I`ve written reviews for releases by Charley Patton and Robert Johnson,the importance of those recordings are well understood and that leads us to Edward"Son"House.Although others made their mark no one had more influence over the blues scene in the 30`s than this man.A combination of preacher and bluesman,Son was always in conflict because of his secular upbringing and the freedom and experiences that being a traveling blues singer could and did offer.
Although he only recorded a few sides in the early 30`s and then again in the early 40`s,that was it.Soon after he moved up north taking a job as a porter on the railways of the northeast.Fast forward to the early 60`s when he was tracked down and asked to perform,which he did,basically re-learning the guitar and then landing gigs at coffee houses and colleges then later festivals around the U.S. and Europe.In 1965 when he recorded these tracks he was at the height of his powers....with a hard often violent playing style and powerful voice he brought the delta blues style he helped create into the present with powerful performances of such classics as Death Letter,Grinnin in Your Face,Preachin Blues,Pony Blues and the list goes on.
With sound quality as an excuse for not wanting to listen to recordings of 78`s from 60 or 70 years ago,these discs are of the highest fidelity so the choice is yours.
Essential and worth every penny,you should make this part of your collection....the blues has never sounded better than this.

First of all, this is not a pop record. I give it five stars, not because it makes you want to dance and party all night long, but because these recordings are so incredibly intense and so essential to anyone who want to learn about the origins of modern popular music.

Son House was an elderly gentleman in his sixties when these recordings were made, in the spring of 1965 in New York City. Some of these songs were first recorded in 1930, and most people claim that these "rediscovery" recordings do not quite match the power and ferocity of House's earlier sides.
Maybe they don't, quite, and maybe Son House's guitar playing has slowed down a bit, although his health was still quite good when these songs were comitted to tape.
But to me this is still the best place to start. The sound is clean an clear, unlike House's 1941-42 recordings and very much unlike his original 1930 Paramount masters. Son's voice is clear and strong, without the slur that marrs some of his 60s and 70s recordings. And his guitar playing is solid and powerful.

Most of these tracks features just Son House and his large steel-bodied National guitar, played usually with a metal slide, but on a few cuts, House is accompanied by Alan Wilson (later of Canned Heat) on either guitar or harmonica. This pairing works especially well on the 9½-minute "Levee Camp Moan" where Wilson plays harmonica fills which bolster the sound without ever becoming obtrusive.

This man is without a doubt the most intense performer I have ever heard, overshadowing even the might of the Howlin' Wolf. Son House's voice cuts through the air like a knife, belying his age, and he plays his guitar like a stringed drum, snapping the strings and coaxing mornful wails from the copper slide.
The nine tracks on disc 1 were the ones originally issued. They feature the incredible intensity of "Death Letter" and "Grinnin' In Your Face", the powerful call-and-response slide guitar workout "Pearline", and of course "Preachin' Blues", "John The Revelator" and the epic "Levee Camp Moan".
Disc 2 contains alternate takes of all of these tracks, plus several previously unissued recordings such as House's rendition of Charley Patton's "Shake It And Break It" and the tracitionals "Motherless Children" and "Yonder Comes My Mother (when the roll is called up yonder)", as well as a re-recording of "Pony Blues" and Son House originals "Downhearted Blues" and "'A' Down The Staff".

The fact that this two-disc set features several alternate takes, and a total of 21 songs, should deter no-one. This is one of the very few totally essential albums for anyone with even the remotest interest in traditional Delta blues, and this is the very best place to start appreciating the power and glory of the great Son House.

These 1965 recordings by Blues elder Son House are decent. This powerful and compelling singer is aged, but still at the top of his form. The song selection is great, and the sound quality is also good, but better recordings exist. Fans should specifically look at the 1941 Library of Congress recordings capture a younger Son House, and Masters of the Delta Blues, for even earlier Son House songs.