Customer Reviews
Legendary stuff - By: , 22 Apr 2004 
Anyone who has heard a Blind Alfred Reed song before has probably heard itbeing played by someone else. His most famous songs "Always Lift Him Up"and the very good "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live?" havebeen covered by many. His music is an odd mix of the reactionary, whilehaving quite a sympathetic social conscience. For example, while thisrecord contains "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live?" it alsohas "Why Do You Bob Your Hair, Girls?" which basicallly is cautionaryadvice that women who cut their hair will go to hell (well, he wasperforming in deepest West Virginia in the 1920s...)
His lyrics are much less simplistic & clear cut than the basicaccompaniment would suggest they should be. There is a real ambiguity in"There'll Be No Distinction There" - is it enforcing or parodying the'acceptable' face of racial segregation?
This will not be to everyone's taste, but I'd recommend a listen to anyonewho is interested in American Folk music.
fiddling good stuff - By: , 11 Feb 2002 
i came accross blind alfred reed through listening to ry cooder, he coverd two songs off this cd 1- always lift him up & never knock him down, 2 how can a poor man stand such times & live.and boy was i glad. out of the 20 cuts here i can honestly say there's only one i dislike & thats coz its alfs son who's doing the singing, but hey 19 out of twenty aint bad. this stuffs from the twentys & in compleat contrast to those busby berkley films of good times. listen to the 2 songs mentioned how can a poor man,always lift him up. or the religious tracks i mean to live for jesus, walking in the way with jesus, there's a couple about mining even a couple about the hair fashion of the day why do you bob your hair girls. as i said ry cooder done some of alfs song & if they were good enough for him they is good enough for me. this guy was a protest singer 25 years before the likes of dylan & the rest. take a listen you wont be disapointed thats if you like old timey music that is yeeeeee haaaa.
down home - By: , 07 Feb 2002 there's only one track on this cd i dont like, & thats track 10 now 1 out of 20 aint alll that bad. take a listen to walking in way with jesus, there'll be no distinction there, you'll know youve heard them somewhere. or black & blue blues, always lift him up & never knock him down, how can a poor man stand such times & live. ry cooder fans will be familiar with the last two. yes sir this is good old fashioned old timmey music. foot tapping & glorious, fiddle on alfred.
