Oliver, Paul, Blues Off The Record

Oliver, Paul, Blues Off The Record

Published: 1984 Da Capo Press, 297 pages

An collection of Oliver's short writings, anthologized from magazine articles and record sleeve notes. The essays cover a vast range of topics, from "Music on Improvised Instruments" and "Country String Bands" through discussions of individual artists, to a discussion of the guitars that early blues singers used.

Pros: The range of subjects is broad enough that almost any fan of pre-1970s blues should find something of interest. There's a tremendous amount of information collected here.

Cons: Though the essays are arranged thematically, there's no narrative flow. The necessarily short length of the original essays can leave one wishing for a more in-depth treatment of some subjects.