Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Such is the ongoing international popularity of the Blind Boys that reissues of their vintage years are beginning to appear. And this is a fascinating one, giving us the six tracks the group recorded for New Jersey's Coleman Records in 1948 and the 22 sides the team cut for Philadelphia's Gospel Records in 1950 and '51. These fascinating sides pre-date the sensational recordings the group made for Hollywood's Specialty Records but there's still much here which is rich and timeless, be it the call and response fervour of "By And By", the mournful and moving "Death Had Taken Mother Home" (though unfortunately there' some distortion on the 78 from which it was dubbed); and their first successful recording "See Everybody's Mother But Mine". If you're a devotee of the classic quartets then this compilation is definitely one you'll want.

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