The Rising Sons - "The Devil's Got My Woman"

It's a bit uncanny to listen to a song recorded more than forty years ago and feel it's fresh and relevant. This is particularly so when it's a cover of a classic Delta blues song by Skip James. However, that's the case with this track.

The Rising Sons would have been a folk/blues/rock supergroup if they had formed a decade or two later, but instead their place in history is secured by being the first recorded effort of both Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal. The band only stayed together from 1964 to 1966, and their lone album for Columbia Records never saw a proper release. One single was issued in 1966, and that was it. Luckily, the fruits of that session were finally released in 1992. This year a gussied up vinyl release of their dozen best tracks was released by Sundazed Music.

Listening to their lone album reveals the precursor of bands like Moby Grape, The Grateful Dead, and The Byrds. The recordings are a bit unpolished and I can see why it might have proved challenging to the brass at Columbia. It is, however, interesting both as a document of its participants early careers and for its content. This track may not be all that representative, but it's the one that I keep playing.

The Rising Sons - The Devil's Got My Woman

The song may be familiar not only to blues aficionados, but to fans of Ghost World. It's the rare record that Seymour shows to Enid. I'd like to point out that whatever brain cells house that information could surely be put to better use.