Complete Recordings
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Audio CD (20 August, 1990)
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Editorial Review

This two-CD box contains all 41 recordings Johnson made, including 12 alternate takes, and each cut remains a classic. This set's release in 1990 caused quite a stir, selling more than 500,000 copies, and, on the basis of endorsements from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, introduced a great number of rock fans to Delta blues. Amazingly, Johnson built his enormous legacy on the strength of just two recording sessions: the first session, in November of 1936, produced among others "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," "Sweet Home Chicago," "Cross Road Blues," and "Walkin' Blues," making it perhaps the most influential single session in blues history.--Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (89)

This release has been superseded.
The 'King of the Delta Blues Singers' CDs (Volumes 1 and 2), as re-released in 1998 and 2004, respectively, effectively render this release obsolete. On the newer CDs, the digital cleaning is much more apparent and makes a huge difference to sound quality.

However, the 'alternate' takes contained on this edition have yet to be released elsewhere. But to complicate things, the 'King of the Delta Blues Singers' CDs contain a mixture of 1st and 2nd takes, so it's a hit and miss affair. Personally, I prefer the 1st takes of 'Crossroad Blues', 'Me and the Devil Blues' and 'Love in Vain' - and the newer CDs contain the second takes (which is how they appeared on the original releases in the 1960s).

So, for completists (at this point in time), the best bet is to own this set and the newer CDs - which I am sure you do already. Then you'll have everything (until they turn up another alternate take!), but for beginners, check out 'King of the Delta Blues Singers' Vol. 1 and 2.

Raw and unique
MOst of the criticism of this album comes from two angles: either it is not accessible material (read boring acoustic blues) or overated and not as worthy as others.The first is perfectly understanding if your preference is lively electric blues (ala BB King or Buddy Guy).The second misses the point; even if the material is not original or the best craftmanship from its era (and musical playing skill does not necessarily equate to greatness, hence the greatness of Bob Dylan).That's just academic snobbery; no one can deny the profound effect it had on the giants of modern rock.

On its own merits the album is by no means an easy listen, and I only listen to it sporadically now (after my initial fascination) and for short periods before it gets too repetitive.Nonetheless, I give it 5 stars for the unique sound of his guitar playing, which is very intriguing (often haunting and mesmerizing) and often turns suddenly in unexpected directions.While most blues is straight ahead and builds on a rythm, Johnson's songs are very sporadic and lurching, with very interesting note choices.In the blues medium I would compare him to Thelonious Monk's playing in Jazz: disjointed but extremely compelling.

I like the blues, acoustic I really like Lonnie Johnson, Lightning Hopkins and Sonny Boy Williamson.While the academics might sneer at the "soul" of modern rock or purity of electric blues, count me among those who loves fast paced rock or blues (especially in blues Albert King and Albert Collins).While I'm not a big Clapton fan, there is lot of his stuff I do like (his Robert Johnson tribute is too milk toast for me).

Robert Johnson's Complete Recordings is powerful stuff.

Most tribute albums are second rate and overally derivative.However, if I was to compile a Robert Johnson cover album that kicks tail, here's how I'd put it together (song, artist, album):
1. Stop Breaking Down, Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street
2. Steady Rolling Man, Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Blvd
3. Drunken Hearted Boy, Allman Bros. (live), Fillmore Concerts
4. Traveling Riverside Blues, Led Zeppelin, Box Set
5. Walking Blues, Grateful Dead (live), Without a Net
6. Love in Vain, Rolling Stones (live), Get Yer Ya Ya's Out
7. Crossroads, Derek and Dominoes (live), Crossroads Box Set
8. Come on in my Kitchen, Allman Bros., Shades of Two Worlds
9. They're Red Hot, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Majik

From Robinsonville to San Antonio
Old 78`s.....black and with an odd shine,contain no more than 6 or 7 minutes of music - counting both sides.Some of the best music thats ever been recorded sits inside of those records.Robert Johnson was one of the best blues singers and guitarists ever....hands down.Followed in chronologic order the music gets more serious over time...maybe more desperate.He knew this was it,his chance....he gave his all and it shows.He learned and watched and listened and felt everything that was going on around him.
And his teachers were the true greats of the delta blues - Son House,Charley Patton,Sonny Boy Williamson,Willie Brown,ect. - he was the student and he took in everything and then went away to come back with an impressive talent honed into a scary,even technically perfect playing style.That and a really fine voice and some great lyrics.But the brightest stars burn the fastest,Robert Johnson died at the age of 27...poisoned by a jealous husband for the relationship Robert had been having with his wife.This collection of songs and two pictures are all thats left but he did exist and was trully great - find out for yourself.
... Read more

Asin: B000002757
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Pop   

The Anthology: 1947-1972
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 August, 2001)
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Editorial Review

Muddy Waters should need no introduction. Not only did he provide a name for the world's greatest rock & roll band, but he also created the Chicago electric blues sound that's dominated the genre since he first hit the windy city in the late 1940s. His bands also featured what would become a who's who of electric blues: Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and the list goes on. The Anthology covers Waters's most important period: his first years at Chess through the late 1960s. All his best-known songs are featured in their definitive versions, providing the perfect introduction to a blues master who doesn't need one. --Mike Johnson ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (8)

Great anthology
If you don't want to get to get the 3 CD Chess box as a Muddy collection of Chess recorded numbers, get this one. The track selection is great, I'm especially glad to see 19 pre 1954 Muddy numbers which I especially like because of Muddy;s slide playing. The next few tracks have less prominent guitar, but arre somewhat more catchy and Muddy's voice got better , so I won't argue. You even get two live acoustic tracks -My home is in the Delta and Good morning little schoolgirls, as well as some latter day numbers, especially from number 17 on the second disc onward. Get it it's worth it.

Muddy's best
This is a comprehensive two disc set of the man who defined Chicago blues. Muddy Waters started out in the Delta working as a guitar playing farm hand but moved to Chicago in the 40's, where he took his delta styled playing and plugged in to make a new music that was loud, raucous, and yet retained the subtleties of the Delta. His powerful voice and his slippery slide-guitar influenced the rock and roll generation of Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, who took both their name and their hit "Satisfaction" from Muddy.

Whooooeeeee! I finally got this great CD compilation!
I've been dropping hints for about two months to my wife that I wanted this 2 CD set for Christmas. I'll drop the cash for a silly PlayStation 2 game for my son, but I won't spend even half of that to buy this CD for me. Well, my wife was listening because I got it for Christmas and I've been playing it non-stop for two days! The two CDs do a great job of following Muddy's ascent from acoustic guitar backed by bass in the late '40s and early '50s to his electrification that helped shape what we now know as Chicago Blues. All of the tracks are taken from the Chess/MCA recordings, and anything he recorded from '72 until his death 11 years later is missing. But that's OK, I've got most of those CDs anyway... This compilation is put together chronologically and, for once, it's put together with some intelligence. There's not an ounce of filler on either CD, and they use up the available time a CD provides -- CD 1 has 26 tracks and CD 2 boasts 24. CD 1 is great layin' in bed and drifting off to sleep music. CD 2 is great slip-in-my-truck-CD-player material and got me to work in a GREAT mood this morning! I highly recommend this for anyone who doesn't know Muddy's music, or who wants some quality audio -- no muffled sound, peaks and dips, just consistent, high-quality folk/blues and down dirty boogie blues that made McKinley Morganfield the definitive King of the Blues (sorry, B.B., I love ya, but Muddy is the Man!). ... Read more

Asin: B00005NHLY
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Revival    3. Chicago Blues    4. Delta Blues    5. Drums    6. Electric Blues    7. Electric Chicago Blues    8. Pop    9. Slide Guitar Blues    10. United States of America   

Blues Masters: The Very Best of T-Bone Walker
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Audio CD (20 June, 2000)
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Reviews (2)

One that lives up to its title
A lot of compilations have a title similar to this one, "the best of someone or other", yet still leave a lot to be desired.

That's not the case with this excellent Rhino collection, however. It may not be the definitive word on Aaron Thibeaux Walker (you'll need the two Capitol/Black & White and Imperial box sets for that), but it is the best single-disc retrospective available, and if you are looking for a really good sampler of T-Bone Walker's music, this is it.
Almost all of Walkers best-known songs are here, including his self-penned classics "They Call It Stormy Monday", "Mean Old World" and "I'm Still In Love With You", and "The Very Best Of T-Bone Walker" is an ideal starting place for the curious or the casual fan.

A Nice Restrspective of T-Bone's 1945-1960 Output
The electric guitar innovator gets the Rhino treatment with this 16-track collection of Imperial, Rumboogie, Capitol, Atlantic, Comet and Black & White sides.This is by no means the definitive collection of Walker's work, but it does serve as a nice retrospective of his 1945-1960 output.

If you were born after 1960, a little refresher is in order.T-Bone Walker influenced at least two generations of blues guitarists.Albert Collins, Freddy King, Eric Clapton, Jimmie Vaughan and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan are but a few.For those who think of "Stormy Monday" as an Allman Brothers song, think again.And Eric Clapton didn't create "Mean Old World."

This compilation serves as a nice primer.It includes the aforementioned classic "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday's Just as Bad)" and "Mean Old World Blues."Also featured are "Papa Ain't Salty," "How Long Blues" and "The T-Bone Shuffle" and many more.

As usual Rhino offers the listener extensive, well reseached liner notes (this time by Billy Vera).The booklet comes complete with rare pictures and individual track information (personnel, songwriting credits, chart position, etc.).Kudos to Rhino for doing an excellent job,This compilation rates a strong B+.However, T-Bone merits more than 16 songs.A two CD set featuring some well-chosen rarities and underappreciated gems would have made this an A+ offering. ... Read more

Asin: B00004TJ85
Sales Rank: 60624
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Electric Blues    3. Electric Texas Blues    4. Pop    5. Texas Blues    6. Urban Blues    7. West Coast Blues   

His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection)
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Audio CD (08 April, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Chester Burnett's ferocious growl was a staple of Chicago's electric-blues heyday. This 20-song compilation ranges from his 1951 debut "Moanin' at Midnight" with Willie Johnson on guitar to 1964's "Killing Floor" with Buddy Guy on guitar. His scratchy, sawed-off vocal approach and his energetic harmonica grace original classics such as "How Many More Years" and "Smokestack Lightnin'." By 1960, he became, along with Muddy Waters, the foremost interpreter of Willie Dixon's songs, lending his coarse voice to legendary Dixon cuts such as "Wang Dang Doodle," "Back Door Man," "Spoonful," "The Red Rooster," and "I Ain't Superstitious." Wolf's style was based on primal raw power, and he ranks among the genre's most distinctive performers. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (34)

SOME GREAT CLASSIC BLUES
Howlin' Wolf has the got one of the most incredible voices ever. This is a great single disc comptilation of his work. He was obviously highly inspiring too many of the english guitarists and musicians. He (like muddy waters) has an all star band with some of the greatest bluesman ever. Track Listing-
1. Moanin' At Midnight- 10/10
2. How Many More Years- 10/10
3. Evil- 10/10
4. Forty-Four 10/10
5. Smokestack Lightnin'- 10/10
6. I Asked For Water- 8.5/10
7. Who's Been Talkin'- 10/10
8. Sitting On Top of the World- 10/10
9. Howlin' For My Darling- 9/10
10. Wang Dang Doodle- 10/10
11. Back Door Man- 9.5/10
12. Spoonful- 10/10
13. Shake For Me- 10/10
14. The Red Rooster- 10/10
15. I Ain't Superstitious- 10/10
16. Goin' Down Slow- 10/10
17. Three Hunder Pounds of Joy- 10/10
18. Hidden Charms- 10/10
19. Built for Comfort- 10/10
20. Killing Floor- 10/10

This album is phenomenal. Some of the greatest blues you will ever hear, buy it!

20 classics from the Wolf!
Opening with "Moanin' at Midnight", Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett) uses a low hum filled with overtones that distorts the microphone for eight seconds until the guitar and drums enter. The Wolf then does a distorting howl and then goes on the harmonica and the tempo gradually increases to become the instant Delta blues classic that it is. It is one of the strangest yet one of the neatest sounds that was ever part of a song. When you hear it, don't worry because your speakers aren't broken. The song sounds pretty good from something from 1951. That song and its B-side "How Many More Years" were recorded for Sam Phillips in Memphis. The masters were sold to Chess when the Wolf was signed to Chess, too. The 18 other songs are pure, raw blues. The Chess musicians were a fine group of musicians and really knew how to crank out the blues especially with people like Howlin' Wolf. "Smokestack Lightning", "I Asked for Water", "Hidden Charms", and "Killing Floor" have hot guitar licks. Listen for "Spoonful"; yeah! That's another hot one. The entire song is flawless and there's a neat rhythm and a drive to it. My favorite! I've suddenly taken an interest in blues music and this is indeed a sheer example of what the blues was all about. I was more into the rock'n'roll of those days and not necessarily straight and pure blues. Man, they had some real good stuff then. If you're just discovering Howlin' Wolf, this is the one to really lend an ear to. You'll be glad you did. WOO-OO!

epitomized the blues for me
and why not? more than any other blues singer, Howlin Wolf has had a major influence on a lot of very important bands.I recognized songs covered by Cream, The Doors, and the Steve Miller Band, among others on this disc.These are blues standards for one reason; Wolf speaks directly and has few pretensions.The hooks are also really good, just listen to the bone crunching bass line on "backdoor man" to see why it is so much better than the Doors version.Classic song after classic song is included here, for all to enjoy.You need this in your collection to have a complete blues collection.It might even be the best introduction to the blues that there is! ... Read more

Asin: B000005KQM
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Pop   

His Best : The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection
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Audio CD (17 June, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs is perhaps the most influential harmonica player on contemporary blues, and his collection is a great place to start. He was trained by Muddy Waters, but brought a more swinging feel to blues. Muddy and his band accompany Little Walter on many hits, as do Robert "Jr." Lockwood, the Aces, and other Chicago greats. In the 1950s, Little Walter's popularity eclipsed even Waters', his style a little more relaxed and pop-oriented. Walter's versions of many songs are the standards: "Blues with a Feeling," "You're So Fine," "Juke." Great stuff. --Robert Gordon ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Almost 5 stars!
Great collection, but I am missing Little Walter's cover of Willie Dixon's "Dead Presidents" which is on the Chess Box Willie Dixon Collection - why wouldn't it be here? Chess owns the rights to the song, and it's a magnificent representation of Little Walter's powers as a blues musician. Other than that omission, it's perfect!

****1/2. Almost perfect
This is the best available single-disc overview of Little Walter Jacobs' career.
The highly renowned blues harmonica player was not a singer of the caliber of Muddy Waters, or a songwriter to rival Sonny Boy Williamson (II), but his recording career spanned some 20 years, and there are more than enough gems in his catalogue to fill this disc to the point of overflowing.

"His Best" has the best sound currently available, and excellent liner notes, and while the double-disc "The Essential Little Walter" is more thorough, this is all that most listeners will need. A couple of great songs are missing, most notably Walter's gritty rendition of Willie Dixon's "Dead Presidents", but that's a minor quibble...almost all of Walter's best is here.

1997's "His Best" takes the place of MCA/Chess' original 12-track LP "The Best Of Little Walter", a landmark blues album which had remained in print for over three decades. Here is his first hit single, the instrumental hit "Juke", as well as Walter's versions of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key To The Highway", Dixon's "My Babe", and T-Bone Walker's "Mean Old World" (shamelessly credited to Jacobs himself). And virtually all of Walter's best self-penned songs are here..."Blues With A Feeling", "Boom Boom, Out Goes The Light", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", "Tell Me Mama", and numerous often excellent instrumentals.

This is certainly the place to start, the finest single-disc Little Walter-compilation on the market.

Little Walter: His Best
Beginning his career performing his masterful harmonica playing in Muddy Waters' band, Little Walter broke out on his own with his 1952 hit "Juke." From there Walter's amplified sound (which he originated) became a common entity of Chicago blues. This best-of collection selects the cream of the crop from mostly Walters 1950's sessions recorded for the Chess label; revealing him not only as a divine harmonica player, but as a skilled songwriter as well.

Included on the album are classic numbers such as the bouncing rhythm of the aforementioned "Juke", the wailing harmonica of "Blues With A Feeling", and the hopping "My Babe", a song penned by the great Willie Dixon, becoming the biggest hit of Walter's career in early 1955.

In addition, three photographs and six pages of insightful,well written notes by Billy Altman are included. Although a few noteworthy numbers are absent, this collection remains a fine testament of one of the founding fathers of Chicago Blues. ... Read more

Asin: B000005KQT
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Electric Harmonica Blues    6. Harmonica Blues    7. Pop    8. United States of America   

John Lee Hooker: The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 November, 1991)
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Editorial Review

This 2 CD set represents the best introduction to Hooker's trademark sound: one- and two-chord vamps delivered with a hypnotic, perpetual boogie rhythm and accented by reverberating staccato runs and intense foot-stomping. With his deep, rich voice, Hooker electrified the blues of the Delta, bringing the stark, brooding sound to the city and influencing scores of rock musicians. Most of his highlights are here: from early Modern classics "Boogie Chillen," "Crawlin' King Snake," and "House Rent Boogie"; to Vee-Jay singles "Boom Boom" and "Dimples"; to 1966 Chess work with Chicagoans Lafayette Leake and Willie Dixon;to 1971 collaborations with rockers Canned Heat;to performances with modern blues stars Roy Rogers and Bonnie Raitt. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The creative innovative artistry of John Lee Hooker
I've been listening to Hooker for about 45 years. I can't say that there is a single Hooker side I have ever heard, at least until some of the last sides where other artists pitched in with him to do some CDs to help raise money to get him through his final illness, any single track by Hooker that I didn't think every single blues lover should have.Get this, and then get everything else Hooker did, whatever you can afford!

These recordings start with some of the initial hits that Hooker had when he first began to record blues and his great combination of electric guitar and basic modal blues won him great popularity. The originals like Boogie Chille and King Snake, followed by a bunch of remakes of hot R & B tunes like One Scotch One Bourbon one beer.

There seems to be a lot of later material here, where Hooker remakes not the R & B hits that are contemporary to him, but a number of "delta blues" tunes that became standards among blues performers playing for "folk" artists starting in the late 1960s.

Hooker is good all the time. Myself, I prefer the stuff from the 1940s and the early 1950s which were R & B oriented blues.His covers of songs made famous by Amos Milburn, Winnonie Harris, and even Charles Brown were great music and an important dialogue about the blues.I also prefer the two covers of non-Blues material, Jazz and pop standards here: "I cover the waterfront" and "Frisco Blues" which is really based on Tony Bennett's "I left my Heart in San Fransisco." There are really important statements about how the blues dialogues with the the tin pan alley method of song writing. They also speak to Hooker's power as a poet and a musican.

Like too many blues artists, Hooker tends to be reduced to a primitivist stereotype. Rather than being a creative artist whose depth of spirit, intellect, music and poetry create a new power and product with his music, he is misinterpreted as some kind of relict of an older or truer blues tradition. Rather than a real artist, he is dehumanized as the real thing! Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could minimize his artistry more.

Hooker's music falls into the generation of the R & B bluesmen of the late 1940s who brought the stream of music from the Delta--Johnny Lee being from Clarksdale--to the North, Muddy Waters to Chicago, Johnny Lee to Detroit.Johnny's music, particularly his music from the late 1940s and 1950s when he was popular not among white ex folkies or whites who think they love the blues, but in the Black community, is impossible to understand outside of the context of postwar R & B, not the initial delta blues. The dance rhythm that proceeds from Boogie Chillun, King Snake, Boom Boom Boom, wouldn't have worked in a 1920s Juke Joint. It belongs someplace like Henry's Swing Club where a rockin' rhythm is coming from the attempt to combine the power of swing with the rock of the blues that created R & B in the 1940s.

Hooker was a highly sophisticated musician who developed his own off-shoot from the traditional trajectory of blues artists.Starting with the great female blues stars and Blind Lemon Jefferson, the direction of blues has been to harmonize the essential modal African-based musics of the blues.

Hooker took the music in an entirely different method, by returning to the modal base of the music. To do so he essentially goes away from the tendency of blues musicians to develop the music into a band music. He solves the problem of filling the sound that had become expected without the harmonizing basis for different instruments to work together in a band by technological innovation, not tradition.He was the first bluesman to take full advantage of the ability of electric guitars and amplifiers to do more than make the sound of a guitar louder. He used the settings on guitar, amplified, and recording studio to create a new and different sound, and used the amplification to fill the spaces in the music others would need bands to fill.This decision was really in the vanguard of the electric guitar revolution in blues, rock, country, and all popular music that exploded in the 1950s and has yet to end.

Hooker with accompanying musicians and bands. Some of the best sides came when he was recorded not with other blues players but with some of the top Jazz players in the late 1950s. His modal music, excellent timing, free form improvisation and general cool made his records sell not only among blues players but Jazz lovers back in the day.This speaks to how advanced his rhythmic sense really was. There was also a confluence between Hooker and some of the most advanced Jazz players of the late 1950s and 1960s who sought similar modal solutions to the problems of jazz improvisation.

Get this, and then get everything else Hooker Did.My favorites are the recordings he did in the 1960s for Vee-Jay a Black owned record company that produced him as a quality artist with great soundwork and free selection of his material. Hooker is really an electric artist, so some of the sides cut during the 1960's "folk revival" where he's made to play an acoustic are kind of an insult to his artistry and history, though like everything Hooker did,they were great music.

Again, you can't go wrong with this or anything else by Johnnie Lee.

As Close as It Gets!
Let's get one thing straight: as of today 09/15/03, there is no "ultimate" John Lee Hooker collection. But with 31 of his best tracks, this Rhino mini-box comes the closest to Hooker nirvana. (There is a 10-CD set, Epitath, but since it would take a week to listen to it once, I'll pass.) The problem with compiling such a collection is implied in Boogie Man, Charles Shaar Murray's fine biography. Hooker recorded for a number of different labels, especially in his early days, and also under a variety of different names (John Lee Booker, John Lee Cooker, Little Pork Chop, etc.), so it takes a lot of legwork to figure out just which recordings were made by Hooker at all, much less obtain the rights to rerelease them. (Murray spends almost half the book on such detective work.) Therefore, such classic gems as "The Flood" and "Whiskey and Wimmen" are not included in this set. Still, it's a very good attempt. Rhino has chosen to start the collection with the track "Teachin' the Blues," which is an aural primer on how he created his unique sound. Thus educated, the listener can then move on to such primal tunes as "Boogie Chillun" (A live staple for virtually every major blues band from Canned Heat to Savoy Brown, this was the number Hooker chose to perform in a guest spot on the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels tour in the eighties.), "Crawling King Snake" (covered wonderfully by the Doors), "Boom, Boom" (the Animals), and his reinterpretation of an Amos Milburn song, here entitled "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (which, when combined with John L's House Rent Boogie, was very well covered by George Thorogood). He recorded several such reinterpretations, most notably "Frisco Blues" (In this case, he reportedly didn't try to get the correct lyrics to Tony Bennett's famed "I Left My Heart in San Francisco;" he just sat down and recorded his own off-the-cuff rendition.). In conclusion, there is plenty of John Lee Hooker's best stuff here to warrant a recommendation; it's just not as "ultimate" as his most devoted fans would want it to be.

One of the best available overviews of the Hook's career
So why "only" four stars?
Well, the music is great, but Rhino could certainly have found room for more than 31 songs on two compact discs. And why include two versions of "In The Mood" when songs like "I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive", "Onions" and "Old Time Shimmy" are missing?

The sad thing is that there are really no John Lee Hooker-compilations on the market that truly get it right. Either they're too short, or they're limited by the fact that the compilers were only able to chose from recordings made for one particular record company.
This one is the best of the lot in my view, though. It almost gets it right (although the missing "Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" is a pretty big minus), and the sound quality is very, very good.

(If you're not against spending a little extra, you might want to look for the fine Vee-Jay compilation "The Early Years", which also spans 31 tracks, and MCA's "The Best Of John Lee Hooker 1965-1974" instead of this album. Those two will satisfy almost everyone. And if it doesn't, there's always the ten-CD "Epitaph" box set.) ... Read more

Asin: B0000032HO
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Revival    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Detroit Blues    7. Electric Blues    8. Electric Delta Blues    9. Juke Joint Blues    10. Modern Electric Blues    11. Pop   

Essential Collection: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956-1958
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 September, 2000)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (10)

Everyreviewhereis5 stars
because this is as good as it gets for blues singing, guitar playing and songwriting not ecessarily in any order --- Otis Rush is as important a blues artist as any other in the history of the genre

Blues at it's best
Excellent compilation and a great collection of songs recorded under the limited enviroment that Eli Toscano's Cobra Studio had, but all these songs stand by themselves. Every time I hear Otis or Freddie King I can hear Eric Clapton, it's clear he got influenced by this great musician. I can't quit you baby, a song written by Willie Dixon (who plays almost all the bass parts) later covered by Led Zeppelin and All your love later covered by the same Eric Clapton with John Mayall and also Aerosmith payed tribute this song later on.

Magnificent
A criminally underrated performer, southpaw guitarist Otis Rush broke into the R&B top 10 on his first attempt with the great slow blues "I Can't Quit You Baby".

That song was penned by Willie Dixon, as are several of these late-50s singles which Rush recorded for Eli Toscano's Cobra label, but Rush was a more than able composer himself, and he is the man behind some of the best songs on this CD, including "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)", "Three Times A Fool" and "Keep On Loving Me Baby"; superb, sophisticated blues tunes which often eclipse Dixon's.

Otis Rush' brand of blues is less rough and boisterous than the music of Howlin' Wolf, but not as polished as that of B.B. King, and he was a major source of inspiration to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who named his band after Rush's song "Double Trouble", and did a great rendition of "All Your Love".
His intense vocals and stinging lead guitar playing is reminicent of Buddy Guy and Magic Sam, and if talent was everything and luck and timing never mattered, Otis Rush would currently be hailed as the reigning king of Chicago blues.

Alternating between smouldering slow blues and swinging up-tempo numbers, this is one of the truly essential albums in any blues collection. If Rush had never recorded another note, his reputation would be intact based solely on these eight singles. ... Read more

Asin: B00004YLOA
Sales Rank: 18656
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Guitar    6. Pop   

The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 April, 1993)
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Editorial Review

Other post-WWII Chicago bluesmen are better known, but the work of Elmore James holds up as well as any of theirs. If he never had the technical accomplishment of, say, Earl Hooker, he did have as much depth of emotional expression as Muddy Waters; just listen to the sweetness of "I Need You" or the pain of "It Hurts Me, Too." The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James contains some of the most important work of a man who still reigns as the king of slide guitar; anyone who wears a bottleneck today owes a debt to James. Highlights include Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom," which James made his signature tune, as well as the title track, which contains some of the sweetest licks in blues history. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Elmore James
I just want to point out that Elmore James was/is one of the greatest blues singers you'll ever hear. This is often overlooked in discussion of his tremendously influential slide guitar playing.
Have mercy!

Know This Bluesman By The Company He Keeps!!!
It's impossible to discuss the career of slide guitar great Elmore James without listing some of the many people who have covered his work. The almost encyclopedic list would include The Yardbirds ("The Sun is Shining"), George Thorogood ("Madison Blues" and "Hawaiian Boogie"), Johnny Winter ("TV Mama"), Stevie Ray Vaughan ("The Sky is Crying"), Eric Clapton ("I Can't Hold Out," among others), The Allman Brothers ("Done Somebody Wrong"), The Paul Butterfield BLues Band ("Look on Yonder Wall", "Shake Your Moneymaker"), and virtually every other bluesman of note (because almost all of them have covered both "Dust My Broom" and "It Hurts Me Too"). In fact, Rhino Records, the compiler of this excellent set, notes that it is the Elmore James cover of "Broom", not the Robert Johnson original, that served as the basis for many of the later versions. One of the greatest slide players to ever pick up the bottleneck, James positively sizzles on almost every song, but especially on the plaintive "Please Find My Baby" and the hilarious "TV Mama."For down-home wailing, it's hard to beat "My Best Friend," while "Hawaiian Boogie" shows that James can play uptempo as well. Lets not forget the Broomdusters, his unhearalded backup band, featuring Homesick James on bass and second guitar, plus a plethora of guest greats such as Ike Turner, Big Joe Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson, and the ubiquitous Willie Dixon.This 21-track set is a splendid introduction to a master bluesman, and at a great price. Get this great compilation today, kick back, and wait for the sky to open up, even if the sun happens to be shining!!!

I Believe I'll Dust My Broom
I've always loved the blues ballad "It Hurts Me Too," practically a standard, but this collection offers up a slew of prime slices of Elmore James.Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughn, George Thorogood, early Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, etc. etc. will recognize the original versions of tracks like "Madison Blues," "The Sky is Crying," "Shake Your Moneymaker," and on and on.And of course there's the seminal "Dust My Broom" and it's oft-covered licks.

In between the classics, James recorded some rather odd sessions, ranging from the good (with Joe Turner and his Blues Kings) to the just plain weird (is it me or is "The 12 Year Old Boy" really creepy?)

Those not steeped in blues history might find the constant use of slide technique a bit hard to take in large doses.Not as essential as Leadbelly, Howlin' Wolf or Muddy, but still lots of great stuff on this collection.

Rhino does their usual bang-up job on the packaging, sound and bonus tracks. ... Read more

Asin: B0000032Z0
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Guitar    6. Pop    7. Slide Guitar Blues    8. United States of America   

His Best : The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 April, 1997)
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Editorial Review

"Sounds nice," Bo Diddley tongue-in-cheekily observes of his music in "The Story of Bo Diddley," one of three self-named tunes on this 20-track examination of his classic '50s and '60s Checker Records sides. Not only was the former Ellas McDaniels rhythmically sharp enough to have a beat named after himself; he had a great guitar sound and a seemingly endless supply of shaggy-dog stories, lover-man boasts, silly jokes, and complaints with which to fuse them. His Best boils down the two-CD Chess Box, including signature pieces like "Bo Diddley" and "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" alongside unjustly obscure tunes such as "Pills" (later covered by the New York Dolls) and "Dearest Darling." Great. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Bo blows it away and back!
This is a good basic collection of all the well-known Bo Diddley songs with a few B-sides that were quite well-known. This is rock 'n' roll at its finest among finest. Bo Diddley was one of the originators of rock'n'roll along with Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Jerry Lee Lewis; these guys invented rock'n'roll!! Bo's music is an excellent example of '50s rock 'n' roll even though he wasn't a major success on the charts. "Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Diddley Daddy", "Pretty Thing", "Road Runner", "The Story of Bo Diddley", and "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover" are the best songs on here. They rock the house! They're all good, basically. As Bo proclaims in "The Story of Bo Diddley": "I'm a killer diller."

The best single-disc Bo Diddley collection
Ellas McDaniel only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but Bo Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers.
His very first single, "Bo Diddley" b/w "I'm a Man", was not exactly blues, or even straight R&B, but a new kind of guitar-based rock & roll, soaked in the blues and R&B, but owing allegiance to neither. And Diddley quickly became a hero to young white blues and R&B fans like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and The Animals - the Stones in particular borrowed a lot from Bo Diddley's pulsating rhythms and galvanizing stage performances.

This MCA/Chess compilation gathers virtually all of Diddley's best and best-known songs, an hour of deep grooves, tough blues, R&B and early rock n' roll which includes "Bo Diddley" (with the fabulous Bo Diddley beat), "I'm A Man", "Who Do You Love", "Crackin' Up", "Mona", "I Can Tell", the sublime blues rocker "Before You Accuse Me", and the underrated "Pills".

Diddley and maraca player Jerome Green lock into a locomotive groove on numbers like "Roadrunner" and "The Story Of Bo Diddley", and the transfers used on this set are exemplary, the majority of them utilizing masters that have a few extra seconds (or more) appended to the fades, which will cause even hardliners to hear these old standards with fresh ears. Especially revelatory are the "long" versions of "I Can Tell" and the Willie Dixon-penned "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover".
"The Chess Box" is the ultimate Bo Diddley-collection, but this is one single-disc collection that really hits the bullseye, and it is the perfect way to get started.

Bo Diddley........My era
this is music I grew up with...I recently attended my 40th HS reunion and we hads this CD along with Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly playing in the background........O, the memories! BD's style has influenced the likes of Peter Frampton, The Eagles, Rolling Stones and Grand Funk RR...In the fifties, I had the good fortune to play/sit in with his band of 4....I have all BD's music some still in wrapper of the 45 rpm variety BUT this disk is the best.....there is a world of good sounds on here and it is VALUE........If you like this artist, then buy this disk.......it is truly his best!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000005KQK
Subjects:  1. Electric Chicago Blues    2. Guitar    3. Pop    4. R&B    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. United States of America    8. V/a Compilations   

At Newport
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 February, 2001)
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Features

• Original recording remastered
• Live

Reviews (8)

Fantastic look at a true legend
According to the liner notes from this one, Muddy had a tough time with Blues festivals. First he was too electric and loud. The next year he was too acoustic and quiet. From the sound of this one, he finally got it just right.

This is not a barn-burner. Oh, it has plenty of energy, but if you're looking for the jolt found on his Blue Sky-era recordings, you're going to be a bit disappointed. This is smoother blues. Not mellow, but not as rowdy. Remember, the younger Muddy Waters was trying to find wide-acceptance of his misic. (It is a shame he didn't find that until the last few years of his life)

The song selection is fantastic. "Tiger in your tank" is fun. "Got my mojo working" is a foot-stopmper. But, my favorite is "Goodbye Newport Blues", which was allegedly penned on the stairs to the stage and ad-libbed by the band. But, what a band to have ad-lib!

This one is must for those who want to move beyond blues/rock.

One of the all-time classic live blues albums
Muddy Waters' July, 1960 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival was recorded and issued as one of the first live blues albums, and one of the very best as well. A bit short at only nine songs (plus four studio recordings), but that's just about the only complaint you could possibly lodge against this classic recording.

The sound on the remastered 2001 edition is simply excellent...the original masters have been transferred in high-resolution digital audio, bringing up Andrew Stephenson's bass overall, and moving Muddy's singing several layers forward in the mix.
And the result is superb. The Muddy Waters Band of 1960 included top-notch harmonica player James Cotton, guitarist Auburn "Pat" Hare, drummer Francis Clay, and the great Otis Spann whose superb piano playing graced almost all of Muddy's 1960s recordings (listen to the swing he adds to "I Feel So Good"). And Muddy Waters himself is in his prime, his big, confident voice possessing tremendous power.

Talking about highlights is a meaningless excercise..."Muddy Waters At Newport" features the definitive renditions of the classic "Got My Mojo Working" and the swaggering "I Feel So Good", but literally everything is superb, from the hits ("Hoochie Coochie Man", Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go") to the little-known songs ("Soon Forgotten", the then-newly recorded "I Got My Brand On You" and "Tiger In Your Tank"). And the live portion of the album winds down with the slow lament "Goodbye Newport Blues", which is pretty generic and obviously slapped together for the occation, but it actually works really well (and pianist Otis Spann provides the lead vocal).

The original live recordings have been augumented by four bonus tracks recorded just prior to Muddy's Newport appearance, three of which appear "live" as well. Notice how the live recordings of "I Got My Brand On You", "Tiger In Your Tank" and the slow "Soon Forgotten" are almost twice as long as the studio versions.
The fourth song is one of Muddy's least-known songs...a mid-tempo blues shuffle anchored by a great rhythm section and with some superb harmonica playing by James Cotton. A fine little gem.

"Muddy Waters At Newport" is a must-have for any self-respecting blues fan, casual or fanatical, and one of the greatest items in Muddy Waters' catalogue.

Not too shabby!
I can't quite say I enjoyed this CD, but seeing as how this was my first Waters album, I have concluded it was a good place to start.It has some of his classics ("I Got my Mojo Working" and "Hoochie Coochie Man"), and a whole bunch of others.

Of considerable interest also would be the fact that not ALL of the tracks are live, both classics listed above are in pre-recorded format, along with another.

MUSIC ITSELF: 4
SOUND QUALITY 4
COVER, INSIDE SLEEVE: 5
OVERALL: 4 ... Read more

Asin: B000059T1V
Sales Rank: 16088
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Chicago Blues    4. Pop    5. Slide Guitar Blues    6. United States of America   

Hide Away: Best of
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 November, 1993)
list price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Freddie King is a legend for some very good reasons. First, his clean single-string solos virtually define the modern Texas blues sound (although King himself honed his chops in Chicago). His playing was electric and country, skillful yet simple. Second, he had an uncanny knack for melodic invention. You can listen to a Freddie King solo once and whistle it the rest of the day. Last but not least, he was a remarkably expressive singer, soaring to a falsetto even more powerful than that of B.B. King. All this brilliance is here in one tidy package. You'll get the impassioned soul of "Have You Ever Loved a Woman." You'll get rumbling classics like "I'm Tore Down" and "Going Down." And best of all, you'll take your baby steps toward arena blues stardom listening to instrumentals like "San-Ho-Zay," "The Stumble," and "In the Open"--the songs that made Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan bequeath their souls to the unholy guitar. But bear in mind, if all those guitar heroes were so influenced by Freddie King, why is it that they don't sound anywhere near as great as him? Find out for yourself. And remember, the highest pitched string is the one closest to the floor. --Ken Hohman ... Read more

Reviews (15)

EC Instrumental In King's Royal Success!!!
Do yourself a favor. When you first listen to Hide Away: The Best of Freddy King, skip over the rather annoying first track. "Country Boy" is a little too, well, country sounding for most serious blues fans, and it's easy to see why it was unreleased until this compiliation. (For a much better example of how the Nashville and Chicago sounds can be mixed, listen to "Remington Ride," a wonderful tune cut with C & W steel guitar legend Herb Remington.) Also, on some of the early releases, King had not attained full command of his marvelous voice; most of his outstanding vocal tracks, such as "Someday After Awhile," "Palace of the King," and his towering signature number "Going Down" (covered splendidly by Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan) were recorded later in his career. Besides, as good as the vocal tracks sound, it's hard not to be carried away by his brilliant instrumentals, including "High Rise," "My Feeling For the Blues," and that early Eric Clapton showcase "Hideaway." These vocal-less tracks, with their clean lead lines and supple rhythm sections, still sound as fresh and contemporary today as when they were first recorded almost thirty years ago. Speaking of EC, the British bluesmeister has done much to keep Freddie's name and recorded legacy alive with his riveting covers of "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" (recorded while he was playing with the Dominos) and "I'm Tore Down," from the masterful From The Cradle disc released in '94. In short, whether your preference is vocal or instrumental King (or both: why limit yourself?), you should get Hide Away today. Trust me, it will be a very instrumental part of your blues collection. EC should know!!

Another fine Rhino collection
Rhino Records usually know what they are doing when they assemble compilation albums and anthologies, and this Freddie King-retrospective is no exception.

A few of these songs are perhaps generic, but there are some real classics here as well, most notably the superbly catchy, oft-copied instrumentals "Hide Away", "Remington Ride" and "San-Ho-Zay" (about a third of the twenty tracks are instrumentals), the powerful, rocking blues of "I'm Tore Down" and "Going Down", and the slow, anguished "Someday, After A While" and "It's Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough".

Also, the smouldering "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" became a concert staple for Eric Clapton, who was a great admirerer of Freddie King, and cut a very good "I'm Tore Down" for his "From The Cradle" album.

King was a strong, soulful vocalist and a magnificent, versatile guitarist. His music, like that of the other "Kings", can't macth Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf for pure grit, but it's easy to see why men like Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan did so admire Freddie King.
This is an excellent overview of his too-brief career.

Drink,Smoke& Listen
Freddie king is an amazing talent. This album is the start of modern blues as we know it. This has horn riffs along with the knock you out texas guitar playin you want to hear. Im sure king
was an influence on many blues men. he even dwells into a little funk. ... Read more

Asin: B000003356
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

His Best
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 May, 1997)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

This is Sonny Boy Williamson II, whose 1940s Mississippi Delta radio broadcasts for King Biscuit Time made him one of the most influential of all blues musicians. A master harmonica player, he created relaxed songs, often humorous, that reminded urban listeners of their country roots. These tracks are from his years at Chess, beginning in the mid-1950s until his death in 1965. His recording bands feature Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, and Robert Lockwood Jr., among others. Perhaps his best-known track here is "Don't Start Me to Talkin' (I'll Tell You Everything I Know)," but his signature sound is evident on every high trill he played. --Robert Gordon ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Must've sold his soul to the devil
All other great blues harp players have been imitated with some success.Nobody has been able to copy SBW2; nobody can get his tone or his timing.Even if he didn't play harp, he was one of the most evocative, intense singers in blues.To top it off, he wrote great songs.For me, that makes him one of the greatest musicians ever.I first had most of this collection as the vinyl "This Is My Story."I've had this CD collection for several years now and it still amazes me when I play it.This may seem a strange comparison, but the closest musician I can compare him to is Sidney Bechet.Nobody else played soprano sax with his timing - you could copy him note for note, but you could never solo with that timing - he was the only one.Same goes for SBW2.

Twenty Essential Chess Recordings
While there is an unresolved debate as to Sonny Boy Williamson's real name or birth date (or year for that matter!), there is no question that he was one of the great blues harpists of the post-World War II era. With 1993's two-disc ESSENTIAL out of print, this single-disc collection of some of his best work at Chess is an amazing introduction to one of the genre's most imposing artists.

Beginning with his first sides for Chess in 1955, "Good Evening Everybody" and "Don't Start Me Takin'," through the end of his career in the mid-sixties, Williamson worked with some of the best studio musicians Chess had.Willie Dixon plays bass on most tracks (and wrote the one song--"Bring It on Home"-- not written or co-written by Williamson himself), Fred Below is the drummer on most tracks, Lafayette Leake and Otis Spann share piano duties, and guitarists are primarily Robert Lockwood and Luther Tucker.

Like many blues artists, Williamson was more appreciated in England than in his home country. Between 1963 and 1965 he toured extensively in Europe and recorded with such blues-based artists as the Animals and the Yardbirds.His most obvious influence would be on the Allman Brothers who covered his "One Way Out," but you'll hear it in any artist who has a deep passion and conviction in his music. Any complete blues library will have at least one Sonny Boy Williamson album, and this one will make a nice addition.VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A great place to start
I have no idea why I've only given this compilation four stars, but with this new system that Amazon has introduced, you can't change it without having to delete the entire review and write a new one. But I meant five. Five stars. Five!

This magnificent collection brings most of Aleck "Rice" Miller's best songs together on a single disc, and it is highly recommended if you're relatively new to Rice Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II).
Every one of these songs are top-notch. Raw, gritty electric blues played by some of the tightest bands in the business, the cleverest lyrics this side of Willie Dixon, and musicians which include Muddy Waters, Robert "Jr." Lockwood and Buddy Guy. And of course Miller's braying harmonica and instantly recognizable rasp of a voice.

Rice Miller's amplified harmonica playing is easily the grittiest and most immediately recognizable ever on record (Big Walter Horton is the only one who gets close), and the way he moves between singing in his expressive old man's voice and blowing the harp is amazing.
"This man moves from vocal to harp with an ease only possible of one who long ago sold his soul to the devil in exchange for not having to breathe while performing", the liner notes to one of his LPs once stated (in a disturbingly serious way!).

This is one of the finest items in the entire MCA/Chess catalogue, featuring all-time Chicago blues highlights like "All My Love In Vain", "Nine Below Zero", "Don't Start Me To Talkin'", "Help Me", the supremely tough "One Way Out", and the irresistable "Fattening Frogs For Snakes" which combines one of the most irresistable blues tunes you'll ever hear with one of Miller's best lyrics.
Because his output for the label was of such a uniformly high quality, virtually everything Williamson put down on tape at the Chess studios could make a final cut on any best of package you'd want to put together on the man, so a lot of wonderful music is obviously missing from this collection, including three of Sonny Boy's best songs ("Santa Claus", "Too Young To Die" and "Peach Tree"). But you gotta start somewhere, right? And this is a genuine A+ compilation, well annotated, and utilizing the finest digital transfers ever heard.

I just have to add one word of advice:
If you already have his debut LP, "Down And Out Blues", or know enough about Sonny Boy to want a lot of the really good stuff in one place, may I suggest the 45-track "The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson", also from MCA/Chess, instead.
It has more than twice as many songs, yet at no point does it resort to "filler", and that one is the definitive Rice Miller-collection. Oh, and you'll need his Trumpet sides as well! ... Read more

Asin: B000005KQN
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Chicago Blues    4. Electric Harmonica Blues    5. Harmonica Blues    6. Pop   

Buddy's Blues (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 April, 1997)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Reviews (7)

Very On Point Collection
Buddy Guy is One of the Baddest Blues Playing Guitar Players Ever to me.His tone is pure&He doesn't overkill on the heavyHanded Riffing&Soloing like some cats do. this Collection is a Great showcase of His Talent&Rawness. His Vocals are on point as well.

Great Single Disc Compilation, But...
For someone on a budget who is interested in the music of this legendary artist, look no further than this single disc album. The sound and track selection here are excellent. Anyone interested in the blues needs to have at least one Buddy Guy album in their collection and you can't go wrong here. Another option is Rhino's "Very Best Of Buddy Guy" which features 18 tracks compared to the 15 presented here (personally I give a very slight nod to the Rhino cd based on track slection & overall sound). This release however may be a better choice for those with only a few bucks to spend. But, for those of you who do have a few extra dollars around, I strongly suggest passing on both single disc releases and opt for the 2 disc set "The Complete Chess Studio Sessions" on the MCA/Chess label. "The Complete" boasts 47 tracks an is more comprehensive than this release.It may be out-of-print, but can be found for sale in zShops or eBay at a very reasonable price.

Buddy's blues. Buddy's best
If you're only going to buy one Buddy Guy-album, I'd probably go with Rhino's career-spanning "The Very Best Of Buddy Guy".
But this one is pretty much a must-have as well. Rhino's disc does include a handful of Guy's Chess sides, but his years at Chess were certainly his best period, and this wonderful 15-track compilation brings together the cream of that crop.

These classic 60s recordings burn with unbridled passion - just listen to the smouldering slow blues "Leave My Girl Alone" and "I Cry And Sing The Blues". George "Buddy" Guy is one of the very few bluesmen whose vocals (occationally) match the intensity of the great Elmore James, and his guitar playing is superb - an obvious source of inspiration to men like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Also, the sound on this anniversary compilation is magnificent. Excellent transfers and spacious stereo mixes make these forty-year old recordings sound as sharp as razor blades coming off the laser beam. Well, I don't know if razor blades sound sharp, maybe they just are sharp...eh, never mind.
But if you are into 60s electric blues, this is a must-have purchase. Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Magic Sam are the finest representatives of the "West Side" sound, and there is not a single weak track here. This is the very best of Buddy Guy's Chess years. ... Read more

Asin: B000005KQL
Sales Rank: 5687
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    6. Pop   

Live at the Regal
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 July, 1997)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Heralded as one of the greatest live blues albums ever recorded, this set catches the singer-guitarist as his star was in ascent: in 1964 playing Chicago's answer to Harlem's Apollo Theater--the Regal. King's performance is visceral. He sings so hard that gravel flies even in his clearest high notes. And his trademark single-note guitar lines are sharp and steely, matching his voice with trembling vigor. He offers early hits like "How Blue Can You Get," "Worry, Worry," and "You Upset Me Baby" to what's essentially his adopted hometown crowd (by his own account, King had already played the theater hundreds of times). They give him a hero's welcome. In fact, the audience's screaming enthusiasm is distracting. But rarely has a love-fest of this magnitude between a performer and fans been documented. --Ted Drozdowski ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (35)

A classic, blues or otherwise
Anyone who dismisses blues music as being sad and depressing and whiny should listen to this album. Sure, B.B. King sings about heartbreak and lost love in many of the songs, but he does so in such a way that it is uplifting, maybe just because you can relate to it and say "oh, that cat knows what I'm feeling". That, right there, is why this record is timeless. All of the songs, with the possible exception of "Help the Poor", are knockouts. This being a live album of course, the audience is absolutely IN LOVE with B.B. and the band, and people often shout out things like "Play it all night!" and "Tell it, B.B.!" If this were a studio album, it would not be nearly as good. The advantage of hearing blues live is that you get to hear a whole different atmosphere- people screaming, clapping, going wild for the sweet sound of Lucille. Which reminds me, not only is the guitar on this album fantastic, but also B.B.'s vocals are downright amazing! They range from a deep gravely tone to a sweet falsetto, and are some of the best blues vocals ever put to tape. If you do not own this, get it, just to hear classics like "Sweet Little Angel", "Worry Worry", "How Blue Can You Get", and "You Upset Me Baby". An absolute must-have.

Great performance - the one live B. B. to get
The sound of Lucile on this record is stunning and B. B.'s vocals are great too (especially on the slower numbers like Sweet little angel, It's my own fault or how blue can you get. I'm not a big fan of all the tracks, but still just the once I mentioned together with Worry worry and Baby you done lost your good thing now are worth five stars - each of them.
If you don't want to buy all of his numerous live albums (he cut 5 just in the sixties) -this is the one to get.

Some Great Live Blues from B.B. King,4 and 1/4 stars.
I've read some incredible reviews for this album and don't get me wrong this album is fantastic. But there's a little to much singing and not enough classic b.b. guitar work, espically on the second half of the album. The first half of the album cranks out some great classics and the second half has some moments but the first five songs are the best. If you love more jazzy blues (like some of b.b.'s stuff) this album is your nirvana. Although I do like b.b.'s style like that, with a little touch of jazz, I expected some more incredible blues pouring from lucille. This album still remains fantastic and has some incredible music. Best songs: "Everyday I Have the Blues", "Sweet Little Angel", "It's My Own Fault" and "How Blue Can You Get?" ... Read more

Asin: B000002P72
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Pop   

West Side Soul
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 June, 1993)
list price: $12.98 -- our price: $11.99
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Editorial Review

Many believe this 1967 landmark, Sam Maghett's first full-length studio recording, is the greatest blues album ever made. While that assertion is awfully difficult to substantiate, these 11 gems (plus one alternate) certainly deserve hyperbolic praise. These cuts have a dramatically direct emotional appeal, a blunt, unfiltered artlessness that's rarely been achieved in an electric setting. Sam's spirited vocals come from his heart and his belly, not his brain. His guitar work is smoothly melodic, à la B. B. King with a bit more bite, frenetic and energetic like Buddy Guy, but with more taste. Since this Mississippi native died at age 32, this album sits in a mystical place in blues history: In many ways, it is to Chicago blues what Robert Johnson's meager output is to Delta blues. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (18)

No bluer blues
"West Side Soul" is true-blue city blues, an absolute must-own for anyone interested in the genre. Folk and rock and rap and jazz are great at times, but sometimes you just need the blues. And unless you're willing to swan dive into a vat of dye at the local Levi's factory, you can't get any bluer than this. Jazz has "Kind of Blue," but this is "Really, Really, Really Blue."

Magic Sam's career may have been far too short (he released this and the almost-equally-excellent "Black Magic" before dying of a heart attack at the age of 32), but he at least died untouched by mediocrity. And he lives up to his name; his guitar is as spellbinding as Merlin's wand. Quick picks, long lazy notes, subdued background segments, and beautiful guitar solos: Magic Sam summons them all from his instrument with the effortless ease of a sorcerer.

And his voice--Oh, what a voice! There's a moment on "I Need You So Bad" that may well be my favorite moment of human vocal performance in the whole history of recorded music. It's one of those nearly inarticulate wails, an "Oh, baby" that captures a life's worth of emotion in the space of a few short seconds. You just can't top it, folks.

And yet, I'm not sure that that's the best song on the album. His "Sweet Home Chicago" may well be the definitive rendition of that classic blues staple. And "My Love Will Never Die" is a scorcher, a wonderful slow-cooker full of simmering blues gumbo that has it all: smoky guitar work, fiery declarations of undying and unrequited love, and that certain spicy je ne sais quois that makes a song inexplicably greater than the sum of its parts.

Chicagoans (like myself) are required by city ordinance to like the blues. I'm no expert, but I've listened to my share of it, and I've found some great anthologies and some excellent albums--Junior Wells' "Hoodoo Man Blues", B.B. King's "Live at Cook County Jail" and Buddy Guy's "Sweet Tea", to name but a few. Still I haven't found a better blues album than this one. Magic Sam, my love will never die.

Wicked Picking
West Side Soul is the definitive album by one of blues music's greatest guitarists and singers. Magic Sam (nee Samuel Maghett) had a booming soul-singer's voice, with a touch of aggressive blues-style delivery (think of an irate Otis Redding, or Screaming Jay Hawkins), which set him apart from other blues singers. He sounds like he means it when he says "you tend to your business, and I'll tend to mine" in the classic "I Don't Want No Woman." But what really puts him on the map, in my opinion, is his outstanding guitar work. His version of "Sweet Home Chicago" is the definitive one, and his picking on "I Need You So Bad" is some of the best blues guitar of all time. Definitely worthy of any music collection.

I know you got SOUL
With all respect for Wilson Pickett, the guys in the Commitments should have been striving to sound like Magic Sam.

This is some really great SOUL music; you can hear it in his voice and just feeeeel it coming through the speakers.

There's an early version of the Blues Brothers' classic "Sweet Home Chicago" which most people should be familiar with.

This really is a five-star record, and I'm not a fan of giving out five-stars willy-nilly like a lot of people on Amazon.

It's too bad Magic Sam's not as well known as some of the other great soul singers such as Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding; this one is just as good as any of the topnotch material....And it's (relatively) cheap!Do your CD collection a favor and buy it now. ... Read more

Asin: B000004BIF
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    7. Pop   

Hoodoo Man Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 June, 1993)
list price: $12.98 -- our price: $11.99
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Editorial Review

This 1965 album is where vocalist and harmonica player Junior Wells comes into his own. An early collaboration with Buddy Guy, the two of them sum up the 1960s funk-rock-blues that lay ahead. Hoodoo Man Blues inspired Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, and a host of other musician-fans. Wells and Guy don't shy from creating James Brown-funkified blues, or from putting a rock edge to their blues; but neither do they shy from traditional blues. Their version of "Good Morning Little School Girl" is a proper update--still menacing, with less of a country blues feel. Also not to be missed is the instrumental workout "Chitlin Con Carne."--Robert Gordon ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The epitome of Chicago Blues.
This is an incredible CD!Junior Wells with Buddy Guy backing him up on guitar.Not only was Junior one of the most charismatic singers in the golden age of Chicago Blues but one of the two or three best harmonica players (see Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter)."Snatch It Back" starts the CD off and kicks."Ships on the Ocean" is a classic slower blues as is "Early In the Morning".There is also "Good Morning LIttle School Girl" which has been recorded by umpteen artists but this is probably my favorite version.It sounds really edgy and dangersous.Excellent CD.

One of the three best blues albums ever made
In my opinion, this is one of the three best blues albums ever made. The other two are: Magic Sam's "The Essential Magic Sam: The Cobra and Chief Recordings 1957-1961", and Paul Butterfield album "Paul Butterfield Blues Band". Another good one by Junior Wells is: "Southside Blues Jam"

Buddy Guy and the Hoodoo Harp Man of Blues!!!
I grew up a blues fan. By that I mean I grew up a fan of Mississipi Delta/Southside Chicago Blues such as Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and the unmatched King of the Delta BLues, Muddy Waters, whose seminal seventies album, Hard Again, was my first "pure" (as opposed to "blues rock"--how I hate these categories!) blues purchase in my late teens. Well, of late, inspired by Little Walter's edgy vocals and postmodern harmonica sounds, I've been moseying over (in a matter of speaking) to the West side of town to check out the action there. Such giants as Magic Sam, Freddie King (by way of Texas), and Otis Rush feature spare, clean guitar lines and a more urban, funkefied feel to their down-home music. But the best, the absolute giants of the West side scene were none other than Buddy Guy and his harp partner, the late, great Junior Wells. Buddy's fat/fabulous lead/rhythm lines have lately made him a superstar in his own right, but it must never be forgotten that he was once a sideman to the great Junior Wells before he became full partner, and, much later, out on his own. Buddy's unmistakeable presence is felt here, but more subtle, bubbling under the surface in the cauldron of the blues stew. His driving work propels "You Don't Love Me" (later a memorable cut on The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East), "Chitlin's Con Carne", "Ships on the Ocean" and, most memorably, "Snatch it Back and Hold It" with superfunky rhythm lines straignt out of James Brown. For his part, Wells fills out "Snatch it" with boss vocals and a great solo, and similarly works his magic on "Good Morning, Little School Girl", "Early in the Morning", and the marvelous title track, where "somebody done hoodooed the hoodoo man"!The driving beat and super instrumental work are sure to put you in funky blues heaven! So don't delay, get Hoodoo Man today! Walk over to the West side of town and get funked up right away!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000004BI9
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Chicago Blues    4. Electric Harmonica Blues    5. Harmonica Blues    6. Pop   

Born Under a Bad Sign
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 June, 2002)
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Editorial Review

Born Under a Bad Sign dates back to a time when albums were collections of singles, and when singles, designed for radio and jukebox play, seldom ran more than three and a half minutes. That limitation meant that artists had to make an impact quickly and firmly. In blues, the tendency of songs to go on a bit had to be curbed to produce performances with punch and point. There are few better examples of this process in action than Albert King's 1960s tracks like "Crosscut Saw," "Born Under a Bad Sign," and his story of hot whispers during the hot-wash cycle, "Laundromat Blues." With his thick voice and no-nonsense guitar, King brought absolute blues credibility to the well-made commercial single, and even tracks that were recorded purely for the album, like the aching slow blues "As the Years Go Passing By," became classics. Reissued with the original funky cover art, Born Under a Bad Sign is one of the foundation stones of a blues collection. --Tony Russell ... Read more

Reviews (17)

good blues/funk from Albert King and Booker T. and the Mg's
This a good blues/funk album from guitar legend Albert King and the Stax backing band (also a seperate band too) Booker T. and the MG's. This album was monumental when it was released but is not as monumental today. This is still a good album that is a nescessary landmark in somebody's blues collection. The fact that the songs are too short and many of them fade out at the end (which pisses me off beyond reason) is a negative factor. The best songs on the album are "Crosscut Saw","Personal Manager", "Laundromat Blues" and "Born Under a Bad Sign."

the desert island blues cd
There are some excellent Albert box sets that include a lot of this stuff, there are some older records that have a great,swingier feel, and some newer things that may appeal more to younger listeners, BUT, this is the one that put King on the -map-. Booker T & the MGs lay downwhat have since proven to be the ultimate classic modern blues grooves,(produced by their drummer Al Jackson, the best ever),Albert simmers, smokes, and burns these tunes to the ground.

Albert King's Classic Album
Albert King is my favourite Bluesman in history. This was the LP that made his name. However, it is not his best. He went on to become the most influential Blues player of all time and one of the most influential guitarists of all time. His live sets and early seventies records are produced better, sound better and the tunes are longer (as Blues should be!)

Albert Nelson King came to Memphis in the mid-1960s with a record deal instigated by Jim Stewart's sister. He was not looking for a Bluesman-Stax was a soul label. THE soul label! Albert had a great name as a live performer in East St. Louis and occaisionally Memphis and Chicago. His set for King and Bobbin Records had sold well, but not great. His first hit had been "Don't Throw Your Love On Me Too Strong" (Later attempted live by the non-vocalist Mike Bloomfield) and that was in 1961.

Albert signed with Stax and like with gospel queen Aretha Franklin, they didn't know what to do with him! This album is series of singles that had been released from sporadic sessions. It features straight blues, covers, rock and roll, pop and funky soul. Albert showcased his ability to synthesize the blues genre which is what he did!

The title track, which has been covered by so many people (eg, Cream, the worst version! and Robben Ford, great!) Was done in one take (althought there are a few versions-one released in Europe). Albert (who didn't read music) just plugged in and overdubbed his voice and guitar. This was the tune that put funk and soul into blues- it fused rock. soul and funk- which is what the British players had been trying to do- but couldn't- let's face it the real Blues is BLACK AMERCIAN MUSIC- anything else is a copy or a sub-genre like Eminem- is he really hip hop or is he white trash rap!!!! This tune is so important that its initial meaning, as a horoscopic blues in the vein of hippie-dom at the time and "The Age of Aquarius" stuff of the sixities, is TOTALLY LOST. No one thinks of the Zodiac when they listen to this!! Hence the cover of this CD is totally meaningless to most Blues fans. My old Dad once thought the album was called "Friday the 13th"!!!!

The first tunes that had been cut at Stax were "Laundromat Blues" written by Sandy Jones who also wrote "I'll Play The Blues For You" (his other signature tune) and "Walking the Back Street" (for Little Milton, but Albert's version is the better). This tune has been done as a test for Albert and was done live in one take!!at his first session-it blew people away! The other tune "Overall Junction" was done mono and included on the better and later compilation "King of the Blues Guitar" the LP that started Staxes demise through Atlantic records. This was his blazing instrumental that can't be copied and set the tone of his unique bending style (like Albert Collins type of impossible to recreate playing).

I first heard my favourite cut "Crosscut Saw" in 1966 in New York during an intermission at the Cafe Au Go Go (my teenage hangout!). This tune came on with the wild bends and suggestive lyrics-unreal!!! I had to have it! It is interesting that this tune was released as single even with a damaged 4-track tape track (the vocal one!), What creative control- would that happen today- when half of recording is done with digital computer virtual tracks- oh my! But this is one of Albert's great songs, one that made his name. In 1990 I saw him at a club in Sydney and shouted out "Crosscut Saw" between songs and he played it!!! Although it was the Wednesday Night Live at the Filmore version- which had just been released!

"Kansas City" was a cover and a tune he did a lot in clubs. His opening riffs in this one is some of his best playing on the whole record- what phrasing and tone. The solo gets a bit buried in the mix. Oh, Pretty Woman, one of Albert's most famous tunes was never released as a single, although there are many covers of it and Albert played with Gary Moore on his hit version of it in 1990. "Down Don't Bother Me" is one of the two shortest tunes Albert ever recorded (the other being "If The Washing Don't Get You The Rinsing Will" on Years Gone By. It has the same fantastic tone as "Laundromat".

The Hunter, written by Booker T and the MG's was a later hit for Ike and Tina Tuner (who did heaps of covers). The best version of this tune has only been released in Japan, it was only re-discovered in the 1990s. I also love "Finger On the Trigger" Albert's answer to this tune on the Funky London CD. This version is the most poppy, hit single type of tune on the LP and is a bit over produced. It wasn't a big hit.

The Very Thought of You and I Almost Lost My Mind are two tune that are usually bagged. However, they showcase Albert's singing ability (how many Bluesmen white or black could do this- imagine Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters or Eric Clapton singing like this!). They were used in his shows to slow things down a bit and have a break from the guitar solos. But speaking of solos- Personal Manager is the signature tune on this LP- Not Born Under! This was the best solo he ever did and most creative for the time on record. Like Eric Clapton's famous solo on John Mayall's "Have You Heard", which was recorded at about the same time. It is his moment of glory in the world of music. There was a single released of this tune -WITH NO SOLO, but the whole tune was included on the LP (which is long and that's why there are 11 and not 12 tracks- ah, the days of vinyl!!!) This solo can be too much for non-guitar players or only marginal blues lovers! As Jack Black says in the movie "School Of Rock"- you have to be Hard Core- that applies to Personal Manager.

By contrast "As the Year Go Passing By" has a sub-dued solo and I have always felt a bit disappointed in this lovely minor key blues classic- however the other version, released on the "Hard Bargain" CD and the European great value CD "Years Gone BY-Plus", is much better!

That's the set. That's the classic compilation that changed music history and saved the Blues end in the 1960 from becoming rock, soul or in the early 1970s-country! It kept the blues genre as a Soulful Fragment (as Buddy Miles would say). In this way Albert went on to record tunes such as the Talking Blues "Cold Feet" which became the grandfather of soulful rap and hip hop of the 1990s. Get this classic CD. There are many versions of it. My favorite is the Gold Disc Version released through Rhino (UDMC 577). But any will do!


... Read more

Asin: B00006878K
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Electric Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. Soul-Blues    6. Urban Blues   

Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

A slew of albums by young white men out of their minds in love with music made by older black men came from both sides of the Atlantic during the mid-1960s, but two records really laid the groundwork for the decade's blues revival--the self-titled releases by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers out of London and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band out of Chicago. Both bands were led by harmonica-blowing vocalists; both featured ascending guitar gods--Eric Clapton with Mayall and Mike Bloomfield with Butterfield. Butterfield's ensemble, however, came of age closer to the roots of the music. The rhythm section heard on the group's 1965 debut was hired away from Howlin' Wolf, and Butterfield, while still in his early 20s when the album shipped, was already a familiar face on the Windy City's club circuit. "Born in Chicago" opens the album on a gritty note that never flags through this 11-track landmark. The slashing duo guitars of Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop and Butterfield's flash harp helped make Muddy Waters fathomable for a new audience and, decades later, it's still easy to understand how. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (27)

CLASSIC MIKE BLOOMFIELD! GREAT OLD CHICAGO BLUES!
This is the first album from the classic chicago blues band "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band". The group was an all star line up of blues musicians which featured Paul Butterfield on harmonica and vocals. The spectacular Mike Bloomfield on lead guitar, Elvin Bishop on rhythm guitar, Sam Lay (drummer for howlin' wolf and various other blues bands) on drums, organ/pianist Mark Naftalin and bass player Jerome Arnold. This is early Bloomfield, his licks are searing and his guitar stings throughout the album. Butterfield's classic harp wails and cries ferociously. The album opens up with the gritty "Born In Chicago". They then do a cover of "Shake Your Money Maker." The third track and one of the best, "Blues With a Feeling", has Bloomfield biting and chomping through the song. "Thank You Mr. Poobah" is a great instrumental with a bit of a jazz swing. They cover Muddy Waters "I Got My Mojo Working" solidly adding new energy into the song. "Mellow Down Easy" is a little weak but still good. They come back with the instrumental "Screamin'" which cranks. Bloomfield's licks and solos spew out of his guitar like magma. "Our Love is Drifti