King Tubby Classic LP plus Solid Selections
929753
CD 1 of this set is a re-issue of King Tubby's DUBBING WITH THE OBSERVER original album. IMHO it is one of THE great dub lp's and a great example of King Tubby  the mix artist. Incredible mixing. This alone makes the set worth seeking out in absence of a proper re-mastered re-issue of that album. CD 2 here is a fine collection of dub sides of Bunny Lee productions. There is also an informative booklet included, with a heartflet tribute from Steve Barrow, who had already selected this compilation just before Tubby was tragically shot and killed.
2514049
I bought this CD because it has "Me About You", a glaring and hard to find omission from the 26 track "Greatest Hits" (which I also bought as it has pretty much everything else I wanted from the Lovin' Spoonful). In my opinion "Anthology", also with 26 tracks, is the best collection of their hits since it does include "Me About You". Unfortunately it's out of print and is quite expensive used.

On its own merits this CD it has some great tracks, in fact my favorite three Spoonful records - "Darlin' Be Home Soon", "Never Going Back" and "Me About You". Since it's not advertised as a greatest hits compilation and has a low price I'd say this CD is well deserving of four stars, maybe five due to that very hard to find track. I bet you've never heard it but it's sure to become a favorite right along with all their other great songs. It's "Still A Mystery" why "Never Going Back" and "Me About You" weren't huge hits!
4567145
The Country Music Hall of Fame is behind this collection, but they're hoping to remind folks that Nashville is "MUSIC City U.S.A.", not necessarily "Country Music City U.S.A."  What you get is 35 cuts ranging from doo-wop to smooth vocals to gritty R&B shouters. Many of the cuts were taken from original 45 and 78 records but the audio restoration has been done well...they don't SOUND like vinyl transfers. Is the thesis of Nashville as R&B focal point realized here? Fairly well: I'm not about to replace Detroit, Memphis or Chicago in my mind as great locations for R&B but this set is fairly solid.

HIGHLIGHTS:
You'll probably already know Arthur `Hardrock' Gunter's "Baby Let's Play House",Arthur Alexander's "Anna (Go to Him)",Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and Robert Knight's "Everlasting Love". Outside of those, there are plenty of lesser-knowns that make the grade: The Marigolds' rollicking doo-wop number "Rollin' Stone", Rudy Green's "Buzzard Pie" (reminiscent of `Straighten Up and Fly Right' but edgier, with the buzzard goading his intended victim to just die and get it over with),  the call and response of Audrey Bryant's "Let's Trade a Little", and Larry Birdsong's ebullient "Somebody, Somewhere" on disc 1. The latter disc's high points include Joe Henderson's Nat King Cole smooth vocal on "Snap Your Fingers", a sassy "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" from Ruth Brown, Joe Tex's near Temptations sound on "I Want To", The Avons sound like long lost Shirelles on "Since I Met You Baby", and the Hytones are defiantly moving on to "Bigger and Better" things since baby's been gone.

BOTTOM LINE:
There's nothing really poor here and quite a few of these are outstanding, even outside of the hit charters. Not the best collection for soul novices but if you're already an R&B fan, you'll probably enjoy this.

3 1/2 stars
3728495
Total of 40 songs and one vintage interview clip makes this release worthwhile. One thing you might want to keep in mind, is that Steve Winwood isn't on here. I thought I heard him on maybe like three songs on disc one, but I'm not sure. Very nice compilation of SDG's repertoire of pure British Invasion blues rock. Most of the cuts here are at least good if not near excellent. Tracks I got the most out of are "Let's Have A Party", "I'm A Man", "Gimme Some Lovin'", "Mr. Operator", "Sure Need A Helping Hand", the foot stomping "Mr. Second Class", "Feel Your Way", "Stop Me I'm Falling" and "Morning Sun". Duration of 2 1/2 hours. Comes with 8-page booklet with photos and liner notes. Line-up: Spencer Davis - guitar & vocals, Eddie Hardin - keyboard & vocals, Ray Fenwick - guitar, Charlie McCracken - bass and Pete York - drums (who's recently reuinted with Davis). A nice choice, would make a good gift.
2130097
This 22-track collection is an improved version of the earlier 17-track Dreamboats and Petticoats - The Christmas Album, with 15 of the 17 tracks being identical but in a different running order. This compilation features Little drummer boy by the Beverly sisters instead of the Harry Simeone Chorale, while Jingle bell rock (Bobby Helms) has been dropped altogether, although that track can be found on plenty of other Christmas compilations. It has been replaced by the tracks featuring Dalene Love (Winter wonderland), Elvis Presley (Santa bring my baby back to me), Bing Crosby (Silent night), Nat King Cole (O come all ye faithful), Nina and Frederick (Little donkey) and the Shadows (Walking in the air).

Of the tracks that have been carried forward from the previous compilation, perhaps the hardest to find on other Christmas compilations are those by Billy Fury (My Christmas prayer) and Joe Brown and the Bruvvers (The holly and the ivy), so their inclusion is particularly welcome.

Overall, this is a very solid compilation with plenty of familiar songs plus a few less obvious songs to keep it interesting.
4278340
This is another great set of r&b dredged up by the Bear Family label and it's an eye-opener of sorts.  This (84 + minutes) set focuses on RCA's Groove label (noted for issuing Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange"), which lasted only a short time in the '50s.  The remastered sound is very good--open and clean sounding for the most part.  The 58 page attached booklet has information on the Groove label, the performers and music, and a Discography, along with some good period photos.  The disc snaps inside the wallet-style cardboard packaging--all in all a nice presentation of this great music.

The Groove label focused on r&b and bluesier r&b from 1954 into 1957--that's it.  It was brought back in the '60s as a kind of "catch-all" label-- nothing from that period is here.  But in those few years  they recorded quite a few great sides, many of them in this set and the companion collection, "Rockin' The Groove", which focuses on more upbeat tunes.  Performers you might know included here  are Sonny Terry (his "Louise" has some good harmonica and guitar work), Champion Jack Dupree,  Buddy Lucas, Clayton Love (the bluesy "Love Blues" is really the real-deal), Big Tiny Kennedy ("Taint Right" with more good guitar work and a solid rhythm, plus his "I Need A Good Woman" with more great guitar work), The Du Droppers, Cousin Leroy (with a great "41 Highway", steeped in the blues), and maybe a couple of others.  Most of these sides are either rare or at least obscure.  Information on some artists is pretty scarce--some recorded a couple of sides and then disappeared.  But just because many of these performers are unknown to most of us doesn't mean the quality suffers--no way.

  Dupree's "The Ups" is a great tune, as is Buddy Lucas' "No Dice (with some great smokin' sax work), Maymie Watts' "There Goes That Train" is just another great unknown side by this relatively unknown performer. And let's not forget  Zilla Mays'  "Romance In The Dark" which  is pretty fine too with a great loping beat--plus she sounds sexy.  Cousin Leroy's "Catfish" is a great performance, along with Big Connie's "Wait Till Next Year Baby" (with King Curtis on sax), one of only two sides he (yes, he--no one knows his real name) recorded before disappearing.  And who can forget Little Tommy Brown's emotion wracked performance (including "crying") on "Don't Leave Me", another good example of '50s r&b.

Hopefully you're getting some idea of the treasures included in this collection.  For a label that lasted only a few years the quality of their recordings was pretty high as evidenced by this (and the companion) collection.  For fans/collectors of '50s r&b these two albums are worth adding to your r&b music shelf.  There's also a two album  collection from Bear Family titled "Still Groove Jumping! 16 Classic Rockin' R&B Tracks", and "Groove Jumping! 14 Classic Rockin' Tracks", which are worth checking out if you want just an overview of the Groove label.
4216040
As this collection of previously-released material does not go back beyond 1964, and BB King's first single came out in 1949, the claim that this represents his definitive greatest hits is a little contentious.

However, although BB King featured heavily in the R&B charts throughout his highly successful early years, it is a surprising fact that, apart from two appearances at the bottom end of the US Top 100 in 1957, he had not been troubled by the hit parade before 1964.

In 1962 BB King signed with ABC and appeared thereafter on their ABC Paramount, Bluesway and ABC labels. After they were taken over by MCA, his records appeared on that label, and these recordings are all taken from these periods, the most recent being Playin' With My Friends, with Robert Cray, taken from 1993's Blues Summit album. He had released little after that at the time of this compilation's release in 1999, instead concentrating on touring and performing.

Most of the songs chosen here were A-sides of singles, although some of these are in their lengthier album format. Quite a few others are taken from live performances, thus representing some earlier material recorded for other labels as well as showcasing contemporary material in an electric live setting.

BB King achieved his greatest mainstream success during this period and the price we have to pay is that alongside genuinely thrilling and innovative pieces such as The Thrill Is Gone there are a few too many bland-outs and celebrity guest appearances from Gary Moore, Leon Russell, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Dr John, which perhaps are not needed on a "best of" from an artist of the stature of BB King. The U2 collaboration When Love Comes To Town was a Top Ten single in the UK and so its inclusion was mandatory, and it is a great record.

Now nearing eighty years of age, BB King is the greatest living blues legend, and this is a fair summation of his ABC/MCA years, if such a mighty output can be reduced to just two discs (it can't). If you enjoy this you owe it to yourself to go on to buy at least one companion piece representing his earlier years on the RPM and Kent/Crown labels
3199494
I remember reading about this when it came out. Of course, $350 was expensive for this set so I waited for the price to drop to $177. And Boy, I am so glad I waited. What you get here are all Studio Albums released in his lifetime, as well as the soundtracks, Live albums, The 4 Golden Records collections and 3 New CDs worth of material. This collection does not include "Welcome To My World", "You'll Never Walk Alone"' or "The Legendary Preformer series" but it basically has all of those songs anyway. Even though some songs such as "Viva Las Vegas" and "Burning Love" were not released on Studio albums, those songs do find there way on the box set. It has a nice 300 page booklet that details every album as well as giving off some history. The Box is nice and sturdy and the sleeves are replicas of the original LP sleeves. Another nice touch to some of the LPs is that some include the pictures you would've found in those old LPs 50 years ago! (And made me realize that my vinyl collection was missing things).  It's well worth the money! and won't disappoint.
4062425
This is a really fine collection of music by Bill Haley, first with the Saddlemen and later with His Comets. This 3-CD set picks up with songs released on Essex Records starting in 1952. His earlier work for Holiday Records (Rocket 88, Green Tree Boogie etc) is not included. Essex released 16 songs between 1952 and 1954 and 12 are here. Decca released 56 songs as singles and 39 are included. You get every charting Billboard hit.

In addition to the above singles, this set also includes 6 songs from the 1956 album Rock n Roll Stage Show. The other 6 tracks on that album were all singles and are also here. There are 2 bonus tracks: one from the 1957 album Rockin The Oldies and a 1960 Warner Bros. single Tamiami.

In summary, the audio quality is very good and Im pleased to note that the company didn't use a whole lot of processing to boost the levels up to the point of clipping. The version of Rock The Joint is the 1957 Decca recording and not the 1952 one for Essex. Skokiaan is the original single version and not a later recording as found on some CD releases. Joeys Song, Shaky and Skokiaan are in stereo. The echo at the end of Dim, Dim The Lights is really chopped off. There is no booklet and you only get record titles and writing credits. Lots of value for your money with this set, but with only 20 tracks on each disk, they could have included all of his Decca singles. This may be one of the best bargains out there for Bill Haleys recordings if you are mostly interested in the singles on Decca and Essex. There is another set Seven Classic Albums that covers 5 releases for Decca and 2 for Warner Bros.
805319
I own the Live at the Regal also, but this record comes I would say is just as good also. Lots of classic BB King licks.
413106
I'm not sure when these tracks were actually recorded -- I'd guess the mid-1970s, but it's hard to say, since, as with many King/Gusto releases, the liner notes are pretty sparse.  At any rate, Wilma & Stoney were pretty long in the tooth when these songs were recorded, and this is a pretty laid-back set... No zip or flashy pyrotechnics, though the songs are still great, and these performances have a calm, confident charm.  Worth checking out...!
2153564
This is part of the Living the Blues series put out by Time Life. Thus the selections are sound and the sound is of good quality. Many of the best-known performers are represented. It includes B.B. King's signature The Thrill is Gone (with a great bass mix), a fine Buddy Guy (My Time After Awhile), Wilbert Harrison's excellent Kansas City, and Howlin' Wolf's Little Red Rooster. The Earl King will remind you of Fats Domino.
The version of T-Bone Walker's Stormy Monday, one of my favorite blues tracks, is good but not the best. IMHO, the best version is T-Bone's live recording of Stormy Monday found on Absolutely the Best of Blues. The best cover of Stormy Monday is, of course, the Allman Brothers on At the Fillmore East.
In sum, a good collection, but there are stronger ones out there.
648187
This 30-cut collection is an ample extract from an out-of-print, four-CD, 119-track set produced for the 1996 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. It's filled with great artists like Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Amos Milburn, Roy Brown, and Earl King, who play their original hits and much more. You'll never appreciate the wonderful heritage that is Crescent City Rhythm & Blues until you hear these songs, which range from stride piano and jump blues to doo-wop and rock 'n' roll. In the 1950s and 1960s, these songwriters and performers formed the basis for much of modern popular music.

Some of my favorite selections are the legendary "One Night (of Sin)" (later recorded by Elvis Presley), "I Hear You Knocking," and "Blue Monday," all by Smiley Lewis; the indispensable "I'm Walkin'," "Walking to New Orleans," and "Ain't That a Shame" by the Fat Man, Fats Domino; and the hilarious "Mother-In-Law" and "A Certain Girl," both by Ernie K-Doe.

You also get the rollicking "Let the Good Times Roll" by Shirley & Lee, the wise and witty "The Monkey (Speaks His Mind)" by Dave Bartholomew, the rather unhinged "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" by Jessie Hill, and the heartbreaking "It's Raining" by Irma Thomas. You've gotta love doo-wop groups like The Showmen, The Spiders, and The Bees; the latter group performs "Toy Bell," which Chuck Berry remade into the raunchy "My Ding-a-Ling." To wrap things up, enjoy the original classic "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman. Written by Allen Toussaint, the song was later covered by both The Rolling Stones and The Who. And there are 16 more great songs on this CD!

You can buy the disc from an Amazon Marketplace seller and pay less than $10, versus over $200 for the rare box set. A complete track listing follows, including artist and timing:

1 The Fat Man - Fats Domino - 2:36
2 3 x 7 = 21 - Jewel King - 2:33
3 Stack-A-Lee, Pt. 2 - Archibald - 2:28
4 Goin' Home - Fats Domino - 2:09
5 Bon Ton Roulet - Clarence Garlow - 2:54
6 Toy Bell - The Bees - 2:21
7 Blue Monday - Smiley Lewis - 2:41
8 I Didn't Want to Do It - The Spiders - 2:43
9 Traveling Mood - Wee Willie Wayne - 2:26
10 Feel So Good - Shirley & Lee - 2:47
11 I Hear You Knocking - Smiley Lewis - 2:43
12 Witchcraft - The Spiders - 2:34
13 Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino - 2:25
14 Let the Good Times Roll - Shirley & Lee - 2:22
15 One Night - Smiley Lewis - 2:25
16 Chicken Shack Boogie - Amos Milburn - 2:29
17 Let the Four Winds Blow - Roy Brown - 2:01
18 Sick and Tired - Chris Kenner - 2:30
19 I'm Walkin' - Fats Domino - 2:01
20 The Monkey - Dave Bartholomew - 2:26
21 I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday - Bobby Mitchell - 2:24
22 Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Pt. 1 - Jessie Hill - 2:18
23 Come On, Pt. 1 - Earl King - 2:31
24 Walking to New Orleans - Fats Domino - 1:55
25 Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe - 2:33
26 It Will Stand - The Showmen - 2:19
27 A Certain Girl - Ernie K-Doe - 2:43
28 I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) - Barbara George - 2:22
29 It's Raining - Irma Thomas - 2:06
30 Fortune Teller - Benny Spellman - 2:11
2666380
When an artist has recorded for fifty years, and for an incredible amount of different labels, two discs really isn't a lot. I have a two-CD collection featuring just Hooker's band-backed 60s recording (Tomato's "The Early Years"), and if an equal amount of time was to be devoted to every phase of his career, you'd end up with a ten-disc box set.

So, the "50 Years" anthology isn't everything you could ever want from the Boogie Man. But if you're just looking for a good, career-spanning compilation which has the "must-have" songs, this is one of the best. Rhino's 31-track "The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990" comes close, and Hip-O Records' 20-track "The Definitive Collection" is probably the best single-disc Hooker-compilation on the market, but this one pretty much leave all others in the dust. Unless you want to spring for the 2006 "Hooker" box set from the Shout Factory label; that one is a whopping 84 songs.

Casual listeners will note that "Boom Boom" is here, of course, and so is the swaggering "Dimples", the bar boogie "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", and the gritty slow blues "I'm Bad Like Jesse James" and "It Serves Me Right To Suffer".
There are bare-bones solo performances here, just John Lee Hooker and his guitar and a piece of plywood for Hooker to stomp on. There are swinging, band-backed "middle-era" numbers like "Big Legs, Tight Skirt" and "Bottle Up And Go". And there are a few songs from his latter-day "super star" period, including a duet with Van Morrison on "Don't Look Back" (and, unfortunately, the misguided "Chill Out", too).
"I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" is missing, which is a shame...but you can get that one on the magnificent "Live at the Caf au Go Go"-album which you are going to want anyway!
I would have made a couple of other substitutions as well, but since nobody asked me, this is what came out of it, and it is in fact very, very good. Newcomers would do very well indeed to start either here or with Hip-O's aforementioned "Definitive Collection".
3120624
Fred James has been putting out a number of collections of classic rhythm and blues recordings from Nashville on the German SRV Blue label. "Bullet Records Rhythm & Blues" is the second reissue in this series of the important Nashville label. It focuses on jump blues and blues shouters. It opens with four selections by one of the greatest shouters, Wyonnie Harris, and in addition to his vocals, these recordings include the first recordings of pianist Herman `Sonny' Blount (better known as Sun Ra). These recordings may have also had Mr. Harris on drums. A few years later Mr. Blount would be leading a band in Chicago and emerge with his unique and influential big band. While these recordings will be of historical interest for that fact, there is plenty more here for fans of jump blues and blues shouters. Fred James speculates that its tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate's band backing Max Bailey whose songs includes an exhortation to the troops on "Drive Soldiers Drive." Alto saxophonist Sherman Williams' selections feature pianist-shouter Skippy Brooks who would later be a mainstay in Nashville for Excello, and sings six strong tracks including "Baby Don't You Want to Go," a reworking of "Kokomo Blues," a song that was the model for "Sweet Home Chicago." Two tracks by The Bobby Plater Orchestra feature members of Lionel Hampton's Orchestra backing a young Rufus Thomas, while Doc Wiley's two tracks include a hot jump instrumental and the more philosophical "Play Your Hand" with Wiley's strong piano and a nice vocal. A few cuts are more in the vein of Mills Brothers styled harmony, and fill out what is an exceptional reissue that will be of special interest to fans of blues shouters.
2290576
Without really looking up these titles to be sure, I believe these are tracks from King/Federal (and related labels) country artists from the 50's, 60's and 70's.  They are well mastered, uniformly good quality, and a great bargain.  If you are looking for a good introduction to country music, or you are trolling for some good tracks you've never heard, or just broadening a collection of vintage country, you won't be disappointed.  Consistently high level of musicality and recording quality throughout.
2465939
Recorded at five separate sessions with different groups backing him, Dexter Gordon shines throughout on his tenor sax, whether playing the five standards or his nine original compositions, which are mostly short, uptempo bebop exercises. In addition to being able to listen to one of the major figures in jazz history at an early stage in his musical career, this compilation brings an extra pleasure as one can also enjoy hearing several outstanding musicians in the various groups supporting Gordon.

For those interested in the recording particulars for this CD, let me outine the contents of this CD in some detail:

Los Angeles, 1943 (Gordon's first recordings under his own name)

I've Found A New Baby
Rosetta
Sweet Loraine
I Blowed and Gone (Gordon)

Personnel: Harry Edison, trumpet, Nat King Cole, piano, Johnny Miller, bass, drummer unknown

New York, September, 1945

If I Had You

Personnel: Buck Clayton, trumpet, Charlie Parker, alto sax, Sir Charles Thompson, piano, Danny Barker, guitar, Jimmy Butts, bass, J.C. Heard, drums

New York, October 30, 1945

Blow Mr. Dexter (Gordon)
Dexter's Cuttin' Out (Gordon)

Personnel: Argonne Thornton, piano, Gene Ramey, bass, Ed Nicholson, drums

New York, January, 1946

Long Tall Dexter (Gordon)
Dexter Rides Again (Gordon)
I Can't Escape From You
Dexter Digs In (Gordon)

Personnel: Leonard Hawkins, trumpet, Bud Powell, piano, Curley Russell, bass, and Max Roach, drums

New York, December, 1947

Dextrose (Gordon)
Index (Gordon)
Dextivity (Gordon)

Personnel: Fats Navarro, trumpet, Tadd Dameron, piano, Nelson Boad, bass, and Art Mardigan, drums

For this reviewer, highlights include Sweet Loraine, which features very nice solo work on both trumpet and piano by Harry Edison and Nat King Cole. Another highlight is the entire January 1946 session for the comping of the legendary Bud Powell on piano and some superb trumpet solos by Leonard Hawkins, a musician previously unknown to me. Max Roach's dumming on the four bebop compositions here is also a treat for his many fans. Also to be appreciated is some fine soloing on trumpet by the great Fats Navarro on the three tracks cut at the December 1947 session.

Highly recommended for all fans of Dexter Gordon and also for anyone wishing for a taste of very early bebop from the 1940s.