''The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'' is a two-CD album of
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
,
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
, and
old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination ...
recordings that were originally released in the 1920s and 1930s on
78 rpm records
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...
. Subtitled ''The Dead Sea Scrolls of Record Collecting'', it is a compilation of songs from rare and hard-to-find records. It was released in 2006.
[
The cover of ''The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'' is the size and shape of a DVD box. The cover art is by ]Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
, a noted cartoonist and an avid collector of vintage 78 rpm records. The album also includes a 20-page illustrated booklet.[
According to the liner notes, the album was remastered using only a moderate level of noise reduction, with the goal of preserving as much as possible of the character and dynamic range of the original recordings. As a result, some of the songs exhibit a considerable amount of noise due to surface wear and damaged grooves on the shellac phonograph records.
]
Critical reception
On AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
Ronnie D. Lankford Jr. said, "... is two-disc collection – all 46 cuts – is a testament to rarities.... But even for those who might not understand why they should be excited by ''The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'', the collection nonetheless holds up as good old-time folk and blues, and expense-wise, Yazoo always offers lots of quality music for one's money."[
In '']JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of growth ...
'' Christopher Porter wrote, "The cuts here are culled from test or personal pressings and last-existing-copies, making the collection a Holy Grail One Stop for fans of "American primitive" music by the likes of the Georgia Pot Lickers, Wilmer Watts and Son House
Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...
(whose "Clarksdale Moan
"Clarksdale Moan" is a blues song recorded by the Delta blues musician Son House and first released as a 78-RPM single in 1930. The equally sought-after recording "Mississippi County Farm Blues" was the A-side. The song remained unheard until 20 ...
" alone is worth the price of admission). The set's sound quality is mostly fine considering the sources..."[
In '']The Tuscaloosa News
The '' Tuscaloosa News '' is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama.
In 2012, Halifax Media Group acquired the ''Tuscaloosa News''. Prior to that, the paper's owner was Th ...
'' Ben Windham wrote, "The weird thing is, if the set is pitched to collectors, is the complete absence of the kind of nerdy discographical information that they feed on – recording dates, personnel lists, matrix numbers, even the labels on which the originals were issued.... This landmark collection, which brings all these recordings and dozens more together, is a tremendous artifact."[
On ''Old Time Party'' Mike Yates said, "... ilst a number of items are heard here on CD for the first time, it must be said that some tracks have been reissued previously elsewhere.... So, a superb collection of goodies that will send shivers down the spines of both blues and old-timey enthusiasts.... st let this double collection of musical gems flow through your veins."][
]
Track listing
Disc 1
#"Croquet Habits" – Freeny's Barn Dance Band
#"Mississippi County Farm Blues" – Son House
Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...
#"Up Jumped the Rabbit" – Georgia Pot Lickers
#"I'm Going Back Home" – Memphis Minnie
Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...
& Joe McCoy
Wilbur "Kansas Joe" McCoy (May 11, 1905 – January 28, 1950) was an American Delta blues singer, musician and songwriter.
Career
McCoy performed under various stage names but is best known as Kansas Joe McCoy. Born in Raymond, Mississippi, h ...
#"Fightin' in the War with Spain" – Wilmer Watts and the Lonely Eagles
#"Old Timbrook Blues" – John Byrd
#"A Little Talk with Jesus" – Ernest Phipps and His Holiness Singers
#"Slidin' Delta" – Tommy Johnson
#"Alabama Blues" – The Three Stripped Gears
#"Rollin' Dough Blues" – Jack Gowdlock
#"Ginseng Blues" – Kentucky Ramblers
#"Police and High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down" – Ollis Martin
#" John Hardy Blues" – John Harvey & Jess Johnston and the West Virginia Ramblers
#" Original Stack O'Lee Blues" – Long "Cleeve" Reed & Little Harvey Hull
#"Two Step de la Prairie Soileau" – Amédé Ardoin
Amédé Ardoin (March 11, 1898 – November 3, 1942) was an American Creole musician, known for his high singing voice and virtuosity on the Cajun accordion. He is credited by Louisiana music scholars with laying the groundwork for both Creole a ...
& Dennis McGee
Dennis (Denus) McGee (born January 26, 1893, Eunice, Louisiana, USA – October 3, 1989) was one of the earliest recorded Cajun musicians.
A fiddle player, he recorded and performed with Creole accordionist and vocalist Amédé Ardoin, wit ...
#"Operator Blues" – Andrew & Jim Baxter
#"The Grey Eagle" – J.D. Harris
#"Jim Strainer Blues" – Memphis Jug Band
The Memphis Jug Band was an American band (music), musical group active from the mid-1920s to the late-1950s. The band featured harmonica, kazoo, fiddle and mandolin or banjolin, backed by guitar, piano, washboard (musical instrument), washboard, w ...
#"Ain't That Trouble in Mind" – Grayson County Railsplitters
#"Old Rub Alcohol Blues" – Dock Boggs
Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898 – February 7, 1971) was an American old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and Af ...
#"Mistreatin' Mama" – Jaybird Coleman
Burl C. "Jaybird" Coleman (May 20, 1896 – January 28, 1950) was an American country blues harmonica player, vocalist, and guitarist. He was a popular musical attraction throughout Alabama and recorded several sides in the late 1920s and early 1 ...
#"It's a Rough Road to Georgia" – Henry Whitter
William Henry Whitter (April 6, 1892 – November 17, 1941) was an early old-time recording artist in the United States. He first performed as a solo singer, guitarist and harmonica player, and later in partnership with the fiddler G. B. Gr ...
#"Live the Life" – Rev. B.L. Wightman with Lottie Kimbrough
Lottie Kimbrough (born 1893 or 1900; date of death unknown) was an American country blues singer, who was also billed as Lottie Beaman (her married name), Lottie Kimborough, and Lena Kimbrough (among several other names).
She was a large woman ...
& congregation
Disc 2
#"Sweet Mama" – Yank Rachell
Yank Rachell (born James A. Rachel; March 16, 1903 or 1910 – April 9, 1997) was an American country blues musician who has been called an "elder statesman of the blues". His career as a performer spanned nearly seventy years, from the late 192 ...
with Sleepy John Estes
John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900June 5, 1977),
known as Sleepy John Estes, was an Am ...
& Jab Jones
The Memphis Jug Band was an American musical group active from the mid-1920s to the late-1950s. The band featured harmonica, kazoo, fiddle and mandolin or banjolin, backed by guitar, piano, washboard, washtub bass and jug. They played slow blues, ...
#"We All Love Mother" – Crowder Brothers
#"Clarksdale Moan
"Clarksdale Moan" is a blues song recorded by the Delta blues musician Son House and first released as a 78-RPM single in 1930. The equally sought-after recording "Mississippi County Farm Blues" was the A-side. The song remained unheard until 20 ...
" – Son House
#"Bulldog Sal" – Ashley & Foster
#"Down in Texas Blues" – Jesse "Babyface" Thomas
#"Chicken Don't Roost Too High" – Georgia Pot Lickers
#"I'm Leavin' Town (But I Sho' Don't Wanna Go)" – William Harris William or Will or Willie Harris may refer to:
Politicians and political activists
*William Harris (born 1504) (1504–?), MP for Newport, Cornwall
* William Harris (died 1556), MP for Maldon
* William Harris (MP, died 1709) (c. 1652–1709), Engl ...
#"Wild Cat Rag" – Asa Martin
Asa F. Martin (June 25, 1900 – August 15, 1979) was an American old-time musician, singer, and guitarist, who made many recordings during the 1920s and 1930s and was closely associated with renowned fiddle player Doc Roberts, for whom he played ...
& Roy Hobbs
#"Whoopee Blues" – King Solomon Hill
King Solomon Hill is the name assigned to a blues singer and guitarist who recorded a handful of songs in 1932. His unique guitar and voice combine to create some of the most haunting blues ever recorded. After much speculation and dispute, he ...
#"Davey Crockett" – Chubby Parker
Frederick R. "Chubby" Parker (1876–1940) was an American Old-time music, old-time and Folk music, folk musician and early radio entertainer.
Background
Parker was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1876. His grandparents were from Kentucky, and his ...
#"Skinny Leg Blues" – Geeshie Wiley
Geeshie Wiley was an American country blues singer and guitar player who recorded six songs for Paramount Records, issued on three records in April 1930.Death Certificate for Thornton Wiley, dated December 13, 1931 According to the blues histori ...
#"I'm Gonna Marry That Pretty Little Girl" – Sweet Brothers
#"I Shall Not Be Moved
"I Shall Not Be Moved", also known as "We Shall Not Be Moved", is an African-American slave spiritual, hymn, and protest song dating to the early 19th century American south. It was likely originally sung at revivalist camp-meetings as a slav ...
" – Blind Roosevelt Graves
Le Moise Roosevelt Graves (December 9, 1909 – December 30, 1962), credited as Blind Roosevelt Graves, was an American blues guitarist and singer, who recorded both sacred and secular music in the 1920s and 1930s.
Biography
Roosevelt Graves w ...
& Uaroy Graves
#"Lonesome Road Blues
"Going Down The Road Feeling Bad" (also known as the "Lonesome Road Blues") is a traditional American folk song, "a white blues of universal appeal and uncertain origin".
Recording history
The song was recorded by many artists through the years. ...
" – Smith & Irvine
#"If I Call You Mama" – Luke Jordan
Luke Jordan (January 28, 1892 or November 1893 – June 25, 1952) was an American blues guitarist and vocalist of some renown, particularly in the area of his home, in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Biography
Sources conflict on Jordan's birthplace. Some ...
#"My Mind Is to Marry" – Grayson & Whitter
#"Green River" – Osey Helton
#"Don't Speak to Me" – Lottie Kimbrough
#"Married Man's Blues" – Wade Ward
Wade Ward (1892–1971) was an American old-time music banjo player and fiddler from Independence, Virginia. He was widely known playing the clawhammer banjo and frequently won the Galax, Virginia Old Time Fiddler's Convention. His instrument, ...
#"Sweet Betsy from Pike
"Sweet Betsy from Pike" is an American ballad about the trials of a pioneer named Betsy and her lover Ike who migrate from Pike County (theorized to be Pike County, Missouri) to California. This Gold Rush-era song, with lyrics published by John ...
" – Ken Maynard
Kenneth Olin Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western stars in Hollywood.
Maynard was also an occasional screenwrit ...
#"Boll Weevil
The boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis'') is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central Mexico, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all U.S. cotton-growing ...
" – Jaybird Coleman
#"Bound Steel Blues" – Bill Shepherd with Hayes Shepherd & Ed Webb
#"Bells of Love" – Middle Georgia Singing Convention No. 1
Personnel
*Richard Nevins – producer, mastering, liner notes
*Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
– cover art
*Lorien Babajian – package and booklet design
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, The
Blues compilation albums
Country music compilation albums
Old-time music albums
2006 compilation albums