NRR Project: Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings (1936-1937)

 

NRR Project: The Complete Recordings

Robert Johnson

Recorded 1936 - 1937

It is arguable that this gentleman was the most influential American musician of the 20^th century. He only lived to the age of 27. He only recorded 29 songs. Yet he laid down the blues in a magisterial manner, such that everyone who came after him looked to him and his renditions of classic tunes for inspiration, and as building blocks that took them to new levels in rock and jazz.

First I must point you to the excellent essay by Ed Komara at the National Recording Registry on this topic. It outlines what little is known of Johnson’s life (1911-1937) – how he practiced determinedly, until he gained a facility with a guitar that was unmatched. (A legend rose that he sold his soul to the Devil at a crossroads to get the gift of music.) He toured, he recorded sporadically. Finally he me his death under suspicious circumstances (it is rumored he was poisoned by a jealous husband).

Johnson’s songs are an amalgamation of the usual blues topics – sex and the lack of it, traveling, drinking, salvation and the lack of it. What makes his accomplishment so great is his endless facility. His guitar work is compelling and ever-changing, with intricate fingerwork and strongly underlined chords. Listening to multiple takes of some of his songs, it is remarkable to note that he embellishes and supports the song in a completely different and original way each time. His tenor vocals are raw and heartfelt. At his most despairing, the effect on the listener is riveting and unearthly. Combined with his virtuosity, it is music that still makes a great impact.

In 1961, an LP was made of some of Johnson’s songs, and though obscure it got passed around among blues aficionados, in America and in England, which resulted in covers by bands such as the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. “Stop Breaking Down,” “Love in Vain,” “Dust My Broom,” “Sweet Home Chicago”, all these songs have resonated down the decades and still influence the music we listen to today.

When this work was collected, preserved, and presented in close to pristine condition by Sony/Columbia in 1990, it was a big deal. Everyone ran out and got copies of the work of this obscure bluesman from the 1930s, digging deeply into his music, discussing it, playing it. Just as it should be.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: One O’Clock Jump.

Fight the power

 

We elected a dictator. We are living under an autocracy.

It’s far too late to clutch our pearls and bemoan the sad state into which our country has fallen. We do not have luxury of being victims. Reprehensible people have taken over our government, aided and abetted by our enemies. These fascists are destroying all that makes America great, starting with eliminating this country as a beacon of freedom for immigrants round the world.

Things will not magically get better. I fully expect martial law to be declared at some point, if the populace proves not to be OK with the changes coming their way. Already this government is suspending civil liberties, censoring language, and attempting to control the culture. The sadistic ideologues and the simple garden-variety assholes control the presidency, the Congress, and the courts. Aid programs to the poor and disadvantaged around the world have been cut. Many, many people are going to die as a result of this administration.

And you know what? They don’t care. You don’t matter. They have pretty much confessed that they see anyone not in collusion with them as non-people, “non-player characters” who can be disposed of much like animals or inanimate objects. They plan to destroy our social welfare system and “cull the herd” of those who are determined to be unproductive or worse, undesirable members of this right-wing white-ass Christian patriarchal society they're trying to force down our throats.

So what can we do? I have heard from a lot of folks whose plan it is to tune out and mind their own business for the foreseeable future, to disconnect from an unpleasant reality. It feels like a heavy burden, but we must remain present, cognizant and involved. Silence is compliance, which is why I wrote this in the first place.

Fortunately, the Constitution is still in effect. We still have the right to speak out, and to peacefully demonstrate for redress of grievances. Non-violent civil disobedience is a great tool for battling these stupid and destructive bastards.

Keep speaking out. Share information. Participate in marches and boycotts. Above all, preserve your integrity.

If you are Muslim, you are safe with me.

If you are Black, you are safe with me.

If you are LGBTQ+, you are safe with me.

If you are an immigrant, you are safe with me.

If you are a woman, you are safe with me.

If you are among the disenfranchised, you are safe with me.

Remember, 49 per cent of us did not want this to happen. We are not helpless, and we have the mechanisms in place to create positive change. Any number of bad things can happen, but we do have hope and determination. Yours for truth, justice, and mercy. No kings.

NRR Project: 'Wabash Cannon Ball' (1936)

 

NRR Project: ‘Wabash Cannon Ball’

Roy Acuff and His Crazy Tennesseans

Recorded Oct. 21, 1936

2:48

“Wabash Cannon Ball” is a folk song with origins in the 19^th century. It describes an imaginary train, dotted with hoboes, moving serenely across the landscape. The upbeat, rollicking tune is easy to sing and remember – but it became an American standard thanks to Roy Acuff.

Acuff was a singer and a fiddler, and with his backing band of Crazy Tennesseans, he crafted a major hit with this 1936 recording. At the time, country music was still considered a backwoods, primitive affair, fit only for hillbillies and the lower classes. Acuff, soon to be dubbed “The King of Country Music,” was a consummate showman, and this and other of his hits became country-music standards.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: the complete recordings of Robert Johnson.

NRR Project: 'La Chicharronera' (1936)

 

NRR Project: ‘La Chicharronera’

Narciso Martinez and Santiago Almeida

Recorded Oct. 21, 1936

2:40

I could not do better than Hector Saldana’s excellent essay on this piece, which you can read here.

This music, called conjunto, was a hybridization of European instruments and musical forms, and Mexican rhythm and content. These lively songs were popular with the working poor. In south Texas, artists sprung up and crafted this music in all kinds of social situations, developing a repertoire that would looked on later as a golden age of musical creativity.

Narcisco Martinez, known as the Hurricane of the Valley, was a master of the button accordion. His accompanist, Santiago Almeida, wielded a guitar-like instrument called a bajo sexto. Together they created a propulsive, tuneful sound that would expand and develop rapidly in the decades to come.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Wabash Cannonball.

NRR Project: 'Gang Busters' (1935)

 

NRR Project: ‘Gang Busters’

Broadcast of July 20, 1935

30 min.

“Gang Busters was the noisiest show on the air,” writes the great old-time radio historian John Dunning in his definitive On the Air. It definitely started out with a bang – a literal bang, followed by breaking glass, machine-gun fire, a police siren, and the marching tread of prisoners. Gang Busters was serious about crime. (Thus the phrase “come on like gangbusters.”)

The show was the creation, and professional rebirth, of its producer Phillips H. Lord. He began his career in radio as Seth Parker in 1929. In it, he portrayed a gentle and wise New Englander dispensing piety and gentle humor, mixing hymn-singing and cracker-barrel philosophy. At first immensely popular, a set of scandals later sabotaged Lord’s career and the show.

Lord planned his comeback. He sought to tell stories of the FBI, and in 1935 started his true-crime series under the title of G-Men. In this, he had the early cooperation of J. Edgar Hoover, head of the organization. Beginning with the story of the killing of John Dillinger, G-Men ran on for a year, until excessive FBI interference led Lord to change the show’s name to Gang Busters, and its focus on true crimes reported from across the nation.

The most important angle of the show was its avowed authenticity. These weren’t made-up stories, they were “authentic police case histories.” The show’s narrator would interview a law officer “by proxy” (meaning an actor portrayed the officer) about the crime, and the show would segue into the tale of the law-breakers.

The criminals were easy to identify – they used slang and contractions. (All law officers portrayed were well-spoken and grammatically correct.) Out of their sleazy minds would hatch a scheme to get rich quick by felonious means, and quickly they would set to work. Soon also would the law get wind of their activities, and move swiftly and decisively to arrest them.

Justice was always served on Gang Busters. Additionally, the show would broadcast special alerts at the end of the show – bulletins identifying criminal suspects, and calling for listeners to keep an eye out for them (several criminal were evidently apprehended due to the efforts of listeners).

Lord was back in business. The show ran for a healthy 22 years, and influenced all the crime shows that followed it.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: La Chicharronera.

NRR Project: Met Opera, 'Tristan und Isolde' (1935)

 

NRR Project: ‘Tristan und Isolde’

Metropolitan Opera, New York

Broadcast of March 9, 1935

Featuring Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior

3 hours, 16 min.

The Metropolitan Opera in New York was founded in 1883. It has been broadcasting live over the radio since Christmas Day, 1931.

This kind of advocacy is important. When I was young, I tuned into the Met because it was free; we didn’t have money for cultural pursuits. Gradually, I got turned on to opera, and became a huge fan. I still listen in.

At the time, it was a bold move – “giving away” a performance over the air. However, the Met sought to reverse the downturn in audience attendance caused by the Great Depression, and the promotional value of these broadcasts was immense. Initially, only selected acts were broadcast. Starting March 11, 1933, complete operas were broadcast, and after some more time, the weekly broadcasts during the opera season settled down to Saturday morning on the schedule.

Amazingly, this tradition continues today, nearly a century after its inception. Saturday mornings are still the province of this program, which is now heard on all manner of networks and individual affiliate. For 20 weeks a year, you can experience the best in opera, both the standard repertoire and new works.

Of course, a key part of the appeal of the Met’s Saturday matinee broadcasts is that they are live. There is nothing as exciting as live performances; as a listener there’s the feeling that anything can happen. (I have been listening to them for 40-odd years, and haven’t encountered any disasters or foul-ups yet.) The consistent high quality of the broadcasts, which includes expert commentary, interviews, and special features, means that people across the country and now indeed around the world can enjoy and learn more about this art form.

Opera is often derided for being too elitist, or too difficult. Yet a long-running series like the Met’s is proof that there is an audience for it out there. One hundred and fifty ago, the opera was for the masses – everyone could enjoy it on the level of which they were capable, and did. It’s simply music, drama, dance, and art mixed together into a fanciful and moving multidisplinary experience. When it’s done right, it’s overwhelmingly entertaining.

This broadcast, all three-plus hours of it, is a remarkable listen – even in mono, singers and orchestra come through in a clear and balanced way. Whether you will like this performance depend really on whether you like Wagner, which I don’t. I can still appreciate, however, the glorious singing of soprano Kirsten Flagstad as Isolde and the great heldentenor Lauritz Melchoir as Tristan.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Gang Busters.

NRR project: Sounds of the ivory-billed woodpecker

 

NRR Project: Sounds of the ivory-billed woodpecker

Recorded 1935

The sounds of this historic recording issue from the wilds of the Singer Tract in rural Louisiana. There, in 1935, scientists recorded the calls of the ivory-billed woodpecker for the first and possibly the last time, as the bird is now widely considered to be extinct. Go to Cary O’Dell’s excellent essay at the National Recording Registry to find out more about the bird itself and the expedition that captured it.

It is a melancholy recording, when considered in context. The ratio of humans to wild animals has increased exponentially over the past 200 years, as industrialization and population growth have wiped out animal habitats. The list of extinct species is long, and getting longer by the day. Sometimes it seems as though mankind will exterminate the natural world around it before destroying itself.

At any rate, it is humbling to listen to a sound that will never be heard again. It is haunting to hear the bird cry out, perhaps to no response.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Flagstad and Melchior sing Tristan and Isolde.