'The Complete Library of Congress 1941-42' is the 19 recordings Son House made in 1941-42, and were recorded by Alan Lomax.
Some of the recordings were recorded in Klack's Store, Lake Cormorant, Mississippi. You'll hear
occasional railway noises in the background, as the store, which had the
electricity necessary for the recording, was close to a branch-line
between the lake & Robinsonville.
If Son wasn't at
his peak here, he wasn't far off. Vocally, he sounds like a younger man, his guitar playing is, as always, excellent. On some tracks Son is joined by Willie Brown, Fiddlin' Joe Martin & Leory Williams who sound like they are enjoying themselves, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if a
little whiskey was involved.
Son didn't record all that often, so
your choice is among a handful of badly preserved Paramount sides from
1930, these field recordings (ambient train sounds and all) from his
home locale and not far beyond his prime, or the studio collection from
1965, when Columbia Records had to find Son a guitar before he could even
try to recreate his sound. That's pretty much it for recorded Son House. His genius
shows up in each of those choices, but this one, to my ears, is the best overall.
The Complete Library of Congress Sessions, 1941-42
01. Levee Camp Blues
02. Government Fleet Blues
03. Walking Blues
04. Shetland Pony Blues
05. Fo' Clock Blues
06. Camp Hollers
07. Delta Blues
08. Special Rider Blues
09. Special Rider Blues
10. Low-Down Dirty Blues
11. Depot Blues
12. The Key of Minor
13. American Defense
14. Am I Right or Wrong
15. Walking Blues
16. County Farm Blues
17. The Pony Blues
18. The Jinx Blues, Part 1
19. The Jinx Blues, Part 2
Tracks 1 to 7, were recorded at Klack's Store, Lake Cormorant, Mississippi in August 1941.
Tracks 8 to 19, were recorded in Robinsonville, Mississippi, on 17 July 1942.
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