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Released September 03, 2002

A three-disc, 74-track box set of Blind Willie McTell's prewar 78s, this collection from Britain's Catfish Records clearly replaces the Sony/Legacy double disc (also called The Definitive Blind Willie McTell) that was released in 1994. The Catfish set offers better sound, and where the Sony anthology collects sides from the Vocalion, Okeh, and Columbia labels, Catfish offers all of those and adds tracks from Victor and Decca as well, giving a more complete look at McTell's output between 1927 and 1935, including some selections in which he is a session player rather than the featured artist. The Sony compilation does have the better liner notes, mostly due to David Evans' long essay on McTell, while Catfish opts for more photos. These prewar tracks are also available in three separate single-disc releases from Document, but with even poorer sound than the Sony set. Catfish does botch the transfer of "East St. Louis Blues" here, inserting several seconds of another song at the beginning before the actual track snaps in, but in general, they have done a wonderful job of mastering this material, and until something better comes along, the Catfish box is the one to get. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

TRACKS

1. Writin' Paper Blues
2. Stole Rider Blues
3. Mama, 'Tain't Long Fo' Day
4. Mr. McTell Got the Blues
5. Mr. McTell Got the Blues
6. Three Women Blues
7. Dark Night Blues
8. Statesboro Blues
9. Loving Talking Blues
10. Atlanta Strut
11. Travelin' Blues
12. Come on Around to My House Mama
13. Kind Mama
14. Teasing Brown
15. Drive Away Blues
16. This Is Not the Stove to Brown Your Bread
17. Love Changing Blues
18. Talkin' to Myself
19. Razor Ball
20. Southern Can Is Mine
21. Broke Down Engine Blues
22. Stomp Down Rider
23. Scarey Day Blues
24. Rough Alley Blues
25. Experience Blues
26. Painful Blues

DISC 2

27. Low Rider's Blues
28. Georgia Rag
29. Low Down Blues
30. Rollin' Mama Blues
31. Lonesome Day Blues
32. Mama, Let Me Scoop for You
33. Searching the Desert for the Blues
34. Warm It Up to Me
35. It's Your Time to Worry
36. It's a Good Little Thing
37. You Was Born to Die
38. Dirty Mistreater
39. Lord Mercy If You Please
40. Don't You See How This World Made a Change
41. Savannah Mama
42. Broke Down Engine
43. Broke Down Engine No. 2
44. Broke Down Engine No. 2
45. My Baby's Gone
46. Love-Makin' Mama
47. Love-Makin' Mama
48. Death Room Blues
49. Death Room Blues
50. Death Cell Blues

DISC 3

51. Lord, Send Me an Angel
52. Lord, Send Me an Angel
53. B and O Blues No. 2
54. B and O Blues No. 2
55. Weary Hearted Blues
56. Bell Street Lightnin'
57. Southern Can Mama
58. Runnin' Me Crazy
59. East St. Louis Blues
60. Ain't It Grand to Be a Christian
61. We Got to Meet Death One Day
62. We Got to Meet Death One Day
63. Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around
64. I Got Religion, I'm So Glad
65. Dying Gambler
66. God Don't Like It
67. Bell Street Blues
68. Let Me Play With Yo' Yo-Yo
69. Lay Some Flowers on My Grave
70. Ticket Agent Blues
71. Cold Winter Day
72. Your Time to Worry
73. Cooling Board Blues
74. Hillbilly Willie's Blues

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