Since several posters on the forum have recently invoked Nat Riddles as somebody who might possibly deserve consideration as an all-time great, I've decided to take the unusual step of making his music available to everybody here for the price of $1.
I wanted to give it away for free, but Tradebit won't let me change the on-sale value to $0, and if I go below $1, I run the risk that Tradebit will lose money on every purchase, because they pay the PayPal fees. So I've put it at $1.
I hope that those who have paid full price over the past several years will understand why I'm doing this. I think Nat's achievements as a blues harmonica player deserve to be more widely known. I have no idea if he's one of the all-time greats, but he is certainly great in SOME way, and it would be good to have some discussion of his playing on the part of many here who perhaps don't know his music.
Rereading the liner notes, which are also posted on the Tradebit page, I realize that I made a case for Nat's inclusion on the all-time list. I stand by it--but I'm open to other opinions. My reservation has always been that Nat wasn't wildly original; he wasn't an innovator. He was a distiller of the tradition. (It's also true that his singing is, most of the time, merely serviceable.) The precise dimensions of his achievement as a player are hard to put into words; I feel them, certainly, but I'm curious to know what others think. And of course I hope most of all that anybody who hasn't previously paid him much attention will enjoy his music.
Since I'm essentially giving away the music, I'll ask only one thing in return: listen to most or all of the album before posting your reactions here, rather than assuming that any one or two tracks are representative. Nat deserves that much.
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2010 6:16 AM
Thanks Adam. That is a fantastic price for an amazing slice of history. I have just bought it and am downloading it at the moment.
For me Nat is one of those players who as you rightly say wasn't wildly original but man he had the chops. He could play the heck out of that harmonica. He had great tone.
For me he (like many others) was like an olympic torch carrier of the blues. He just held the flame in his hands and nurtured it lovingly until the next Olympian came to take it over.
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2010 6:14 AM
TO listen to Nat work the crowd is worth more than the normal asking price, and at a dollar.....ridiculous.
Do yourself a favor, Adam will throw in a free set of steak knives as well. ( subject to availability)
This is the most distinctive, powerful, traditional blues you will hear. I bought this a couple of years ago, and still listen to it on a weekly if not daily basis.
Adam , has this been pitch adjusted, as I'll buy it again.
I don't listen to music very much and blues and harmonica are no exception... I don't know most of the harmonica musicians so I really shouldn't judge who deserves to go into what list,... etc. However, Nat always stunned me as one of the most soulful players. More than with any of the well known all-time greats (and most musicians in general) I could relate to his music the first time I heard it. Btw. his BluesTV recording is priceless:
---------- germanharpist on YT. =;-) - Resonance is KEY!
I have just had a quick skim through the tracks (will listen in more detail later tonight). I love the ambience of this recording. Nats vocals and harp playing are emotional, full, fat and greasy. Charlie Hilberts guitar sounds wonderful too as always. I'm going to burn it to CD and play it on my main stereo tonight. I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot from this recording.
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2010 6:56 AM
Downloading right now. Thanks Adam. About 9 minutes until completion. Giving a couple of lessons tonight, but spending the rest of the evening with a guitarist friend of mine. This is how we're going to spend our evening. Can't wait.
---------- "You will never get every possible thing out of an instrument, but the instrument will get every possible thing out of you" - Ray Charles.
Jaybird: I guess I could do that. Since Charlie Hilbert is part of the recording too, I'm going to give him whatever accumulates--probably 50 cents an album--as I have been giving him $4 per full-price album since I first uploaded it. Also, it's much quicker and easier for me to just adjust the price on tradebit then upload (which takes about 23 minutes, 'cause I just started it on mediafire), administer, and delete.
This is quick and easy for me, and hopefully minimal trouble for others.
It's a dollar...you'll be hard-pressed to buy a drink of any kind for that price! And you can enjoy it much longer(and it probably won't make you do the peepee dance!). ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2010 7:53 AM
Once you buy it, you've got 72 hours to download. That's actually the advantage of it costing $1 rather than being free. If it were free, the moment I changed the price back to $10 tomorrow morning is the moment that downloading (for free or low cost) will end.
Sure: buy for a buck now, download in two days if you want.
Ups,... posted it on the german blues harp forum (jack-black) already - with positive feedback. Gotta share the gospel... ---------- germanharpist on YT. =;-) - Resonance is KEY!
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2010 10:01 AM
I bought this album a short while back, and was very happy to pay the full price. It being rough round the edges, in my opinion, makes it all the more better.
Aswell as the songs, listening to all the crowd interaction, and general on the street noises, justs adds to the whole enjoyment of it.
You're welcome to post this link on other forums. The only thing I ask is that you don't re-upload the zip file and continue to distribute if for free after this offer. I'd also ask that you'd police--and shun--anybody who does that.
But yes, I mean for this to be a 24-hour spree that lets EVERY serious harmonica student and harp fan have a go at the Nat Riddles I knew. He deserves to be on the map. This is a way of achieving that very rapidly.
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2010 12:46 PM
I am very thankfull to you for doing this. I have watched the Nat video that you had posted over and over again and I am now looking forward to trying to get some of his inflection into my playing. Thank you again for sharing a bit of your past. Most gracious of you. ---------- "Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
Sorry for all of the questions, but, when I download it, can it be downloaded again? I just need to make sure I get it on the right computer otherwise!!!
WOW! like adam said- the quality aint the best, but the tracks i've heard are great.
sorry. i didnt listen to most of the tracks, per adam's request. maybey i should hold off on the review. who knows- the last 20 could take a drastic turn to suckville! NAHHHH!
I'm glad everyone is going for this! Great idea Adam.
The opening to My Baby She Left me is one of my favorites. About a year ago, I spent about 3 weeks in the woodshed learning it, and I just love playing along to it.
As well as learning some of Nats Signature stuff, it taught me a lot about timing. ( Not that I can do it anywhere like him!, but its fun trying )
Hey....this was a STEAL at the full price !! ---------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
thanks, Adam. Perfect timing for the two hours I needed to spend driving today. The occasional car horn or siren did make me check my surroundings a few times! Great stuff!
Oh, THE TONE, THE TONE...We don't need no stinking Hi-Fidelty to hear THE TONE from the man. That's absolutely the most tone that I've ever bought for $1.
Very cool! It's kind of like when Radiohead put their album up and let people buy it for whatever price they wanted, only less expensive because unless someone tells you it's OK to only spend a dollar you feel you have to give more! This is the best stimulus plan so far!
