all tracks rec. NYC June 1957
(*tracks not on 77 Records LP)
Review:
from DELTA SNAKE BLUES NEWS, No. 19, Editor/Publisher: Al Handa
Gary Davis is amongst the most famous of the religious blues singers. He started off as a secular artist performing mainly in the carolinas, then began playing primarily religious songs by the mid-30's. This was never a strict policy, and he performed blues and rags regularly throughout his career. Davis's early 30's recordings are highly regarded, but his greatest fame came in the 60's folk boom. Guitarists like Stephan Grossman admired his playing and covered his songs, and so his later recordings did reach a much wider audience. Although his songs were full of religious fervor, it was his guitar playing that drew most of his audience. As a result, his greatest influence was as a technician, not a lyricist (like a Dylan, for example).
I've read sources that say that this one is the best of the post 30's recordings. I tend to agree, although a good case could also be made for later sessions. The best records Davis made were in the 30's, and can still be obtained in reissue. Those performances were his best for one major reason; his voice was in peak form. This wasn't the case in his later sessions, where he had a tendency to just yell or shout instead of singing high notes. The main appeal of the later records tended to be his superior fingerpicking guitar skills, and most of his fans were often acoustic fingerpicking guitar players. His style is considered one of the hardest to copy, as he only played with only a thumb and forefinger (as opposed to the more common three fingers). This resulted in music that had a very idiosyncratic rhythm that was hard to duplicate. Once, when asked why he only used two fingers, he replied, "cause two is all you need."
This release was originally recorded in 1957 and issued on 77 Records. The reissue I'm discussing is the Smithsonian/ Folkways version. The session has a casual feel, with the guitar work a bit sloppy at times. The vocals, while not matching his work in the 30's, are quite good, which makes this an ideal one for those being exposed to his music for the first time. In later recordings, his voice was often strenuous listening.
The set opens with "Pure Religion," a fine performance where the guitar supplies the responding voice in a call and response arrangement. It's an uptempo piece in his distinctive ragtime style. It would move rapidly along like a Carolina rag, but he would insert frequent breaks that would take you on different paths rhythmically. Also, his justlyfamous string bends would hang on the note seemingly forever. Not the driving, steady roll of a Blind Blake, but a suppleness one would associate with a Skip James. One of the most idiosyncratic fingerpickers ever.
A loping, medium tempo instrumental "Mountain Jack" follows, and, except for some dynamic tempo changes in the Art Tatum mode, a smooth roll that a Blind Blake could have done. A medium rag follows, "Right Now," which leads to one of his most famous instrumentals, "Buck Dance." "Buck Dance" is really just a raggy vamp, interspersed with rhythymic slaps on the guitar body and neck to simulate a tap dancer. Done so well that it's really a masterpiece that simply sounds simpler than it really is (try to play it, and see). This take is done slower than a later live version recorded at a Newport Folk Festival, but sounds better here.
One of his most famous ones comes next. "Candyman" has been covered by countless folk and rock artists, and it's guitar opening is one of the most familiar in the blues. It's been covered by such groups like Hot Tuna, for whom it became a live staple. A narrative about a dream comes next. "Devil's Dream" is basically a vamp, with a very catchy riff repeated over some talked verses with both vocal and instrumental interjections. A throwaway, really, but a very listenable one. A sermon-like "Moon Goes Down," comes next, and drags the pace down, but does feature a good vocal performance.
The next is also a classic covered many times by others (not to mention the guitar work being copied to create new songs). It's done as an instrumental here. A raggy "Runnin' To The Judgement" comes next, and sounds very much like one of his older 78's. It's a tight and well sung number. The side ends with another of his standards, "Hesitation Blues," which he didn't really write, but it was a signature number. This is another instrumental version. A later version, done on a 12 string guitar with vocals was recorded for Biograph in the 60's, and featured the arrangement most know it by. This is a more spritely six stringed workout. "Bad Company" comes next, and wavers at points due to the one major weakness in just about any Gary Davis record. The guy had a weak vibrato, so in a song like this, he tended to just let the voice crack or waver. In this case, spiritual fervor replaced technique, but will strike some as being merely unsteady singing. Great guitar work as usual though.
A rapid eye popper of an instrumental called "I didn't Want To Join The Band," comes next. Those familiar with his work will realize that a later, even faster version of this was done under the title "12 sticks." This one has more funk, though, and is just as good. "Evening Sun Goes Down" is a performance with great guitar work, a passionate vocal, and great imagery that works as poetry. One of the highwater points in a great career. A strenuous string bending exercise follows, "Seven Sisters," that makes my fingers hurt just listening. The set ends with three, pretty similiar medium tempo blues, two being "previously unreleased." There were reasons I imagine, and in the case of "Crucifixion," some fairly obvious ones. The main one being his vocals that go way out of control.
This release is a difficult call for a critic like me to make. Like many fans, I hold his guitar work in esteem, yet realize the voice is a specific taste. What I would call passionate or powerful will, in this case, come across as someone yelling or shouting (or even screeching) to hit the high notes. However, Davis clearly approached his music as preaching, and it's generally been his fans who did the apologizing. He never asked for that kind of rationalizing, and certainly never treated his vocals as pure music.
What you do have here is one of the greatest and influential guitars players in blues history, who had a powerful and unschooled voice that will you will tend to love or hate. But then, I imagine in his mind, that's what faith was all about.
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