Search - Various Artists :: When the Sun Goes Down 3: That's Chicago's South Side

Flawed, but Fun.

Charles K. Cowdery | Chicago, IL United States | 12/15/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Of the four discs in this series, this one is my favorite. Appreciation starts with understanding what it is, a collection of recordings from the archives of Bluebird Records. Some of these artists and their recordings were very influential on subsequent blues and rock artists, some are just fun, and others will only interest hard core fans who simply have to hear everything. The flaw usually cited for most of the Bluebird sides is that the art of the African-American musicians was "filtered" through the sensibilities of a white man, Lester Melrose. Therefore, the criticism goes, these recordings are less authentic than some on other labels, especially those made after WWII. Still, there's some great stuff here, all nicely remastered. It's worth buying just for Memphis Minny's "I'm Selling My Porkchops, but I'm Giving My Gravy Away." Other highlights include Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl," Tommy McClennan's "Bottle It Up and Go," Jazz Gillum's "Key to the Highway," and Pine Top Spark's "Every Day I Have the Blues." Do these four discs, collectively entitled "When the Sun Goes Down" really represent, as the subtitle goes, "The Secret History of Rock and Roll"? I don't know, maybe. They certainly are milestones along that road."

Great early Chicago sides

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 12/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The first four volumes in Bluebird's "When The Sun Goes Down" series get bluesier and bluesier as you go along, and this third one proves that Chicago had a thriving blues scene long before Chess Records (and electric amplification).



Many of these urban artists offer a harder, tougher acoustic sound than most of the Southern country blues of Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. Well, no-one was tougher than Delta legend Son House, but you know, generally speaking.

The sound is generally good considering that all of these songs were committed to tape between 1931 and 1942, and the disc opens with the title track, a melodic "That's Chicago's South Side" by "Lovin' Sam & The Burns Campbell Orchestra" (actually black entertainer Sam Theard, who can be seen in "Sanford And Son" and "Little House On The Praerie", and a bunch of unnamed musicians).

Other highlights include John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's original "Good Morning School Girl", "He's A Jelly Roll Baker" by 20s guitar hero Lonnie Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy's swinging, band-backed "Keep Your Hands Off Her", Leroy Carr's "When The Sun Goes Down", "Key To The Highway" by Bill "Jazz" Gillum and Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Nighthawk's "Prowling Nighthawk", and several others.

A special treat is James Burke Oden's tough slow blues "I Have Had My Fun", the original 1941 waxing of that oft-covered classic, St Louis Jimmy's finest moment.



This is a nicely varied and well annotated compilation, the best in the series alongside vol. 4. There are four volumes in all, available individually or as a box set, plus six volumes dedicated to individual artists (like Blind Willie McTell, Arthur Crudup, and Leadbelly, whose entry is one of the very best), and an eleventh volume of gospel music titled "Sacred Roots Of The Blues".

The entire series is subtitled "The Secret History Of Rock 'n' Roll", and while casual listeners may feel that this is still a bit too far from Muddy Waters and B.B. King for their liking, the whole series, and the last two discs in particular, are highly recommended to everyone and anyone who is interested in the developement of the blues.

4 1/2 stars."