British National Newspaper THE INDEPENDENT just voted "DOPE & GLORY" as
one of "THE TEN BEST COMPILATION ALBUMS" ever.
"This two-CD set is the most comprehensive anthology of "reefer songs" from
the 30s and 40s, its 50 tracks by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman,
Cab Calloway, Sidney Bechet and Tommy Dorsey offering indisputable proof
of the vital part played by wacky baccy in the early development of jazz."
(The Independent,
26. Feb. 2003)
Anyone who still thinks the Sixties were the great dope era should have
a listen to this. Fifty tracks which unashamedly celebrate the weed and,
in most cases, make no attempt to disguise the subject. Ok maybe 'Spinach
Song' could just be about the stuff that Popeye used but Julia Lee &
Her Boyfriends' spirited jive leaves you in no doubt which greens are
on offer here. Some great trumpet and sax too.
Titles like 'I'm Gonna Get High', 'Weed Smokers Dream' and 'Save The Roach
For Me' don't even pretend to be ambiguous and Tampa Red delivers the
first in that list like he means it while The Chicago Five kick along
behind him. Fats Waller had a prodigious appetite for many things and
on 'Vipers Drag' he sleazes his way through a dream about 'a reefer 5
feet long'. He sounds as though he's having a good time anyway. The song
appears elsewhere too as 'If You're A Viper', though with out Fats' dopey
scat.
The Meltones' crooning makes 'Mary Jane' seem like an innocent song about
the girl next door who is 'just the kind you could take home to mother'
but they also remind us how 'stunning how cunning this girly can be'.
Less innocent, perhaps, is 'Sweet Marihuana Brown' whose dangerous allure
is captured in lyrics like 'every time you take her out/she's bound to
take you in'. Little devil.
Some songs highlight the reefer lovers struggle with the law. Imagine
their chagrin when 'The 'G' Man Got The 'T' Man. The song is still delivered
with verve by the unrepentant Cee Pee Johnson & Band. There would
be other 'connections' who could step in and supply the 'jive' after all.
'Jive' 'this modern treat makes life complete' is celebrated by the fact
that 'Stuff Is Here' and that 'The Man From Harlem' really could cheer
up the gloomiest gathering. Other herbally refreshed characters like 'Reefer
Man' and 'Dopey Joe' flit in to deliver their goods then vanish.
Most of the songs are celebratory but a few register the need to escape
from grim reality. 'Knockin' Myself Out ' is featured three times and
each woman's voice is desperate. Take your pick from Yack Taylor, Lil
Green or Jean Brady. Larry Adler's lugubrious 'Smoking Reefers' also suggests
that dope is only 'to get beyond the misery' while Jazz Gillum warns about
his 'Reefer Headed Woman'.
Of course you can just enjoy some of the music. 'All Teeed Up' and 'Golden
Leaf Strut' don't need words. Marvel at how the surface noise keep perfect
time on the first track. Then listen to the superb New Orleans jazz circa
1925 of the second track. And while you listen there's an informative
booklet that tells you something of the lives and times of reefers and
those who championed them. Whether it comes to a canablis café
near you or is supplied direct, it is a thoroughly life enhancing experience.
(Paul Donnelly - www.tangents.co.uk)
In
der Zeit, bevor es Tonträger gab, tingelten viele US-amerikanische
Musiker durch die Staaten, auch einige jener, die hier zu hören sind.
Oft reisten diese Musiker als Lockvögel für Wunderheiler in
sog. Medicine Shows, ein Job, den selbst Little Richard in
den 50ern noch ausübte. Das Umherreisen mit den Medicine Shows
war Teil der Mythologie, die das Musiker-Dasein umhüllte: Es deutete
auf unberechenbaren Verstand, Freidenkertum und ein Outlaw-Dasein hin,
das unabhängig von gesellschaftlichen Konventionen war. Als Drogen
dann illegal wurden, entwickelte sich auch um sie herum eine eigene, geheimnisvolle
Musik, die sich bestens in den Outlaw-Mythos des reisenden Musikers integrieren
ließ. (Harry Shapiro) Bereits 1910 wies der für öffentliche
Sicherheit zuständige Beamte von New Orleans warnend darauf hin,
dass es im Unterhaltungsviertel Storyville bereits 200 Personen gäbe,
die Marijuana rauchten. Der schlechte Einfluß des Marijuana zeige
sich darin, dass es die Schwarzen denken ließe, sie seien so gut
wie der weiße Mann....
|
|
|
|
Dope
& Glory
Reefer Songs der 30er & 40er Jahre
CD-0295 |
|
Preis:
17€ |
|
|
|