Amazon.com

This 2 CD set represents the best introduction to Hooker's trademark sound: one- and two-chord vamps delivered with a hypnotic, perpetual boogie rhythm and accented by reverberating staccato runs and intense foot-stomping. With his deep, rich voice, Hooker electrified the blues of the Delta, bringing the stark, brooding sound to the city and influencing scores of rock musicians. Most of his highlights are here: from early Modern classics "Boogie Chillen," "Crawlin' King Snake," and "House Rent Boogie"; to Vee-Jay singles "Boom Boom" and "Dimples"; to 1966 Chess work with Chicagoans Lafayette Leake and Willie Dixon;to 1971 collaborations with rockers Canned Heat;to performances with modern blues stars Roy Rogers and Bonnie Raitt. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (9)

As Close as It Gets!
Let's get one thing straight: as of today 09/15/03, there is no "ultimate" John Lee Hooker collection. But with 31 of his best tracks, this Rhino mini-box comes the closest to Hooker nirvana. (There is a 10-CD set, Epitath, but since it would take a week to listen to it once, I'll pass.) The problem with compiling such a collection is implied in Boogie Man, Charles Shaar Murray's fine biography. Hooker recorded for a number of different labels, especially in his early days, and also under a variety of different names (John Lee Booker, John Lee Cooker, Little Pork Chop, etc.), so it takes a lot of legwork to figure out just which recordings were made by Hooker at all, much less obtain the rights to rerelease them. (Murray spends almost half the book on such detective work.) Therefore, such classic gems as "The Flood" and "Whiskey and Wimmen" are not included in this set. Still, it's a very good attempt. Rhino has chosen to start the collection with the track "Teachin' the Blues," which is an aural primer on how he created his unique sound. Thus educated, the listener can then move on to such primal tunes as "Boogie Chillun" (A live staple for virtually every major blues band from Canned Heat to Savoy Brown, this was the number Hooker chose to perform in a guest spot on the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels tour in the eighties.), "Crawling King Snake" (covered wonderfully by the Doors), "Boom, Boom" (the Animals), and his reinterpretation of an Amos Milburn song, here entitled "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (which, when combined with John L's House Rent Boogie, was very well covered by George Thorogood). He recorded several such reinterpretations, most notably "Frisco Blues" (In this case, he reportedly didn't try to get the correct lyrics to Tony Bennett's famed "I Left My Heart in San Francisco;" he just sat down and recorded his own off-the-cuff rendition.). In conclusion, there is plenty of John Lee Hooker's best stuff here to warrant a recommendation; it's just not as "ultimate" as his most devoted fans would want it to be.

One of the best available overviews of the Hook's career
So why "only" four stars?
Well, the music is great, but Rhino could certainly have found room for more than 31 songs on two compact discs. And why include two versions of "In The Mood" when songs like "I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive", "Onions" and "Old Time Shimmy" are missing?

The sad thing is that there are really no John Lee Hooker-compilations on the market that truly get it right. Either they're too short, or they're limited by the fact that the compilers were only able to chose from recordings made for one particular record company.
This one is the best of the lot in my view, though. It almost gets it right (although the missing "Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" is a pretty big minus), and the sound quality is very, very good.

(If you're not against spending a little extra, you might want to look for the fine Vee-Jay compilation "The Early Years", which also spans 31 tracks, and MCA's "The Best Of John Lee Hooker 1965-1974" instead of this album. Those two will satisfy almost everyone. And if it doesn't, there's always the ten-CD "Epitaph" box set.)

Rhino Captures the Hooker.
This is such a nice set.

Almost a primer for the new fan, and a refresher course for seasoned vetrans...John Lee is well portrayed on these very nicely remastered cuts.

Disc 1 starts with his solo accoustic stuff...

"Teachin' the Blues" is a classic blues gem, and this is a great cut of it.

Disc 2 features gritty, rocking cuts of legendary blues tracks including Hooker staples like "Boom Boom," and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and one Beer."

If you think you like Hooker, this is your starter kit.

If you love him, this little portable collection completes the set.

There is also a 2CD set from Tomato Records that closely mirrors the titles on the Rhino collection but uses different cuts. It is grittier, and poorly produced, but makes a wonderful companion peice to the Rhino set.

Boogie, Chillun.

Good tunes, but compilers show lack of respect for music
This is the first John Lee Hooker album I've ever bought. I love the music, but as a product, it's not worth the price. Originally, I couldn't decide between this and a couple other compilations. I went for this one because it had good reviews and seemed the most complete. I was dismayed to find out that, although there are lots of tunes, many of them fade out right in the middle of the song for no good reason. There was plenty of room left on the disc to have the songs in their entirety (less than 50 minutes of music out of a possible 75?). Personally, I think that fading out tunes like that shows a complete lack of respect for soloing and arrangement. In addition to this, the liner notes are are less than thorough and not too interesting. I would recommend finding another recording of this fine artist.

Now I got this rent, let's have a ball!
People who know nothing about any kind of blues and blues afficionados alike will have a ball with this collection of some of the finest moments of Hooker's long career.

Many different styles and a whole array of production values are laid down chronologically in order to give one a linear idea of Hooker's output.

So many great moments exist on this puppy that I will not begin to list them. There is lots of treasure here - that's for sure. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Sonny and Brownie and friends go electric
What makes it great is the collaboration with a variety of rock/folk/blues musicians. Also, Sonny and Brownie are treated to a very professional back up band, which gives them a much fuller sound than usual. For what its worth, the songs on this album are what inspired a friend and myself to break out our dusty guitars and (try to) play the blues.

One of the best blues albums ever recorded.
Sonny and Brownie is a superb blues album. I have this particular album on LP, and have continued to listen to it for ages. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were older than my parents when I first saw them live. Sonny's wailing harp and Brownie's blues guitar will change the way you feel about yourself and others. If you only buy one blues album, make this the one. Trust me friends, you won't be disappointed.

Authentic Legends Are Rare
Sonny and Brown are authentic legends and I share the amazement of a previous reviewer that they were not more highly regarded as such by the world at large. This was the first album of S&B that I heard when I was around 12 and I switched onto it immediately, it is warm, rich, and pure good vibe blues. As well as the pairs Guitar and harp, it features bass and drums. I love their version of 'sail away', it might seem a strange cover at first if you listen to Newmans version, but they just do it so well. 'People Get Ready' and 'Bring Out The Boogie In Me' are standouts.
After I heard it as a kid I went out and found another Sonny and Brown album, the double 'California Blues' which I also loved, especially when they sang harmonies, man, that defined the blues for me, so raw and beautiful and real. These guys were the real thing and I think they need to be ranked as highly as John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson. One day I believe they will be. Recommended with full conviction.

A Superb Sonny & Brownie Album!!!
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were an acoustic Blues duo who's career dated back to the 1940's. Brownie McGhee was a master guitar player and Sonny Terry waas a harmonica player of the first magnitude. I have yet to hear any of their records that wasn't a joy to listen to.

This CD is no exception. It contains some of the good, honest down-home Blues that the duo was famous for. iot also contains some surprising covers of Pop standards like "People Get Ready", "Sail Away" and "Bring It On Home To Me". The overall effort is a splendid hour of good listening for any music lover.

I definitely suggest that you give this, or any other Sonny Terry And Brownie McGhee recording a listen.

Sonny and Brownie a dynamic dou for the ages.
It is hard for me to understand why these two blues greats are not held in higher regard. Although both show their age on this recording and are not at the hieght of their abilities, the album is still a worthy effort. Brownie is smooth in his vocal stylings and precise in his playing and Sonny could still blow that harp and whoop and shout with the best of them. Not all blues has to blow you out of your seat or be low down and dirty to get the message through. Give a listen to the great Curtis Mayfields' "People Get Ready" or Randy Newmans' "Sail Away", with Arlo Guthrie, a nice link back to his dad, and you get the feeling of a few guys sitting on the porch after a hard day of work havin a few and just singin the blues. Walk on guys! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Great, but not unique
Robert Johnson's stuff is terrific, no doubt about it; I've been listening to it for 25 years. But the previous reviewer's claim that it is atypical of country blues is completely off-base. Johnson may have been the greatest of the Delta bluesmen. I happen to think he was, though that's a matter of personal preference. But we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that he worked within an established tradition. And that's a matter of fact for anyone with a pair of ears who is willing to listen and learn.

I would recommend that Johnson fans check out the slightly earlier work of bluesmen like Son House, Tommy Johnson and Skip James, to name just three. Moreover, a compilation CD called "The Roots of Robert Johnson" would be a real eye-opener for people who want to understand the origins of Johnson's music.

Isn't it enough for Johnson to be appreciated on his own, real merits? Is it really necessary to make ludricrous claims that he was a total original, at the expense of other wonderful bluesmen from whom Johnson learned? If we want to understand Delta blues and the context of Johnson's work, we need a little less hyperbole and a little more understanding.

Just one of dozens of compilations
If I had to pick sixteen out of Robert Johnson's 29 singles, I would end up with pretty much the same ones that Sony has chosen for this collection.
But having said that, I also have to add that there are dozens of Robert Johnson-compilations like this one on the market, and no good reason to get anything other than Columbia's double-disc "The Complete Recordings". And if you really want a single-disc compilation, go for "King Of The Delta Blues Singers", which, although it misses out on a couple of Johnson's best songs, features the most amazing sound you'll ever hear, thanks to a masterful remastering job.

Contains The Missing Song
The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson is technically NOT complete as this recording includes the alternative version of Travelling Riverside Blues which was discovered in the Library of Congress collection making a total of 41 versions of 28 songs. Incidently the "missing song" mentioned in the movie Crossroads was "Mr. Downchild" recorded first on Trumpet Records by Sonny Boy Williamson II and found on King Biscuit Time.
'fessor Mojo www.sonnyboy.com

In The Beginning...
All the acclaim and legend surrounding this collection is true, and anyone who is interested in American music really should start here.

A word of caution to the uninitiated, though: Robert Johnson did not play the electric blues which are the staple of modern American blues and the roots of Rock n Roll. This is acoustic blues music, solo vocal with (incredible) acoustic guitar accompaniment. It is amazing, amazing stuff--just try to duplicate the guitar parts and you'll understand what a master Johnson was--but don't be looking for rockin' rhythm sections or the big bass sound of later bluesmen.

Pretty good single disc collection
If you must buy a single disc Robert Johnson collection, and not opt for The Complete Recordings, then this is the one to get. This CD is superior to The King of the Delta Blues Singers. Don't be fooled by the similar titles. This one has a much better song selection than the other, containing more of Johnson's most famous classics. It would still be better to get The Complete Recordings which contains all of Johnson's 29 recorded songs plus alternate takes, but this CD is the best single disc collection of Robert Johnson's music currently available. ... Read more

Amazon.com

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

Reviews (13)

Great "Muddy Unplugged"
Before the blues revival of the 60s really kicked into gear, Muddy Waters and Chess Records made this acoustic album to attract the attention of the folk-loving coffee house crowd.

But "Folk Singer" is really no more of a folk record than anything else Muddy Waters did; it is simply Waters playing the blues the way he did it back in the 40s - acoustically.
He is backed on the first nine cuts (which made up the original "Folk Singer" LP) by Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon, and occationally drummer Clifton James, and goes through songs like Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl" and his own "Country Boy" and "Feel Like Going Home".

A few songs don't take too well to this bare-bones arrangement...the s-l-o-w rendition of Willie Dixon's "My Captain" threatens to stall altogether, and the almost whispered vocals used on that song, and on "Cold Water Blues" as well, don't suit Muddy Waters' usually gruff, boastful singing style.
But most of what's here is very good, although it's a shame that Waters' slashing slide guitar playing is inexplicably absent on many tracks (the solo performance of "Feel Like Going Home" is a notable exception, though).

And the first two bonus tracks, which are taken from an April, 1964 session, are even better. The acoustic format is partly abandoned, and Otis Spann is added on piano. He plays superbly on Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing" (my favorite rendition of that song), and on the great slow groove of Waters' own "You Can't Lose What You Never Had".

The final three tracks are neither acoustic nor particularly folkish, adding sax and clarinet (played by Elmore James' saxist J.T. Brown) to a full blues combo which also includes harpist James Cotton.
Brown plays great clarinet on the jazzy "Short Dress Woman", and the swinging "My John The Conquerer Root" is one of the best songs on the album, which ends with the fine L.J. Welch tune "Put Me In Your Layaway".

"Folk Singer" is one of the great blues LPs of the 60s, and once you've got the Muddy Waters "essentials", this is where you go.
A fine, mellow blues record.

Redemption for the Legend
"~Folk Singer is a stunning return to acoustic folk blues for Muddy Waters. The remastering is superb and the picking and rhythmic patterns of a young Buddy Guy is mouth dropping. If you're going to get a Muddy Waters cd, don't waste your time with a greatest hits package, you can't listen to the blues like that, it's more a feeling at a certain point in time, and at the time of this recording, all the artists were on the same page. development and history of American music. This and Newport are pillars in the folk/blues movement of the late 50's and early 60's.

Everything Muddy ever recorded is real folk blues!
I first heard this record at a place called "The Commune" a house I stayed in while travelling through Detroit a lot back in the late 1960s working for the Young Socialists. I learned, not with music but in the brain, some of these songs like "My Home in the Delta" and they are so classic that they became part of my brain and my understanding of the blues both as a listener and as a performer. I only got the CD about 10 years ago.
This is classic music. This is your basic strong Muddy Waters performance coming straight at you. This record reminds you that no matter what instrument a blues artist plays, no matter what level of world class excellence a blues artist achieves on an instrument or as a band leader---and Muddy was all that and more--BLUES IS A SINGER'S MUSIC. A BLUES SINGER MAKES THE MUSIC WORK BY THE REALITY THAT SHE OR HE PUTS INTO THEIR VOCAL INTO the feeliong of the song whether it is funny, sad, angry, ironic, or all of them together. Blues is about reality, and this music is about reality.
It's interesting that just as we folkies back around 65 realized through Bob Dylan and other folks that being folk music had nothing to do with whether you used an electric or acoustic guitar but what kind of music you were playing, Muddy came out with this record on which he used his acoustic but had supurb backing from the great buddy guy on electric, and Willie Dixon and adds piano and bass and more instruments on other cuts. Are these tunes any more folk music than his superb electric sets from 1947 on? Are these tunes if they are so folk, any less the product of a great conscious artist and arranger assisted by another one, the great Willie Dixon, a combination for the Chicago Blues analgous and just as productive as Strayhorn and Ellington in Jazz?
As someone who more or less performs in the category of folk singer and blues player, I find these artificial barriers between folk and popular forms of blues and country music to be the silly ignorance of people with bad views of culture. So much of the value of real folk music that was coming out of existing traditions of African Americans and Southern whites, among others, has been missed by people propelled by these ignorances.
Two non blues examples I can give are Woody Guthrie and Doc Watson. All the time Guthrie lived in Oklahoma he was a piano player and a mandolin player, two of the standard backup instruments for Texas and Oklahoma ranch dance music. However, when he arrived in Los Angeles got in touch with the "people's music" crowd, he was informed that a true folk performer played the guitar. Guthrie learned to play the guitar in LA on his radio program.
When Ralph Rinzler met Clarence Ashley at the Galax Fiddlers convention and told him he wanted to record him and would be down to North Carolina to record him, Clarence showed up at the studio with Doc Watson with his favorite guitar, his Les Paul Custom, the instrument he learned to do all his lead guitar fiddle tunes (most of which Watson recorded first on the mandolin before he dutifully recorded them on Acoustic guitar).
Everything Muddy ever recorded is real folk blues!

*****************A ZILLION STARS***************************
This is it! If you don't like this music, then you really can't be into the blues. It may be acoustic, but it's got all the power, feeling and raw emotion that is Muddy Waters, from "My Home Is in the Delta" to the last note. The backing band is great and the sound is so good you'll think they're playing in your head. I recommend this to anyone, not just as great blues, but as great music.

This IS the blues...10 big fat stars!
This is one of the most awesome blues discs I have come across. It's actually older than I am, but the sound is awesome. It was playing in the other room, and I kept wondering who was yelling at me! Muddy's known for his electric side, but this doesn't lose anything by going acoustic. With Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon as the backing band, how can you go wrong. A great CD for those interested in the REAL blues. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Absolutely!
This re-mastered version contains some of the finest riffs from Sonny. The quality of the sound is unparalleled. Accompanying Sonny and Brownie on 3 tracks are Lightnin' Hopkins and Big Joe Williams. Tremendous enthusiasm and great teamwork! Sonny was born in my adopted hometown. Probably the best product that this city produced. ... Read more

Amazon.com

According to legend, it was Son House's blistering bottleneck guitar that prompted Robert Johnson to pick up a six string. House's potent early recordings from 1930 and 1941 to 1942 showcased his raw, emotionally powerful style, but never received the acclaim of Johnson's. When he was rediscovered during the '60s blues revivalist movement, House's voice still possessed wall-shaking intensity and his idiosyncratic slide guitar still had bite. These 21 recordings (including five alternate takes) offer superior fidelity and significant room for House to stretch out. The first disc features his classic "Preachin' Blues," a stirring a capella "Grinning in Your Face," and a nine-minute "Levee Camp Moan," with Canned Heat's Al Wilson on harp. Disc two (outtakes and alternates) includes an odd homage to President Kennedy and a riveting version of the spiritual "Motherless Children." --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Better Son House Exists
These 1965 recordings by Blues elder Son House are decent. This powerful and compelling singer is aged, but still at the top of his form. The song selection is great, and the sound quality is also good, but better recordings exist. Fans should specifically look at the 1941 Library of Congress recordings capture a younger Son House, and Masters of the Delta Blues, for even earlier Son House songs.

HoosierDaddy
When it comes to the delta blues,this is it!Son House(Eddie James House Jr.)These recordings are a major plus for your collection.I'm trying too find the words to express this review but I can't, just buy it and injoy!

Son House is the real deal. Listen and learn
Son House taught Robert Johnson the slide blues. Son House taught Muddy Waters. When Son House started performing at Blues festivals again in the mid 1960s, some of Muddy's younger band members would start to go off for a smoke or whatever when the old man came on stage. Muddy wouldn't let them. Muddy Waters would tell all his band members to be quiet and pay attention when the man played because even compared with Muddy, this was the real deal.

Rediscovered in Rochester, New York, relearning to play the guitar, (how this country abuses the masters that come from its people, particularly its Black people), put back on the stage by the folk revival's blues section.

People outside of the blues life focus on the guitar playing or the rhythm of the singing, but where the power comes from is the feeling and the words that are put together, the life and the meaning of the blues. Son House in his youth and his old age, on this and his other sides, always gave it.

So Like Muddy Waters, I would like you to know that
Son House is the real deal.
Listen and learn

Essential listening of the highest order
First of all, this is not a pop record. I give it five stars, not because it makes you want to dance and party all night long, but because these recordings are so incredibly intense and so essential to anyone who want to learn about the origins of modern popular music.
Son House was an elderly gentleman in his sixties when these recordings were made, in the spring of 1965 in New York City. Some of these songs were first recorded in 1930, and most people claim that these "rediscovery" recordings do not quite match the power and ferocity of House's earlier sides.
Maybe they don't, quite, and maybe Son House's guitar playing has slowed down a bit, although his health was still quite good when these songs were comitted to tape.
But to me this is still the best place to start. The sound is clean an clear, unlike House's 1941-42 recordings and very much unlike his original 1930 Paramount masters. Son's voice is clear and strong, without the slur that marrs some of his 60s and 70s recordings. And his guitar playing is solid and powerful.

Most of these tracks features just Son House and his large steel-bodied National guitar, played usually with a metal slide, but on a few cuts, House is accompanied by Alan Wilson (later of Canned Heat) on either guitar or harmonica. This pairing works especially well on the 9½-minute "Levee Camp Moan" where Wilson plays harmonica fills which bolster the sound without ever becoming obtrusive.

This man is without a doubt the most intense performer I have ever heard, overshadowing even the might of the Howlin' Wolf. Son House's voice cuts through the air like a knife, belying his age, and he plays his guitar like a stringed drum, snapping the strings and coaxing mornful wails from the copper slide.

The nine tracks on disc 1 were the ones originally issued. They feature the incredible intensity of "Death Letter" and "Grinnin' In Your Face", the powerful call-and-response slide guitar workout "Pearline", and of course "Preachin' Blues", "John The Revelator" and the epic "Levee Camp Moan".
Disc 2 contains alternate takes of all of these tracks, plus several previously unissued recordings such as House's rendition of Charley Patton's "Shake It And Break It" and the tracitionals "Motherless Children" and "Yonder Comes My Mother (when the roll is called up yonder)", as well as a re-recording of "Pony Blues" and Son House originals "Downhearted Blues" and "'A' Down The Staff".

The fact that this two-disc set features several alternate takes, and a total of 21 songs, should deter no-one. This is one of the very few totally essential albums for anyone with even the remotest interest in traditional Delta blues, and this is the very best place to start appreciating the power and glory of the great Son House.

Skip the single disk version. Get the whole thing.
The problem is after listening to Son House everything else seems decidedly low-wattage. Look at how Death Letter Blues bludgeons your psyche:

I got a letter this morning
How do you think it read?
It said the gal you love is dead.

I got up my suitcase,
took off down the road.
When I got there she's layin'
On a cooling board.

I walked up right close,
looked down in her face.
Said "Farewell honey,
I'll see you Judgement Day."

After that sort of thing, Dave Matthews and his "angst" isn't really something for a reasonable person to get worked up about.

His lyrics always obey the "show 'em, don't tell 'em" aesthetic. When he sings "Late in the evening, I went out on the outskirts of town; I choose me a seat, and watch the evening sun go down" you know exactly how he's feeling. And the guitar playing? Good Lord.

So Son House is a must. The only question is what to buy first. House recorded three times: seven sides for Paramount in the 1930's, nineteen songs for Alan Lomax in the 1940's, and then this session in the 1960's. I'd say that this two disk version of the Vanguard stuff is essential. (I bought the single disk version and regretted it.) The complete Alan Lomax field recordings are on a disk called "Complete Library of Congress Recordings 1941-1942". The Paramount stuff is best heard on the Document CD "Complete Recorded Works". There are some other compilations (Delta Blues, Preachin' The Blues, etc.) but they don't give you the complete picture.

I'd say buy this Vanguard stuff first. As you move back in time the performances get more fiery, but the sound quality gets much, much worse. So start here until you get yourself acclimatized.

(Also check out his buddy Charley Patton.) ... Read more

Amazon.com

When The Band's drummer Levon Helm set up a Woodstock-based recording studio and production company in 1975, his first client was the legendary bluesman Muddy Waters. Surrounding him with familiar sidemen Pinetop Perkins and Bob Margolin, plus such simpatico rock and blues stalwarts as The Band's Garth Hudson on accordion and organ, Paul Butterfield on harp, and Howard Johnson on saxophone, the 60-year-old Waters responded with the smoothest and most supple singing of his career. These two sessions are as delightful as any in his long association with Chess Records, and they signify his last album with that label. Among this Grammy Award-winning work's highlights are Muddy's original composition "Born with Nothing," featuring his stinging signature slide; his joyful R&B covers of "Let the Good Times Roll," Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City," and Louis Jordan's "Caledonia," this last graced by a looping Hudson accordion solo; and the previously unreleased bonus track, "Fox Squirrel". --Alan Greenberg ... Read more

Reviews (6)

God Bless Garth Hudson
Not a five star album, but contrary to what other reviewers would lead you to believe, Garth Hudson's accordion and organ really add a nice flavor to this album. They provide a nice counterpoint to the blues harp and piano. What I appreciate about this album is the loose, swampy blend of accordion, harmonica, and piano. If you enjoy the textured arrangements of The Band's albums and you like Muddy Waters, you really can't go wrong with this disc at this low retail price. Three and 1/2 stars.

i think this is great
i still think this is an exelent cd unlike other reviewers i don't think it fair to compair this to fathers and sons this is different yes but you would'nt to keep doing the same things over & over the music & sound quality are great an easy 5 star cd a must have for a muddy fan unlike electric mud.

3 1/2 stars. Some fine moments
"Fathers And Sons" remains Muddy Waters' best collaboration with his many younger admirers, but his "Woodstock Album" is certainly worth a listen as well, even if Band organist Garth Hudson's accordion on songs like "Caldonia", "Funny Sounds" and "Going Down To Main Street" is a very unusual choice which doesn't suit the songs particularly well.

I would have given this album four stars if it hadn't been for that annoying accordion which only detracts from the power of Muddy Waters, because the songs are generally very good, and Waters himself plays great slide guitar on a couple of mercifully accordion-free numbers.
"Why Are People Like That", "Born With Nothing" and "Love, Deep As The Ocean" are particularly good, featuring excellent piano playing by Pinetop Perkins, and great blues harmonica by Paul Butterfield.
Waters' take on Louis Jordan's "Let The Good Times Roll" is pretty good as well, and so is the CD bonus track "Fox Squirrel".

Not too many people realize how incredibly important the drummer is in electric blues music...the reason why many contemporary blues recordings fall flat is simply because the drummer can't play the blues, resorting instead to a stale, plodding rock rhythm.
If you listen to blues drummers like Willie "Big Eyes" Smith or the great Fred Below you'll understand what I mean. They knew how to get a real swinging groove going, and fortunately the Band's Levon Helm proves to be a fine blues drummer.
This album was Helm's brainchild, and he and Perkins are the main reasons why it works in spite of that awful accordion!

not true Muddy
This album was a disappointment. I was looking forward to Muddy's covers of "Caldoinia" and "Kansas City" but it wasnt what I thought itd be. Dont get me wrong, Muddy himself was fine, but he gets overshadowed by the musical collaborators. There is an overuse of harmonica and organ, and the annoying presence of ACCORDIAN! Accordians and Waters do not mix. This over-instrumentalization leaves the album sounding lame and folky and not bluesy. If you're looking for Muddy's later work, try "Blues Sky", with Muddy working with Johnny Winter and his back to basics production.

Funky!
Winner of a Grammy in 1975, The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album is one funky, greasy taste of Muddy at his finest. Driven by Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of the Band, as well as blues stalwarts Pinetop Perkins, Paul Butterfield and Bob Margolin, Muddy sounds like he's having a good old time, breathing new life into such standards as Caldonia and Kansas City. If you like the blues, Muddy-style, you'll love this album. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Awesome
"Son House & The Great Delta Blues Singers" isn't entirely devoted to Son House. There are cuts by several other musicians, including Rube Lacy, Joe Calicott, and House's onetime playing partner Willie Brown, but this disc, which contains Son House's complete 1930 session, is the best place to get his earliest songs.
The sound quality is not excactly stellar, mainly due to the inferior quality of Columbia Records' original masters and horrible quality pressings, yet the power and intensity of Son House's huge voice and slashing slide guitar playing cuts through the pops and hisses like...well, a cutting thing. Knife and butter, brick and window, you make the choice.
Also, this CD is one of the very few which features both the previously unreleased test acetate of "Walking Blues" (the basis for Robert Johnson's song, not the other way around), and the second parts of House's three two-part singles. Listen to "My Black Mama part II", and you'll recognize it as the original version of "Death Letter Blues", complete with House's magnificent, wailing slide guitar riff.

House's seven songs are the highlights of this collection, but there is a lot of other stuff here which is certainly of interest to fans of classic Delta blues. The gruff-voiced Willie Brown's two cuts are almost as powerful as Son House's, particularly the great "Future Blues" (listen to Brown snapping the bass strings).
And fine waxings by Kid Bailey and Joe Reynolds in particular makes this a great collection of Delta blues as recorded by Paramount Records in 1929-30.

A COLLECTION OF SOME OF THE FINEST DELTA BLUES
I absolutely love this CD and find myself listening to it over-and-over again. I ordered it for the Son House material but have found the Willie Brown and the Garfield Akers songs to be every bit as fantastic! Although I especially like the three musicians already mentioned, there is not a dud in any of the remaining tracks. If you like delta blues and don't have this CD you are missing one of the greatest musical treats you're liable to find.

The Greatest
In my opinion, Son House was the greatest of the Mississippi Delta bluesmen, whether you are listening to his astounding Library of Congress tracks from the 1940s, his historic studio album with Columbia in 1965, or his frightening live performances during the blues revival. The songs on this collection, however, are from his first and only session for Paramount way back in 1930--there are seven tracks in all.

Son House's playing was phenomenal. He was ferocious on the slide guitar and his growling and moaning vocals can--and will--make your skin crawl. "My Black Mama" (which was later reworked into his most famous song, "Death Letter Blues"), is Son at his best. "Preachin' the Blues", unfortunately, doesn't exist in a highly listenable format (the only known copy is a damaged 78) and is clouded by white noise, but much of it has been digitally cleaned. This is such a powerful song--and one of Son's signature tunes--that it has wisely been included on this collection.

Document has also included songs from Son House's contemporaries, namely Willie Brown, Rube Lacy, Kid Baily, Garfield Akers, and Blind Joe Reynolds. While shadowed by the geniuses of Son House, Skip James, Tommy Johnson, and Charley Patton, these 'lesser' artists should not be overlooked. Each had his own style and the tracks included here are great. Standouts include Willie Brown's "Future Blues", Garfield Akers' "Cottonfield Blues", and Rube Lacy's "Mississippi Jailhouse Groan".

This collection is valuable to any fan of the Delta blues--those who are fans of the great Robert Johnson (who isn't?) will learn that he found much of his inspiration in these recordings. While Johnson has surpassed House in fame and recognition, it's arguable that he held the highest talent. Only Son House can make your hair stand on end with his wrenching weeps and groans.

A collection with the roots of the great american music
Son House is certainly the king here. But all the other performers here were also top-notch delta blues performers of the 20's-40's. Son House is leading of this collection with his classic Grafton, Wisconsin 1930 recordings. Incredibly powerful, magic and enduring music that set the stage for things to come. That voice is just stupendous! His slide guitar is a killer too. Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters were avid followers of this man and incorporated some of Mr. House's songs, and way of playing in their music. The first 6 songs is from 3 officially released 78's in 1930. 'Walking blues' was a test recording, that ironically was not recorded for official release, though being one of Son House's theme songs. A great song anyway, and you can hear the inspiration that influenced a lot of blues artists up to this day. Another seminal figure here is Willie Brown. He used to travel around with Charley Patton and Son House in the delta, being a superb accompanist and guitar player. His two only recordings are masterpieces of the genre, powerful and classic stuff with strong lyrics. The other performers on this CD collection are all great performers in their own right. Blind Joe Reynolds was a more engimatic figure of whom little details are known, but his songs are great with fine guitar playing. Ruby Lacy was an influence on Son House and his two songs here are typical of classic delta blues. He became a Reverend some years later. You won't find much better blues than this anywhere.

Really THE BLUES!! (Can your heart stand it??)
This remarkable CD features the work of performers from the Mississippi Delta region that later spawned Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters and so on;it was a pretty tight-knit community with the musicians often knowing one another;such were the case here - Son House and Willie Brown knew Charley Patton (they all traveled to Grafton Wisconsin to cut records for the Paramount label)and House is of course the pivotal figurehead on this CD,-if youre faint-hearted this music is not for you,unfortunately,-no,this is the Holiest-God honest BLUES if ever there were such a sound.House rips his guts out in a flurry of white heat and intense passion,whether he grapples with the flesh vs, the spirit in "Preaching the Blues" or with the disasterous drought and crop failure in "Dry Spell Blues" AND his unfettered lusty despair on "My Black Mama" ;Willie Brown cut only two sides at his session but they cleary equal anything else in the Delta. I Fully agree with the gentleman from Jerusalem,naday haber,there IS a powerful African folk song influence all over this CD,-if anything it forces us to revise how we think about the Blues and its great history.The Roots of the Delta Blues emanate straight from the African villages,and if you like the low-fat Eric Clapton sort of 'Blues' then DONT buy this CD! BUT if youre not afraid to be exposed to raw naked human emotion then BUY THIS CD. If anything it'll cause you to rethink Robert Johnson's place in the historic pantheon,yes,he deserves his acclaim,but This community of artists made him possible to begin with.Mr.Naday Haber you are a most perceptive critic!Thank You!! ... Read more

Album Details

One of the Most Influential and Original Blues Musicians, Lonnie Johnson Virtually Created the Modern Blues Guitar Style on his Own, Sending the Music off in the Direction it Has Subsequently Taken. Combining Elements of Jazz Into his Technique Meant that He Blurred the Boundaries Between the Two Emerging Musics During the '30s, Later Slipping Out of Music Only to Return as an Elder Statesman in the 1960s. This Lavishly Presented Four CD Set Takes in all of the Recordings Made Between 1928 and 1952 that Created a Blues Legend and also Includes Comprehensive Liner Notes and a Full Discography. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Forty-three tracks of the seminal bluesman's recordings for Aladdin in the 1940s, The Complete Aladdin Recordings is a must-hear. Performing alone with his guitar or with sparse accompaniment--usually pianist Wilson "Thunder" Smith--Lightnin' dishes out the best of Texas country-blues. Starting off with "Katie May," Hopkins's first recording for Aladdin, the two-CD set winds its way through the guitarist's years with the label, showcasing what he was up to before his decline in popularity and eventual revival with the folk boom of the 1960s. Those expecting the almost-rock & roll of the latter period won't here any of that here, but they will hear its germination in such rollicking tunes as "Big Mama Jump" and "Let Me Play with Your Poodle." Definitely required, not only to hear the best of early Lightnin', but to hear the best of Texas country-blues. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (7)

From the Cotton Patch to the Big City
Learning at the knee of legendary Bluesman Mance Lipscomb, Sam "Lightnin" Hopkins blazed an incendiary trail through the urban Texas landscape.

These early tracks show the base upon which he built through the 60's and 70's. His concerts were often legendary, including one unforgettable night when he played at the University of Houston, on the same night as Abbie Hoffman was giving a speech across town at Rice University, at a far more ballyhooed event.

I know for a fact, because I saw them, and I was one, that most campus politicos chose to attend to Lightnin' instead of Abbie. Us Texans do know our roots.

Unforgettable moments of his concerts included such nicities as his swigging from a half-pint of Bourbon, and playing for as long as the tips came in. Late in the evening, his foot would become loose and begin pounding out the rhythm of the bass lines which his drop-thumb played. And a sly grin would sneak across his life-worn face. This was when he would impart his greatest wisdom to us.
He's a legend who has been missed.

From a man who loves the blues:
Many bluesmen have come and gone, but certain ones seem to have been around forever. Their music predates the fancy new singers, and while those new guys rise and fall, the old bluesmen stay the same, unchanged by time and just as beautiful and appealing as ever before.

Lightnin' Hopkins is one of those classic blues singers. Like Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, and all the rest, Hopkins is one of the founders of the blues - whoever plays the blues today is merely standing on the shoulders of these legends.

This collection of Lightnin' Hopkins recordings is truly worth investing in. The quality of the music cannot be contested, and the enjoyment of listening to them cannot be underestimated. And you can't beat the price! Where else can you get over 40 classic blues tunes for this price?

If you enjoy classic blues: get this album, sit back, and watch the world around you slow down for a while.

An Overlooked Founding Father.
There is a lot of John Lee Hooker here, and a lot of other stuff as well...

There early stuff has the wonderful gritty feel of Hooker's early pieces like "Teachin the Blues," but then the two start to part company.

Lightnin' has an endearing high pitch vocal style that immediately seems wrong for a classic blues musician, but grows on the listener until you cannot imagine the music any other way.

The later recordings make use of fun upright piano and slightly rocky tempos.

Not as earthy as Hooker, not as blue as Muddy, not as orchestrated as B.B., Lightnin has nicely balanced sound that may not always stictly qualify as blues.

Please note: this is a two-disc set! For $12! Ka-Ching.

Blues as personal as a hushed conversation
Sam Hopkins was a throwback - a vanishing breed, the troubador, the street musician...and his music was/is intensely personal. Lightning's lyrics and delivery combined with his guitar licks and irregular measures are unique. It's not music to boogie to although I have; it's music to reflect on, to enjoy Lightning's wry humour and observations. Rough around the edges but that's part of its appeal. Most fans will tell you that he was like no other.

Bright, beautiful Lightnin'
No praise can be too high for this landmark set. This is where it all started; if Lightnin' Hopkins had made no other music, these 43 tracks recorded from 1946-48 in Los Angeles and Houston would have cemented his reputation as a blues great. As it is, you see where everything came from. Four of the first nine tracks feature pianist Thunder Smith on vocals, and these are less enjoyable. The rest feature Lightnin' playing clever, conversational, concise Texas blues with verve and brilliance. Sound on a couple cuts is rough, but generally is quite good. Don't listen to all this music at once, but do listen. And the price for these 43 gems is astonishing. Get this set! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

For the completist, this three-CD, 72-song box remains the definitive collection of one of the leading lights of Chicago blues. The collection spans 25 years, beginning with rare early recordings with pianist Sunnyland Slim and moving through Waters's peak '50s period, which offered the legendary support of Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, and Otis Spann. Luminaries including Pat Hare, James Cotton, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, and Pinetop Perkins all make valuable contributions to his '60s work. Along with his original hits and his noteworthy Willie Dixon interpretations, Chess wisely includes his lesser-known covers of Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin' Wolf, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, and Sonny Boy Williamson. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The best from the best
This is the only box set that I can think of that could be essential. All of these historic recording, represents one of the greatest achivements of popular music in the 20th century. Muddy Waters changed music forever. The first half of disc one alraedy delivers some of best performance ever, like 'feel like going home'and 'cant be satisfied', Muddy's first big sellers that turned him into a star. He was still playing very much in the Delta style, although by that time he was cooking in juke joints with one of the best blues band ever. The recordings included in the second half of disc one and practically all disc two are simply in a league of its own, comparably only perhaps to Elvis sun sessions and Loui Armstrong hot five and sevens in terms of perfection and influence in music. Disc three proves that the man could not make a bad record, and includes a live track from Live at Newport, your next essential purchase.
The box includes a booklet with details of every session, and essays on Muddy the man and the musician. This is as good as blues music can get.

If You Only Had One Blues Album.....Yep, This Is It!
A comprehensive collection from the best bluesman ever. Sure, others have done significant recordings, established new sounds, forged creative sounds, but no one has been *the man* for decades, like Muddy has. Regardless of whether it is these priceless early recordings where the genius was just starting to come through or whether it is any of the numerous eras Muddy went through, they are all well represented on this set.

The supporting book is one of the best I've seen ever. It is comprehensive, has new and unusal photos, and gives a good history of Waters' recordings.

The one belongs in the "if I was on a desert island and take only one CD, which one would it be" category.

The most complete overview of Muddy Waters' Chess sides
More casual fans will probably be better served by MCA/Chess's much cheaper (but very good) two-disc compilation "The Anthology: 1947-1972". But if you're looking for the best and currently most thorough available overview of Muddy's recordings for Aristocrat and Chess, this is it.
It is not the final word on Muddy Waters - his excellent latter-day recordings with Johnny Winter as producer aren't here, and you'll need some of his live stuff as well - but these 72 tracks do include the vast majority of his best songs from 1947 and twenty-five years on.

Disc one spans 1947-1954, and most of the 24 tracks feature just Muddy Waters on slide guitar and bassist Ernest "Big" Crawford backing him, although the great Sunnyland Slim rolls the ivories on a few songs, like the delightful 1947 single "Gypsy Woman".
Muddy's arsenal of slide guitar riffs may seem limited, but his playing on the 1948 hit "I Can't Be Satisfied" and the mellow "Train Fare Home" is really great, demonstrating what a fine guitarist he actually was.

Percussion doesn't show up until two-thirds of the way through the disc, when the "classic" Muddy Waters band begins to take shape: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on second guitar, drummer Elgin Evans, and Otis Spann playing the piano.
Along with the songs already mentioned, the lean, mean "I Feel Like Going Home" and "Rollin' And Tumblin'" are among the highlights on disc 1, which ends with the tough, swinging "Blow Wind Blow" and the classic "Hoochie Coochie Man". Big Walter Horton plays superb harmonica on "Blow Wind Blow".

Disc 2 includes the majority of Muddy's classic 50s singles, from "I'm Ready" and the thumping "I Just Want To Make Love To You" to "Got My Mojo Working", the Bo Diddley-ripoff "Mannish Boy", and the superbly swinging "I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love". Harpist James Cotton appears for the first time on "I Love The Life I Live", blowing a truly inspired harmonica riff.

There are several lesser-known songs here as well, including previously unreleased takes and singles which make their LP/CD debut on this album. Most of them are good, although not quite great, with the exception of a very fine rendition of Jimmy Oden's "Take The Bitter With The Sweet".

Disc 3 covers 1960-1972, and includes a few live recordings, as well as two alternates from the sublime "Fathers And Sons" sessions. Opening with the great live "I Feel So Good" from the Newport album, it is highlighted by Muddy's version of Eddie Boyd's "Twenty-Four Hours", the definitive renditions of his mid-60s hit singles "The Same Thing" and "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had", and a hornless version of "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone", one of the few good cuts from the otherwise forgettable "London Sessions" album.

There is nothing here from the misguided and completely superflous "Electric Mud", or from Muddy's last Chess-effort, "The Woodstock Album", but that detracts nothing from the greatness of this compilation, the finest overview of Muddy Waters' Chess sides available.

Great place to start.............
For those of you who like the old blues,then I suggest that you get this one.It may not have everything he ever did and there may not be very many rare tracks,but why quibble? Great playing,soulful singing and memorable melodies......Listen to this legendary bluesman who inspired The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton,among others....BUY IT!!!

In short: all you need
Okay, that's it, that way my review right there in the title.
These three CDs have every important studio recording that Muddy Waters made for Chess - all you need besides this is "Live at Newport", and you're set. Well, that, and maybe the acoustic "Folk Singer" album.
Having said that, this is an expensive set, and in spite of some extra tracks (most of which aren't absolutely necessary), it may be too expensive.
The double-disc "The Anthology: 1947-1972" costs almost twenty bucks less, and serves its purpose almost as well. And you can use the money you save to buy Waters' three Blue Sky-albums :o) ... Read more

Amazon.com

Along with Robert Johnson, Son House, Charley Patton, and others, Blind Willie Johnson was one of the founding fathers of the blues. This 16-song collection features some of his best, most classic work, a distillation of the 30 songs he recorded (all of which are available on Complete Recordings of Blind Willie Johnson). Unlike his peers, however, Johnson's focus was on spiritual music, which he performed in church and on street corners, his chilling, gravelly voice complemented by guitar work that is nothing short of exquisite. Many of the songs taken up and popularized by Johnson's contemporaries and successors were written by him, and they're all here: "John the Revelator," "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed," "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down," "Lord I Just Can't Keep from Crying," "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine," and of course "Dark Was the Night--Cold Was the Ground." Dark Was the Night is a worthy introduction to this seminal artist's work. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great blues
I came to Blind WIllie Johnson from Columbia's "Legends of The Blues Volume 1." I had it on and when i hit track for my head could've nearly spun off my neck. It was "Lord, I Just Can't Keep from Cryin'" - hands down the best song on that compilation. Johnson's voice was powerful and the female harmony was intoxicating. The slide work was great. It hit me hard. Anyway, I picked this disc up - i just had to - and was not disappointed. So many songs on this disc could easily be tossed into the "best ever" categorical debates. Johnson's voice may ruffle some as it is very strong and gruff, but it makes the songs that much better in my opinion. Great blues here, great blues.

New generation of music?
For many young adults, such as myself, the blues has truly become a new found love. In order to really appreciate the essence of the blues, several of my friends researched legend blues artists and I came across Blind Boy Willie...never in my life have I heard music played with such emotions, and realism. Message to all generations: open your minds, close your mouths, and listen...really listen to the blues.

Essential
The PBS series "The Blues" will hopefully introduce the work of Blind Willie Johnson to a mass audience. Recognition of this man and his contribution to American culture is long overdue. "Dark Was The Night" is the best and most affordable introduction to Blind Willie Johnson. The complete collection two disc set is pretty much for completists only.

That said, if you have never heard this music before, be sure to prepare yourself, because the spiritual force and gravity of this music may leave you exhausted and perhaps even frightened. Johnson's voice is one of the most unique and haunting instruments to have ever been recorded. The man's singing bespeaks experiences and a life lived that is almost too painful to contemplate. The lyrics of these songs are almost transcendentally poetic...the religious imagery is used to ask the most fundamental of philosophical questions. The female accompaniment of these songs only makes them a more poignant commentary on the human condition. Johnson's guitar work is similar in nature. In combination, this music is about as raw and emotive as human musical production can get. I think Wim Wenders is correct when he says that this music will teach you more about the American experience than just any history book. And Ry Cooder is surely right in his observations about this music.

These songs strip it and you bare; you simply have no place to hide. You will get ripped to shreds, ponder the nature of existence, and then eventually get "healed" as John Lee Hooker famously sang not too long ago. This is "deep" blues, about as deep as the blues and gospel can get.

One of the great, haunting, bone-chilling treats of music
This is some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.
You wouldn't think Willie Johnson's gruff faux-bass growl could be beautiful, but his singing, and his songs, is so incredibly powerful and sincere. His music is so melodious, and his slide guitar playing is unsurpassed even today - just listen to Johnson's pocket knife coaxing the most wonderful sounds from the steel strings on "You'll Need Somebody On Your Bond" and "It's Nobody's Fault But Mine".

This is not blues, mind you, even though there's sometimes only a fine line between 'Blind' Willie Johnson's brand of gospel and the country blues of men like Son House and Charley Patton. But gospel it is, and Johnson (and his wife) turn in fabulous renditions of "Praise God I'm Satisfied", "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning" and the awesome "The Soul Of A Man"."Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying" ventures into the blues idiom, but virtually all of Johnson's songs were strictly religious, songs about the hope of a better world than this one, in which Johnson laid on his bed of wet, bundled-up newspapers and slept after his house had burned down, contracted pneumonia, and died while only in his forties.

'Blind' Willie Johnson's singing and playing is powerful and strongly rhytmic, much more so than you would expect from a man who was essentially a gospel singer, but you can't help but imagine the big, thundering beat of a drummer keeping the rhythm section going behind him.
His rough, gravelly voice is awesome to hear, and it comes as a genuine surprise when he suddenly delivers in his own natural tenor on a few tracks, such as the classic "Let Your Light Shine On Me".
Only the awe of listening to Son House in his prime can be compared with the experience of hearing 'Blind' Willie Johnson doing "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" or "Dark Was The Night (cold was the ground)" for the first time.

Praise Johnson, I'm satisfied!
Blind Willie Johnson is different. You can actually detect his regret,his anguish, and his utmost yearning for salvation in hissandpaper-like voice, his superb slide-guitar playing and his songwriting. All the songs on this CD are great. They are, yes, very spiritual and religous. But they don't sound and feel like some religious nutcase preaching the end is coming and those who believe in God will be saved and be placed in somwhere up in the sky where everything is fine and jolly, yada, yada, yada... Johnson sounds REAL. He sounds like someone who doesn't really care about his audience. He would probably sing those songs of his even if there's no one around.

Johnson has a great voice(think along the lines of Howlin' Wolf and Tom Waits). You might not enjoy it on the first try, but it sort of stuck on your mind and won't let you go. I'm no expert in blues, but these songs sound very different from what you'd usually consider to be "blues"(I guess Muddy Water and his followers would fall into this realm). The female harmonic vocal is very powerful and moving, it gives Johnson's music a haunting and disquiet feel. I highly recommend you to try it, regardless of your view on religion.

One suggestion, you might want to go straightly to the Complete Recording of BWJ. I had the this first and then purchased the Complete set, now I don't know what to do with the this condensed version. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

This guy deserves to be heard
It's not surprising that Blind Lemon was the most popular bluesman of his era for when you have the pleasure of hearing him for the first time you are subconsciously captivated by a voice which is obviously blessed with such rare subtle harmony that it can only be desribed as other worldly.
In fact other worldy is probably how I would describe this music as although it often follows rythmic patterns of conventional country blues, Lemon adds his own quirky notes which embellish the fingerpicking basslines and his greatest asset - his voice and the end result, although defined as blues, falls outside the traditional blues canon.
I highly recommend this CD as an overview of his work. The first time I heard Lemon was on a blues compilation CD featuring his great hit Matchbox Blues, and while that hooked me instantly I could tell that in this compilation the tracks had been remastered to a higher standard.
Be aware that there will be hiss on any Blind Lemon recording, this music goes back to the 1920's afer all, a fact which makes these timeless melodies all the more astonishing.

Excellent overview
Taking the place of Yazoo's previous compilation, 1985's "King Of The Country Blues", this fine collection of Blind Lemon Jefferson's prewar singles is just about the best on the market (unless you want to spring for JSP's superb four-disc boxset "The Complete 94 Classic Sides").

The earliest of these 23 very well-chosen cuts are some of the first electrically recorded songs, and there is generally quite a lot of surface noise present, but that is the case with every available Blind Lemon-compilation, and this one is certainly one of the better sounding, along with Catfish's equally excellent Blind Lemon-CD "Squeeze My Lemon".
Lemon Jefferson was one of the pivotal figures of early 20th century blues, and one of the most important and influential bluesmen ever to come out of Texas...an intricate guitar player and a fine songwriter whose best songs ("Match Box Blues", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", the eerie "'Lectric Chair Blues") are all part of the fabric of the blues.
Highly recommended.

One of The Original Bluesmen
Along with men like Frank Stokes, Charley Patton, Furry Lewis, Mississippi John Hurt and Cryin' Sam Collins, Blind Lemon Jefferson was one of the original bluesmen. Although it's commonly thought that he was born in 1897, more recent research has suggested that he was born in 1893. During the years of his adolescence, the blues was first beginning to take shape. Songs like "Black Horse Blues," "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," "Matchbox Blues," "Corinna Blues," and "Rabbit Foot Blues" are all absolutely essential to anyone's blues collection, or to their general understanding of American music. Jefferson's strange and unconventional vocals controlled and dictated what he played on guitar. His guitar playing was highly influenced by the Flamenco playing of Mexican workers whom he lived near during his life. His lyrics are bright, original, often sarcastic and humorous, and great poetry. Unfortunately, both this disc and a Yazoo Blind Blake disc that I have, often skip when I play them. Better luck to others who purchase this Jefferson disc!

Excellent unconventional blues
After listening to HARP's "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" which is Blind Lemon's "Out and Down", and listening to the Carter Family's "See That My Grave's Kept Green" which I confuse with Blind Lemon's "See That My Grave's Kept Clean", I obviously had to return to The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson. As always it is an absolutely luxurious aural experience -- the joyful beat of "Beggin Back", the early gospel sound of "He Rose From the Dead", the haunting blues of "'Lectric Chair Blues". Blind Lemon's music evolved as a street musician with more freedom in his beat than those bluesmen who played for dances. Add a voice that he used superbly ... understandable, musical, emotional. Others may have recorded the same songs as he but few have matched his performance.

For more detail on this collection, see the review by bigthumb.

The most accurate sounding Blind lemon Jefferson cd
This man is the foundation of country/texas blues; everyone has been directly or indirectly influenced by him.This collection is the most accurate representation of Blind lemon jefferson's music;which includes country blues,spirituals & folk songs.Being a texas country bluesman myself; in my opinion, Blind Lemon Jefferson & Charlie Patton are the best bluesmen that ever lived . ... Read more

Reviews (7)

***½
MCA's "The Best Of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974" opens with the best-ever rendition of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", a swinging, piano-driven boogie version, followed by superb songs like "Think Twice Before You Go","House Rent Boogie", the slow shuffle "I'm In The Mood", and "Back Biters And Syndicators", which features Louis Myers on harmonica.
The gritty live recording of "I'm Bad Like Jesse James" is from the "Live At The Café Au Go Go" album, which you may already have. If not, get it...it is by far the best live recordings of John Lee Hooker playing with a band.

But there are also a handful of lesser songs here, and I'm not sure the world really needs a ten-minute version of "I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" with Van Morrison sharing lead vocals with the Hook (the song was originally recorded by Hooker for Vee-Jay), but it's actually better than you might think, and since MCA doesn't have the rights to the original, I guess I can't complain too much.

The lean solo version of "I Cover The Waterfront" found here is not the same as the organ-driven one on Rhino's John Lee Hooker anthology, "The Ultimate Collection (1948-1990)". Which one you prefer is a matter of taste, I guess, since they're both pretty good. But if you already have "The Ultimate Collection", you really don't need this CD, since all the best songs from Hooker's ABC years can also be found on the Rhino compilation.

Hooker's ABC records, from which these songs are taken, weren't as consistent as his earlier output, so this compilation is pretty much all most people will need from this period of his career.

Good, not essential selection of Hooker's ABC recordings
A nice sampling of Hooker's recordings for a variety of ABC labels that are sometimes overlooked. Calling these recordings essential is nonsense as it includes none of the stark, compelling solo or duet Detroit recordings nor as strong as the finest of the Vee-Jay recordings (The original Boom Boom or Dimples for example), but still these are better than many of Hooker's later recordings and no offense to the superstars who helped elevate Hooker's profile and made some of his last recordings so enjoyable, but I would as soon hear these recordings which include the late Eddie Taylor on second guitar and the late Louis Myers on harmonica on some tracks. Motor City is Burning, his reaction to the Detroit riots is perhaps the most compelling single track here. Unfortunately these recordings and the wonderful colloboration with Canned Heat, Hoioker and Heat were followed by over a decade of Endless Boogie before a bit of musical healing. This is a solid collection recommended to Hooker fans, but not one that is essential

Johnny Lee
Funny how expressive he was with so few notes. he inspired more with just a twang and a moan, than a legion of educated guitar wizards could do because he and was the cornerstone of American music. This collection does a great justice to his years when he played with larger groups and was full of howl and understood what the younger guys were doign on the scene. He made so many recordings in those years too. If you have no other of his stuff and are looking for a GREAT intro then this is a good un" I could hear him say "get your moneys worth" I especailly like the "I cover the waterfront with its eerie feel. You cant help but identify with the words and the reality of a sense of loss and hope. There is some rocking tunes as well that let you understand that rock and roll of the sixties rallied around the stuff that his soul shared.

Hooker's Best
Some "Best of" CDs really are not. This CD really is! This CD covers 16 of John Lee Hooker's greatest hits from 1965 to 1974, over 70 minutes of music. All of these songs were recoded in the '60s and '70s too, long before his gold and platinum album days. These are the same songs that would make Hooker famous 25 years later. Most of his better-known songs can be found on this disk. Throughout it all, Hooker's music remained unchanged. His rich and sonorous voice, full of ancient hurt, and his brooding and savage style remained hypnotic but unpredictable. To the strains of his own guitar, he sang of loneliness and confusion. Neither polished nor urbane, his music was raw, primal emotion. His one-chord boogie compositions and rhythmic guitar work were a distinctive sound that influenced rock 'n' rollers as well as rhythm and blues musicians. According to John shortly before his death, "I been doing the same things as in my younger days, when I was coming up, and now here I am, an old man, up there in the charts."

During a career more than six decades long, the veteran blues singer from the Mississippi Delta estimated he recorded more than 100 albums. To have a "best of" CD with that much material to pick from is a hard task, but the producers have done well.

If you only own one John Lee Hooker CD (if that is possible) this is the one to own.

Johnny Lee at his best
Never have I heard such a collection of blues masters. This album is burning with soul and emotion. Key tracks such as, "Never get out of these blues alive," "Bluebird," and "House Rent Boogie," feature superior bluse musicians such as: Van Morrison, Jim Kahr, Hollywood Fats, and Steve Miller, before their claim to fame. A tear fell from my eye when I first heard John Lee's story of his passing wife, Sadie Mae, in "Decoration Day." This album is a true tribute to all those who lost their lives in the terrible flood of Tupelo, Mississippi so long ago. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Much More than I Expected
Of all these JSP box-sets I own, none has been a bigger surprise to me than this one. I bought this one as a curiosity but it is much more. Going by the tracklist there were a handful of people I knew, but most were new to me. If this exact same box had been released by another label and was more along the lines of $40 to $60 I would have never purchased it. Knowing JSPs reputation for quality transfers and low prices I just decid