Matchbox Bluesmaster Series Set 10: Home Town Skiffle

"We've reached the tenth in the unmatched series of Matchbox Bluesmaster reissues and the quality is undimmed…These Matchbox collections are meticulous and thorough and they make no apology for some of the distinctly odd bits and pieces that nestle in between the timeless gems. They are what they are and they are part of the history and development of our music…Still, the legacy preserved here for blues and folk lovers is about as comprehensive a representation of the early days as you could hope for. It's fascinating, bemusing and amusing listening. And, of course, lots of it is fantastic… if you have any love of the simple yet elusive magic that is the blues, you have to make room for this set." Jazz Rag, Stuart Maxwell

“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”. London Jazz News, Chris Parker

“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, Jazz Journal

“Discs 1&2  are by Blind Boy Fuller… and his pals… One of the joys of this set is hearing Buddy Moss, a brilliant guitarist out of Georgia, alongside Curley Weaver… Fuller appears on all of these tracks either as the front man or as the guitarist backing others. On Disc 3 there's fourteen tasty tracks recorded between 1939 and 1945 by the great Sonny Boy Williamson on vocals and harmonica… This set sees the blues in transition but it's still a wonderful set of performances.  Disc 4: Now we come to the Cakewalking Babies and you're in for a real treat. Some of these ladies you will know, others not so much, if at all. Discs 5&6: The Folk Blues pair of albums include neat titles such as Skoodle Um Skoo (early folk blues vol. I) and Home Town Skiffle (early folk blues vol. 2) You won't find any Lonnie Donegan here, all far too early for him but clearly an inspiration” Pete Clack (Blues In Britain)

“Collections like these offer the chance to make connections between styles and artists, besides providing bite-size chunks of a variety of performers… The two Early Folk Blues releases are fascinating, wonderfully eclectic and packed full of curiosities. If you've followed the series this far, you'll definitely want this.” Norman Darwen, Rock-n-Reel 

“Saydisc Records made a splash in the 1980s with the release of its Matchbox Bluesmaster series – 42 richly annotated LPs that captured first-generation bluesmen laying down the foundation for what fans around the world enjoy today. If you missed out on them then, you can enjoy them now… Home Town Skiffle is a treat for anyone with an interest in pre-War blues.” Blues Blast Magazine

“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 pre-war blues re-issuing in Britain.” Chris Smith, Blues & Rhythm

"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 (Blind Boy Fuller, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Boy Williamson, Blind Blake etc.), but also a host of less well-known figures, all carefully and knowledgeably annotated by David Harrison and Tony Russell. The first two CDs are devoted to Blind Boy Fuller, Disc 1 comprising his own work, the second (mainly) that of musicians influenced by him… Fuller is a true blues great, his singing affecting, sure and confident, his diction clear, his guitar playing assured, often downright virtuosic, his careful picking tellingly interspersed with double-time passages and skilful rhythmic variations. The material on the first disc, recorded between 1937 and 1939, is a mixture of wonderfully atmospheric blues (“Corinne”, “Mean and No Good Woman”) rags/dance tunes and humorous songs with suggestive lyrics (“What’s That Smells Like Fish”), but whatever style of music he plays, Fuller delivers the goods in spades, his light but surprisingly strong voice beautifully complemented by his dexterous guitar... What liner-note writer Tony Russell refers to as the “pre-history of the blues” is documented on the consistently fascinating Discs 5 and 6. Vaudeville, country music and ragtime all fed into the genre, and the first collection, which is, as Russell suggests, “utterly unlike most other anthologies of blues music”, provides a rich overview of these sources…A wholly enjoyable and – given the relatively unusual nature of its material – valuable compilation.”Full review here - Chris Parker, London Jazz News