The end of my year is always fraught with peril. Not because of the holidays. My bete noire is much more insidious: year-end critics’ polls and best-of lists. In late autumn, when the call goes out from my editors to compile these beasts, my heart stops – and my mind starts racing: “What did I overlook?” “What did I overrate?” “Will my colleagues stone me when I disclose how much I love Taylor Swift?” [Editor's note: This one probably won't.]
You get the idea.
But here is one accolade I can bestow without reservation. In 2008, Mississippi Records was the label I trusted most with my hard-earned money. Even if I knew nothing about a new release on this small imprint – and given the selective nature of their roster, that was often the case – I would shell out for it.
The folks at Mississippi have issued everything from a concept album about the life of Malcolm X (recorded by one of Sun Ra’s associates), African highlife and ju-ju music, and the percussive molam sounds of the ’70s Thai Orchestra, to reissues of postpunk (Animals & Men), soul (Irma Thomas) and blues (Skip James). Despite this broad stylistic range, I have yet to find a clunker in the bunch. Over two dozen titles, and no duds. That’s a damn good average.
We got off on a good foot together a couple years ago, when I gambled on a copy of What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? by Washington Phillips (an early gospel performer who “may, or may not have played the Dolceola”). Our relationship has only grown more secure with each album I sample. And I’m not the only one. Boutique vendors such as Aquarius Records in San Francisco and Volcanic Tongue in Glasgow make a special point of highlighting the latest Mississippi releases.
The label, as it exists today, is a two-man operation. Warren Hill is based in Montreal, Canada; his partner, Eric Isaacson, operates a record store (also called Mississippi Records) in Portland, Oregon. The proprietors keep a low public profile. When I asked Mississippi associate and Yeti magazine publisher Mike McGonigal, who penned the liner notes to the excellent gospel set Life Is A Problem, how to track Isaacson down, I was told he doesn’t give interviews. My friend Lucy managed to snag a brief one for her fanzine; it was conducted via handwritten letters. Sound precious? Bah! I prefer to think of it as attention to detail – and putting music first.
Mississippi has a simple mission statement: to release worthwhile, hard-to-find music. On vinyl only. At affordable prices. As the cost of new LPs continues to go up, Mississippi keeps its fine products in the $10 range. While they champion music from around the globe, regional sounds are of particular importance. Their roster includes titles by Tara Jane O’Neil and seminal Portland punk band the Rats; recently, they inaugurated the North Portland Music Series, “attempting to bring attention to the incredible range of music that has come out of our neighborhood for the past 101 years.” Sound unheard, I purchased Vol. #2, by Sad Horse. Its six cuts of stripped-down, exuberant blues-punk was money well spent.
Mississippi presses its releases in very limited runs. My Washington Phillips LP was an edition of 500. In the past, such practices made me nuts. What if I didn’t have funds ready to buy a copy in time? But now, with finances growing tighter, and my entertainment options changing, Mississippi fits my new old-fashioned lifestyle nicely. When I invite folks to drop by on a weekend afternoon or evening, to drink beer and spin new records, someone always seems to have the latest Mississippi title. There’s enough to go around.
It isn’t the fact that Mississippi only releases vinyl that ensures the label’s cachet. Hell, since folks finally woke up and realized compact discs are crap, even Costco and Wal-Mart started carrying vinyl again. This isn’t about something as basic as the medium – although their packaging and liner notes are joyous and thoughtful, imbued with a crude beauty reminiscent of Folkways’ finest. Music lovers can rely on Isaacson and Hill to do more than just sell them a quality product at a reasonable price. Mississippi delivers a consistently satisfying listening experience, regardless of genre, time and time and time again.
Fans trust them.
How many other labels in 2008 could honestly say that?
