [02:58]
24. Lost Your Head Blues [02:55]


CD3 - Young Woman Blues {01:15:01}


01. Hard Time Blues [03:15]
02. Honey Man Blues [03:15]
03. One and Two Blues [02:55]
04. Young Woman's Blues [03:09]
05. Preachin' the Blues [02:52]
06. Backwater Blues [03:19]
07. After You've Gone [02:58]
08. Alexander's Ragtime Band [03:00]
09. Muddy Water (a Mississippi Moan) [03:08]
10. There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight [03:20]
11. Trombone Cholly [03:12]
12. Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair [03:23]
13. Sweet Mistreater [03:02]
14. Lock and Key [02:59]
15. A Good Man Is Hard To Find [03:01]
16. Dyin' by the Hour [03:00]
17. Foolish Man Blues [02:55]
18. Thinking Blues [03:10]
19. I Used To Be Your Sweet Mama [02:51]
20. Spider Man Blues [03:24]
21. Empty Bed Blues, Pt 1 [03:03]
22. Empty Bed Blues, Pt 2 [03:22]
23. Put It Right Here (or Keep It Out There) [03:00]
24. Yes Indeed He Do! [03:16]

CD4 - Me & My Gin {01:14:55}


01. Devil's Gonna Git You [03:13]
02. Poor Man's Blues [03:26]
03. Please Help Me Get Him Out of My Mind [02:57]
04. Me and My Gin [02:52]
05. I'm Wild About That Thing [02:49]
06. Kitchen Man [02:58]
07. I've Got What It Takes (but It Breaks My Heart To Give It Away) [03:11]
08. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out [02:59]
09. He's Got Me Goin' [03:14]
10. It Makes My Love Come Down [02:58]
11. Dirty No-Gooders Blues [02:57]
12. Blue Spirit Blues [02:57]
13. You Don't Understand [03:06]
14. Don't Cry Baby [03:11]
15. Baby Have Pity on Me [03:21]
16. On Revival Day [02:57]
17. Hustlin' Dan [03:32]
18. Black Mountain Blues [03:09]
19. Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl [02:49]
20. Safety Mama [03:26]
21. Do Your Duty [03:26]
22. Gimme a Pigfoot [03:30]
23. Take Me for a Buggy Ride [02:37]
24. I'm Down in the Dumps [03:11]