"I Think You Got Your Fools Mixed Up"

"You must think I'm somebody else," is the next line. I love this song, another of those great ones that never became a hit. This one, The Great Ray Charles, needs some cleaning up to be listenable; there's too much New Mexico red dust interfering with the sound. Louis Armstrong: An Early Portrait sounds as though it needs cleaning up, but it doesn't. The decision was made merely to transfer this early music from the 'Twenties to vinyl as it was (Milestone MLP 2010; produced by Orrin Keepnews). To be heard in addition to Armstrong are Ma Rainey, Trixie Smith, Fletcher Henderson, Sidney Bechet, and Alberta Hunter. Favorites from this one are Texas Moaner Blues, See See Rider Blues (of course! nobody's ever done a better vocal on it than Rainey herself), and Cake-Walking Babies. This all began in a search for Buffalo Springfield albums, by the way. And then there's The Cool Sound of Albert Collins. This page shows a picture of this 1965 album down at the bottom; it's not even stereo, but it sounds better than a lot of CD stuff out there. Here's the track list, along with some samples (don't be fooled by the different name; it's a full reissue of all the tracks on The Cool Sound, in the same order). There won't be time to play Trout Mask Replica, also found, at least not today. I thought it had been sold long ago to Half Price Books, along with a lot of special-edition Beatles and Stones stuff, but apparently not. It is the 1969 US original on Straight STS 1053.