Recording information: 1927 - 1932.
<p>TRAIN WHISTLE BLUES is a little short at 16 tracks, but no other single-disc Jimmie Rodgers compilation focuses so completely on his early recordings, including several songs that other compilations put aside because they don't fit the received wisdom on what Jimmie Rodgers "should" sound like. For example, the set kicks off with "Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues," a song that is as much New Orleans jazz (complete with piano and cornet) as it is country. Later on, "Travellin' Blues" utilizes a weepy violin (as opposed to fiddle) line as its musical lead and features a Rodgers vocal that owes much to the country blues tradition. Some of Rodgers' classics are missing -- no "T For Texas," no "Muleskinner Blues" -- but those looking for a secondary compilation to follow the purchase of THE ESSENTIAL JIMMIE RODGERS (still the best starting point) should invest in TRAIN WHISTLE BLUES.
