"Blues: The 'Dark Paintings' of Mark Rothko" is one of Loren Connors' most cherished and sought after albums.

Originally released in a handmade edition of 300 copies on Connors' own St. Joan imprint in January 1990 under the name Guitar Roberts - "Blues" has been unavailable in any form until now.

At time of its release, Connors was still an inscrutable guitarist whose matchless and alien rendering of the blues was just gaining recognition despite more than a dozen solo and collaborative releases since 1978.

Connors' classic, song-based "In Pittsburgh" had only been available for three months when "Blues" welcomed the new decade with its reformation of the blues as minimalist lines and tone; a compound of influences spanning Louisiana guitarist Robert Pete Johnson to painter Mark Rothko.

For this reissue, the audio was restored to Connors' specifications of how these seven instrumentals were intended to sound.

Cover art is an untitled 1969 Rothko work - a painting that influenced the album. The original LP jacket it replicated as a full-color inner sleeve.

New liner notes by music historian Byron Coley chart Connors development and Rothko's influence.

Pressed on pristine 150 gram vinyl by Quality Record Pressing in an 800 edition; includes download coupon.