The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #97691   Message #2732317
Posted By: Severn
27-Sep-09 - 07:48 AM
Thread Name: 'Blind Lemon Blues,' the musical
Subject: RE: 'Blind Lemon Blues,' the musical
As far as a cleanup job on the originals goes, UK reissue specialists JSP Records did the best cleanup job that they could on the 4 CD set of the complete 94 sides "Blind Lemon Jefferson" (JSP 7706). Good Lemon, indeed, from a bunch of Limeys! Of course, he originally recorded for Paramount, whose techniques and recorded sound were bad, even for the days of 78s, so I doubt anyone could ever coax the cleaned-up sound quality that, say, Columbia or RCA could get out of their superior sounding masters Ellington and Armstrong reissues, though JSP proved it could a good and more affordable job on their Armstrong Hot Fives & Sevens or Charlie Poole sets that compete with the deluxe Columbia sets. The issue of UK copyright and royalty payment laws and the ability of JSP or Proper to price cheaper than major company and the likes of German Bear Family reissues, of course, are another can of worms entirely for another thread.