This War Is Awful
1994 · Delmark DD-621 · USA
- Artist
- Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
- Title
- This War Is Awful
- Release
- Meets the Master Blues Bassists
- Year
- 1994
- Label
- Delmark # DD-621
- Format
- CD · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Arthur Crudup
- Genre
- Blues · Delta Blues · Electric Blues
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation — Blues songs
Delta Blues and Electric Blues artist, born on 24 August 1905 in Forest, Mississippi, USA, he died on 28 March 1974 in Nassawadox, Virginia, USA. This 1994 album was a reissue of the 1970 Crudup's Mood, which contained the previously unreleased "This War Is Awful" (Delmark Records # DD-621), recorded on 10 November 1969 in Chicago, Illinois, with Arthur Crudup on vocals and guitar, and Ransom Knowling on bass.1 Recorded during the Vietnam War-era, it's in fact a re-recorded version of his World War Two song, "Cool Disposition" (Bluebird Records # 34-0738), released on single in 1945. It's narrated from the perspective of a man off to war, contemplating being divided from his partner: "this war is awful... cause me and my baby... to live in the world alone". At the end of the song, the narrator fears that his partner has left him, "I wanna kill me somebody, believe my baby's got another man". Note: Crudup also released the song "Questionnaire Blues", recorded in 1967, and released in 1968 on the album Look on Yonder's Wall (Delmark Records # DS-614), about the draft.Sources1Wirz discographies↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Track 4, previously unissued. Crudup vocals and guitar, Ransom Knowling bass; recorded 10 Nov 1969 (Knowling session) at Stereosonic Studios. Adapted from 'Crudup's Mood', Delmark LP 621. Producer/liner notes Robert G. Koester; recorded by Bill Cody and Stu Welder; design Kate Hoddinott. Glass mastered by Nimbus; barcode 0 38153-0621-2 5; SPARS AAD.
About the artist
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (24 August 1905 - 28 March 1974) was a Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist born in Forest, Mississippi, who recorded for Bluebird in Chicago from about 1940 and later lived in Virginia; his songs include "That's All Right". [Source: Wikipedia]