Series: Over 60 Minutes Of Classic Blues
Release Date: February 4, 1994.
Recording Time: 72 minutes.
Recording Date: 1959 - April, 1970.
Release Info: ARH00395, CD, Compilation, Reissue.
"When a Man Takes the Blues" is a prominent country blues song and compilation album by the legendary Louisiana bluesman Robert Pete Williams. Known for his raw, highly personal, and largely improvised style, Williams recorded the core tracks of this collection following his time at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola).
"The blues follows me. I hear the echo in the atmosphere, kind of moanin' and hummin'. I can come back and take my guitar, and I can put them blues together." A talented musician, Robert Pete Williams produced his best work when he was living the blues, rather than just singing them. Singing rural and prison blues, his unpredictable, often improvised rhythmic guitar style earned him popularity and respect, but never wealth or fame. Williams recounts his arrest that led to his time in Angola prison on track 14. Vol. 1 - "I'm As Blue As a Man Can Be" (ARH00394) is the companion recording to this album.
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This second volume of newly released (on CD) Robert Pete Williams material was mostly recorded in Louisiana in 1959, shortly after Williams was paroled from Angola by Governor Earl Long. The cuts recorded during this time reflect both his appreciation for being out of jail and his understanding that he was still not completely free. The searing "All Night Long," "I Got The Blues So Bad" and "This Train Is Heaven Bound" are punctuated by equally gripping guitar accompaniment on either 6- or 12-string. There's also material recorded later in his career in Berkeley. The three cuts from 1970 show Williams in a more reflective mode, though no less powerful. These are two of nine previously unissued cuts comprising the majority of the disc. ~ Ron Wynn
Credits: Art Direction (Cover) - Wayne Pope; Edited By - Henry Kaiser; Guitar, Vocals, Speech, Written-By, Arranged By - Robert Pete Williams; Photography By - Chris Strachwitz (Cover), Paul Oliver; Recorded By - Chris Strachwitz (tracks: 1, 2, 14), Dr. Harry Oster (tracks: 3 to 13).
Tracklist:
- 01. When A Man Takes The Blues [4:38]
- 02. I Had Trouble [4:15]
- 03. All Night Long [4:40]
- 04. Dyin' Soul [4:15]
- 05. I Got The Blues So Bad [3:35]
- 06. Sinner Don't You Know [4:30]
- 07. Hot Springs Blues (Peetie Wheatstraw Blues) [5:55]
- 08. This Train Is Heaven Bound [4:44]
- 09. Santa Fe Blues [4:27]
- 10. Blue In Me [4:02]
- 11. Death Comes Creepin' In Your Room [4:54]
- 12. Wife And Farm Blues (Take 2) [6:20]
- 13. I Want To Die Easy [4:38]
- 14. Robert Pete Williams Monologue [11:00]
Tracks 1, 2, and 14 recorded in Berkeley, California, April 1970. Tracks 3-13 recorded in Louisiana between 1959 and 1960.
Tracks 5 and 10 previously issued on Arhoolie LP 2015. Track 4 previously issued on Folklyric LP A-6. All other tracks previously unreleased.