Matchbox Days (1997)

About this title: The late-'60s British blues boom was dominated by electric blues-rock blues bands, yet there was also an active acoustic blues scene, though it made considerably less commercial impact. Record-wise, much of the activity centered around the Matchbox label, on which the bulk of the music on this 22-track compilation was originally released. Jo-Ann Kelly and Dave Kelly are the only names that might be remotely familiar to American listeners. There are also cuts by Wizz Jones, the Panama Limited Jug Band, Mike Cooper, and Ian Anderson (the Ian Anderson who now runs Folk Roots magazine, not the ... read more

Tracks:

1. Bulldog Blues
2. A Few Short Lines [McDowell]
3. Say No to the Devil [Davis]
4. Nothin' in Ramblin' [McCoy]
5. Cottonfield Blues [Akers]
6. Whitewash Station [Shade]
7. Searchin' the Desert for the Blues [McTell]
8. Dark Road Blues [Lofton]
9. Spoonful [Traditional]
10. Meeting House Ray [One Forty Two]
11. Blues Walking Like a Man
12. Stop Breaking Down [Johnson]
13. Rowdy Blues [Bailey]
14. Wildcat
15. Travelin' Blues
16. Bread of Heaven [Traditional/Conder]
17. Black Snake Moan [Spivey/Johnson]
18. Cocaine Habit Blues [Traditional]
19. Friday Evening Blues
20. If I Had Possession over Judgement Day [Johnson]
21. Black Mary
22. The Inverted World [Anderson/Cooper]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.