The Gold Star Sessions Volumes 1 & 2 were recorded between 1947 and 1950, at Bill Quinn's Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas. These two volumes were released in 1990 and 1991 respectively on the Arhoolie Records label.
essential, raw, post-war Texas bluesIn 2010, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Lightnin' number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. My guess is, the "geniuses" at Rolling Stone didn't take into consideration just how influential Lightnin's guitar work is. Remember when Rolling Stone Magazine was hip, knowledgeable, and relevant? <sigh>
For the freeload, tell us what are some of your favorite music magazines (print and online), past, and present?
Past, NO had a great cultural magazine, which was mostly music oriented, Wavelength. Grabbed it weekly, and also would read Rolling Stone (60s-70s) and occasionally, Cream. Now, mostly just read JazzIs online.
ReplyDeleteCreem, Trouser Press, NME, Gris-Gris (in BRLA), Austin Chronicle...anywhere Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees appeared
ReplyDeleteRolling Stone lost the thread a long time ago...
While Creem covered a lot of artists, I had little interest in, Lester Bangs' writing was always a scream. I also liked "Creem Profiles", which was a riff on the Dewars Scotch ad campaign "Dewars Profiles" in the form of the fictitious Boy Howdy! Beer.
DeleteLester was, uhm, complicated, and, per my pals (I'd left in May 1980) his 4-month ATX "weekend" a combo of fun, depraved, and weird...New York was such a different scene. Somewhere I have an amazing letter from a gf I left behind that went on for pages (ah, crank) about his, uh, adventures. He was a gifted writer, IMAO, though not always a great one...if that makes any sense. Sorry I missed him, glad I got to read his writings.
DeleteIn the past it was Crawdaddy, occasionally Rolling Stone (till the late 70s), the British Magazine ZigZag; today mostly Mojo and Uncut.
ReplyDeleteZigZag--I think that's where the Frame stuff was? And Crawdaddy is a good call
DeleteCrawdaddy (I think) was the first Rock magazine with depth to it.
DeleteRolling Stone mostly until mid 70's, tried a few issues of Spin. Then decided not to read about music in magazines. However, I will admit to a couple of issues of Relix, back in the day. Thanks Babs
ReplyDeleteOops, forgot, I did pick up a few copies of DownBeat as well.
DeleteDownBeat is a longtime favorite.
DeleteI've been meaning to dig thru my old copies of "The Record Roundup" - discovered a lifelong love of the Skeletons/Morells thru them. "The Record Roundup" was a popular vinyl record mail-order magazine/catalog, likely independent but associated with the broader music scene where labels like Rounder Records operated, offering curated selections of roots, folk, bluegrass, and other genres to fans directly before digital dominance. (thanks AI!)
ReplyDeletePsychotronic and Goldmine were favorites, also.
ReplyDelete"Quality Rock Reader" by far!--Bill
ReplyDeleteRolling Stone was great when it was a folded newsprint rag, Downbeat when it was adventurous, Coda when it was in print (!), Musician (Player & Listener) until it got more mainstream and dropped the P&L), and the late lamented No Depression, which was pretty much excellent right to the end.
ReplyDeleteLightnin's Gold Star sides are excellent, but my vote has to go to the Herald sessions.
DeleteRAM (Rock Australia Magazine) was our local version of NME & Rolling Stone in the late 70's - 80's.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, Rolling Stone and Creem. Never really got into Crawdaddy. I liked Stereo review for the reviews (mostly Steve Simels (who's online with Power Pop). Read a little of Spin and Paste when it first came out.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Down Beat for jazz.
Back In The Day I used to get the New Musical Express and the Record Mirror (the best music weekly for UK chart related info). The NME was the music paper to read in the late 70's and 1980's especially if you were into New Wave. Sadly the Record Mirror shut down in 1991 and the NME succumbed to the pressures of internet competition eventually losing it's journalistic credibility in an effort to appeal to younger audiences and now suffers from what most publications suffer from in the 21st century (an excess of hyperbole amongst other things). I lost touch with both the papers in the 1980's as my life made me focus on more serious matters.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I still subscribe to the Record Collector which has been the goto place for serious collectors in the UK since its inception pretty much (having in my collection every single edition of it since 1979) and they still maintain a monthly printed magazine to this day albeit these days they have extended their focus to some extent from past releases to the whole music scene and are competitors of the likes of Mojo.
When I was 14-17, it was Rolling Stone. We had a local guy named Pink Cloud who hitchhiked around the East Bay selling copies. By '75, though, we hated all that hippie crap and read Creem. We'd drive over to Berkeley to pick copies of the NME. Once punk got rolling, it was Search and Destroy, and Damage. Also BOMP! and Trouser Press. 80s? SPIN Magazine. Plus, I started traded live tapes through the Classifieds in GOLDMINE. This century....Mojo and UNCUT.
ReplyDeleteAlso...forgot the local mainstay: BAM Magazine ("Bay Area Music Magazine").
DeleteAlways enjoyed Sing Out all those years ago. And, more recently, the print incarnation of No Depression. --Muzak McMusics
ReplyDeleteMost zines are long gone, Sniffin Glue, Everybody's Happy Nowadays, Vinyl, Opscene, Gramschap, I forget a lot. I guess the only US one was Max RnR
ReplyDeleteLink
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/PjKQjwK6q37
Before the internet, reading music mags and zines was one of my favorite past times.Some of the ones I scoured regularly for articles and reviews in the 80s and 90s:
ReplyDeleteFlipside
Maximum RocknRoll
Option
Forced Exposure
The Wire
Your Flesh
The Big Takeover
Pulse
Magnet
Superdope
Creem, Trouser Press, and many of the zines in MrDave's list were good companions back before you could hear anything you wanted at the touch of a button.
ReplyDeleteThe Oxford American's annual Southern Music Issue is still worth buying for depth and quality in music journalism.
If you listen to Buddy Holly's solo on That'll Be The Day, it's Lightnin'. Through and through.
ReplyDeleteI boarded at secondary school so I got a mate to buy me the NME every Friday morning from late 1959 on. Later in the late 60s the Melody Maker for the gig guide and Richard Williams.