The Iconic Blues Historic Blues from 1930s to 1970s
Review sound bites+extracts+FULL REVIEWS BELOW
Some press comments on the release of the series:
Our thanks to the blues and jazz magazines for permission to reproduce these reviews
in whole or in part:
JAZZ RAG: http://www.bigbearmusic.com
Blues & Rhythm: http://www.bluesandrhythm.co.uk
blues in britain: https://www.bluesinbritain.org
blues matters: https://bluesmatters.com
living blues: https://livingblues.com
SOUND BITES:
For lovers of British Country Blues this extensive collection will be like Christmas morning squared. It is all presented in pristine sound. (Blues Blast - USA) SET 12
Utterly fascinating (Blues Matters)
Excellent series (London Jazz)
Quite fascinating (Artsmuse London)
It just doesn’t get any better! (EarlyBlues.com)
Uniquely valuable recordings (London Jazz News Review)
An extraordinary musical archive of Early Blues (Front Row, BBC Radio 4)
The most comprehensive survey (Blues In Britain)
It is an immense undertaking (Music Web International)
It's the real thing (Henry’s Blueshouse/Jazz Rag)
An extraordinary archive of early blues (Songlines Magazine)
Explores the roots of a music that has been the back-bone of popular music (New Classics)
Scholarship and musical pleasure combined (Blues Matters)
Full of unique performances (Los Angeles Jazz Scene)
Putting this music into perspective are the masterful liner notes by respected blues historian Paul Oliver. They alone are worth the purchase (Jazz Journal)
I came to regard Johnny Parth's complete/chronological project with enormous respect (Blues & Rhythm)
Unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre(London Jazz)
This piece of living social history … Wonderful blues (Blues Matters)
This is blues-fan heaven (Jazz Journal)
These are pure blues gold (Blues In Britain)
Such fine material” (Stephen Harrison, BLUES MATTERS)
Big Rood Blues features fascinating Deep South field recordings.
Rock ‘n’ Reel Sept/Oct 22
These sets are absolutely unmissable. Together, they are undoubtedly one of the finest blues collections you will ever find.
Pete Clack (Blues In Britain)
As we reach the eleventh set of this unmissable collection of historic blues recordings, yet again it's like opening a treasure trove, each set bringing new and lasting pleasures for blues fans.
Pete Clack (Blues In Britain)
What an achievement! … An outstanding document of more than 30 years of record releases. Game, set and match. Max W Sievert (JEFFERSON BLUES MAG, SWEDEN)
REVIEW EXTRACTS:
So once again, let's celebrate this excellent project and act on our belief in what Saydisc is doing.
(Henry’s Blueshouse) Stuart Maxwell
“This piece of living social history. Without doubt, the birth of blues music started with tracks like this. Utterly fascinating” (Blues Matters)
“An important part of the United States' musical heritage” (Los Angeles Jazz Scene)
“Matchbox … are doing the musical world a great service with this excellent series of reissues” (London Jazz)
“The Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is quite fascinating, really bringing to life the richness of the blues genre which would go on to fuel the best of our popular music. …..Highly recommended” (Artsmuse London)
“It just doesn’t get any better!.....Highly recommended” (EarlyBlues.com)
“A vivid portrait of a long-vanished society…. is painted by these uniquely valuable recordings” (London Jazz News Review)
“Explores the roots of a music that has been the back-bone of popular music” (New Classics review)
“The overarching concept of the series being to provide insight into how Black music was first released on record…. I eagerly look forward to future volumes” (Presto Music, USA)
“An extraordinary musical archive of Early Blues recordings often made on location…. Well it is a treasure trove, there’s no doubt about that” (Front Row, BBC Radio 4)
“The most comprehensive survey tracing the origins of Black American Blues Music offering a rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day… the blues here is timeless” (Blues In Britain)
“It is an immense undertaking” (Music Web International)
“It's the real thing, exactly as would have been heard when strolling down Beale Street in the late 1920s or early 1930s” (Henry’s Blueshouse/Jazz Rag)
Songlines Magazine – Jan 2021
An extraordinary archive of early blues recordings put into the spotlight once more.
MSESET 1 & 2
“A rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day….what you have in these sets is an absolute goldmine of early blues…..These fantastic albums suggest those following during the year will be well worth waiting for….these are an absolute must. …. the blues here is timeless.”
(Blues In Britain Apr 21 sets 1+2)
MSESET 1 & 2
“…..The early blues was an amalgam of musical styles: country blues, ragtime and gospel to name but a few. This I discovered when I received two CD box sets of the ‘Matchbox Bluesmaster series’. 12 CDs was enough to keep me busy listening for the entire Christmas period and beyond. Presented with such choice, I found myself awed by the profusion of artists on offer. ….. All in all the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is quite fascinating, really bringing to life the richness of the blues genre which would go on to fuel the best of our popular music. …..Highly recommended to blues enthusiasts and to aspiring musicians wishing to brush up their harp and guitar technique.”
(Artsmuse London – Jan 2021)
MSESET 1 & 2
“This major release from Saydisc Records is an extremely well-produced and comprehensive compilation from across the whole blues music genre…. the liner notes are from the writings of Paul Oliver, a world authority on the blues…. It just doesn’t get any better!.....Highly recommended.” Alan White (EarlyBlues.com)
MSESET 1 & 2
“….[that] this music richly rewards close listening merely for its own sake is demonstrated over and over again by the 12 albums that constitute the initial releases….Paul Oliver (who died in 2017) has provided characteristically learned notes, and the recordings have been skilfully transferred to CD by Norman White…. It is the cumulative effect, though, of the eight hours or so of music in these two sets that really lingers in the mind…. a vivid portrait of a long-vanished society…. is painted by these uniquely valuable recordings.” (London Jazz News – Jan 2021)
MSESET 1 & 2
“…This comprehensive new Matchbox Bluesmaster Series explores the roots of a music that has been the back-bone of popular music from rhythm and blues to reggae, rock and roll, Motown and gospel music….” (New Classics – Jan 2021)
MSESET 1 & 2
“This week I have been immersing myself in the root of all jazz, the blues, and the first two volumes in the Matchbox Bluesmaster series, which documents some of the earliest recordings of blues, ragtime, hokum and gospel music. Drawing on the legendary forty-two LP set released by the UK’s Saydisc Records in the eighties, Bluesmaster focuses on extremely rare 78s recorded between 1926 and 1934, with the overarching concept of the series being to provide insight into how Black music was first released on record…. I eagerly look forward to future volumes in the Bluesmaster series.” (Presto Music, USA - Jan 2021)
MSESET 1 & 2
“….Authentic historical detail is the very essence of the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, an extraordinary musical archive of Early Blues recordings often made on location…. Well it is a treasure trove, there’s no doubt about that, but because the Blues is a generic term and you have all of these different schools, these different approaches, these sub-genres…They absolutely remain a pleasure to listen to but more to the point they still resonate through modern day popular music.”
(Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 5th Jan 21)
MSESET1
The UK-based classical label Nimbus is overseeing the digital and CD reissue of the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, which debuted on vinyl in the 1980s. It was one of several reissue projects envisioned by Austrian collector Johnny Parth, whose goal was to bring to prewar blues reissues the scholarly oversight and completeness then largely associated with jazz. He enlisted the dean of British blues scholars, Paul Oliver, in his cause and Oliver brought his gravitas and years of research to the notes he contributed to the Matchbox releases. Decades later, their accomplishment remains impressive. (Living Blues Magazine, USA)
MSESET1
It is an immense undertaking……The Bluesmaster series offered and still offers a very special panorama of blues roots, sourced from largely excellent copies which have been finely transferred. The discs are laced with those top of the range booklet notes and full discographical information. The price per set is extremely competitive and it’s invigorating to see this pioneering series back in the marketplace. (Music Web International)
MSESET1
One of the many great pleasures of being a blues fanatic, and a writer for this wonderful magazine, is exposure to collections like this. Listening to the huge amount of music presented on this six-disc set, I felt less like a reviewer, and more like a musical archaeologist, digging down into the hidden foundations of the blues music we all love and enjoy so much…. Listen, and hear the influences being formed and created, scholarship and musical pleasure combined. Andy Hughes
(BLUES MATTERS Jan/Feb 2021)
MSESET 2
Blues Matters - April / May 2021
The second set in this peerless retrospective of vintage blues recordings turns the spotlight on country blues and the great harp players from 1927 to 1932….a fascinating set of vintage blues recordings being released for the entertainment and education of the blues scholar, but lets not forget the avid listeners who read about such collections and should be steered towards these compilations to find out the rich heritage and even greater influences that these early blues Masters would bring on the artists who followed, developing their basic earthy styles in the multiple blues styles and genres that followed, and continue to follow today. Without doubt, the birth of blues music started with tracks like this. Utterly fascinating. Andy Hughes
MSESET3 and 4
From lowdown blues to goodtime music, traditional folk songs to spontaneous originals, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is full of unique performances that, while mostly by long-forgotten artists, are an important part of the United States' musical heritage. And most importantly, the music is enjoyable to hear, even 90 years later. (Los Angeles Jazz Scene - July 2021)
MSESET3
“I remember grumbling a bit when the Bluesmaster series first appeared, as at first I just didn't get what they were trying to do. The penny dropped eventually and I came to regard Johnny Parth's complete/chronological project with enormous respect” (Blues & Rhythm Sept 21)
MSESET3
Jazz Journal June 2021
“Putting this music into perspective are the masterful liner notes by respected blues historian Paul Oliver. They alone are worth the purchase….Saydisc say that they have in their vaults many more pre-Bluesmaster blues albums which may be issued on CD in due course. Let us hope so. The CD sets are available at a realistic price (£29.99) and the release of this important series for the first time on CD should appeal to serious blues collectors and also attract (hopefully) a new generation of early blues lovers.”
MSESET3
London Jazz
With this latest set of discs, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series continues to perform a valuable service to early blues, unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre.
MSESET3
2021 seems to be shaping up to be a good year for those of us who are interested in those earliest recorded blues, with the release of seven CD sets, each set comprising of six CDs, in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series…. it's the real thing, exactly as would have been heard when strolling down Beale Street in the late 1920s or early 1930s. (Henry’s Blueshouse/Jazz Rag - May 2021)
MSESET 3
Space sadly does not permit a full analysis of this six-CD collection of vintage blues, the next in the Matchbox series. But hopefully a brief excursion will encourage the serious blues collectors and historians among the BM community to acquire and enjoy this piece of living social history.
(Blues Matters - Aug/Sept 21)
MSESET3
The third box in this reissue series proves just as invigorating as its confreres…. has plentiful variety, from harmonica to solo guitar and vocal, vocal duets and good old ‘Country Girls’…. The late Paul Oliver’s notes were always a wonderful addition to this series telling the reader everything necessary and known about the musicians and their backgrounds and songs. There’s much more to come in this sequence and much to relish here.
Jonathan Woolf (Music Web International)
MSESET4
Matchbox triumphantly vindicates the 1912 prediction of pioneering civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson that the music of the South he so beguilingly describes in his Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (as productive of ‘one of the most thrilling emotions which the human heart may experience’) will one day constitute African Americans’ ‘most treasured heritage’….plus Paul Oliver’s “characteristically erudite liner notes”
There are, it is good to report, three more six-CD sets to come from Matchbox; they are doing the musical world a great service with this excellent series of reissues. (London Jazz)
MSESET4
“This collection is a look as far back into blues history as blues history goes, it’s some of the very earliest recordings ever made…. Wonderful blues” (BLUES MATTERS Sept 2021)
MSESET4
Set 4 comprises six CDs with meticulous track-listing and original liner notes by the respected blues historian Paul Oliver…. Comprising just under 100 tracks and lasting approximately five hours, this is blues-fan heaven…. The sound is more than acceptable considering the variable quality of the sources. This is pre-war US country blues at its finest and its rawest….. Matchbox have done a splendid job – first in preserving and committing the source to vinyl and then digitalising the entire Bluesmaster Series…. This Bluesmaster Series should not be seen as the preserve of the serious blues collector. It can be appreciated by anybody with an interest in the history of music, America and social change…. This may not be your usual CD purchase, but I doubt you will be disappointed if you take a chance.
(Ian Lomax, JAZZ JOURNAL Sept 2021)
MSESET3 + 4
Recorded between 1926 and 1950, these are pure blues gold. Many of the artists you may not have heard of before but don't let that put you off…. Along with the six discs in each set, Paul Oliver's extensive original notes make very interesting reading, an insight into these largely unknown musicians and their recordings. (Pete Clack BLUES IN BRITAIN)
MSESET3 and 4
July 2021 issue of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene
From lowdown blues to goodtime music, traditional folk songs to spontaneous originals, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is full of unique performances that, while mostly by long-forgotten artists, are an important part of the United States' musical heritage. And most importantly, the music is enjoyable to hear, even 90 years later.
MSESET4
London Jazz
Matchbox triumphantly vindicates the 1912 prediction of pioneering civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson that the music of the South he so beguilingly describes in his Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (as productive of ‘one of the most thrilling emotions which the human heart may experience’) will one day constitute African Americans’ ‘most treasured heritage’….Paul Oliver’s “characteristically erudite liner notes”
There are, it is good to report, three more six-CD sets to come from Matchbox; they are doing the musical world a great service with this excellent series of reissues.
MSESET 3
Blues Matters Aug/Sept 21
Space sadly does not permit a full analysis of this six-CD collection of vintage blues, the next in the Matchbox series. But hopefully a brief excursion will encourage the serious blues collectors and historians among the BM community to acquire and enjoy this piece of living social history.
The Matchbox Bluesmaster Series
Tracing the Origins of Black American Blues Music.
Released on CD and digital for the first time ever, the Matchbox Bluesmaster series is the most comprehensive survey tracing the origins of Black American Blues Music offering a rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day……. All the releases are tied together by the erudite notes of Paul Oliver, a leading authority and researcher on jazz and blues music. Fascinating for blues enthusiasts and collectors, this series will bring to the attention of younger people, the power and importance of this music. It is clear that 'black music matters' and that it has been the back-bone of almost all popular music forms, from rhythm and blues, to reggae, rock and roll, Motown and gospel…….These fantastic albums suggest those following during the year will be well worth waiting for. For any follower of country blues guitar these are an absolute must. Even allowing for the background noise because of their age, the blues here is timeless.
BLUES IN BRITAIN
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series – Set 3 (Six-CD set)
LONDON JAZZ May 2021
Album Review by Chris Parker)
The latest set in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, like its two predecessors is taken from the 42 albums released by Saydisc between November 1982 and June 1988. They concentrate on blues recordings, but also contain examples of hokum (described by Paul Oliver’s exemplary liner notes as ‘a kind of arch, nudging blues style … entertainment with suggestive lyrics’) and gospel, originally recorded by companies such as Okeh and marketed to the black community
…….. With this latest set of discs, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series continues to perform a valuable service to early blues, unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre.
It just doesn’t get any better! Highly recommended. EarlyBlues.com
Valuable service to early blues, unearthing fascinating nuggets from the pioneers of the genre.
LONDON JAZZ
This week I have been immersing myself in the root of all jazz, the blues , and the first two volumes in the Matchbox Bluesmaster series I eagerly look forward to future volumes in the Bluesmaster series.
PRESTO MUSIC, USA
The Matchbox Bluesmaster series is the most comprehensive survey tracing the origins of Black American Blues Music offering a rare insight into the world of black musicians of the day…. the blues here is timeless. BLUES IN BRITAIN
…..All in all the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series is quite fascinating, really bringing to life the richness of the blues genre which would go on to fuel the best of our popular music. Highly recommended. ARTMUSELONDON
….It is the cumulative effect, though, of the eight hours or so of music in these two sets that really lingers in the mind…. painted by these uniquely valuable recordings. London Jazz News Review – Jan 2021
One of the many great pleasures of being a blues fanatic, and a writer for this wonderful magazine, is exposure to collections like this…. Listen, and hear the influences being formed and created, scholarship and musical pleasure combined. … Without doubt, the birth of blues music started with tracks like this. Utterly fascinating. BLUES MATTERS
It is an immense undertaking……The price per set is extremely competitive and it’s invigorating to see this pioneering series back in the marketplace. It represents a primary go-to resource for Blues and roots aficionados everywhere…These Bluesmasters have been adroitly selected and make for excellent boxes. (musicweb-internationa)
They absolutely remain a pleasure to listen to but more to the point they still resonate through modern day popular music….. Well it is a treasure trove, there’s no doubt about that, but because the Blues is a generic term and you have all of these different schools, these different approaches, these sub-genres….. I think is important and that really comes across in the collection.
BBC Radio 4 – Front Row Tuesday 5th January 2021
MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES SET 3
The third box in this reissue series proves just as invigorating as its confreres. … The late Paul Oliver’s notes were always a wonderful addition to this series telling the reader everything necessary and known about the musicians and their backgrounds and songs. There’s much more to come in this sequence and much to relish here.
Jonathan Woolf
MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES SET 4
It seems superfluous to commend the late Paul Oliver’s wonderful notes, but I won’t miss the opportunity to praise the continuing relevance and value of this series of reissues.
Jonathan Woolf
MSESET 5
“I wish I could write more about this compilation so that I could exude my delight at the production of such fine material” (Stephen Harrison, BLUES MATTERS)
MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES SET 5
Volume Five is another example of Matchbox’s assiduous collecting policy in the 1980s which was to source chronological runs of an artist’s complete discography, contextualizing it, analyzing it, and subjecting it’s historical and biographical scrutiny… seen as a whole this remains a foundational reference point for the artists represented and for the genre as a whole.
Jonathan Woolf
MSESET 5
“this collection is a motherlode of gems for fanciers of pre-war guitar styles”
LIVING BLUES (USA) Jan-Feb 2022 Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Vol. 5 Here it is, box set no. 5 in this wonderful series, another six albums and 107 tracks of the very finest in recorded blues, hokum and gospel recorded between 1926 and 1932. Previous sets have included some fairly unknown artists, but this time we have some real nuggets of blues gold. First released on LP between 1982 and 1988, the wait for them to be available on CD has been worth it…. Age has done little to diminish the quality of these performances. Pete Clack, Blues In Britain Jan 2022
Blues From The Avon Delta - The Matchbox Blues Story Mark Jones's book chronicles the history of the Saydisc label and its series of 1920s and 1930s blues music CDs, itemising who did what and when, through the manufacturing process, the artists, the tracks and the sleeves. This is a hugely informative book that's been made possible with the help and input of the people who were there. Pete Clack, Blues In Britain Jan 2022
RnR Jan 2022 Matchbox Bluesmaster Series – Set 5 **** This latest six-disc set from the Saydisc archives will be a welcome treat for blues historians and collectors alike….. So sit back and enjoy the sources behind the birth of so much of the music we enjoy to this day. (Morgon Hogarth, RnR Jan 2022)
“…every backwater and flowing mainstream of Western popular music is rooted in this stuff. .. collections like the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, which Saydisc has reissued with such meticulous care in these multi-disc sets, are so important …It’s a helluva legacy.” STUART MAXWELL (JAZZ RAG) Set 5 Review
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 5 REVIEW
The fifth six-CD set of early blues recordings from the Saydisc vaults mines the wealth of material (originally issued on LPs between 1982 and 1988) that comes under the category of “remaining titles” or “new to LP”, but – like its predecessors – comes with comprehensive notes by the late great blues professor Paul Oliver….exemplifies the spirit and energy that make these Bluesmaster compilations so compulsively listenable (Chris Parker)
Blues & Rhythm set 6, Mar 22 This penultimate set of 42 albums that were originally released in the 1980s, has some interesting and some fine music…. As always it is a pleasure to read Paul Oliver's comprehensive and detailed notes and using some recent information, Tony Russell has updated a couple of Oliver's comments.
BLUES IN BRITAIN MARCH 2022-02-25 Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Volume 6 MSESET6 (6 CD box set) Matchbox When I began reviewing these amazing box sets last year I said they were a rare insight into the world of black music and, as each set comes along, that view has grown stronger… These are nuggets of pure blues gold. This series is proving beyond doubt to be something to treasure. Pete Clack
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 6 REVIEW
Like its predecessors it is a veritable goldmine, containing numerous priceless nuggets of early recorded music, all scrupulously annotated by world authority Paul Oliver.
LIVING BLUES, USA (July 2022)
Songsters & Saints: Vocal Traditions on Race Records
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series - MSESET7
The seventh and final instalment in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, which brought to CD and the digital realm 42 LPs of prewar blues and related material first issued in the 1980s on the English Matchbox label, is among the most interesting, if potentially controversial, of the lot. ….. It’s a strong closing movement for Oliver's opus to traditions that preceded the blues to which he had devoted a lifetime of research. Nearly 40 years since his book and its complementary albums and over 90 years since these recordings were made, revelations may yet be found here.
Mark Humphrey, LIVING BLUES, USA (July 2022)
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Volume 7: Songsters & Saints
So once again let's celebrate this excellent project and act on our belief in what Saydisc is doing. Put your money where your misty eyes are and buy this latest collection.
Stuart Maxwell, Jazz Rag
MSESET 7
Henry’s Blueshouse Aug 2022
There they are on the shelf, these CDs, and they absolutely should be there…Partly because some of the recordings are still powerful and have a real kick… these performers deserve their immortality at least as much as our modern-day pop stars…So once again let's celebrate this excellent project and act on our belief in what Saydisc is doing. (Henry’s Blueshouse) Stuart Maxwell
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 7 REVIEW
This… peerless Matchbox Bluesmaster Series, features blues expert Paul Oliver’s selection of tracks sacred and secular (four CDs) alongside a single-artist album of songs and a CD of humorous ‘hokum’ music …Fleshed out with more preaching and cautionary tales…Matchbox’s exemplary reissue series, provides a useful complement to the secular blues that constitute the bulk of the material on the previous six sets (Chris Parker)
JEFFERSON BLUES MAGZINE, SWEDEN:
All in all, great sets, which give a nice insight into early blues…. the opportunity to get a peephole into a magical time (Jefferson Blues Magazine, Sweden)
Blues from the Avon Delta
ASSOCIATION OF RECORDED SOUND COLLECTIONS JOURNAL, VOL. 53.1 (SPRING 2022). USA
For blues readers, Blues from the Avon Delta is an excellent resource for LP reissue collecting, and it also tells the story of a significant British effort at curating vintage blues on reissues from the mid-1960s to the present day..… This is one of the best label discographies I have read in a long time, and I urge blues LP collectors to buy this book. Reviewed by Ed Komara
MSESET 8
Rock ‘n’ Reel Sept/Oct 22
****
Big Road Blues MSESET8
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES
Matchbox’s latest six-CD boxed set consists of a previously unreleased, multi-artist compilation Big Road Blues, and five albums originally released between 1969 and 1972:
Big Rood Blues features fascinating Deep South field recordings.
Trevor Hodgett
There is a lot to enjoy here and a lot to study and ponder as well. It is well to be reminded of the debt we owe to those who went out and captured this music.
Howard Rye, Blues & Rhythm Oct 22
JEFFERSON BLUES MAG – SWEDEN
Big Road Blues 1966 - 1972 The Tradition Continues
Matchbox MSESET8 6 CD (4 h 23 min)
All in all a very exciting release. It will be interesting to see the continuation of this series, covering all those Matchbox LP’s released at a time when you were so hungry for the blues, and there wasn't much on the menu. Evans and Ferris' delta recordings are hard to match, and with Furry Lewis as a bonus, this is a reissue well worth acquiring, especially for anyone interested in the country blues.
Max W Sievert
This new box set in the series Bluesmaster (Vol 8) titled “Big Road Blues” is made up of field recordings worth buying …Here is a very recommended box set
Il Blues magazine (Italy)
JACK O’ DIAMONDS: Library Of Congress Field Recordings 1934-1943
Matchbox Blues Master Series Set 9 - MSESET9
Historical artefacts designed to capture music played by African Americans in a variety of locations and therefore are of significant importance to the history of blues… almost fifty years since they were originally reissued on vinyl albums it is great to rediscover some great performances… Some wonderful and historic music featuring some raw blues field recordings from the era means this is worth checking out. Tony Burke (Blues & Rhythm)
Big Road Blues – Matchbox Series, Set 8
There is no doubt that these reissues are essential listening for dedicated blues lovers who want to explore more deeply the roots of our music. John Mitchell (Blues Blast Magazine, Dec 2022)
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Set 9 – Jack of Diamonds
Preserving the history of the blues for posterity. Some of the performances are marvelous and come from unknown and previously unrecorded artists…With now nine releases, there are 54 CDs in the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series that recapture the blues and roots music from their earliest recordings. Saydisc and the folks at Bluesmaster have created a great archival set of music for fans and collectors to assemble and listen to! Blues Blast Magazine (Steve Jones; president of the Crossroads Blues Society)
Big Road Blues. 1966-1972 The Tradition Continues.
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series - set 8. MSESET8 - 6 CD set
Doctor Jazz Mag, Netherlands, Dec 2022
I can wholeheartedly recommend this CD box. There is much to enjoy for everyone. It is great that the records from 1972 are now available on CD.
Joe Beckers
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 8 REVIEW
Having issued seven 6-CD box sets of recordings of early blues, gospel and hokum (originally issued by Saydisc in the 1980s), the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series has now begun a fresh project: to make available a further five 6-CD sets of classic blues from the Saydisc subsidiary Matchbox. (Chris Parker)
JEFFERSON BLUES MAGAZINE, SWEDEN
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTERS SERIES - SET 9
Jack O’Diamonds - Library of Congress field recordings 1934 - 1943
MSESET9 - 6 CD
If LoC's field trips were important to our understandingof the blues, Flyright – Matchbox's project to rescue and reissue these recordings is something of a similar feat.,,, Ifyou are the least bit interested in the early history of the blues, you cannot be without these recordings. When these records were originally released, they should have been praised with Grammy Awards....the historical value is too great. Saydisc and Flyright should have all the creditfor this project and presenting it in this form for a new generation is absolutely amazing. (Max W Sievert)
Blues In Britain (Feb 2023)
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Vol. 9:
Library of Congress Field Recordings 1934-1943
Matchbox!Saydisc MSESET9 ( 6 CD box set)
Set nine in this historic series of blues recordings released on CD for the first time is an unmissable collection that will open your ears to music you've almost certainly never had the chance to hear before…. This is, again, a very fine set of recordings to finally have. Pete Clack
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 9 REVIEW
Containing music originally released in the 1970s as a joint venture between Flyright and Saydisc Records, these six CDs comprise field recordings made between 1934 and 1943 by various collectors for the Library of Congress. The fragility of the resultant pressings – they were made on portable 78rpm lacquer disc-cutting machines – means that their transfer to CD as part of Nimbus Records’ Matchbox series is as timely as it is valuable.
What was said (by John Work) about the the Fort Valley State College Folk Festival (Disc 2) could equally be said of the ongoing Matchbox series: “By bringing such inimitable music …to the attention of America, and in the same action proving to these musicians that their appreciative audience extends far beyond their church or corner storefront where they previously sang and played… preserves something extremely valuable in our American life.” (Chris Parker)
Set 9 -Jack O' Diamonds: Library Of Congress Field Recordings: If all this sounds rather dry, the music is anything but: blues and folk songs, often within clear regional styles, and played by musicians valued within their local communities.
Norman Darwen (RnR)
JACK O’DIAMONDS: MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES SET 9
Blessed with a post rock-and-roll mindset, and a much more enlightened understanding of black history, we can take the recordings for what they are: killer, killer blues and folk performances, hammered out in the moment by unschooled musicians who gave full rein to their raw virtuosity.
This is the ninth of the superb reissues of the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series from Saydisc. It's a labour of love for series producer Gef Lucena and he's given the world's blues fans a priceless gift… As usual for the Matchbox Bluesmaster series, Jack O’Diamonds is an essential addition to any sensible collection.
STUART MAXWELL (Jazz Rag)
JEFFERSON BLUES MAGAZINE, SWEDEN
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTERS SERIES - SET 10
Home Town Skiffle
MSESET10 - 6 CD
On "Skoodle Um Skoo", we dive straight into history. A very interesting collection!... "Skoodle" is a textbook example of how it should be done…. Overall, an interesting and entertaining set, with an additional plus for "Skoodle Um Skoo" (Max W Sievert)
MSESET10 Hometown Skiffle:
If these collections are reaching a new audience for the blues then ‘it’s a good thing’…..this is an enjoyable collection…it also documents the aesthetics and methods of prewar blues re-issuing in Britain.
Chris Smith, (Blues & Rhythm Feb/Mar 2023)
JAZZ JOURNAL
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series – Set 10, Home Time Skiffle
As always, the production is exemplary… I have been a fan of the series since the beginning and believe Saydisc/Nimbus are owed a great deal of praise for their intrepid work in preserving for posterity and sharing these remarkable historic recordings. IAN LOMAX
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 10 REVIEW
Another set of recordings from Saydisc (Matchbox), featuring blues, rags, the odd dance tune and (Discs 5 and 6) an assortment of blues source material, these six CDs feature not only established legends of the music … but also a host of less well-known figures, all carefully and knowledgeably annotated by David Harrison and Tony Russell.
To quote Russell’s perfect summation of both this album in particular and the Bluesmaster reissue series in general, encapsulates “the unquenchable spirit of black music, its rampant joyfulness, its wholehearted refusal to be depressed either by commercial pressures or by social and economic deprivation”.
(Chris Parker)
Blues In Britain
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series 11 : Black Diamond Express
(6 CD set)
Saydisc/Nimbus Records
As we reach the eleventh set of this unmissable collection of historic blues recordings, yet again it's like opening a treasure trove, each set bringing new and lasting pleasures for blues fans. Set 11 seals the bond of what a great series these Matchbox Bluesmaster compilations are, covering recordings from 1929 to 1969, everything still sounding absolutely amazing. As with the other sets, these recordings were originally issued on vinyl in 1970, but have never seen light of day on CD until now.
One listen to this superb set of recordings confirms that expectation: these are long overdue nuggets of pure blues gold.
Quite simply, like this entire series, this is another box of unmissable recordings, as fresh and exciting today as they were when they were first recorded. Don't miss one disc of this wonderful series.
Pete Clack (Blues In Britain, June 2023)
Note: The final set, no. 12 in this incredible series due later this year, features an unmissable collection of British blues devoted to the British Blues Boom of the 1960s: Dave Kelly, Jo Anne Kelly, Dave Peabody, Fran McGillivray, Mike Cooper, Ian Anderson and many more
Trevor Hodgett (RnR May/June 2023)
****
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Set 11 Black Diamond Express
(MATCHBOX) www.saydisc.com
The latest six-CD boxed set in the marvellous Matchbox Bluesmaster series collates six compilation albums originally released in the Late 60s and early 70s…[including: disc 2] dazzling slide guitarist Kokomo Arnold…[disc 6] electrifyingly powerful performances
What an achievement! … An outstanding document of more than 30 years of record releases. Game, set and match. Max W Sievert (JEFFERSON BLUES MAG, SWEDEN)
LIVING BLUES (USA) July 2023
Black Diamond Express
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series – MSESET11
Since January 2021, the Matchbox Bluesmaster Series has brought to the digital realm and to six-CD boxed sets a wealth of mostly pre-war African American music… there's much to enjoy here… The final gem in this set offers the contents of a 1970 double LP-26 tracks, 78 minutes on a single CD. Black Diamond Express to Hellis 13 pre-war (1927-1936) gospel (in the broadest sense of the term) recordings and 13 more from the postwar era (1944-53).
Mark Humphrey (Living Blues, USA)
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 11 REVIEW
This six-CD set (the eleventh in Matchbox’s excellent reissue series) provides yet more evidence of the inestimable
BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS: MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES SET 11
This is a journey. We're taken from hell to heaven via some of the dodgiest barrelhouses and juke joints to be found in America in the middle of the last century.
Number eleven in the Matchbox Bluesmaster reissues brings us six more CDs that bring together recordings from some of the biggest names in black music from the middle of the last century, as well as some of the most obscure… As with all these CD reissues, we have cause to be infinitely grateful to the original compilers and to series producer Gef Lucena for bringing these magnificent performances to us. As Blind Mamie and her husband A.C. Forehand declare, we can be so glad today that God – or the devil – has given us this music.
STUART MAXWELL, Jazz Rag
BLUES IN BRITAIN AUG 2023
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series 12:
Blues Like Showers Of Rain (A Compendium
Of The Finest British Country Blues' Artists)
To say that the Matchbox Bluesmaster series is special would not even come close in describing their importance: these twelve sets have made up one of the finest (and historically important) packages of original blues ever released. To any blues fan, these sets are surely simply the Golden Nuggets of the blues! Every one of these discs contains absolute blues gems - diamonds to any blues lover of course, but also to those yet unaware of the impact the blues has had on so many areas of modern music… Years ahead of what was to develop into what we now term blues-rock, the artists featured throughout this set brought a standard like never before to the British and European blues scenes. Throughout, the recorded sound is of the very highest standard, and this is not so much a history of British blues of the I 960s, it's a set that truly demonstrates what put British blues on the map: not so much where it began, but when British blues really did equal the best of blues, anywhere.
Totally unmissable, it's thanks to our friends at Saydisc for releasing every one of these sets, because this is the blues and how! Pete Clack
Matchbox Bluesmaster Series 12:
Blues Like Showers Of Rain - A compendium Of The Finest British Country Blues Artists - 1966 - 1976
For lovers of British Country Blues this extensive collection will be like Christmas morning squared. It is all presented in pristine sound. The kicker is that it isn't all just country blues. There are acoustic blues guitar guys, jug bands, piano players, rags, a bit of hokum and a few surprises to boot… These are talented artists all. From skilled guitar finger-pickers to goofy jug bands to energy-charged piano masters… This music draws you in… Damn, these guys can play!... I barely scratched the surface of the treats in store here. Everything here is well worthy of a listen… Not a lemon in the bunch! Saydisc has done a real "bang up" job with this compilation.
Blues Blast Magazine (USA) (Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony)
LONDON JAZZ NEWS SET 12 REVIEW
This, the twelfth (and concluding) 6-CD set of Matchbox reissues, documents not the original US blues recordings of the 1920s and 1930s but the British music scene which they inspired. Ian Anderson (later editor of Folk Roots, but in the late 1960s a sparkplug firing up the country blues scene in Bristol and beyond with his own performances and indefatigable promotional activities) introduces the set with a characteristically enthusiastic and highly informative essay. “Suddenly in 1968 the blues and folk worlds found that they had produced a number of artists singing the country blues of the 1920s and ’30s perfectly in the idiom, but with a quality and personal involvement which lifted them far above the level of mere copyists,” is how he remembers this heady time, and (the best of) the passionate, committed music caught on these six CDs of British blues and associated music goes some way towards vindicating his claim.
The British Blues Revival is justly celebrated for its respectful and spirited championing of a cruelly neglected artform (and for its spawning of rock behemoths such as the Rolling Stones and Cream), but on the evidence provided by these CDs, its major achievement was in sending a whole generation of listeners back to the originals of Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Sonny Boy Williamson et al. (Chris Parker)
RnR Set 12 review Nov/Dec 2023
****
Blues Like Showers Of Rain
MATCHBOX BLUESMASTER SERIES Set 12
Mike Cooper's fingerpicking is marvellously intricate… John James's playing is scintillating… Jo-Ann Kelly's performances are hair-raisingly impassioned…Dave Kelly's playing is expert… notable contributions from Ian A. Anderson, Steve Rye, Wizz Jones, Chris Thompson and others
Trevor Hodgett (RnR)
For lovers of British Country Blues this extensive collection will be like Christmas morning squared. It is all presented in pristine sound. The kicker is that it isn't all just country blues. There are acoustic blues guitar guys, jug bands, piano players, rags, a bit of hokum and a few surprises to boot. I am familiar with some of the names and musical reputations here, but I have heard little of their music until now. I have heard of Jo-Ann and Dave Kelly, Bob Hall and Ian A. Anderson (Not the Jethro Tull guy, the other one). Going in one may think this is a collection of boring guitar folkies, but you would be wrong. These are talented artists all. From skilled guitar finger-pickers to goofy jug bands to energy-charged piano masters. I found myself tapping the occasional toe. This music draws you in.
BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE 19/10/23 USA
Blues Like Showers Of Rain - A compendium Of The Finest British Country Blues Artists - 1966 - 1976
Saydisc Matchbox Blues Series SET 12
Matchbox Bluesmaster Set 12 – Blues Like Showers of Rain
Whilst the electric blues boom of the mid-60s (Clapton, Mayall etc) is well documented, the acoustic country-blues scene is less so. This set traces the remarkable work of the Bristol-based Saydisc label and its role in the development of homegrown British country blues… It’s a fascinating story that continues today with the digital release of the entire Bluesmaster Series of LPs, including this uniquely British set. This album will appeal to all blues fans (especially those with a soft spot for British blues) as well as many folk enthusiasts. Ian Lomax (Jazz Journal)
Full Reviews of Whole Series
Sets 1&2
Set 3
Set 4
Set 5
Set 6
Set 7
Set 8
Set 9
Set 10
Set 11
Set 12
Blues From The Avon Delta - The Matchbox Blues Story Mark Jones The Record Press In 1967 the Bristol based Saydisc label released its first country blues record, a 7" EP by the local trio, Anderson Jones Jackson. By 1968 it was helping three other blues labels, Sunflower, Kokomo and Highway 51 get to market. Today the company, having released well over a hundred blues LPs in its first twenty years, has been re-releasing some great country blues recordings and has now become epicentre of the U.K.'s DIY blues record label industry. The book covers this wonderfully creative period of blues in Britain with some familiar names like Jo Ann Kelly, Dave Peabody, Mike Cooper, Ian Anderson and Dave Kelly who, alongside some lesser known ones, brought the blues to the U.K. in those early years - a small record label making ends meet on a limited budget, including visits to a local photo booth to take passport photos for its record sleeves. A Research Fellow at University College Dublin, Mark Jones's book chronicles the history of the Saydisc label and its series of 1920s and 1930s blues music CDs, itemising who did what and when, through the manufacturing process, the artists, the tracks and the sleeves. This is a hugely informative book that's been made possible with the help and input of the people who were there. Pete Clack
BLUES & RHYTHM July 2021
BLUES FROM THE AVON DELTA: The Matchbox Blues Story
Mark Jones
The Record Press; ISBN 978 1 909953 76 5; £19.99
Thoroughly researched, nicely written, profusely illustrated and well
presented on quality glossy paper this, as well as providing a very useful
discographical reference, is a lot of nostalgic fun, even for those of us
who weren't around in the time and place it records. It effectively draws
together the separate but linked stories of the folk/blues scene of the
Bristol area in the 1960s with the history of Saydisc Records. Saydisc is
best known to blues fans both for issues of its own and for the fact that
it was producing UK releases of LPs on the Roots label, from Austria. If
you've ever wondered why its catalogue also seemed to feature rather
a lot of albums of recordings of mechanical music, the answer is here.
The Bristol folk/blues scene is more of a specific, localised interest, but
the author makes a reasonable case for it having wider historical
relevance: ' ... outside London it was Britain's most important centre for
homegrown country blues ... (with) the first dedicated country blues club
In the country.'
Quite a lot of the content is discographical - each relevant Saydisc and
related album is illustrated, with release details, track listing and a short
passage describing the content and its background, sometimes with
quotes from reviews etc. Saydisc's own Matchbox label released several
valuable reissue collections and anthologies, including sets by Blind Boy
Fuller and the first ever full LP releases by Peetie Wheatstraw and
Kokomo Arnold. They provided printing and pressing for Pete Moody's
Sunflower label (see B&R 321 ), as well as the Highway 51 and Kokomo
series. Most substantially, they provided UK release for Roots and
related labels from Austria thus, as is set out in detail here, saving UK
consumers import tax and postage costs amounting to no less than the
pre-decimal equivalent of 57.5p. (If this doesn't seem like a big deal, I
can testify that in 1969, you could get sloppy drunk for that, and still get
the bus home).
Partnership with Flyright produced the early volumes of the Library of
Congress series edited by John Cowley (later ones were produced by
Flyright alone)- truly wonderful albums that I still listen to with enormous
pleasure. Saydisc also had a partnership with the short-lived US label
A.hura Mazda, giving UK release for their great Scott Dunbar and Robert
Pete Williams albums (and who knew that Ahura Mazda reciprocated
with a US release for 'The Golden Age of Mechanical Music'?). In due
course, it would be the Matchbox Bluesmaster imprint that would kick off
the unstoppable 'complete chronological' boom, eventually culminating
In the Document 5000 series.
In parallel with all this activity in getting original, mostly pre-war blues
recordings into the hands of avid fans, Saydisc were also providing
outlets for the rather different kinds of blues-based recordinos made bv
FRoots editor, Dave Peabody, Al Jones and others, first under a
Saydisc imprint, then on Matchbox, then through a partnership
arrangement, on Village Thing. A good account of the background to all
this local activity is given, well-illustrated with photos, labels, posters,
family trees and other ephemera, a story that well deserves to be told.
In A4 format, the whole thing is a pleasure to look at and to read.
Ray Templeton
JAZZ JOURNAL Sept 2021
BLUES FROM THE AVON DELTA: The Matchbox Blues Story
Mark Jones
The Record Press; ISBN 978 1 909953 76 5; £19.99
The story of the Bristol-based Saydisc label and its invaluable contribution to the promotion and preservation of country blues
There are ordinary books for collectors and there are extraordinary books for collectors. This book surely fits the latter category. This book traces in minute detail the birth of the Bristol-based Saydisc label and its subsequent role in the development of home-grown British country blues.
In 1967, Saydisc released its first country blues record, a seven-inch LP by local trio Ian Anderson, Alun Jones and Elliot Jackson. By 1986, it was helping three “pop-up” DIY blues labels – Sunflower, Kokomo and Highway 51 – to get to market. In 1968, Saydisc created the well-known and much respected Matchbox label with the objective of releasing material by contemporary British country blues artists as well as LPs of classic pre-war US country blues.
By 1968 the UK blues boom was in full swing, albeit with more attention given by the major labels to electric blues bands. In July 1968, Matchbox released the country blues album Blues Like Showers Of Rain to positive critical acclaim. It featured a collection of British artists including Dave Kelly, Mike Cooper Ian Anderson, Jo-Ann Kelly among others. John Peel played it on his Night Ride radio show and several of the artists showcased were subsequently invited to record BBC sessions.
The British blues phenomenon did eventually run out of steam and Matchbox folded in 1977. Thankfully, it returned in 1982 to concentrate on classic pre-WWII US blues and created the well-received Bluesmaster Series – which is still going strong today. This undertaking resulted in the release of 38 LPs and two double-LP sets. Many of these releases were transcribed from rare 78s (as frequently no better original source existed) or previously unreleased US Library of Congress recordings.
All in all, it is thought that Saydisc released over 100 blues albums between 1967 and 1987, as well as promoting home grown country-blues talent. In short it kickstarted the late 1960s country blues boom and made Bristol the epicentre of the UK’s DIY blues record label industry. No small achievement for a label that most music fans have never heard of and a fascinating story that continues today with digital reissues of the entire Bluesmaster Series of LPs.
This fascinating history of Saydisc is written and catalogued by music historian Mark Jones and a fine job he does. It is part book, part catalogue, part scrapbook and part memorabilia. The book contains information on every Saydisc-related blues record ever released (including track and artist listings) and images of all Saydisc’s blues record sleeves (including the Sunflower, Kokomo, Highway 51 and Ahura Mazda labels). There are also memorabilia from private collections and active input from those who were there.
The amount of detail is simply phenomenal. The book will appeal to all those with an active interest in the history of the British blues movement as well as those who lived and went to blues and folk clubs in the Bristol area at a time when it was probably the most important centre for homegrown country blues outside London.
It will also appeal strongly to those with musical interests on the other side of the Atlantic. Without the Matchbox label (and especially the Bluesmaster Series) many pre-war US country blues and gospel artists would simply have faded into obscurity. We would never have heard of blues musicians such Peg Leg Howell, St. Louise Bessie, Little Brother Montgomery and Blind Willie Davis. Nor would vast quantities of music from better-known artists such Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, Skip James, Big Bill Broonzy and Memphis Minnie be available commercially.
In many cases it has simply been a case of an artist or a piece of music surviving obscurity by a record collector having the last surviving 78 record from which Matchbox have revived a copy. The hard work involved in sourcing, compiling and cataloguing these blues collections is never fully appreciated and this book shines a light on one small company that does it so well. It is a remarkable story and one that deserves to be told. (IAN LOMAX)
Blues from the Avon Delta: The Matchbox Blues Story by Mark Jones (The Record Press, 120pp., £19.99), an exhaustive survey of “how Blueswailin’ Bristol kick-started Britain’s late 1960s’ country blues boom and became the epicentre of the UK’s DIY blues record label industry”. A labour of love, this painstakingly researched work, as well as providing a history of the 1960s British blues boom, lists all Saydisc (and related companies’) releases (complete with sleeve images). Blind Boy Fuller and Kokomo Arnold jostle with Jo-Ann and Dave Kelly, Peetie Wheatstraw and Furry Lewis with Mike Cooper and Ian Anderson – the result is truly an aficionado’s dream.
Jefferson Blues Magazine (Sweden): The Swedish Blues Society
BLUES FROM THE AVON DELTA - The Matchbox Blues Story: Mark Jones
The Record Press, 2021: ISBN 978-1-909953-76-5
There aren't many of us. But we exist. We who are morbidly interested in discographies, listings, matrix numbers and alternative takes. And this 114-page paperback in A4 format is an excellent example of what we like. This is the story of the blues part of Saydisc Records. Author Mark Jones has written another book about the label, “The Saydisc & Village Thing Discography”. But here the focus is on the blues of this company that was a leader in the English blues releases of the late 1960s. Over 100 LPs were issued between 1967 and 1987. Perhaps not impressive if you're used to Ace, Charly or Jasmine, but Saydisc was the pioneer who started it all.
The company was based in Bristol (upon Avon), home of some of the earliest clubs dedicated to folk music/blues. This gave birth to interest and Saydic's first staggering step was as publisher of folk music. But soon the company became an outlet for early reissue companies such as Sunflower, Kokomo and Highway 51. Today, these names say nothing, but at the time it was records that caused wet dreams after seeing their ads in magazines like Blues Unlimited and Blues World. At the time, LP´s was regarded as luxury goods and taxed, but if it stayed below 100 copies, the tax was avoided. Therefore, only 99 ex were pressed, which meant that you did not have to pay "VAT" on them. Which makes them highly valued collectibles 50 years later. Saydisc pressed the records and printed labels and covers. Some copies of Sunflower's "The Chicago Housebands" were sold to such illustrious clients as John Peel and Billy Boy Arnold. This was 1968.
In the same year, the label Matchbox was started, where newly recorded British country blues were combined with reissues of American ones. The LP "Blues Like Showers of Rain" featured the likes of Jo Ann Kelly, her brother Dave (later in The Blues Band) and Mike Cooper. John Peel played it on his radio show and the album inspired a generation of young British musicians.
Matchbox also pressed the Austrian company Roots editions for the UK market. When that deal ended, there were a lot of records pressed that lacked cover. I remember a train ride to London in the 70's when these were sold out in neutral unprinted cardboard covers for 50 p/piece. And the pound was seven crowns. Guess if the backpack was filled? The label Matchbox ceased in 1977 but resurfaced in 1982 with its Bluesmaster series, 36 LPs in all. They are now in 2021 reissued as six-CD sets.
For me, perhaps the most interesting releases were the Flyright-Matchbox Library of Congress Series. Six LPs of unreleased LoC material in collaboration with Flyright. Two more LPs came under Flyright's direction alone. A real music treasure, available nowhere else.
Well, there is as much as you could wish for to tell about Saydisc, and Mark Jones does. Extremely interesting if you are morbidly interested in a breakthrough of a company's publications. But it probably assumes that you know how the music sounds, here it is mainly about number series, design, number of pressed ex and so on. And pictures of all editions. Like I said, invaluable information.
Finally, the LPs that were published as complements to some of the books in Studio Vistas Blues Paperback's series, as well as the two double LPs that were published for Paul Oliver's book "Songsters And Saints", are also discussed.
It should also be said in this context that there were other companies that were there alongside Saydisc, but which for various reasons did not survive that long. For the poor sound quality so infamous reissue company Python disappeared. While Blue Horizon, which began back in 1965 with single editions, reached success with Fleetwood Mac. But it was Saydisc that made an effort worthy of hero status in reissues. Max W Sievert