R.L. Burnside - First Recordings (1968/2003) [MFSL 2004] PS3 ISO + DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

This popular North Mississippi singer-guitarist is a master of dirty juke-joint blues. But Burnside was a farm hand when these late ’60s recordings captured him developing his staples "Goin’ Down South," "Jumper On the Line," "Poor Black Mattie," and "Long Haired Doney"–and his playing style–in bare-boned acoustic form. Burnside practically cries over the roiling John Lee Hooker-influenced guitar lines of the heartbroken "Like a Bird Without a Feather," which he’s never again recorded, winning sympathy until he admits that he murdered his lost lover. In "Skinny Woman," covered recently by the North Mississippi Allstars, he offsets the rippling picking style associated with John Hurt by beating his knuckles against his six-string’s body. Burnside’s slide on "Walkin’ Blues" favors the low strings until his solo stabs into the high register with keening, measured authority, matching the sweet and dusty tones of his voice, which then possessed a youthful flexibility that wrung all sorts of nuances from these songs.

At the time these tracks were cut, 1967 and 1968, R.L. Burnside was working on a plantation in Coldwater, MS, cutting silage. Folklorist George Mitchell was on a mission to record unknown blues singers down South. Mitchell heard about Burnside and paid him a visit, asking if he could record him. That night Mitchell returned to Burnside's place with a case of beer and some whiskey. Ten months later, Burnside had his first release. While these 14 tracks didn't jump start Burnside's career, they are stark, organic, and timeless, just Burnside and his acoustic guitar running down mainly traditional material that he arranged. This is an absolute treasure for Burnside aficionados and casual blues listeners alike.

Tracklist:

01. Just Like A Bird Without A Feather
02. Goin' Down South
03. Come On In
04. Little Babe
05. Rollin' And Tumblin'
06. Jumper On The Line
07. Skinny Woman
08. Poor Black Mattie
09. Long Haired Doney
10. Peaches
11. Walkin' Blues
12. Hobo Blues
13. My Time Ain't Long
14. Sat Down On My Bed And Cried
15. Come On In (Live version - 1998) [Bonus Track]
16. Rollin' And Tumblin' (Remix - 1998) [Bonus Track]

Mastered by Shawn R. Britton at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, CA.


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Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,81 GB
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