Down On Bended Knee - Johnny Copeland

Down On Bended Knee - Johnny Copeland

3:24

Written by Charlie Booth and Johnny Copeland

single, 1962

This song comes with a bit of discographical confusion. Some sources list a "Down on Bending Knees," which may be the same song retitled somewhere along the compilation trail, or an unlikely second, slightly different song. Discogs muddies the waters by crediting both titles on different release. Either way, this is a rocking electric Texas blues.  Copeland has a big, soul-drenched voice and plays a dazzling, blistering guitar.  Stabs of brass punctuate the virtuoso guitar lines and add even more swagger.

Chimurenga del Guadiana - Perrofláuta

Chimurenga del Guadiana - Perroflauta
3:53

Perrofláuta, 1998

Written by Perroflauta

I have no context for this song. The band seems to be Basque or Spanish, with a name that translates literally to "dog flute" but apparently is a slang word meaning a vocal extreme leftist, what we might call a "social justice warrior."  As for the title, "Chimurenga" is a Shona word meaning “struggle,” most famously associated with anti-colonial resistance in Zimbabwe, while the Guadiana is a river marking the border between Spain and Portugal. The song itself is vocal-heavy, built around repeated "ley ley ley" chants, call-and-response singing, and long, bent notes that clearly draw on African musical traditions. The rhythm leans hard into African beats rather than Iberian folk, creating a deliberately hybrid sound. The final thirty seconds shift abruptly into a militaristic, chant-like rap delivered in what sounds like a Romance language I can't identify.  I may not fully grasp what Perroflauta are trying to synthesize politically or culturally here, but musically it works. The collision of styles feels earnest rather than gimmicky, driven by energy, rhythm, and communal voice.

Big Ten Inch Record - Bull Moose Jackson

Big Ten Inch Record - Bull Moose Jackson

2:15

single, 1952

Written by Fred Weismantel

This is the epitome of swinging bawdy blues.  You can guess, certainly, what the big ten inch record is referring to without even being told.  Punctuated by a slinky horn, Bull Moose's juicy baritone belts out the crucial lines: "When we're in a lover's clinch / And when she gets all excited / She begs for my big ten-inch" — And here there's a brief but pregnant pause — "Record of the band that plays the blues."  The comic precision leavens the innuendo, which ultimately elevates it and sets it apart from the ruck of other dirty blues of the '30s and '40s.

All New Minglewood Blues - Grateful Dead

All New Minglewood Blues - The Grateful Dead

4:16

Shakedown Street, 1978

Written by Noah Lewis, 1930

The Dead initially claimed credit for this song, and while it is definitely fleshed out and expanded, it's clear that it's Lewis' creation, at least the blues structure and lyrics.  (The original, "Minglewood Blues," was written before 1930 and has different lyrics; Lewis' "New Minglewood Blues" from 1930 is the one this was based off.)  But they do transform it.  The acoustic shuffle becomes a thick, swaggering bar-band groove, anchored by Phil Lesh’s roaming bass rather than a traditional blues walk. Bob Weir's rhythm guitar is all clipped chords and percussive accents, leaving space for Jerry Garcia’s lead lines, which mix stinging blues bends with his distinctly conversational phrasing.  It's swampy, gritty, and tailor-made for extended jams.