Listeners under the impression that drug music began with „White Rabbit“ and ended with „White Lines“ would be wise to pick up the first and best volume in the German Trikont label’s excellent Flashbacks series — compiling 25 jazz, blues, and vocal cuts from the first-half of the 20th century, the set documents World War II-era vice and sin at its finest, deftly mixing radio hits with utter obscurities. Flashbacks V.1: High & Low (Drug Songs 1917-1944) buy CD music The songs range from the benign (Gene Krupa’s „Feeling High and Happy“) to the explicit (the Memphis Jug Band’s „Cocaine Habit Blues“), and while some of the selections are clearly reaching to justify their thematic inclusion — Bukka White’s immortal „Fixin‘ to Die Blues“ almost certainly has nothing to do with „fixing“ in the junkie lexicon sense of the term — the pacing and sequencing are dead-on, and even novelty throwaways like Harry „The Hipster“ Gibson’s „Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Flashbacks V.1: High & Low (Drug Songs 1917-1944) songs Murphy’s Ovaltine?“ stand up to repeated listening in this context. Flashbacks V.1: High & Low (Drug Songs 1917-1944) album for sale Excellent remastering and liner notes (in both English and German) round out the package. ~ Jason Ankeny
Manche Drogen waren seinerzeit noch nicht so verpönt und illegal wie heute. Für viele Musiker – wie die hier vertretene Ella Fitzgerald, Memphis Minnie, Gene Krupka, Harry The Hippster Gibson und andere gehörten Reefer & Whakey Dust zum täglichen Leben.
Herausgeber: Werner Pieper – seit vielen Jahren Verleger von MedienXperimenten und Gegenkultur
CD im Digipak mit ausführlichem Booklet / Mp3-Download
4,99 € – 10,00 €