American Primitive, Vol. II
American Primitive, Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants (1897-1939) by various artists (Revenant/2006) - A my-tee-fine two disc set of obscure folk, blues, hillbilly and ‘other music’ from that pre-WWII heyday. You’ve got a small batch of Geeshie Wiley tracks, and yes, I can see why she’s the new hero of undergroundy blues fans. But there’s also the likes of Red Hot Old Mose and his street vendor chants — “Whooo!” I am especially haunted by the banjo songs of John Hammond (no, not that John Hammond, nor his son — this is an altogether unrelated fellow). I’m not sure if it’s an original, but his lyrics on As Free A Little Bird As Can Be make Captain Beefheart seem like a Brill Building hack by comparison. And we love the Cap.