Eli Paperboy Reed – Sings Walkin’ and Talkin’ and Other Smash Hits
Yep Roc Records
http://www.elipaperboyreed.com
27 Tracks – 79 minutes
In 2004, Eli Paperboy Reed (nee Eli Husock) recorded his first album in a basement studio in Aliston, Massachusetts. It was recorded live on analog tape and was pressed for a limited run of 300 cd’s in 2005. At that time, he was primarily selling the cd by busking on the streets of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was in his early 20’s and sometimes played solo and sometimes with his band. One day while the band was playing, a Harvard student walked by and after listening to them, invited them to play a session at WHRB radio station. The session was recorded using only two mikes, one for the vocals and one for the band. The band gained attention and led to a contact from producer Ed Valauskas who worked at Q Division studios in Somerville, Ma. That led to his first studio album, Roll with You, in 2008.
When Eli graduated high school in 2002, he moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he played at the juke joints. He shifted briefly to Chicago where he played at Soul legend Mitty Collier’s southside church. By 2005, he was back in Boston where he took up busking to pay the bills. Seventeen songs were recorded in that 2004 session but only twelve of them were included on the original cd release including two originals and ten cover songs. Those twelve songs were remastered and included on this deluxe edition of the album in their original order on that initial release. Four more songs from that session are added as bonus tracks. The album then adds twelve songs that were recorded during the WHRB radio performance.
The credits for those original basement records include Eli on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Jack Leckie on acoustic bass (Eli did not want any electric bass on the recording), Eli Kessler on drums, Andrew Fenton on trombone and rhythm guitar, and Ben Jaffe on tenor sax. Reed, Kessler and Fenlon also appear on the radio sessions with the addition of Michael Isvara Montgomery on acoustic bass.
The album opens with Jimmy McCracklin’s 1961 song, “Just Got to Know”. The recording clearly reflects the sound quality that would be expected from the lowly recording techniques that were used, but the vocals and musicianship are apparent for what would what grab the attention of others. His original song “Walkin’ and talkin’ (For My Baby”) follows. Bill Anderson’s 1962 country song “The Tip of My Fingers” is moved to a slow waltz. “Woman Woman Blues” is a song from Ishman Bracey from the 1920’s. Chris Kenner’s 1961 song “Something You Got” has a touch of rock ‘n’ roll. That is followed by Johnny River’s 1962 slow stroll “The Poor Side of Town”.
“I’m Tired of Wandering” was originally recorded by Arbee Stidham in 1960. He jumps back to 1928 for his version of Tommy Johnson’s “Fat Mama Rumble”. “You’re Gonna Make Me Cry” was originally written by Don Robey and first recorded by O.V Wright in 1965. Tommy Johnson’s 1928 Song “Cool Drink of Water Blues” includes the classic line “I asked for water, and she gave me gasoline”. On his second original song, he begs her “Don’t Let Me Down” in a slow waltz. The twelve original songs conclude with a public domain song “A Dying Veteran’s Plea”
The first of the bonus songs, “Lone Town Blues” was recorded by Junior Brooks in 1950. “A Woman, A Lover, A Friend” was written by Sydney Wyche and recorded in 1960 by Jackie Wilson. “Roamin’ and Ramblin” was recorded in 2008 by David “Honeyboy” Edwards on one of his last studio recordings. “Right Around the Corner” recorded by The Persuasions in 1994 ends the original recordings.
The radio recordings start with “She May Be Yours”, originally subtitled “(But She Comes to See Me Sometimes)”, which was originally recorded by Joe Hill Louis in 1952 and co-written by Sam Phillips. Elvis Presley later recorded the song in 1999. Sonny Boy Williamson’s 1951 song “(She) Brought Life back To the Dead” is next followed by Roosevelt Sykes’ “West Helena Blues”, Robert Johnson’s 1936 Song “Thirty-Two Twenty Blues”, and Howlin’ Wolf’s “I’m Leaving You.
Eli returns to Tommy Johnson with “Big Fat Mama”, written in 1930. Slim Harpo’s “I’m a King Bee” was written in 1957 and has been recorded by many other musicians including The Rolling Stones. The traditional “Rollin’ and “Tumblin'” is followed by Stop Talking in Your Sleep”, which was first recorded by The Carter Brothers in 1965. ” I Can’t Quit You Baby” was written by Willie Dixon in 1956 and recorded by Otis Rush. He concludes the album with a hymn copyrighted in 1908 by Johnson Oatman Jr., but is known to have circulated prior to that time.
As cited at the beginning of this column, the sound throughout the album is raw, but it does provide some insight into Eli’s base sound and background into his musical interest that became the basis of albums that were to come.
