Skip James: 1931 Sessions (Mississippi Records)

Listening to the eighteen surviving tracks from Skip James’ 1931 recording sessions in Grafton, Wisconsin give a sense of nostalgia. Clicks, hisses, and pops of muffled seventy-year old vinyl along with James’ frail falsetto create an evocative, otherworldly atmosphere highlighted by his unique self-invented three-finger picking style. A mixture of delta and piedmont blues, James’ music is haunting, desolate, and achingly beautiful – the world just kind of stops and floats every time I listen to it.

Fortunately, the good people at Mississippi Records have taken their shot at reissuing twelve of James’ earliest recordings and released them in the form of 1931 Sessions. Known for their exquisitely designed and packaged obscure blues, folk, world, and R&B compilations, Mississippi doesn’t disappoint with this compilation. Tonevendor boasts this comp has “better sound quality than any reissue they’ve heard…it is Skip James though, so expect pops and crackles.” A rarely seen photo of James’ is hand glued to each album cover. Highly recommended.

Tracklisting: Side A: “I’m So Glad”, “Cypress Grove”, “If You Haven’t Any Hay (Get on Down the Road)”, “Drunken Spree”, “Yola My Blues Away”, “Devil Got My Woman”, Side B: “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues”, “Jesus Is a Mighty Good Leader”, “Special Rider Blues”, “How Long?”, “Jesus is Gonna Come”, “Illinois Blues”

Order 1931 Sessions and other Mississippi Records releases from Forced Exposure.

[MP3]: Skip James  ”Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues”
The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James, Yazoo; 1994