Bullet Records : Jump, Blues & Ballads

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 01:08:33
Liner Note Author: Fred James. Bullet Records was one of the first of the post-World War II independent record labels. Formed in Nashville in 1945 by Jim Bulliet (also an early partner in Sun Records), Wally Fowler, and C.V. Hitchcock, Bullet had success right out of the gate with Francis Craig's "Near You" -- it was the biggest-selling single of 1956. The future looked bright, and with a varied artist roster that included country (Boots Woodall's Radio Wranglers), Southern gospel (the Rangers Quartet and the Speer Family), blues-oriented jazz (pianist Cecil Gant and Willie Dixon's Big Three Trio), and straight blues and jump blues (B.B. King and Walter Davis), it sure looked promising. But the label spent too much time chasing a repeat of Craig's "Near You" success and was in financial trouble by 1949, finally folding completely in 1952, with the company's metal masters (tape was a new medium at the time and little at Bullet was recorded to tape) absorbed by W.C. "Red" Wortham's Delta label, which was eventually purchased by Bluesland in the mid-'90s. That brings us to this 25-track set of reissued Bullet sides, which provides a nice portrait of this short-lived but interesting label. Listeners should keep in mind that most of these tracks came from metal masters, so at times it feels like one is listening to a pretty cool field recording -- cuts like Walter Davis' "Stop That Train in Harlem," the mock epic jive of "Signifying Monkey" by Willie Dixon's Big Three Trio, and the gentle piano pop of Cecil Gant's "I Wonder" and "It's the Girl" all shine through in timeless fashion. ~ Steve Leggett
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)