Features

• Import

Subjects:  1. Blues Collections    2. R&B/Soul   

Reviews (3)

Another Excellent Sony Retrospective
I heartily recommend this two disk set to enthusiasts and neophytes, alike. For some reason, the Amzn. site is showing only a partial list of the tracks. That's a shame, as it leaves out many of the real gems on the collection. Peruse the entire list below and you'll see what I mean: An absolute must for any true fan of American Blues and Folk
This album is so good it's unbelievable; It's such a great listening experience.I especially love the rendition of Another great entry in the series!
The entire series put out by Sony, "Soundtrack for a Century" is a wonderful enterprise, especially if you love historical curiosities as well as great hits.From the rare to the very popular, each volume bringsa wealth of great music.Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Acoustic Memphis Blues    4. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    5. Album Rock    6. Alternative Pop/Rock    7. Arena Rock    8. Black Gospel    9. Blues    10. Blues Gospel    11. Blues Revival    12. Blues-Rock    13. Boogie Rock    14. Chicago Blues    15. Classic Female Blues    16. Classic Jazz    17. Contemporary Blues    18. Country Blues    19. Delta Blues    20. Electric Chicago Blues   

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Memphis Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Collections    4. Jug Band    5. Pop    6. Prewar Country Blues    7. V/a Compilations   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. V/A Compilations   

Reviews (1)

Unreadable liner notes
Just got this CD and have only listened to it once.Most cuts are OK or better.On first listen the standout is Etta James' Ball and Chain.Unfortunately, the liner notes are unreadable.The type's too small, thinor bold. Some backgrounds give poor contrast.Minimizing page count andbeing artsy/fartsy seem to be more important to House of Blues (HoB) thanreadability.I have one other HoB CD and it's even less readable.Theymust believe their audience are the people who think Wired mag's design iscool.Perhaps if one's 15, it is.If you're 35 or older and are compelledto give HoB your hard earned money, prepare to also invest in an opticalmagnifier. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues Music    2. Blues-Rock    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Electric Blues    5. Electric Chicago Blues    6. Folk-Blues    7. Modern Electric Blues    8. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    9. Pop    10. R&B    11. Rock    12. Soul    13. Soul-Blues   

Features

• Box set
• Import

Subjects:  1. Blues Collections    2. R&B/Soul   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Blues Music    4. Chicago Blues    5. Jump Blues    6. Modern Electric Blues    7. Pop    8. Retro-Soul    9. Soul    10. Soul-Blues   

Reviews (1)

Fantastic!
I have just "discovered" Boogie Woogie piano music, and I was lucky enough to buy this CD first. I played it through once then immediately made several copies, because I knew I would play it so much that I would wear it out!! If you feel blue and want to feel better quick, just play this CD. You won't be blue and you won't be able to sit still! My favorite is "Hard Luck Blues". The only bad thing is that I can't find any more songs by Everett Robbins. Buy this CD and be prepared to ENJOY!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. 30's    3. Blues    4. Blues Collections    5. Boogie-Woogie    6. Classic Jazz    7. Jazz    8. Piano Blues    9. Pop    10. Ragtime    11. Stride   

Editorial Review

It's harmonica heaven as a quartet of hard-blowing harpists with experience stretching from the classic Muddy Waters band to contemporary rocking-blues units strut their stuff in a friendly competition. The legendary James Cotton is the main attraction, and he lives up to his reputation, ripping through his individual showcase "The Hucklebuck" and dueling successfully on the group cuts. Fellow veteran Charlie Musselwhite, who displays another side of his talent by playing guitar on the acoustic "If I Should Have Bad Luck," is also in fine form. The younger members of the quartet, Chicago stalwart Billy Branch and former Roomful of Blues frontman Sugar Ray Norcia, hold their own, especially when they pair up on their originals "Mean Little Mama" and "Put My Baby Out." But there's more than just harmonicas as former Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Kid Bangham and stylish boogie-woogie pianist David Maxwell spice up things between harp solos. With material including everything from the vintage rock of "Route 66" to the Tommy Dorsey big-band hit "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie," the disc offers a rare and well-rounded overview of the harmonica heroes, concluding with more than 11 minutes of the four musicians going head-to-head on "Harp to Harp." --Read more

Reviews (2)

Blues harp class
This CD explores blues harmonica playing, almost in the form of a harp master class, and delivers in wonderful production, band and frontmen. Essentially, Sugar Ray Norcia is the main man here, playing on 7 of the 11tunes, and he proves to be the best player AND singer. I have never heardhim play as well on record before and he outplays the other playersthroughout. James Cotton also plays better than in a long time, which isnice to hear. Charlie's 3rd position playing, including his signature oddtuning work can also be heard and as far as I can pick up 1st, 2nd and 3rdposition playing is covered on the CD. The playing by Billy Branch is good,but I have heard him better, especially on Johnny Winter's PointBlankreleases where he is simply oozing. What makes this CD so enjoyable is thebackup band, led by guitarist Kid Bangham, formerly of Sugar Ray'sBluetones and Fabulous Thunderbirds, providing excellent backup. This notjust a harp record, it delivers nice guitar, piano, bass and drums. I canwholeheartedly recommend this CD to all blues lovers, but you have to loveor enjoy harmonica.

Best of the Harp Players
I picked this CD up as an promotion, and was pleasantly surprised when I first listened to it! Charlie Musselwhite,Billy Branch and James Cotton out perform themselves, along with the other performers.Track No. 3 isoutstanding in it's own right.I recently met Billy Branch at a localperformance and stated to him that it was an outstanding CD..he stated tome at the time, that he did not even have a copy yet.You will listen tothis CD over and over again and get new meaning everytime. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Blues Music    4. Chicago Blues    5. Electric Chicago Blues    6. Electric Harmonica Blues    7. Harmonica Blues    8. Modern Electric Blues    9. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    10. Pop    11. Soul-Blues   

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Memphis Blues    3. Blues    4. Blues Collections    5. Blues Music    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Early American Blues    9. Pop    10. Prewar Country Blues    11. Prewar Gospel Blues    12. V/A Compilations   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues-Rock    4. Contemporary Blues    5. Contemporary Gospel    6. Electric Country Blues    7. Folk-Blues    8. Folk-Rock    9. Jug Band    10. Modern Acoustic Blues    11. Modern Electric Blues    12. New Orleans R&B    13. Piano Blues    14. Pop    15. Pop/Rock    16. Rock & Roll    17. Singer/Songwriter    18. Soul-Blues   

Reviews (1)

Must buy!
This CD is a wonderful collection of great female blues artists.It has a wonderful variety of songs that range from traditional gritty blues songs like Sweet Home Chicago to more soulful tunes like One Good Man.This is agreat album to add to your collectionl, especially if you are just firststarting a blues collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Blues Music    4. Chicago Blues    5. Contemporary Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Modern Electric Blues    8. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    9. Pop    10. Post-Bop    11. Soul-Blues    12. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (2)

A great place to begin
This was my first blues CD. I used to listed mainly to rock music, and it was the guitar-angle that caught me....a few hundred blues CDs ago.
Killer Fretwork for guitar lovers
Chess was the home of most of the bigger blues legends of the 50's and 60's. This compilation is a must have for any blues guitar lover. Some of the early tracks (the first 10 or so) are country blues and are fairlymediocre, but the rest of the album is 5 stars. Lots of catchyinstrumentals from Earl Hooker, Jody Williams, Chuck Berry(even his aregood!), Buddy Guy(you can here where Stevie Ray was influenced from-checkout Buddy's Boogie)as well as the great Hubert Sumlin on the Howlin Wolftracks, Otis Rush, Little Milton, and Bo Diddley. This is true blues beforethe rock influence caught on, so be sure to include it in your collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Acoustic Blues    4. Blues    5. Blues Collections    6. Blues Music    7. Blues Revival    8. Chicago Blues    9. Delta Blues    10. Detroit Blues    11. Electric Blues    12. Electric Chicago Blues    13. Electric Delta Blues    14. Electric Memphis Blues    15. Electric Texas Blues    16. Jump Blues    17. Modern Electric Blues    18. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    19. Piano Blues    20. Pop   

Reviews (1)

Discover Some Little Known Blues on This AtlanticGenre Set
Here's a stellar collection of blues vocalists tapping into Atlantic Records' strength; the distinctive Southern R&B voices who gave the label its first 20 years of hits, here on lesser known and even previouslyunreleased tracks and singles.Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Blues    4. Blues Music    5. Bop    6. Electric Texas Blues    7. Funk    8. Jump Blues    9. Modern Electric Texas Blues    10. Piano Blues    11. Pop    12. R&B    13. Rock & Roll    14. Soul    15. Soul-Blues    16. Swing    17. Texas Blues    18. Urban Blues   

Reviews (3)

fathers & sons, Brit style
Great mid 60's recordings of Otis Spann and Champion Jack Dupree backed up by Eric Clapton, Peter Green,Tony McPhee, John Mayall and Mayall's band at the time. A "fathers and sons" kind of session. Otis Spann and Jack Dupree are both in fine form and Claptons guitar work is phenomenal. Listen to the duet "bernard jenkins" with Mayall on piano for some of his best soloing ever! Peter Green was soon to leave Mayall to form Fleetwood Mac,Clapton was soon to form Cream, and both were obviously inspired to be playing with their heroes.Too bad this group couldn't have hit the road for a while because the sparks were flying in these sessions.

A Classic Unknown Recording
"Raw Blues" is a mid-'60s sampler combining contributions from piano blues masters (such as Otis Spann and Jack Dupree) with selections by John Mayall along with other fixtures of the British blues scene.("Long Night," for example, features help from "Steve Anglo" - actually Steve Winwood with identity disguised for legal purposes.)The playing is superb throughout, making "Raw Blues" a choice little nugget of British blues.

Stunning
This is a magic album featuring the best of 60s blues. The album is dominated by John Mayall and Eric Clapton, but features some great songs by early bluesmen: Otis Spann, Champion Jack Dupree and Curtis Jones. Long night features 'Steve Anglo' who is actually Steve Winwood. The Peter Green track is also memorable. The solo by John Mayall, 'Burn out your blind eyes' highlights how good John Mayall was and is. Clapton features on several tracks, playing in a style which is reminiscent of early 30s guitar, raw and vivid. An album not to be missed by any early blues fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Album Rock    4. Blues    5. Blues Music    6. Blues Revival    7. Blues-Rock    8. British Blues    9. Chicago Blues    10. Electric Chicago Blues    11. Electric Harmonica Blues    12. New Orleans Blues    13. Piano Blues    14. Pop    15. R&B    16. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (2)

Instant Classic
The recordings on this CD were made by Norman Dayton in the Chicago of the early 60's. These are live performances,no overdubbing,the music exactly as it was played. Many of the cuts were recorded during performances in small clubs around Chicago,others in makeshift studios set up in basements or apartments.The sound quality is surprisingly good, the recording venues actually contributing to the raw feel of the tracks. The music is, without exception, excellent. Highlights include Dr. Isiah Ross' "Chicago Breakdown" and "V-8 Ford Blues" by James Cotton, joined by Paul Butterfield on harp and Elvin Bishop on National Resonator guitar. This CD documents the blues scene of this time and place uncluttered by the production and commericalization brought about soon after by the big record companies. Buy it and enjoy the beauty of it's simplicity and honesty.

Pretty much perfect...
Recorded in basements, apartments, small clubs, and dingy recording studios, this CD sounds about as close to having the artists in your living room as you can get.The sound is clear and sharp, the performances are all masterpieces, all the songs are sung from the heart.The work by Maxwell Street Jimmy, the Reverend Robert Wilkins, and Little Brother Montgomery are standouts, but there is not a bad track here.As electrifying as acoustic music can be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Blues    4. Blues Collections    5. Blues Music    6. Blues Revival    7. Blues-Rock    8. Chicago Blues    9. Delta Blues    10. Detroit Blues    11. Electric Chicago Blues    12. Electric Delta Blues    13. Field Recordings    14. Harmonica Blues    15. Juke Joint Blues    16. Modern Delta Blues    17. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    18. Pop    19. Prewar Blues    20. Prewar Country Blues   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Pop    5. Soul-Blues    6. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (4)

I like what I got!
What I sought was a CD with some live contra dance calls on it. There were precious few available.This one is great.I listen to it over and over.Wish I could find more like it!!

music good - calls unusable
I'm from NH and have danced to these guys. Great music! The recording of the calls, however, is so poorly done that I am unable to use it in my classes. I have ended up stringing the music and recording my own calls. "Let's all Square Dance" does the job better and gives intro and instruction as well.

Best Contra Dance/Listening CD
I just love this CD. Clear calls, great music. I always play it to put me in a good.Makes you want to tap your feet and balance and swing, do-si-do, and allemende anyway you can! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folk & Traditional    2. Folk Collections    3. New Hampshire    4. Pop    5. Square Dance    6. World Music   

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

Blues at it's best
This compelation is one of the most complete early blues recordings from it's infancy ( 1923-1948 )that I have found in one buy.It's all original recordings in there true bluesy sound that brings out what blues is all about, true heartfelt,booze drinking,spouse cheating best.From Sonny Boy Williamson to Muddy Waters to Bukka White to John Lee Hooker to Memphis Minnie. It's all here. You think jeez 40 cd's ?? But there are doubled so it's only 20cd's ( case wise ) of the best blues..You can't go wrong..

Best Boxed Set of its kind?
10 STARS!!! It's like having a huge collection of vintage LPs from the early- to mid-20th century. 10 CDs with an average 17-18 songs per, with superb remastering. There are so many artists -- some big names and some not, but all choices on this set are notable. Lyrics go from the sublime to the hilarious: "I sent my woman a $20 bill ... If that don' bring her back, my shotgun prob'ly will" ... the masterful guitar, piano and voices are as remarkable today as they were then.

Awesome collection!!
Simply one of the best collections of early blues. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Acoustic Memphis Blues    4. Big Band    5. Blues    6. Blues Collections    7. Blues Revival    8. Boogie-Woogie    9. Bop    10. Chicago Blues    11. Classic Female Blues    12. Classic Jazz    13. Country Blues    14. Delta Blues    15. Dixieland    16. East Coast Blues    17. Electric Blues    18. Electric Chicago Blues    19. Electric Delta Blues    20. Electric Texas Blues   

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Jump Blues    4. Pop    5. V/a Compilations    6. West Coast Blues