5 comments about Blues on the Bayou.

1. You like Blues? You like B.B. King? You like Slow Hand Clapton? You will love Ridin with the King! Foot stomping, finger tappin and you will feel like dancin!



2. What can you say,its BB King! Lots of great instrumentals and the songs just keep coming. Not a bad track in the bunch, no disappointment here.



3. I just checked out this release from the library yesterday and was totally surprised at how good it is and will order a copy of my own through Amazon.I like the "live in the studio" feel.Its also a great practicing tool for any pickers out there to work on your "in the style of BB King" licks.Heck,I was plugged halfway through the first song,the beautiful minor key "Blues Boys Tune".Inspiring stuff and a solid cd.Thanks,Blues Boy!



4. I've always liked B.B. King's music ever since I was a kid when I'd catch him on TV periodically. He just seemed genuine in his playing and the style and sound was something that appealed to me personally. So I started to collect some of his music in the late 70's after I got out of college.
   
   Then I had the privilege of seeing him perform "live" twice in the mid 90's while I lived in Spokane, WA. His love of the music and his joy in bringing it to you was palpable. The thrill was definitely not gone for Riley B. King.
   
   So I started to revisit his catalog and I came across Blues On The Bayou. The reviews were sterling across the board, but what attracted me to this particular disc out of all 15 or so that I have was that he used his ROAD BAND in the studio. For many artists, this is not standard practice. They use producer chosen studio folks for their recording sessions. This is one reason that mainstream music coming out of Nashville has that "sameness" to it - it's all the same guys playing in different configurations behind a variety of artists. The music might as well come off the end of a conveyor belt coming out of a factory for all the originality it displays.
   
   Well, not in this case. First thing they did here was use a little recording studio somewhat off the beaten track. This is good strategy because it eliminates the distractions over the course of the days given over to recording. There's just pretty much you and the music and so you can get deeper into it as you attempt to find the best sounds in recording it. In the case of this disc, it paid off in spades.
   
   The choice of songs fits the title and the musicianship is top notch across the board. If you like lively, smooth sounding blues, you can't go wrong here. Sample the various tunes and I dare you to tell me I'm wrong....



5. To quote BB himself: "All live, all real. No overdubs, no high-tech tricks. JUST THE BASIC BLUES!" Shaq, "The King Of The World Blues Reviewer" says: "This is what I call mellow blues." This is the kind of music you want on, when you want to relax. A rainy day in winter, open the curtains, put this CD on, sit back, and let BB gently, serenade you. There's no better way to end this review, than to quote the other "King" (BB) himself: "In case you're interested, my favorite is "I'll Survive," a song I wrote back in the fifties. I sang it then, but I'm not sure I understood it .Now I know the meaning of survival."

5 comments about The Definitive Collection.

1. This is just a really good collection assembled here. There's always those purists who think one song shouldn't have made it on a greatest hits type album and that another should have gotten its place, but the fact is that this is a really good album.
   
   As someone who has only recently started listening to the Blues, I was surprised when I first introduced myself to Bo Diddley because I knew so many of his songs but just not sung by him. I was amazed to find out how much influence this man had on my own musical experience without my ever even hearing about him until very recently. I was happy to remedy that situation with a great album such as this one. This is the type of CD you can put in and just listen over and over again. The only reason to touch the dial after you put this CD in is to turn it back to re-listen to one of your favorites.
   
   From the rough and fast Who Do You Love to jocular Say Man this album has great songs. We recently lost this musical giant but with this recording and many like it he will live on forever.



2. The last time I had occasion to mention the late Bo Diddley in this space was in connection with a series of interviews and performances along with Chuck Berry, Little Richard and others in Keith Richards Chuck Berry tribute film Hail, Hail Rock and Roll. The talk centered, rightly, on the dismal fate of many black recording artists who developed what would become Rock and Roll when the white artists like Elvis took it over and reaped the benefits of a mass audience. Well, those interviews occurred a while ago, back in the 1980's, but Bo's sense of not having been properly recognized I believe remained until his death. Yet, when one thinks of the sounds created by the founders of Rock and Roll can anyone deny that Bo's primal beat was not central to that explosion? I think not.
   
   Here, in one album we have, if not all of Bo's creative work then a good part of it, at least a good place to start. Of course, the classic song Bo Diddley and its offshoots and variations are here. However, the one Diddley song that will probably outlive them all though is Who Do You Love. Although not a theme song it nevertheless expresses the raw energy of rhythm and blues/ rock/ carib sound like not other. Hell, George Throughgood was able to make a whole career on the basis of having covered that song and other Bo work (and to be fair, covering the work of Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor as well).
   
   And that is a good point to finish on. The really great rockers, and Bo is in that company, unlike the one-shot johnnies get covered because their work expresses something that someone else later wishes to high heaven that they had created. (George has been quoted directly on that point.) Finally, I give the same warning here as others have given in their comments about the sameness of this CD and the Chess 50th Anniversary CD from 1997. Get one or the other and save those pennies to get more of Bo's work. "I said- I'm just 22 and I don't mind dying. Who do you love?" Thanks for that line Bo. Kudos



3. Really enjoyed this CD of pioneer Bo Diddley. Showcases many of his hits. Also shows that he was very spontaneous with his playing and arrangements. "Roadrunner" is a little known gem that I really enjoyed.



4. Yeah, I see what they did with the repackaging that has been mentioned already. I was lucky enough to get the former version of this album for about 3 dollars through an "overstock sale" at a music club recently, glad I got it then!
   
   Good collection here, I have to give it 5 stars; Bo is such an influential artist of course. Almost seems to deserve more on the "reissue", but for a casual fan of Bo and the history of Rock and Roll, this is a must have, if you like what you hear here, then perhaps graduate to the Chess box set too!?
   
   He and Chuck Berry are essential to any Rock And Roll collection, in what form you choose to catalog them is up to you I guess. Either a box set or a nice collection like this, at least you get a good feel either way of such a wonderful almost forgotten today artist.



5. Yes, every one of the 20 tracks on this set is excellent, and many are seminal classics. But as my esteemed colleague with the "unhelpful" votes writes, this is 1997's Chess comp in new clothes, song for song, and not newly remastered either. Bo Diddley's March 1955 Chess debut, 'Bo Diddley' b/w 'I'm A Man' represented Bo with a fully developed style and persona, one side redefining children's nursery rhymes against an masterfully arranged and recorded track that is pure rhythm long before J.B.'s mid-sixties funk bombs. Emphasizing tom-toms, Jerome Green's sizzling maracas, and the primal jangle of Bo's guitar, it was backed by a blues classic that inspired Muddy Waters' 'Mannish Boy'. This is surely one of the most influential singles ever, and followups such as the irresistable 'You Don't Love Me' and 'Pretty Thing' are just as explosive, original, and uncompromised. Bo's influence on second generation rock 'n' rollers such as The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Animals, and (obviously) Pretty Things insured his work would shape popular music for decades to come. And on their classic 1973 debut New York Dolls included just one cover, Mr. Diddley's 'Pills'. All these great recordings and more are included on this collection. Yet, unforgiveably, very little of Bo Diddley's great body of work - his fat years cover roughly 1955 to '66 - remains in print in his own country. By all means snap this up if you are a neophyte looking to buy your first Bo collection, for the music is utterly undated, even thrilling. However, clocking in at under an hour, the set remains merely acceptable (the remastering is very good), certainly not generous. For fans there is nothing here we don't already have. The notes are nothing special, which reminds me that it's time for the 1989 "Chess Box" to get the sonic upgrade - and, while we're at it, expanded treatment - the first generation's most innovative rock 'n' roller deserves. That set, despite sonic limitations due to the problems endemic to early digital, contains unissued rarities, seldom heard gems, and classics. But it is most revelatory for Robert Palmer's brilliant in depth essay analyzing and celebrating Bo's work, an essential read that remains the most intelligent piece I've seen about the music (the box also contains a biographical piece). And expand that box to three discs! Bo issued a string of fine albums during his 'golden decade', plus some terrific single sides and unissued material (some is collected on the superb and - naturally out of print - "Rare & Well Done"). The man is 78 as I write this, recent victim of a stroke, yet the 50th anniversary of his classic debut went virtually unnoticed, as did his 75th birthday. Sonic innovator, grunge craw-dad, rap progenitor, rhythm king, the man deserves at least some of the accolades, sensitive reissue campaigns, and serious critical attention Ellington, Armstrong, Elvis, Sinatra, and others received on such occasions.

5 comments about His Best.

1. I am amazed that this cost so little, but was SOOOOO good. Sonnny Boy II is (IMHO) the better of the Sonny Boys. A lot of people will justifiably rave about his skill on the harp, but do not let that distract you from his vocals. This performer has a tremendous voice.
   Sonny Boy Williamson II is a complete blues package, musician and vocalist.
   
   Although he is a polished performer, there is still a huge amount of emotion that comes through his work.
   
   This recording is very clear and enjoyable, which is very good, considering the time and recording technology available when the originals were made. (No, it's not Alan Lomax recording in hotel rooms, but still . . . . .)
   
   If you liked this, you might want to consider looking at "King Biscut Time" - also available on Amazon.
   
   Also good is "The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson" - but please make sure you get the right Sonny Boy, as both of them have an 'Essentials' CD available.



2. Sonny Boy II is not my favorite. I like more honk from the harp and less undercurrent of menace from the vocals, and I like Little Walter's and Paul Butterfield's ways of extending the blues melodically without losing the Chicago of it. But Sonny Boy grows on me, and this album has a lot of great stuff for a guy like me to hear who's trying to pick up journeyman skills on the harp.



3. When Aleck Ford, alias Alex "Rice" Miller, claimed during one his early Forties radio broadcasts for King Biscuit Time on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas to be THE "Sonny Boy" Williamson, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson was already well known by that nickname in the Chicago area [see my review of the CD Shake The Boogie].
   
   However, born on December 5, 1899 in Glendora, Mississippi, Ford would become the better known of the two, especially in Europe where, decked out in his two-tone suits and bowler hats, he would generate a large, loyal following in the early Sixties.
   
   Before then he had two charted R&B hits on the Checker label, with the first, Don't Start Me Talkin' - on which he was backed by Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers on guitar - peaking at # 3 in November 1955 b/w All My Love In Vain). The second charter came almost exactly one year later when Keep It To Yourself made it to # 14 R&B. The B-side of that record was The Key (To Your Door) which seems to be unavailable (the other Williamson CD, The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson, carries a previously unreleased take).
   
   After a seven year absence from the charts he returned in 1963 with Help Me (# 24 R&B) b/w Bye Bye Bird, again on Checker, and would go on to cut several LPs with some well known groups of the day, among them The Yardbirds and The Animals.
   
   Van Morrison and The Moody Blues would also pay homage by cutting, respectively, Help Me and Bye Bye Bird, while Bring It On Home (To Me) became hits for Sam Cooke (1962), Eddie Floyd (1968), The Animals (1965), and Lou Rawls (1970). The most faithful rendition, however, was by Led Zeppelin on the album Led Zeppelin II.
   
   Williamson, who died in Helena on May 25, 1965. is widely regarded as one the most influential harmonica-playing bluesmen of his era, and if you want to know why, simply buy this great CD. In 1980 the Blues Hall Of Fame was launched and among the initial 20 inductees were both "Sonny Boys."



4. He was probably born Aleck or Alex Ford, took the name "Rice" Miller later on, and adopted the name of another fine blues player, Sonny Boy Williamson still later. His harmonica playing is wondrous to listen to; he was a mentor to such luminaries as Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells, Little Walter, and so on. This CD features work from 1955 to 1964.
   
   A few selections well illustrate his art.
   
   "Good evening Everybody" begins the CD with typical riveting harmonica work. The instrument wails. What a backing group: Otis Spann, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Willie Dixon, and Fred Below. The song has an up tempo beat (as liner notes mention, the tempo slows over the 10 year period covered by this CD). He finishes the song by singing of being in a studio in Chicago playing the blues. And play the blues he does.
   
   "Don't Start Me to Talkin'" is a nice tune, with more exquisite harmonica work.
   
   "All My Love in Vain" should not be confused with the similarly named song by the legendary Robert Johnson. Again, terrific harmonica playing. And some good lines:
   
   "Heart's been broken,
   And all my love in vain."
   
   The backing group (same as the previous two cuts) plays well.
   
   One of his most well known songs, "Nine Below Zero" features good lines, such as:
   
   "It was 9 below zero
   And she put me down for another man.
   I gave her all my love and all my money,
   Everything."
   
   His voice suggests a hard living life (and liner notes indicate that that was the truth)! The harmonica work embellishes the singing nicely.
   
   All in all, a good introduction to the work of Sonny Boy Williamson. For blues' enthusiasts, this is a work well worth considering.



5. This is a wonderful collection of blues harmonica music. The Sonny Boy Williamson who was also known as Rice Miller was a masterful player, and a talented songwriter. His voice aged with him to produce that fine bluesy-gravelly sound that endears a blues performer to his audience.
   
   Some of his classic songs like Don't Start Me To Talking, Your Funeral and My Trial, Fattening Frogs For Snakes, and Nine Below Zero are on this retrospective. This is a blues music collectors must have if you love harmonica music.

5 comments about Super Session.

1. "Stop" never fails to get me, no matter how many listens. Same thing with "Albert's Shuffle", w/ or w/o horns. All in all, a brilliant album.



2. Seems like a lot of the people who bought this album bought it mostly because of Mike Bloomfield's half of it.
   
   And let me tell you, this is a great half. The instrumentation is nothing new, but the musicians play with this flare that is unique to this album. It's as if all of the players were discovering their amazing powers at music for the first time, all at once.
   
   You can tell they were having a really great time. It shows through in the music.
   
   Stephen Stills side is the less appreciated side of the album (though still appreciated). I'm just going to say that I am extremely glad that they decided to call in Stills to finish this album off, because I have fallen in love with his half.
   
   The layed back, feelin cool, not a care in the world groove of "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" is just ridiculously original. I don't think they could have done a better job on this song, no matter what.
   
   It is a fresh song, with tons of replay value. It's like listening to Rock N Roll for the first time again.
   
   Season of the Witch is another fantastic cover that Stephen and the band took home. It's a lengthy song, with great singing and jamming.
   
   Bonus tracks are definitely worth checking out as well. The whole album is wonderful, and I'd be surprised if it were to let you down in your expectations.



3. I grew up with this recording, as well as all the other original Bloomfield works (PBBB, Electric Flag). It's still a wonderful album, warts and all. I enjoy listening to it now as much as I did then, and it's been forty years, almost exactly. I still have a vinyl copy of it I bought new in 1968 or 1969.
   
   One of the reviewers above pointed out that the purpose of these reviews is to get people to listen to and appreciate this music who might not otherwise do so. How true! I hope that occurs. Bloomfield had a troubled and short life, but he managed to get some masterpieces down on tape before he shuffled off this mortal coil: the early Butterfield records, Electric Flag, and these sessions. No one else sounds like Bloomfield; for better or worse, he was his own man. These tracks show his best side, beyond doubt.
   
   It's worth noting that Robben Ford, an extraordinary contemporary blues and jazz guitar master, cites Bloomfield as an early influence and one of the reasons he switched from playing reeds to guitar. Listening to these tracks, you can see why. And after all these years, these tracks still have their poignancy and ringing sad sweetness.



4. What can I say ?
   It's like getting two albums in one.
   "It takes a lot to laugh..." best song. How do you get from Dylan to Steven Stills to Little Feat? Answer.. see above.
   Albert's Shuffle, best blues number. Tribute to Albert King.
   "His Holy Modal Majesty" best acid fade to jazz. No, it's not from "Easy Rider". Get the first Blood Sweat & Tears album for more Al Kooper.



5. I first bought Super Session (and its semi-sequel "The Live Adventures") on vinyl at a garage sale for $1, primarily after reading Al Kooper's book "Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards" detailing the sessions. After 1-2 plays of each I found myself saying "I bought these because...?" Don't get me wrong, each is full of well played music, but the legend of these albums seems to have overtaken the facts. So years later when I bought the CD's (for whatever reason) I was saying the same things. But a funny thing happened, Super Session seemed to grow on me. And it found a regular place in my bag of CD's (no Ipod just yet). The more you listen, the more you find yourself getting into the groove of the music within.
   
   Super Session was the brainchild of producer Al Kooper. Having been kicked out of Blood Sweat & Tears, frustrated in his job as a staff producer at CBS Records, and without enough material for a solo album he hit upon an idea that had been a mainstay of jazz players. Gather a group of like-minded musicians together and jam on whatever songs were available for a quickie album. But this had never been tried in a rock context. And Kooper was eager to show what his friend Michael Bloomfield was capable of. Bloomfield had been kicked out of his own band Electric Flag, and was game for the idea. They added bassist Harvey Brooks and drummer Eddie Hoh to complete the band, then started recording in California. They knocked off 5 songs the first day and Kooper thought this would be easy. Until the next day when he got a phone call asking if Michael had made his plane home. Bloomfield had left, citing chronic insomnia. Kooper desperately contacted every guitarist he could think of, eventually getting a commitment from another musical orphan, Stephen Stills. Stills' band Buffalo Springfield had just split up and he was a year away from forming CSN.
   
   Super Session was an unlikely success when first released in 1968. No hit singles came from it. Each member of the "band" remains (except for Stills) a trivia question. Its musical structure starts as hard-edged Chicago blues (courtesy of Bloomfield) then veers in country rock and psychedelics (via Stills & Kooper). And yet it hit #11 on the album charts and became a fixture on underground FM stations that year. Bloomfield turns in some stinging blues on the opener "Albert's Shuffle" and on "Really".
   
   The 2nd half belongs to Stills and Kooper as they mix it up on covers of Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry", Donovan's "Season of the Witch". And the blues standard "You Don't Love Me" gets the phased guitar sound here. (Compare this to the Allman Brothers version on "Live at the Fillmore"). You can clearly hear Stills' Buffalo Springfield guitar sound here as well as the beginnings of the sound he had later with CSN. In Kooper's book he says that "Stills had just gotten his first set of Marshall amps and was chompin' at the bit to blast his Les Paul through 'em".
   
   The expanded version of this album adds 4 songs. 2 are alternate mixes of "Albert's Shuffle" and "Season of the Witch" that eliminate the horn sections. A live cut called "Fat Grey Cloud" comes from a 1968 Fillmore West show. And an unreleased instrumental "Blues for Nothing" that sounds like an alternate "Albert's".
   
   The legend of this album continued with the "Live Adventures" album a year later (Bloomfield left again after playing on half this album too) and with the more recently released "Lost Fillmore Show" disc (which is a complete Kooper/Bloomfield show adding an then-unknown Johnny Winter as a special guest ).
   
   Like I said, this album grows on you. It comes from a time we won't see again when musicians with nothing to lose just met to play and see what might happen.

5 comments about Live in Cook County Jail.

1. great fun.takes you into the hall ,the booing of the sheriff and judge sets the tone for a fun gig.foot tapping and air guitar.



2. B. B. King is more than a talented musician and songwriter, he is a phenomenal entertainer as well. He works a crowd like few others with his obvious love for people and his devotion to giving his best. This album captures BB as he is best, live and in action. He does not need light shows or other props to sell his work, he just plays and sings with a style and an infectious joy that few entertainers can match. One of his best albums.



3. Fans often call B.B. King the king of the blues guitar, but if B.B. were only a brilliant guitarist he wouldn't be a household name for decades. B.B. King is also a powerful singer, a terrific interpreter of others' material, an effective bandleader and - most importantly - a thoroughly professional entertainer. You can experience all B.B. King's sides on the "Cook County Jail" CD.
   
   Virtually every cut on the CD is a powerhouse. Although the Cook County Jail setting might lead one to expect that B.B. King would play up the outlaw aspects of the blues (the way that Johnny Cash did with his prison LPs), B.B. takes the opposite approach. He delivers a well-rehearsed and utterly professional show. It must have seemed a revelation to rock fans, as most blues-rock concerts at the time were notoriously sloppy affairs. But it's what we expect from B.B. King. He may define himself as a bluesman, but B.B. applied many lessons learned from tight jazz combos.
   
   For the uninitiated, the strong performances of B.B. King's best-known hits "Sweet Sixteen" and the "Thrill is Gone" will be the selling points, but every track has its delights. For me, the strongest moment comes with "How Blue Can You Get?" Here, we clearly get to experience how B.B. King is able to feed off the energy of a responsive audience, to the point where the inmates are practically bandmembers. When we hear their laughter and applause, we know that B.B. King has won over one of the most difficult audiences to please. Every solo on the CD is well-constructed, and at no time does B.B. allow himself to become self-indulgent.
   
   The CD's short running time is the only deficit. While appropriate for an early 1970s LP, this is one short concert by modern CD standards. It would be nice to see this CD reissued with material cut from the original release (as is the usual trend for live album reissues), but there is no denying this is one of the very few live albums worth revisiting again and again. It belongs in the collection of anyone who truly loves post-war blues.



4. This CD captures the very essence of what makes Blues Boy King the King of the Blues. The power of BB's music thunders througout the CD. This album has the best rendition of "The Thrill is Gone" I have ever heard, and I've heard just about all the versions he has done over the years. You can almost see him crooning to the microphone with his eyes closed, and Lucille gives this song so much more with her solo at the end. If anything buy this CD for the "The Thrill is Gone"; as soon as you get it turn it up, sit down and close your eyes...



5. I don't get it.
   I had high hopes for this CD. Every review I've read, including the editorial review here at Amazon, has been jubilant, and "Live In Cook County Jail" is certainly not a bad record, but it's not great either, and at times it's barely even good.
   
   I have an awful lot of blues albums, and I like to think that I know good blues when I hear it, but I just can't figure out what it is that people find so appealing about this recording.
   Sure, King does a very good rendition of his trademark "The Thrill Is Gone" and plays excellent guitar on a great reading of "How Blue Can You Get", but "Every Day I Have The Blues" is marred by bland vocals and horrible drumming (easily the most annoying ever heard on a blues record!).
   
   As for the rest of the seven songs, "Worry, Worry" trails off into long, sometimes tedious improvisations and is badly mixed. The first half of the medley "3 O'Clock Blues / Darlin' You Know I Love You" is pretty good, but "Darlin' You Know I Love You" is more jazz ballad than blues, and while I enjoy a good jazz ballad, I don't expect to find them on blues records. Besides, this one is not really that good either.
   
   King does a good job with "Sweet Sixteen", but the album winds down with a closing number, "Please Accept My Love", which doesn't feel like it belongs on a blues album...there's more pop than blues to it.
   All in all, there is some good and some bad on this album, and quite a lot in between. King's playing on "How Blue Can You Get" and "The Thrill Is Gone" rivals anything he's ever done, but those two songs by themselves are not enough to make this a great album.

5 comments about B.B. King - Greatest Hits.

1. From one of the most renonwned blues legends ever, this album of his greatest hits is awesome. If you love guitar, and blues then check this album out.



2. B.B. King is the most influential blues guitarist of all time. B.B. is the real deal for so many reasons, and this greatest hits complination is the very best. The first two tracks are taken from Live At Regal one of the best live B.B. King recordings including Every Day I Have The Blues, and Sweet Little Angel. Some other known tracks for the early listner are The Thrill Is Gone, and Hummingbird those are both two tracks that really stand out. Their is a track called Playin' With My Friends (with robert cray), and When Love Comes To Town(with U2). I highly encourage anybody to try this bb. king's greatest hits complination. I also would highly recomend Live At The Regal!



3. Later in life I`ve discovered the power and energy of B.B.King, and amazed I`ve become his fan. This is a good sample of his style and tempo, and no matter he gets old, his quality remains intact.



4. This certainly isn't everything you could ever want from the Beale Street Blues Boy, but it does give the first-time listener a pretty accurate idea about what to expect from B.B. King. For better or worse.
   
   His excellent and highly influential 50s singles are missing, which is a shame, especially since some of those were actually sizable hits and this compilation has the audacity to call itself "Greatest Hits".
   There are lot of great moments here anyway, like the swinging "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss", the epic "Why I Sing The Blues", and the slow burner "How Blue Can You Get" among them, and they sit next to two cuts from King's highly succesful "Live At The Regal" album, an excellent "Sweet Little Angel" and a hideous "Every Day I Have The Blues" which falls miles short of Memphis Slim's potent original ("Nobody Loves Me").
   
   And there are just too many mediocrities on this album. B.B. King experimented with some sort of pop-blues fusion in the 70s and 80s, and the compilers have included "To Know You Is to Love You", "I Like To Live The Love" and "Hummingbird" from that unfortunate era. The duets with Robert Cray on "Playin' With My Friends" and rock group U2 on "When Love Comes To Town" are not much more uplifting, and too much of this material was recorded well after King's prime.
   
   If you like B.B. King at his most pop-friendly, you will probably enjoy this compilation. If you like him at his grittiest, you will certainly be disappointed. May I suggest the new "Ultimate Collection" instead.



5. A nice compilation of this blues legend. Some catchy lyrics and strong guitar solos exist throughout this collection. The first seven songs are strictly three chord blues progressions which can be a bit tiresome for some audiences. However, the catchy lyrics make you pay attention to such gems as Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, How Blue Can You Get?, and The Thrill Is Gone.

   The next few tracks have a more varied arrangement and get away from the standard three chord progression. BB King gets funky in spots and the use of strings and horns in the background add a nice touch. The duets with Bono and Robert Cray are quite good. A nice intro to this legend, indeed.

5 comments about The Definitive Collection.

1. This album simply cannot be beat. You get some of the greatest songs from one of the all-time great post-war bluesmen, Chester Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf. If BB King is a fine wine, Howlin' Wolf is a shot of strong scotch. The CD starts out with Moaning at Midnight, a song which will send chills up your spine the first time you hear it....if anyone can be said to have an inimitable voice, it can be said of Chester Burnett.
   
   Personally, I was not sure I would like Howlin' Wolf as I was just getting into the genre of the blues, and so purchased this album instead of his 3 CD box set. Later, I also added His Best, Volume 2, to my collection. In any case, this album (or the box set), is a must have for anyone who loves the blues. Though it must be said that this is a must have for any lover of the blues, it is also probably just as true that it is a must have for any lover of music in general.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. Even before college I was grooving to the Wolf. When I got to the University of Rochester, my dreams came true. I got to produce a show with Wolf and his band in 1969. A dance/concert. It was extra special because before the show, we had a picnic thing...ribs, chicken etc., with the band and a surprise guest...Eddie 'Son' House!
   Thirty years later, I saw Hubert Sumlin at a festival in Maryland, and asked him to re-sign the poster from that '69 show. He told me the band, and Wolf, in particular, were blown away by the gig. 'Best show they ever did'!
   Muddy could do many things, but Wolf was the most visceral guy out there.
   I'll never forget the ladies' reactions to 300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy and Built for Comfort.



3. There is absolutely no way to fault the material on this collection of masterpieces but... if you are a blues fan, you will want the box set or even more. There is just no one like the Wolf. I love a broad range of blues, from the earliest country blues pickers to the West Side soul crew, but not a one of them can stand up to the Wolf. The primal energy in these tracks has never been matched by any other artist and never will be. The band is almost supernatural in how well they play together and read each other, and, as if having the best songs to choose from (many of them written by legendary Willie Dixon) weren't enough, the icing on the cake is one of the most influential, inimitable, nastiest, just indescribably awesome guitar players of all-time HUBERT SUMLIN!!!



4. This is really just MCA/Chess' Howlin' Wolf-compilation "His Best" in new guise, but that's not a bad thing. "His Best" was by far the greatest single-disc Wolf-compilation on the market, and now this one is simply taking its place.
   
   But do you know what you are getting into here? Even people who like Muddy Waters are sometimes turned off by the "sound of heavy machinery operating on a gravel road" that was Howlin' Wolf's voice.
   Chester Arthur Burnett, the Howlin' Wolf, stood about 6'4" and weighed close to three hundred pounds in his prime, and his raw, throat-shredding vocals sound positively frightening on early cuts like "Moanin' At Midnight" and the clanging, piano-driven boogie of "How Many More Years", his first R&B hit, and the one which allowed him to proudly state that "I'm the onliest one drove out of the South like a gentleman!"
   
   This is electric blues of the highest order, rough and tough and extraordinarily powerful. The songwriting credits are shared about equally by the omnipresent Willie Dixon, who plays bass on most of these cuts, and the Wolf himself, and while few of these songs are as well-known as Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man" or Elmore James' "Dust My Broom", they are quite as magnificent.
   Wolf's tough "Who's Been Talkin'" is an incredibly gritty tour de force set to a thumping rhumba beat, and Dixon's horn-driven rave-up "Hidden Charms" features perhaps the greatest guitar solo ever comitted to tape, courtesy of Jimmy Page's and Eric Clapton's great hero, the extraordinary Hubert Sumlin.
   
   Other highlights include "Forty-Four", the eerie "Smokestack Lightnin'", the slide guitar-driven "Little Red Rooster" and the phenomenal "Killing Floor", written by Howlin' Wolf, shamelessly stolen by Led Zeppelin and covered by several others, but never surpassed, and featured here in the ultimate version, propelled by an incredibly catchy guitar riff by Hubert Sumlin, and with Buddy Guy on acoustic rhythm guitar.
   
   Almost every song is a highlight, actually. This CD is a corner stone in any serious blues collection...hard-rocking, bone-crunching electric blues, burning with the sheer ferocity of Chester Burnett's incredible voice.
   There was never anyone quite like the Wolf, and it doesn't seem likely that there will be.



5. With his demonic charisma and bone-chilling voice, Howlin' Wolf was one of the towering figures of the blues, a performer whose greatest moments served as electric counterparts to the incantations of Robert Johnson. As this 20 track compilation proves, the Wolf was one of the Chicago blues' most distinctive and darkly brilliant figures; his performances (and those of his superb backing bands) were pure atmosphere, full of late-night swagger and claustrophobic paranoia, with distorted guitars sneaking their way through gin soaked piano lines and uneasy rhythms. It was a raw, cathartic sound, characterized y manic joy and barely subdued fear. The result is one of the greatest bodies of work in the history of blues music.
   
   These 20 tracks can attest to that- the apocalyptic "Moanin' At Midnight" kicks off the proceedings wonderfully, setting the stage for the furious surrealism of "Smokestack Lightnin''" and the hulking sexuality of "Back Door Man." "Wang Dang Doodle" is as divinely deranged as any rockabilly track, and "Spoonful" is an absolutely spine-shredding slow burner, with a vocal performance that drips sexual innuendo. "Killing Floor" is a slinky, rhythmic strut, and "Evil" is as menacing as its title. This is a classic blues disc, and an essential purchase for anyone who doesn't already have these songs.

5 comments about Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy.

1. I like "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues" better, but this is still great. I loved Stevie Ray Vaughn, and since Buddy played at the last concert Stevie ever gave, I looked forward to hearing the instrumental tribute to him. I wasn't disappointed. Anybody who thinks Chicago blues is always loud and driving should listen hard to that one. Like any great music, there's more than one way to be blue. Yeah, Buddy.



2. Do you love the blues? I said, DO YOU LOVE THE BLUES? If you don't, then this CD is not for you! This CD was made for blues lovers. From the first guttural.. From the first growl.. From the first screeching.. Lyrics from Buddy: "DAMN RIGHT, I'VE GOT THE BLUES!" You are on your way to a blues experience. You don't get to warm up! You don't get to pace yourself! From Buddy's first exulted, words of "blues", you are hooked into a blues experience, that there's no getting out of! For those of you who are blues neophytes, in the electric blues world, Buddy, said that Stevie Ray Vaughn, was his best friend, and like a brother to him. With this knowledge, pay special attention to song #4, "Remembering Stevie". It's an instrumental that Buddy wrote in memory of Stevie, after his untimely death. This CD is a testament to one of the all-time greatest electric blues guitar performers... Mr. Buddy Guy. 5 stars for now and forever.



3. Buddy Guy is "The Master of the Blues." He glides his fingers over his guitar like the wind showing his expertise with every note. I've seen him once in person and he made a lifetime impression on me. Buddy's Baddest will fill you with the energetic life force of a Buddy Guy concert.



4. buddy guy always seems to get third billing behind eric clapton and b.b. king, but this collection of songs is certainly an excellent sampler of why he is always mentioned in the same breath with those other 2 lads !!!!! it is an excellent introduction to one very exciting and inventive blues guitarist (go visit his nightclub in chicago and check out all the autographed guitars on the walls)
   these songs sizzle: "mustang sally" takes off like a rocket, "midnight train" really rocks, and the bass line on "damn right" is a killer. even the slow tunes are hot.if you are a hobbyist, this is a great collection of blues tunes to play along to. also great for listening to in the car by yourself- where you can play it LOUD !!!!!



5. I just bought Buddy's Baddest: The Best Of Buddy Guy at fye music for $20. I really did'nt care about the price because I had already previewed the songs at fye and new this album stood presence of greatness like Buddy Guy. This is my first buddy guy album I have been for so long been listening to Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan never came across Buddy until now........... The first track Damn Right, I've Got The Blues is just an amazing track filled with so much potenial, soul, and power in Buddy's guitar solo. And I have to say all of the tracks have buddy guy playing some great guitar solo's which is what us guitar, blues fans want right? I also liked Rememberin'Stevie. This album is a must have. Buddy Guy can really play!

5 comments about Trouble Is....

1. For years I wanted to get this cd for the song "Blue on Black". After finally getting it I find out it's a great rockin album from start to finish. I wish I bought it years ago. It even drove me to go see Kenny in a live show and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen and I have to been to quite a few in my day. It doesn't get better than this.



2. The album is an awesome example of the incredible work this blues guitarist can produce. Must have for any library...



3. Kenny Wayne Shepherd has continued to show what it takes to be a classic blues musician and this CD of his earliest work is a great example. Later works he explores other blues genres (espcially Chicago Blues), but in this one I categorize it as a primarily Texas-style with some Chicago influences. I highly rate the entire CD in every way. I don't know of a single track that I dislike for all have riffs that I enjoy immensely. Many of these tunes are great traveling music that really help in passing the time covering long distances in my car or truck. I am definitely a true fan of his (and his band's) music and can't seem to get enough...particularly after the loss of Stevie Ray Vaughn.



4. This is the first KWS CD that I have purchased and it was promoted by listening to Blue on Black on a streaming electric blues audio station. I was hoping the rest of the CD was going to be good electric blues rock and I was not dissapointed. I thought the entire CD was darn good!



5. I knew what I was getting when I bought this cd, but man, it still blew me away. I loved the fact that I could actually tell the influences of BB King, Muddy Waters, and more as I listened to Kenny Wayne Shepherd belt out the blues. An excellent product.

5 comments about Born Under a Bad Sign.

1. This album and Earl Hooker's "The Moon Is Rising" are two of the greatest electric Blues albums of all-time. There is not a bad song on this disc. Albert King also displays great versatility; "Born Under A Bad Sign" sounds nothing like "The Very Thought Of You", perhaps an odd song choice for Albert, but very well-handled. This is one of the albums that the late Stevie Ray Vaughan most admired. He was heavily influenced by Albert's playing on this record, as were scores of other Blues guitarists and Blues-Rock performers.



2. This is really a fantastic blues album. Not even close to the most technical thing out there, but Albert King just pours out emotion into his guitar. It's a very soulful performance.



3. The Blues have always been much more popular in concert settings than on record. Truth is, there's not a wealth of terrific Blues studio records that appeal to a broad audience. If there were more Blues albums as excellent as "Born Under A Bad Sign", there's no question there'd be a much larger audience.
   
   If you've only ever heard the title song by Cream, do yourself a favor and get this to hear King's smoking version. No worries that this will be an album that starts with a hit followed by a lot of filler. There's a lot more searing guitar work on "Crosscut Saw" and "Kansas City" and then on throughout the album. Every song is terrific. "As The Years Go Passing By" is an achingly beautiful, if mournful, slow blues with a haunting solo from King. One of my all time favorite Blues songs. Closing the album with the Jazz chestnut "The Very Thought Of You" might seem a curious choice but King reworks it as a Blues number and it really works.
   
   This could not be a five star album if King weren't getting excellent support and Booker T and the MGs deliver that support with gusto. Their crack playing perfectly complements King on this outstanding collection of songs without ever overshadowing him.
   
   This is one of the very best Blues guitar albums and, come to that, one of the finest Blues albums period. If you were starting a Blues collection with as few as five CDs, this would have to be one of them. If you're looking for a first purchase of Albert King, I'd strongly recommend this over the excellent "Very Best of Albert King". It's not just that King never made a better Blues record. Nobody else did either.



4. Albert King-Born Under A Bad Sign *****
   
   
   This is it, the album that changed everything. Up until this point it was white boys playing only trashy rock n' roll, but after the release of Born Under A Bad sign all the little white boys from England wanted to be blues musicians, especially the guitar players. With out Born Under A Bad sign Clapton, the Vaughn brothers, and Jimi Hendrix to just name a few would not have chosen the paths they chose. Instead they would have opted for a more straight forward rock sound (not to say that Clapton wouldnt do that anyways in the late '70s and 80's sadly).
   
   Taken from a collection of singles and released as one whole album finally in 1967 Born Under A Bad Sign was Albert Kings crowning achivement so to speak. Pun intended. This was the album that solidified him as a guitar power-house and making him the third King in the three king trilogy along side B.B. King and Freddie King.
   
   The album features and all star line up of Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn on guitar and bass. Al Jackson jr. on Drums. The Memphis Horns (Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love, Joe Arnold). To top off the line up is the great Booker T. Jones and Isaac Hayes on the keys. Phenomonal. Easily the best blues line up ever assembled!
   
   Starting off with the title track, and legendary 'Born Under A Bad Sign' which is easily one of the top five blues numbers of all time. So good infact that in the mid 80's the hardcore band MDC (millions of dead cops) covered the song, and did a great job in fact. Killer cuts like 'Crosscut Saw' and 'Kansas City' keep things moving in an up beat manner complete with bleeding guitar. 'Oh, Pretty Woman' continues things. No not the Roy Orbison song, no, no, no, Kings 'Oh, Pretty Women' in my opinion is far superior. Possibly the very best song he ever recorded. A song that had a large influence over the Doors in the L.A. Woman period is 'Down Bother Me,' just a standard blues. 'The Hunter' is a rollicking number with a killer groove thanks to Al Jackson and Hayes. Now Albert King always said he thought of Born Under A Bad sign of more of a vocal album rather then a guitar album and for good reason, three of the albums best songs, 'I Almost Lost My Mind' 'As The Years Go Passing By' and the closer 'The Very Thought Of You' are very vocal. The guitar is there but the vocals are clearly the focal point of those tracks. Between those three are the gut wrenching 'Personal Manager' a song that should not be heard on a broken heart, and the severed wrist of a song, 'Laudromat Blues.'
   
   This is one blues album that even a regular rock fan would enjoy. Fans of Eric Clapton would love this album because you can see where he gained a lot of his classic guitar licks from. As far as the blues go, it doesn't get any better then Born Under A Bad Sign from the real king...Albert King!



5. Born Under a Bad Sign marked the history of the blues. This reissue is essential for blues lovers.