Great introduction to B. B. King
B. B. King is one of the best known bluesmen of the past several decades. His first hit came in 1951 with the wonderful "Three O'clock Blues" (more on this cut below). Nonetheless, his reputation was not very widespread among "mainstream" America. That changed with the British invasion (the Rolling Stones, Animals, Yardbirds, and so on) as well as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (the liner notes do a good job of chronicling King's career). By the later 1960s, he became well known to people throughout the world. And in 1970, his great song, "The Thrill is Gone," became a hit. Even though this is a nice compilation of his best works, one can always wonder about items excluded. Personally, I regret that "Why I Sing the Blues" was not a part of this CD. But that is hardly a major problem. One final comment before taking a look at a sampling of his works on this CD. His guitar playing, of course, is legendary, but his is a restrained style, not spitting out a bazillion notes in a few seconds, as some guitarists are wont to do. But his guitar playing is mesmerizing.
Some cuts:
"Three O'clock Blues": This is a nice example of his blues singing. He has a fine voice, a nice blues voice. He looks around, in the song, at 3 O'clock in the morning.
"Well, I can't find my baby,
Lord, I can't be satisfied."
His guitar work is sterling, but understated. There is a very well done guitar turn about 2/3 of the way through. All in all, a strong work.
"Sweet Sixteen": This cut begins with some very well done guitar work. Not wild playing, but controlled and oh so effective. It reminds one that playing fast is not necessarily playing well. He sings of when he met his baby, when she was "sweet sixteen." He says that she was "the sweetest thing I ever seen." But then things soured and she left. He displays great blues singing, as he wails away about her running away from him.
"The Thrill Is Gone": Quintessential B. B. King. This features wonderful guitar work. "The thrill is gone" is sung throughout as a recurring phrase. The pain of lost love is manifest. And his splendid guitar work is a glue that holds the work together.
"Nobody Loves Me but My Mother": This is short but cool! One of my favorites. There is nice keyboard playing. One of the great blues lines is repeated in this bagatelle:
"Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jiving, too."
When all is said and done, this is a good way for anyone interested in B. B. King to be introduced to his work. His blues playing on guitar and his singing are top notch. A good CD to add to one's musical library.
The Best single disc of BB you will find
If you are going to own just one CD by the King, this is it. No compilation disc is all encompasing, but this one hits all the highs and well represents the various stages of his career. I particularly like how it is all in chronological order, other compilations could learn from this one.
Terrific Decades Spanning Compilation!!!
One of the best compilation CD's that I have ever heard!!! Includes many of B.B.'s early work, without any sugar coating. Includes songs that today might be considered mildly controversial like "Don't Answer the Door" and "Paying the Cost to be the Boss" and classics like "Rock me Baby" all the way through more modern hits like "When Love Comes to Town" with U2. This is a CD that you can play over and over again without getting tired of it.
|
