Editorial Review

With a series of terrific albums, Cassandra Wilson has established herself as one of the day's great vocalists and, in branching out from jazz into blues and folk and pop, paved the way for genre-crossing stars including Norah Jones. But the Mississippi native has rarely sounded as relaxed or winning as she does on "Thunderbird," which teams her with the stalwart Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Contemporary Jazz    3. Electric Blues    4. Jazz    5. Modern Delta Blues    6. Modern Electric Blues    7. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    8. Pop    9. Soul-Blues    10. United States of America    11. Urban    12. Vocal Jazz   

Editorial Review

Recording for forty years now, Rory Block has devoted the entirety of her newest album to the songs of Robert Johnson. This is no mere dalliance or bandwagon jumping for her, as this music has informed her own musical path from the outset, starting with her love of his records when she was just a child. Her subsequent studies of Rev. Gary Davis, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt and others put her in good stead for understanding the dynamics of one guitar and voice. Like some of those blues masters, Block uses the subtle complexities of fingerpicking combined with occasional slide work to create a whole that has the range of a small combo. What's amazing in hearing these thirteen songs is how fully they became part of the blues lexicon -- not just the individual songs, but their entire bearing. Read more

Reviews (2)

Rory's Best--(so far)
Unless you've been living on another planet you've heard of Robert Johnson and heard these songs.They've been covered more times by more people than anyone can count-but never like this!Rory Block herself has even recorded them in the past-but never like this!
BluesLady
After seeing Rory perform in July, I eagerly anticipated this release. A number of artists have done justice to this collection of Robert Johnson songs, notably Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John Hammond and recently Dion. I really believe that Rory matches or exceeds these guys in getting into Robert's skin/soul. Rory's slide guitar is easily as good as Bonnie Raitt and her vocal delivery really communicates. She does not "sing" these songs: she wears them, owns them and breathes them in a most authentic way.Rory is not limited to the blues---check out her cd Tornado. Also look ahead to her collaboration with Robert Johnson's grandson. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Delta Blues    4. Modern Acoustic Blues    5. Pop    6. Slide Guitar Blues   

Editorial Review

A million or so collections, all from different record labels, document this Detroit blues guitarist's influential boogie-woogie career. This 16-song Rhino CD is an excellent starting point, with definitive versions of Hooker's classics "Boom Boom," "Boogie Chillen'," "I'm in the Mood," and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." It's interesting to hear the singer's voice progress from a deep, growling slur to the more polished later material, such as his collaboration with slide guitarist Roy Rogers on Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues," but he never lost his bottom-line rawness. Read more

Reviews (19)

Boogie King
John Lee Hooker, "king of the boogie," is one of the most influential guitarists to ever record. He is also one of the most unique, as his rhythmic and dynamic senses are more free than what one may be accustomed to... he also changes chords rarely, if ever, in some songs. Now i myself have complained about 3 chord bands... this is different, this man hypnotizes you with his awesome, entrancing riffs and licks. This collection is probably the finest one disc compilation of this master's work and belongs in any music lover's collection. If you think that all blue sounds the same and all is 12 bars etc etc (any blues aficionado knows much better than to pay any heed to these ridiculously ill-informed stereotypes), John Lee Hooker is a good place to see that the blues is one of the forms most open for free expression and experimentation.

A Legendary and Prolific Bluesman!
Some of John Lee Hooker's best known songs are compiled from his many years and albums onto this budget CD, with not one being one you will skip over.From "Boogie Chillen'" to "Boom, Boom,"they are all here.Even the songs which made others famous, such as "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."
one cd, one artist, one to have!
Every serious blues collection needs something from John Lee Hooker, and this cd is a great place to start. It is a great variety of all his early classics, and the sound quality is very good as well. From Dimples to Boom Boom to Boogie Chillen to One Scotch... they are all here. You cant go wrong with this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Blues Traditional    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Detroit Blues    9. Electric Blues    10. Electric Delta Blues    11. Juke Joint Blues    12. Pop    13. United States of America   

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.Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (108)

Wonderful
While I have to agree with some people that the second takes should've been put on the second CD, I have to say that it really isn't all that difficult to skip to the next track or put your player on random. The only reason this set didn't get my full 5 stars is because the audio wasn't cleaned up. While I don't mind the old feel of the "dirty" sound, I would prefer to have it clean, just being able to hear his voice and guitar.
of course you need this.
robert johnson is simply a cornerstone of american music. buy it, breathe it in through the ears and feel america pushing up at the soles of your feet. then have a beer. you can call that a good evening, yes sir.

Robert Johnson.....the stuff of legends!
Robert Johnson is probably one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of the blues, or even perhaps in all of American music.In his youth, he was berated and even whipped by his stepfather for not getting behind a mule and working in the fields.....he knew he had a different calling. This calling was his music.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Box Sets (Audio Only)    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Pop    8. Prewar Blues    9. Prewar Country Blues    10. Slide Guitar Blues   

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. Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Chicago Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Drums    8. Electric Blues    9. Electric Chicago Blues    10. Pop    11. Slide Guitar Blues    12. United States of America   

Editorial Review

One of the best recordings in Chess Records' 50th Anniverary series is the first of two bookend Muddy Waters collections, Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (21)

The foundation of hard rock is right here!
If it weren't for Muddy Waters, hard rock might look totally different...if it would have even come about. So many classic bands took inspiration from Muddy or covered his songs. Just look at the Rolling Stones (who took their name from one of his songs and covered "I Just Wanna Make Love to You"), the Allman Brothers ("Trouble No More"), Aerosmith (who covered two songs on their recent HONKIN' ON BOBO), Ted Nugent ("Baby Please Don't Go"), Eric Clapton ("I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man") and many others.
"I gotta ax handle pistol/On a graveyard frame/That shoots tombstone bullets/Wearing balls and chain"
Anyone besides me love this line? Anyway...
There really isn't much to say.
I don't see how anyone could improve. In a talent competition he'd obliterate the competitors on his first note. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Chicago Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Electric Blues    8. Electric Chicago Blues    9. Pop    10. Slide Guitar Blues   

Editorial Review

As authentic as the lines on his forehead and his droopy eyes, veteran bluesman Charlie Musselwhite gets better with age. (At 62, he's a respected survivor with dozens of albums to his credit.) On Read more

Reviews (1)

Blues Lovers Must Not Miss This CD!
As anyone who truly loves the blues already knows, the music of Charlie Musselwhite is as authentic as it gets!I've loved Charlie's music for well over a decade, and I have to say I am really excited that this CD captures his "Mississippi roots" better than any CD he has released in years!For those who are new to Charlie's music, this is the one to buy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Delta Blues    3. Electric Delta Blues    4. Harmonica Blues    5. Juke Joint Blues    6. Modern Electric Blues    7. Pop    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

This Columbia Legacy reissue of the 1965 release is one of the few recordings available of one of the blues' founding fathers. It contains some of his best songs, which have unsurprisingly become classics of the Delta blues genre: "Death Letter," "Preachin' Blues," "Levee Camp Moan," "Pony Blues," and "Downhearted Blues" are all here. Though not as comprehensive as Read more

Reviews (14)

Mississipi blues by the master
When the Mississippi blues giant, Eddie 'Son' House was rediscovered in 1964 he was 62 years old and had given up music some 16 years previously. Practice soon restored much of his original mastery and he was signed up the following year by John Hammond for a Columbia Records session. The LP that emerged comprised the first nine of these tracks, and represented a powerful come-back, with stand-out numbers 'Death Letter', 'Empire State Express', and 'Levee Camp Moan', as well as the unaccompanied 'John The Revelator'.
Review of this CD by a non-Blues-fan.
I say I'm not a Blues fan because I'm not. I don't consider myself a fan of any particular style or genre of music because the overwhelming majority of artists representing the different genres are, in my opinion, totally dispensable and not at all interesting or compelling. I pick and choose like a connissuer among all of the artists the music world has and has had to offer.
This Is The BLUES!!!
When you listen to this you feel like you have been transported to the Mississippi Delta.So many great songs and Death Letter gets it started perfectly.Everytime I hear Louise Mcgee I can almost picture Son riding in a box car down a lonely railroad track in the dead of night with his guitar pining for Louise.That may sound corny but that just gives you an idea of how powerful these songs are.John the Revelator, Levee Camp Moan, Sundown, Pony Blues are also great.Hell, there all great.If you are just getting into the blues, specifically the delta blues you have to have this.This and Robert Johnsons King of the Delta Blues Singers vol.1 & 2(I say these volumes because I think the sound quality is superior on these two as compared to the set)is mandatory. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Blues Traditional    6. Delta Blues    7. Pop    8. Prewar Blues    9. Slide Guitar Blues    10. Work Songs   

Editorial Review

Mississippi John Hurt recorded 13 country-blues songs for the Okeh Electric Records company in 1928. Then he vanished. Actually, he never went anywhere. Indeed, he never strayed from his hometown of Avalon, Mississippi. He simply put the guitar down. It was the Great Depression, times were tough, money was scarce, and he needed to work. Nearly 30 years later, a blues enthusiast tracked him down, took him back to Washington, D.C., and suddenly Mississippi John's musical career resumed as quickly as it had finished. He recorded again, but these first songs from the late 1920s--with John's melancholy voice and hypnotic guitar playing at its most inspired--are his greatest musical accomplishments. Read more

Reviews (26)

Mellifluous early blues recordings!
Mississippi John Hurt recorded only 13 songs before returning to a life of obscurity and hard work on a farm.Of these 13 songs recorded in 1928, 11 were penned by John Hurt with the other two being traditional spiritual numbers ("Blessed be the name" and "Praying on the old camp ground").The recording quality of these Okeh recordings is simply fantastic, and have the best recording quality I have heard from this era.A little hiss is heard (very little) and not much else.
Avalon Blues; Complete 1928 okeh recordings
If you like to hear Mississippi John Hurt, this is a very good
sweet sweet blues
This is simply the smoothest blues i've ever heard. His incredibly fluid and smooth playing style is like a steady flow of water. Im also amazed at how one man could create such a sound with a guitar and sing at the same time. This music is also incredibly happy sounding for blues, the lyrics are rather sad, but the pretty way he sings them makes it very sweet sounding. This music reminds me less of the old delta blues (even though thats what it is) but sounds more like music from the hills, almost as if there is a folky feel to it. This is definately a great addition to anybodies blues collection, and i thoroughly suggest anybody who is interested in the blues to check this out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Blues Traditional    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Pop    9. Prewar Blues    10. Prewar Country Blues    11. United States of America   

Editorial Review

With an unmistakable falsetto delivery, Skip James created some ofhistory's eeriest blues records. His blues sounds dark and mysterious, using odd tunings, structures, and rhythms, and exploring gloomy lyrical themes. Unlike other bluesmen of the day, James's music was personal and bleak, played for his own emotional release and not for purposes of entertainment."Devil Got My Woman," "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues," "Hard Luck Child," and "Special Rider Blues" convey sorrow and misery like few others can. Uptempo numbers such as the classic "I'm So Glad" and "Drunken Spree," which resembles the hillbilly traditional "Late Last Night," showcase his forceful guitar picking while rags "Little Cow and Calf" and the jumpy "How Long 'Buck'" feature his unique piano work.Read more

Reviews (28)

awesome!
skip james is one of those true masters. there is so much to say about him, the way he sang, his funny tunings, the lyrics he wrote. he was an absolute genius. stay away from early recordings if you have a problem with lo-fi sound, but if you do you're cheating yourself. Amazing!!!

"I'd rather be dead and six feet in the ground..."
Wow!!!This is history on CD!! One of the darkest, eeriest , blues recordings I've ever heard.Pop this in the player and you feel like you're out in a lonely bayou in the dead of night."Devil Got My Woman Blues", "Cypress Grove Blues" are probably my favs on here.And while it is a shame that the sound quality of the recordings are subpar, after a few listens you don't even seem to notice.It gives it an earthy quality that if absence could probably take away the powerfullness of the songs.

leaves you wanting more....
Skip James is wonderfully quirky in his interpretation of delta blues.These recordings comprise his entire output before the delta blues revivial in the early 60's, and as such, are priceless as a musical document.Too bad that the recording they obtained have deteriorated so badly.I have heard better versions on other collections.The piano work was cool, though. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Piano Blues    7. Pop    8. Prewar Country Blues   

Editorial Review

This is by far the best and most comprehensive introduction to recorded blues ever assembled, drawing styles, record labels, and eras together with the efficiency of a spider’s web. These five discs--tied to the hit-and-miss PBS film series Read more

Features

• Box set
• Soundtrack

Reviews (20)

Best blues compilation
IMO, this 5-disc set is par none the best blues compilation spanning over 50 years.Not everything noteworthy has been included, but it is the best bang for your buck you're going to find anywhere for a wide blues selection from early to recent, and Marty Scorese did a fantastic job in selection.I have given it as a gift several times and it is the gift that keeps on giving.Some very great tunes.

Raw
This box set compliments the film series very well. Musically, the set is wonderful until the middle half of the fourth disc and wans quite considerably on the fifth disc. This is not only a matter of bad taste in choosing appropriate music for these parts of the set, it is merely a matter of musical history: the blues at the time in which these portions of the set cover was simple not very good music.
The Best Compilation on Blues Ever Made
One day in early 1968 I bought the album Wheels of Fire by Cream. Cream of course featured Eric Clapton.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Chicago Blues    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Electric Blues    9. Electric Chicago Blues    10. Electric Texas Blues    11. Modern Acoustic Blues    12. Modern Electric Blues    13. Pop    14. Prewar Blues    15. R&B    16. Retro-Soul    17. Rock & Roll    18. Slide Guitar Blues    19. Soul-Blues    20. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

Now, here's what you call a break from tradition. After bridging the gap between punk and blues on his collaboration with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Read more

Reviews (37)

An acquired taste, but try it
This album is kind of like wasabi: it takes some getting used to but if you do, you have a friend for life. You're in for a big surprise if you're expecting traditional blues from this old bluesman. This is techno remix blues, which obviously won't please some, but he pulls it off. Best-known and probably the best tune is "It's Bad You Know", played on WXRT in Chicago, who turned me on to the album. Most of the cuts are musical loops, not all of which work, but overall pretty solid and recommended for anyone wanting something different. Die-hard blues purists need not apply.

Shuck Dub?
Dear Mr. Yates: Are you one of those turtle-neck wearing folks with plenty of money and a nose in the air? Are you one of those that believe that the Blues must adhere to some unforgiving rules that you made up? Get off yo' high horse and put down that pipe! The Blues have always been a "blasphemy", a walk downtown, a soulful melody, a harsh reality.... etc... The Blues NEVER did adhere to any rules of musical education. The Blues is the Blues because of a feeling, an attitude. This album has all of that attitude, irreverent as it is. Take off that turtle-neck sweater and listen to these grooves. Blues grooves. The only other artist to take the Blues to this level this decade has been G. Love. No, it's not your daddy's Blues.... but it is Blues.... fun Blues.... New Orleans Blues... Blues the way it was supposed to be: Fun, Exciting, Soulful and NOT standard! Blues with a capital "B".

Only in it for money?
I'm laughing my fricken a** off. I read the review by Mr. "Thomas W. Yates" who states below "shame on fat possum....they used to be about documenting a pure, dying art form. now fat possum is all about "updating" the blues to "increase the audience"...fat possum only cares about the $$."
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Delta Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Delta Blues    5. Juke Joint Blues    6. Modern Delta Blues    7. Modern Electric Blues    8. Pop   

Editorial Review

Muddy Waters started out playing acoustic blues in the Delta, and it shows on this return to his roots, designed to appeal to the mid-1960s surge of interest in folk music. The back of the CD includes a photo of Waters with bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon, as well as a very young Buddy Guy, gathered around a single microphone. This particular CD reissue includes five bonus tracks, among which are "The Same Thing" and "Short Dress Woman," which take advantage of the longer CD running time. All of the other reasons to hear this one remain--Waters's strong, confident voice, the relaxed smoothness of the material, and the surprisingly clean recording, made even cleaner by the digital remastering. Read more

Features

• Extra tracks
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (18)

Lousy Title. Fabulous Music
This is not a folk album; it's a blues album. And it's one of the best blues albums anybody ever recorded. I have a lot of Muddy Waters' CDs, and this one makes me stop and listen to how great his voice was, how well he could tell a story, how deeply he could hook you. You get that "back porch blues" feeling, like he's there with you on a hot summer night strummin' and singin' with a couple of friends he brought along.
BLUES EN SU SIMPLE Y MAGISTRAL ESCENCIA
Este album llego a mi por simple curiosidad en el 2000. Nunca imagine que alguien pudiese juntar tal talento en sus manos y voz como lo hizo Muddy para este album. La seccion de musicos que le sirven de soporte son nada mas y nada menos que. Buddy Guy y Willie Dixon. No hay palabras que puedan describir la magia que emanan de estas grabaciones, tan solo blues en su mas puro estado... es como trasladarse al delta de los 1930. Sonido puro y llanamente acustico con un entramado de guitarras magistral entre Muddy y Buddy Guy que sirven de fondo a la ya famosa interpretacion vocal de Muddy y eso sin contar con el solido sonido de Willie Dixon al bajo. Recuerdo que en una vieja revista de blues apuntaba sobre la existencia de este disco como una muestra de musica folk interpretada por quien se supone fue, es y sera la mejor voz y guitarra del blues americano... pero aqui no hay nada de folk, es blues delta en su estado mas primitivo. Maravilloso y dotado de una sencillez total que asombran por el resultado; PURA MAGIA. Se agregan una serie de bonus tracks que no deslucen del contenido inicial de la edicion original...pero los temas grabados en acustico son y seran la parte central de esta obra unica en su genero. Las fotografias que se incluyen en el inserto y enla propia caja del cd demuestran por su elegancia el disfrute de tres maestros del blues que nunca imaginaron que al juntarse para esta sencilla grabacion, crearian una de las mejores muestras del espiritu del blues delta. El album recoje algunos de los temas mas interesantes de la discografia del Mudddy;
Not Only Muddy, also a Great Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon Album
As the other reviewers have already clearly said, this is one of the 25? 10? 5? 3? greatest Albums of all time. I never tire of hearing it and the extension tracksa are nicely chosen. If you like the blues just a little, you'll be happy you bought this.
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Subjects:  1. Acoustic Chicago Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Blues Traditional    6. Chicago Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Electric Chicago Blues    9. Pop    10. Slide Guitar Blues   

Editorial Review

This 1971 collaboration between primal one-part-Delta/one-part-Detroit singer-guitarist John Lee Hooker and Southern California blues revivalists Canned Heat works in large part because all parties involved are a little off. Hooker, the most unsystematic of the major bluesmen of his generation, isn't a good fit for disciplined players; rather, he requires sidemen who play by feel. In harp player-guitarist Alan Wilson, the Crawling King Snake found a particularly sympathetic foil; sadly, Wilson died shortly after these sessions were completed. Roughly divided into spare, gritty Delta exercises and full-on boogie stomps featuring the full band, Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (12)

A seminal blues album and John Lee's best........
I wore a hole in this vinyl record simply because it was definitive blues at its best.
Hooker n' Heat Boogies, but isn't perfect
Hooker n' Heat is a great collaboration between white blues players and the Hook (in my opinion, the best blues singer of all time).The recording is raw, stripped down and meaty.Reverb wasn't even added to John Lee's vocals or most of the instruments for that matter, which makes me think of After the Goldrush by Neil Young, also a profoundly stripped down record made the same year.Because of its simplicity, this album sounds very different than the Hook's famous late 50's, early 60's work.
This is too intense...
When I first heard it, "Hooker and Heat" blew me away.It still does.Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Detroit Blues    8. Electric Blues    9. Electric Delta Blues    10. Leader    11. Pop    12. Rock    13. Songwriter    14. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

Ry Cooder has long had an interest in other people's music, from the blues and gospel of black America through classic jazz and the music of Cuba. Even by this standard, his meeting with Mohan Vishwa Bhatt is certainly a departure. He is neither a serious student of Indian music nor in any way a master of its intricacies. Yet on his improvised session (this album was recorded without rehearsal in one evening), he and Bhatt truly collided musically and created moments worthy of the world-music Grammy they received for it. Bhatt is an iconoclastic character himself. He plays a modified box he calls the mohan vina that is a hybrid of a classical Indian instrument and slide guitar. He is long trained in the arduous classical style, yet his work has always demanded a lot of freedom. His duets here with Cooder are completely unique, liberating both artists from the usual constraints and creating a new musical style that is unlikely to be repeated or imitated. Read more

Reviews (23)

Do your ears a favor! Get this one!
if you;re anyway involved with slide guitar playing, then get this one. cos it's one of the most outstanding slide-blues-fusion albums ever made. even if you have never heard indian music, it'll still grown on you, pretty soon. VM Bhatt is a master at his music & his instrument. And Ry Cooder is no less. i love both these guys' playing. But be warned that this is a VM Bhatt album featuring Ry cooder and not the otherway round. So apart from the fact that Ry's playing is always minimalistic, there's pretty little of Ry's sound on this album. But it still manages to keep me riveted for some reason. but his blues licks are so well timed and phrased, there's no words to describe what he does. and the chords he uses to accompany VM Bhatts passages, are so colorful. and for the real hardcore blues fans theres atleast one tune ' ganges delta blues' . man it's just awesome, with all the precussion and stuff. it amazing. i got more than i expected.

In the true spirit of confluence
The album truly encompasses the spirit of the confluence, of different worlds, different music, different thoughts, united in harmony, in the cool shade of the banks of the ganges.
Cooder aint up to par...
Its a good cd, if you like the music. It may not be what you are used to. Listen to the audio clips. Nice slide guitar playing. Personally, i think Ry Cooder gets killed on this one, the blues licks just seem a little crude and basic compared to V.M. Bhatts licks...granted, he's more used to the style of music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Ethnic Fusion    3. Modern Delta Blues    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Slide Guitar Blues    9. Worldbeat   

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.Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (108)

Wonderful
While I have to agree with some people that the second takes should've been put on the second CD, I have to say that it really isn't all that difficult to skip to the next track or put your player on random. The only reason this set didn't get my full 5 stars is because the audio wasn't cleaned up. While I don't mind the old feel of the "dirty" sound, I would prefer to have it clean, just being able to hear his voice and guitar.
of course you need this.
robert johnson is simply a cornerstone of american music. buy it, breathe it in through the ears and feel america pushing up at the soles of your feet. then have a beer. you can call that a good evening, yes sir.

Robert Johnson.....the stuff of legends!
Robert Johnson is probably one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of the blues, or even perhaps in all of American music.In his youth, he was berated and even whipped by his stepfather for not getting behind a mule and working in the fields.....he knew he had a different calling. This calling was his music.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Country Blues    5. Delta Blues    6. Pop    7. Prewar Blues    8. Prewar Country Blues    9. Slide Guitar Blues   

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. Read more

Reviews (14)

492 John Lee Hooker CD listings on Amazon and counting...
A truly original Emperor of the Blues has left behind a legacy that few of us can fathom.Where does one begin?This collection of 31 classic hits, though some 12 years premature to be complete, is an excellent start, and will literally save you hundreds of dollars if you are an avid collector.I might add that you will need that money to own every recording he's made since 1990; they are superb!You will be disappointed if you go out and buy everything out there.You can run into some pretty iffy recordings and collections, and lots of rehashed material pieced together under different titles, especially when rummaging through all the Best ofs and compilations that have been produced over the years, so it is best to stick with John Lee's early and later classics, like Live at the Cafe Au Go-Go and Live at Soledad Prison, and for more recent excellence The Healer and The Best of Friends.My favorite John Lee Hooker treasure is the The Healer Original Master Recording Gold CD B000000IS9.Beautiful.

Get Hooked
Thank you Rhino for doin' it one more time. This fabulous 2-CD compilation, nicely packaged and including a good booklet, profiles The Hook in all his glory. Perfect if you're new to John Lee and an excellent overview for those attempting to efficiently replace several worn-white Hooker LPs, The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 provides everything except the board he's beating his foot on. Those who would weep and wail that this compilation is incomplete are losing sight of the basic truth about Hooker, he only did one thing. And it was incredibly simple. And he did it over and over and over. Most Hooker songs aren't even structured like songs, they seem to begin and end in vapor. But what happens in-between is nothing short of magical.
I'm teachin' the blues to this cat.
This is a solid collection of songs by John Lee Hooker, spanning most of his long career.It doesn't have every important track by him, but it's the best that's availab