5 comments about Power of the Pontchartrain.

1. Louisiana blues ace Tab Benoit recorded this album using another Louisiana legend Leroux as his back up band for the album. The title track tackles the subject of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and it's effect on the city of New Orleans. Tab is in fine form throughout this album. His guitar playing is crisp and clean and his voice is as gruff and soulful as ever. Benoit has been churning out his special brand of Cajun blues for well over a decade now and it is a formula that he continues to improve on . Highlights include "Don't Make No Sense", "Power Of The Pontchartrain", "Midnight And Lonesome", "Sac-Au-Lait Fishing", and "One Foot In The Bayou". Tab also covers a cool version of Stephen Still's "For What It's Worth" with lyrics as fitting today as when they were written 40 years ago. This is yet another solid release from Benoit that follows in the tradition of his earlier albums.



2. I bought this CD for one song, track 3, Shelter Me. To my surprise and pleasure all the tracks are good but track 3 is still the stand-out.



3. Good guitar. Has the feel of the New Orleans scene. Excusing an arrangement or two, it's a good listen.



4. Excellent Blues cd with a strong dose of Cajun from a very talented artist! I had never heard of Tab Benoit before I found him here on Amazon, but after hearing this wonderful cd, I'm anxious to get more of his work! I'm a true fan now!



5. I first heard Tab Benoit at the 2006 Western Maryland Blues Fest and this is the first cd of his that I purchased. He really knows his way around a guitar and that sound dominates this effort. He runs the gamut from soulful ballads to rousing up-tempo stomps and each song is well crafted and performed. The only way he could improve this collection would be the addition of a great horn section. But it still gets 5 stars in my book.

5 comments about Definitive Collection.

1. This is the best CD I've purchased in a very long time. Mr. Cray provides us with low blues, high blues, soft blues and hard blues. His voice is perfect for this music and his playing, well, there are no words to describe that. I have had this disc in my car's player since I bought it and have listened to nothing else. I sing with Bob but I'm glad he can't hear me.



2. Great blues-y soul touching songs. No duds on the CD at all. Well worth the money.



3. I have always heard and knew about Robert Cray , but until i saw him on tv in concert . I just never knew how awesome he really is . This cd will win you over , all of his best recordings are on this disc . My favorite is Poor Johnny . If you love Blues , maybe with a hint of jazz , you will really enjoy listen to this cd . It is 5 star all the way !



4. I knew of this nice Blues guitar player and singer, thanks to a friend who didn't like his album "Strong Persuader".
   This compilation has almost all the best of Robert Cray, including "Smoking Gun" and "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)"... What a good song this one is! Both hits however, are included in "Strong Persuader", but it is worth to get it if you want to have a quick review of all his musical career.
   The sound quality of this Hip-O edition is quite good. Bravo!



5. If you love Robert Cray, you can't go wrong here. Much like "Heavy Picks", but with a couple extra songs. I really like "Moan". That's such a great song. Still with so many great Cray songs out there, they just can't put everything on a single disc.

5 comments about Clean Getaway.

1. This is the second Curtis Salgado disc I have bought because folks that have seen him just raved about how good he is. He must be one of those love um or hate um type artists. After repeated listens no bright spots appeared anywhere on this CD to catch my interest. My advice, listen first then buy if he hits a cord with you.



2. After the horrifying experience of needing a liver transplant to save his life, Curtis Salgado is back with one of the best recordings of his career. From his days in the Robert Cray Band, Salgado has been one of the country's great R&B singers. He's never made the impact on the national consciousness that Cray did, and he had his Blues Brothers act stolen by John Belushi, but he never stopped making dynamic recordings and doing great shows. If you get a chance to see him live, don't miss it. And this CD is an excellent example of what does and continues to do. Listen to the samples. They rock. Curtis rocks. This CD rocks.



3. We just had the pleasure to see Curtis 3 days ago (my 9th time, my husbands 6th time) and we were delighted to see him looking so good and sounding so fabulous! We bought "Clean Getaway" directly from Curtis and he, as usual, autographed it for us, we've been listening to it solid since Saturday. An excellent production, and as Curtis told his audience the other night, there was no sound booth, just honest cuts, no headphones, and very few overdubs. That's why it sounds so honest! Curtis is a legend, and I'm loving that we've been here for so long before everyone else figures him out. I agree with another reviewer, "Who's lovin' you" could easily be a huge hit. "Let's get married" is absolutely awesome too. I told Curtis the other night, "You make the world just alittle bit cooler Curtis!" Thanks for weathering the storm Curtis, we aren't ready to lose you yet!



4. WooHoo! After the health issues that Curtis Salgado has faced over the past several years I was worried that he wouldn't have the usual grit and grind in his voice and music. Oh me of little faith!!! Curtis does about 5 cover songs; two of the best are Who's Lovin' You and Let's Get Married Today. These songs showcase the amazing control that Salgado has over his vocals and leaves no doubt about his fine harp playing. This CD has a sound that is a bit more mature than some of his earlier ones...which goes to show that he just gets better with age!



5. I have all of his music and have been at many of his concerts - this is his best effort yet. A true musical masterpiece! Every song is a number one hit. Treat yourself - buy this one for you and anyone for whom you care!

5 comments about Family Style.

1. This is the best blues guitar and the Vaughan brothers together you will ever hear. It is a must have if you are a Stevie Ray and Jimmie fan.



2. Very few musicians could play the guitar like Stevie. His guitar whined and moaned like a rapturous lover. This compilation with his brother, though not as dynamic as his solo music, is still very appealing. I can recommend it without reservation.



3. At first I listened to this album as a Stevie fan, which is probably why I didn't like it. After experiencing a lot more blues, I listened to it again and liked it a lot more. There are some essential SRV songs on this album. Tick Tock, Telephone Song, Hard to Be, Long Way From Home, and the instrumental DFW are highlights. 3 of those 5 just happen to feature Stevie as a writer. Most of the songs Jimmie wrote aren't quite my bag of tea. I'm more into Blues Rock and they seem more country than Bluesey, but you might like them. Other than the songs, there are alot of weird sounds and voices which were kind of hard for me to look past at first they're supposed to be funny or something? The album would probably have gotten 4 stars if not for the track Hillbillies in Outer Space. See if you can listen to Tick Tock without thinking of John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change. There are a couple tracks where they just jam and it's pretty cool the first couple times. Overall it's a very unique album with a blend of a few very different styles of Blues. Check it out especially if you're a big fan of either Vaughan.



4. As a SRV fan, I was a bit disappointed with this CD, partly because I expected to hear a little more of his incendiary guitar playing and soulful vocals. While it's apparent the Vaughan Brothers are having fun collaborating on songs that range in style from Texas Swing, R&B, Country (and yes, even a little Funk), I can't help but feel that SRV underplayed in this one.
   
   I did love the prophetic and beautiful "Tick-Tock" and the R&B-infused "Telephone Song," two songs that give you a glimpse of what might have been in SRV's musical future. In addition, Jimmie and Stevie's work on the instrumental D/FW (a hometown tribute) is exceptional and is a great "car tune."
   
   While I don't regret purchasing this CD--the aforementioned songs are well worth the price of admission--I was a bit surprised by the corny voiceovers and sound effects sprinkled throughout. Nevertheless, if you love SRV and Jimmie, you will forgive them and add this to your collection.



5. It doesn't get any better than Jimmie & Stevie Ray Vaughn on the same cd. Both, Austin, Texas legends performing their unique brand of blues, rock music. A fine tribute to the Vaughn brothers. Excellent choice.

5 comments about The Turning Point.

1. Great classic Mayall. It's wonderfull to be able to hear this album on demand once again. If you like Mayall and this genre', this CD is a must.



2. The band on this CD is great. I saw them live when they toured promoting this CD. My problem with this recording is that Mayall is an especially lame vocalist. I also agree with the reviewer who said that the lyrics were weak. Mayall has a great ear for talent, its too bad the didn't use that ear to hire a vocalist. In spite of the lyrics, I like most of the songs; although, "Room to Move" is all flash and no substance. It's showy and fun (especially live), but the harp playing is really nothing to write home about and the song is just a recycled "Tequila" riff played over and over again.



3. When this album came out I bought it and promptly wore it out!!! This is most excellent music. Mayall was fortunate to hook up with these musicians. They forged an album of blues & jazz for a lazy afternoon on the front porch sipping iced tea and relaxing.After finding this music had been re-issued on CD I am in the process of wearing it out....



4. I defy you to remain in your seat when you listen to this remastered masterwork.
   Mayall's genius was fully apparent during the concert that became this album.



5. I bought this album when albums were albums...i.e. in the vinyl record days. I've purchased a total of three copies, since I've worn out them years later (though I prefer the warmth of vinyl). That said, I'm glad this disc is still in print.
   
   There's not a bad tune in the lot. Probably my favorites are 'I'm going to fight for you J.B.' and 'California'.
   
   This is a CD that is fresh and innovative and listenable decades later. I play it often, and it never fails to please with its ballads and its up-tempo 'Room to Move'. Some call this a jazz album, but I think it's more bluesy than jazz.
   
   Also fun is Mayall's introduction of the band to the audience. Also fun is his reaction to the audience pleading with him to continue playing, followed by 'Room to Move'.
   
   Highly recommended. Really, a must have.

5 comments about At Newport.

1. This album is so good it should be mandatory listening before any young punk even thinks about playing guitar.
   
   Great songs, great recording, even greater artist.
   
   Buy it, play it and share it with folks who think rock and roll started with Elvis...



2. Recorded and released in 1960, Live At Newport is one of the most beloved albums in the Muddy Waters catalogue, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest blues records of all time. To be honest, I'm not really sure why. Don't get me wrong: It is by no means a bad album. In fact, some of the performances found here rank among Muddy's very best: The legendary, show stopping rendition of "I've Got My Mojo Working" is a total barn-burner, with its fiery vocals, grinding pianos, and surging rhythms. "Tiger In Your Tank" raves with a similarly infectious abandon, and "Baby Please Don't Go" is tight and muscular.
   
   Sadly, too much of this album is devoted to unspectacular, standard-issue blues. "I've Got My Brand On You" is an uninspired combination of generic songwriting and soulless instrumentation, while "I Feel So Good" doesn't deliver an ounce of the enthusiasm that its title promises. "Soon Forgotten" and "Goodbye Newport Blues" are slow burners that simply don't burn- the music is free of the tension that marks the best slow blues numbers. Perhaps the biggest dissapointment is "Hoochie Coochie Man." In its studio incarnation, "Hoochie Coochie Man" is simply one of the greatest blues songs of all time. On this record, however, it's bland and unentertaining, devoid of the raw sexuality and smouldering passion that made the original such a classic.
   
   So, there you go. An incredibly dissapointing album from a great performer.



3. Newport 1960, the mecca of a yearly festival of live Jazz that crossed over the greats of the day, and I do mean Greats,into a larger audience where the money and acclaim justifiably started to flow was not lost on this wonderful blues-man who with the likes of jazz men like Cannonball Adderley, Chet Baker and others did a lot of good for inspiring groups like the Stones and others whose homage to Muddy is clear.
   Creating rock and roll from pure live excitement from albums like this and another legend's stellar album, BB King's Live At The Regal LP are benchmarks for much that followed.
   As to this wonderful CD, great sound, nice notes, mono studio bonus tracks found on the live portion makes this a worthwhile companion with historical importance while not forgetting the contributions made by Middy's band of pianist Otis Spann,the harmonica of James Cotton, an artist in his own right,and a special treat, the inclusion of the poet Langston Hughes within the proceedings.



4. This is Muddy Waters rocking out! He is in fine voice, a force of nature, with a hard driving band. Forget the labels, this is joyous rock n' roll.



5. According to the liner notes from this one, Muddy had a tough time with Blues festivals. First he was too electric and loud. The next year he was too acoustic and quiet. From the sound of this one, he finally got it just right.
   
   This is not a barn-burner. Oh, it has plenty of energy, but if you're looking for the jolt found on his Blue Sky-era recordings, you're going to be a bit disappointed. This is smoother blues. Not mellow, but not as rowdy. Remember, the younger Muddy Waters was trying to find wide-acceptance of his misic. (It is a shame he didn't find that until the last few years of his life)
   
   The song selection is fantastic. "Tiger in your tank" is fun. "Got my mojo working" is a foot-stopmper. But, my favorite is "Goodbye Newport Blues", which was allegedly penned on the stairs to the stage and ad-libbed by the band. But, what a band to have ad-lib!
   
   This one is must for those who want to move beyond blues/rock.

5 comments about Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

1. AN EXCELLENT CD & DVD BOX SET FOR ANY SRV COLLECTOR....!!! WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ITEM!



2. This is a great CD from Stevie Ray Vaughan. I would recommend it to all Vaughan lovers.



3. I'd attend every Stevie Ray concert ever held if granted a wish to change something about my life. This box set is about as close as I can get to that wish. It covers his career pretty well and includes his excellent cover of Jimi's "Third Stone from the Sun." The only disappointment is the brevity of the video disc: an Austin City Limits performance that left me crying for more!
   Love Stevie Ray? Buy this box!!!



4. The CD set arrived in excellent condition and well within the stated delivery time. I was very pleased with my order.



5. I got pulled into the music of SRV by my brother. I gave him this collection for christmas and was a big hit.

5 comments about Runaway Soul.

1. I saw her in concert as part of a group of folk song artists and she stood out among them as talented and powerful. I bought this CD the next day. There is an earthiness to her and her songs speak to her experience.



2. I was very happy with the disc. It was a great price and arrived before it was scheduled.



3. Ruthie Foster grabs your soul with this CD all you want to do is play it over and over!!!



4. How breathtaking! I'm listening to it as I write this. I don't know music or much else, but I know what stirs and enchants me and Ruthie Foster has me in her pocket, hole or no hole, from the moment I slipped in the disk and hit 'Play'. A friend burned a copy and gave it to me out of the blue, without preamble, in a stack with some other disks. Period. What a humble introduction for what I'm beginning to think may enter my pantheon of soul-stirring albums without blemish. That would put her in lofty company indeed, by MY lights, at least. Like, Carole King's 'Tapestry', Cat Stevens' 'Tea For the Tillerman', 'Fleetwood Mac', Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and Meatloaf's 'Bat Out of Hell', to name just a few. I wasn't even sure what her name was at first, since he'd scrawled it on the CD. But I know it now and I'll do my small part to spread it around. THIS woman deserves to be famous. 'Runaway Soul' and Ruthie Foster have that sort of classic quality that just leaps into your heart and your guts and stakes a claim right from the first listening. I regret not having heard her in concert. That must be astonishing. But even from my tinny stereo she makes me cry, clap my hands and strut my flat like a one-man Mardi Gras! By all means, do yourself a kindness, if you love R&B, gospel, soul, or just smoothly polished passion and heartfelt boogie, buy a NEW copy of this CD. Which reminds me, I need to buy one too. This woman also DESERVES TO BE PAID!!!



5. The music on this CD is moving...emotionally, energetically, compositionally, and humanly. Ruthie Foster's delivery is magnificent and so well complemented by Cyd's rhythm and accompanying vocals. After I first experienced Ruthie perform (she was with Bo Didley in MD) her music was with me and in my soul. She is a treasure. Listening to, or singing along with Ruthie can make your day. Also check out her CD, "Stages" - standout performances by Ruthie and Cyd.

5 comments about Taj Mahal.

1. first, I would say I think Taj Mahal is a great performer! I've seen Taj Mahal perform a few times here in Amsterdam during the last 10 years, and live he's a sensation!
   
   But I'm a bit confused, I hope some of the blues experts, here on Amazon can help me out. Both this album, "Taj Mahal", and the Roots 'n' Blues series reissue "Taj's Blues" (I love that series!) claim to be a reissue of his first album. And of course there is a overlap in songs. (and to have all the songs you have to buy both?) Could someone help me out? what's the story about this?
   JB, Amsterdam



2. When I first heard Taj Mahal's debut album in the late 60's, I was simply astounded at the sheer quality of this music. There is not one bit of filler on this album, which remains an incredible listen nearly 40 years later. This album, more than any other album I ever bought, had the biggest influence of my life. Prior to this album, I had never been into pure blues. But, this album changed that forever, as I now have a personal music library filled with dozens and dozens of great blues albums. Backed by some great musicians, including guitarists, Ry Cooder and Jesse Ed Davis, this album never lets up, from the opening song "Leaving Truck" to the closing number "The Celebrated Walkin' Blues". This album changed my musical horizons and remains one of my most treasured albums. Taj Mahal made a lot of great albums, but he never made one better than this.



3. It's hard to believe that 40 years have elapsed since Taj Mahal recorded his self-titled album. I can honestly say that Taj's debut album DID change my life because he opened the world of delta blues to me and transformed me from a suburban garage rocker into a fanatical avid collector of worn out 78 rpm of Mississippi blues recorded in the 1920s and 1930s. I learned most of my blues chops on guitar from listening to this album over and over.
   
   Technically this isn't Taj's first album but it's the first album that most music fans heard Taj Mahal on. Both "Giant Step" and "De Ole Folks at Home" were released earlier and combined into a second release after the success of this self titled album.
   
   Taj's album led me to appreciate the significance of blues players like Robert Johnson, who was a forgotten and obscure figure in the world of popular music before Taj Mahal. It was the first time I ever heard anyone play an open tuned guitar in the blues bottleneck style. I remember using a screwdriver and a newly purchased book of open tunings for guitar to imitate Jesse Davis' trademark southern fried guitar sound. A year later everyone from Duane Allman, Eric Clapton to Taj's own session player Ry Cooder had albums out playing bottleneck blues in the vintage style of Robert Johnson.
   
   Nobody, not even John Fahey or Paul Butterfield did more than Taj Mahal to expand the audience for authentic blues to a crossover audience of suburban white kids who were living in the psychedelic renaissance of such great bands as the Doors, Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience when Taj's debut was released.
   
   Most extraordinary is the success of Taj Mahal's self titled album had a ripple effect on the careers of many obscure blues players who able to quit their day jobs and start gigging again, because of the reawakened interest in Mississippi blues.
   
   The late Walter "Furry" Lewis, a Memphis based blues guitarist once told me that Taj Mahal was responsible for his return to active gigging in the early Seventies. Furry with some help from fans managed to get put his battered Martin guitar out hock at a local pawn shop and Furry's second career began as he was pushing 80 years of age. Taj wasn't the only musician to bring the blues to a younger rock and roll audience but Taj was significant because he was one of the few younger black musicians who still played blues in 1967.
   
   The reason why you can still find an old Blind Willie Johnson or Charley Patton album still in issue at Amazon is because players like Fahey, Al Johnson, Paul Butterfield and Taj Mahal stubbornly refused to let the blues tradition wither away and die in the late Sixties and early Seventies.
   
   Taj specifically designed his first album appeal to a broader rock music audience without compromising the integrity of the vintage blues he was playing. He took blues out of the hands of the archivists and breathed life back into it with his charismatic performances.
   
   At the time of this album's release I saw the Taj Mahal Band perform a few times and it was a juggernaut of a band with a sledge-hammer drum and bass sound designed to appeal to rock music fans. Even as Taj experimented with his hybrid rock and blues fusion, he never strayed far from his authentic roots in Mississippi, Georgia and Texas country blues.
   
   For instance, a San Francisco hippie fan of Big Brother and the Holding Company or the Grateful Dead could readily appreciate the elements of both rock and roll and blues in Taj Mahal's music. As a result, Taj's music helped to open the doors of the both the Fillmore and Avalon to some of his elders B.B. King, Albert King and Muddy Waters.
   
   Part this album's appeal is Taj's magnificent full throated mastery of blues harmonica but equally important is guitarist Jesse Davis' blues drenched slide guitar and lead guitar playing. Jesse only stayed with the Taj Mahal band for two short years but the exuberance and the sheer joy of their collaboration can be heard on songs like "Leaving Trunk" and "Statesboro Blues." It's hard avoid the impulse to dance to these songs because the slow blues tempo is revved up to a mid-tempo shuffle.
   
   Kiowa native American guitar Jesse Davis was the glue that held the funky blues sound of the band together. Davis began his career playing the unlikely gig as country music star Conway Twitty's guitarist. Davis' versatility and mastery or roots music earned him a reputation as a top gun Fender picking session guitarist. Following Davis' departure from the band Taj moved on to a sparse acoustic sound that had a wide sweep of influences as diverse as blues, ragtime, jazz country music, Brazilian, African music, reggae and other global folk music.
   
   Taj was never quite as electrifying on stage as he was with Jesse Davis at his side. After Davis' departure, Taj's solo live shows were a showcase of his own stylistic diversity and his virtuosity on a dozen musical instruments. Both Taj and Jesse were college graduates with an academic interest in blues but when they hit the stage together, both Taj and Jesse played with the blackheart soul of the man who met up with the devil at the crossroads and signed on with Satan to play the blues. Unfortunately Jesse's demon was alcohol and the firewater finally consumed him in 1988.
   
   When all is said and done this early self-titled album by Taj Mahal will be the most significant of his long career. Taj didn't accept the conventional wisdom and stood up and demanded his music be listened to on it's own merits. Taj Mahal's debut album was a blast of fresh air in the psychedelic jungle that was popular music in 1968. 40 years later, this well worn relic of an album sounds more inspired and authentic than any the bling-bling jive by any rapper in the current jungle of hip hop music.



4. I would urge any blues cd collector to posses this album; with his raspy voice, hard guitar playing and mezmorizing harp playing, each and every song is solid. I especially like 'Leaving Truck' and "Checkin Up on my Baby' but they are all good on this cd. Even the linear notes and photos on this reissue are interesting.



5. One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer/multi-instrumentalist Henry St. Clair Fredericks played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional blues.
   His self-titled debut album was recorded in August 1967, and came out just as several established blues stars ventured into psychedelia and rock n' roll at the insistence of their record companies.

   But not Taj Mahal. These arrangements may be updated when compared to what Robert Johnson or Willie McTell did thirty-five years earlier, but it's still the blues, genuine, mostly acoustic blues, dominated by harp and howling slide guitar.
   These lean, stripped-down arrangements were alien to most record producers at the time, and they are part of the reason why this album holds up so well.
   The best of these eight songs count among the best, catchiest, grooviest blues I have ever heard, and I have heard a lot!
   Taj Mahal vocals are powerful and confident, he has a great sense of timing and melody, and he is backed by a magnificent band which includes lead guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and the multi-talented Ry Cooder.
   (A facsimile of the original LP artwork is included, giving their names as "Jessie Edwin Davis" and "Ryland Cooder". Taj Mahal calls his band "a son of a Texas sharecropper, a Hungarian Jew, a wild-eyed Irishman, and a crazy Swamp Spade!")

   Taj Mahal's hard-hitting renditions of "Dust My Broom", "Leaving Trunk" and "Statesboro Blues" are nothing short of magnificent; powerful, strongly rhythmic songs, perfectly arranged. And the nine-minute version of Son House's "Walkin' Blues", which sees Taj Mahal playing both harp and rough, gruff slide guitar, is simply awesome.
   The whole record is a compelling amalgam of stylistic and technical achievements, filled with blues influences of the 1920s and 30s, but also making use of stereo sound separation and state-of-the-art recording technology.
   One of the best blues LPs of the 60s.

5 comments about King of the Blues.

1. THIS IS NOT ONLY THE BEST BLUES FROM ONE OF ITS BEST BLUESMAN, BUT IT IS ALSO A HISTORY OF B.B. FROM START TILL NOW. THE BOOK IT COMES WITH IS OUTSTANDING



2. When it comes to the blues, almost no one has mastered it better than B.B. King. He is truly a legend in the music business. His guitar playing skills are comparable to but a few (and those few were heavily influenced by him), his voice is one of the most distinct and powerful in music, and his career spans almost 60 years. How many other artists can boast not only having that longevity, but also still being able to thrive even as they hit their 80s'.
   
   The 77 songs on the aptly titled "King Of The Blues" boxed set are astonishing. Every classic B.B. song is available, from his early recordings spanning all the way back to 1949 all the way up to 1991. That's 42 years of some of the finest blues and R & B ever recorded. The sound quality is highly commendable, and the liner notes are exceptional. This is a boxed set that belongs in everyone's record collection.



3. BB King ranks at the top of blues music and belongs in company with some of the greatest blues artists of all time (i.e. Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, etc). His contributions cannot be overstated. This boxed set, "King of The Blues", is a masterful collection of his best works whether obscure or well known. This is a must own for any fan of blues, jazz or music in general and covers King's contributions from 1949-1991. The thrill is definitely NOT gone.



4. I am fairly young and still feel like I missed something by not learning about BB King and Muddy Waters at an earlier age. It is almost like coming upon buried treasure, to listen to these songs.
   
   The energy and emotion of a song such as "I'm Gonna Sit in 'Til You Give In (and give me all of your love)" is unbelievable with raw power and energy. What is especially surprising to me is that I had never heard practically all of these songs played even on oldies stations. My personal favorites are his early years, but there are no bad songs here on any of the four CD's. Every person has their own favorite song.....mine is "Lucille." I am simply amazed that I never heard this song before having made this purchase. There are so many songs which can only be described with superlatives, and this is much too short of a space to do that in. I bought this box set and can honestly say that I am not skipping songs. BB King also is on here with the Duke Ellington band, with songs you will not get on any "Best of" collection.
   
   I had picked this up and put it down many times, because I was unsure because of the price of it. But I have not regretted it one iota since buying it....quite the contrary in fact, as I look at this as one of the best purchases of music I ever made(even paying full price!). If you are at all interested in the blues, look into buying this piece of gold from one of the masters.
   
   Highly recommended.



5. I just bought this box set last week and have been enjoying it like no tomorrow. I have many records of the top Blues singers going back to Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith, but I do believe that this is the best "complete" set on one artist! Man can them songs take you back. If I knew that this collection was this good I would of bought it years ago when it first came out (1992). No matter what your Budget is ,if you are really into the Blues you should buy this set - even if it means eating half lunches for a week or two, you won't be sorry. After hearing these tunes "The Thrill is Back"!