This is my feeble attempt at making a one-stop shop for all things related to Mississippi Records. Let’s have at it then…

Any Questions?

Q: What is Mississippi Records, then?

A: Mississippi Records is a record store/independent record label in Portland, Oregon,  in the USA. It was founded by Alex Yusimov, who used his friend Greg Isaacson’s record store as a base of operations. The two put $3000 into the project, which is basically to compile rare and out of print records and sell them for cheap.

Q: What kind of music do they put out?

A: It’s varied. The two have put out (at the time of writing) 29 releases, which are mostly compilations of a certain type of music, long out of print and extremely difficult to find – varying from straight gospel , live jazz, African High-Life, to Portland bands. There are also a few releases from more ‘famous’ artists, such as Skip James and Irma Thomas. The first release was an album by label founder, Alex Yusimov.

Q: Do you think they won’t mind you shamelessly ripping off their work online? Have you heard of the RIAA? etc, etc…

A: Well, that is a point. I cannot claim to represent Messrs. Yusimov, Isaacson, or anyone else who helps them in their operation, or have any contact with them whatsoever. If anyone from Mississippi Records, or a record label demands to take this blog down,  I don’t have much of a leg to stand on. However,  I can profess a deep love of the music they put out on their label, which is why i’m making this blog. There are some things to consider.

  1. Mississippi Records is, in a very very crude sense, a bootleg label. They put out the songs they want to on their records. They do try to license their recordings whenever they possibly can, however.
  2. However, this is mostly irrelevant.
  3. This is because most of the recordings come before the 1950’s, weren’t put out on major labels, sold in large amounts or pressed in large numbers. The artists are many, they are (sadly) either very old or dead by now, they were (in almost all instances) not famous, the small labels they were on have gone bust…. it is in short, a nightmare. Someone who has helped put together a few of their LP’s, a Mr. Mike McGooney-Gal (His screenname on Ilxor.com), has this to say : “My understanding with music from this era, from the 20s and 30s and often even later, it is incredibly difficult to track people down. If you wanted to pay for Washington Phillips royalties, I don’t even know how you could. If you notice, Miss. LPs are very inexpensive, and they always attempt to license songs. To the best of my knowledge, a number of mississippi records have been either officially “cleared” of the need for royalties — as w/ the latest african disc, that one was fully public domain, or have a very high percentage of royalties going to the artists, as with the Philip Cohran album.“
  4. So hopefully that is some justification. As is the fact that i have literally never, ever, ever seen a CD by Washington Phillips.  Or Utah Smith. Or Sister O.M. Terrell. You simply cannot find these acts anywhere, apart from Mississippi Records.
  5. That said, there are some releases that are quite easy to find on CD, or likewise. The most notable one is the Skip James 1931 release. As to avoid the WebBitch, I will not post that record here.

So that’s the legal crap sorted out.  I think.

Q: What if i want to buy a record? Is it impossible?

A: It’s definitely possible. I shall put links with the album to an online dealer, like Boomkat or Honest Jon’s, where they have them for sale. However, these records are in steep demand, and are pressed in very small numbers, so the likelihood of them being in stock is low.  Of course, you could always drop into the shop, which is at 4007 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, Oregon,  say ‘Hi’, and pick up a few from there. Also, their new tape series (old school or what?) is available exclusively from the shop. Or eBay, where a set of 6 just went for $200.

Q: FLACS?

A: No. I do not own any Mississippi releases in a physical format, just have downloaded them from various blogs. This makes conversion a no-no. All releases posted will be in mp3 format, and when you are dealing with a grainy field recording, it doesn’t matter what format it is, it’s still grainy. Plus, you can’t put FLACS on your iPod. WTF?

Q: Who are you? Why are you doing this?

A: My name is Sam Black, and I’m a student in Brighton, UK. I”ve been listening to Mississippi Records for the last 6 months, on a recommendation from Spiritualized frontman, J Spaceman, who is my favourite musician. He loves Mississppi Records too, so I checked out Life Is A Problem, and it’s been love ever since. So, seeing as i gleefully stole this music from other bloggers, i thought it best to give a little back.

Q: You didn’t answer my question/Can you put such and such record up….

A: Well, come drop me either A) a comment or B) an email at sam(at)liquid6(dot)com. Don’t be shy! As for records, there is some i don’t have. There will be a ‘Wanted’ list posted after a while. If there’s a record you want next in the queue or can’t find, just leave a comment and i’ll get on it 🙂

First up… Life Is A Problem.

Thanks for reading, y’all.