This was the only one of the four albums reviewed here that I owned previously, and I’m very pleased how this new edition sounds and looks. A somewhat quiet album comprised of Mississippi John Hurt’s solo voice and guitar folk-blues recordings, originally released in 1966’s “Today!” It was his first for Vanguard, and among the first recordings issued after his 1963 rediscovery — I definitely appreciated this reissue’s dead-quiet noise floor, which allowed the music to jump out of my speakers more dramatically than my (likely) late- ’60s/early-’70s pressing. For this new edition, Craft Recordings went to the trouble of reproducing the orange Vanguard “Stereolab” label that was found on original pressings — a cool bit of detailing for collectors truly appreciate.
Some of my favorite songs here include “Candy Man” (Side One, Track 3), “Corrinna, Corrinna” (Side One, Track 6), and perhaps — most significantly — “Coffee Blues” (Side Two, Track 1), with its distinctive “my lovin’ spoonful” chorus. For those who may be wondering — yes, the legendary hit-making 1960s Greenwich Village, New York folk-rock band The Lovin’ Spoonful got their name from this song.
Original pressings of “Today!” are not super-rare, but the trick is finding one that isn’t what I call “well-loved” so this reissue is a lovely item to buy
The Fat Angel Sings 