With the confusing plethora of Elmore James discs out on the market, this is truly the place to start, featuring the best of his work culled from several labels. Highlights include James' original recording of "Dust My Broom," "It Hurts Me Too," "TV Mama" (with Elmore backing Big Joe Turner), and the title track, one of the best slow blues ever created. Slide guitar doesn't get much better than this, making this particular compilation not only a perfect introduction to Elmore's music, but an essential piece for any blues collection. [This version was released with seven bonus tracks.] ~ Cub Koda

The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions was not a high point in the careers of either Howlin' Wolf or the guest superstars Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Stevie Winwood, and Ringo Starr, though it's not as bad as some blues purists make it out to be. Still, one has to wonder whether a deluxe edition two-CD set, padding out the original with an entire disc of previously unreleased alternate takes/alternate mixes (and three tracks from the same sessions that eventually showed up on the 1974 compilation London Revisited, which also included material by Muddy Waters), was really justified. The material existed, however, and fewer and fewer leftovers from the Chess catalog were available at the beginning of the 21st century. So here it is, bolstered by lengthy and entertaining liner notes spotlighting memories from producer Norman Dayron. The original album, presented here in its original mix, was adequate but flawed, for it seemed like the players, whether because they were in awe of and/or uncomfortable with Howlin' Wolf, went through the numbers tentatively, with an ill-at-ease looseness. A more serious flaw was that the program consisted entirely of remakes of classic Wolf tunes (some admittedly obscure) that couldn't help but suffer in comparison with the earlier originals. The alternate versions really aren't all that different from the ones selected for the album, and some, in fact, are just alternate mixes. There are, however, some occasional notable differences, like "What a Woman!" with an organ overdub,"Poor Boy" with different lyrics, "The Red Rooster" with an alternate piano, a rawer "Who's Been Talking" with lots of studio chat, an inferior "Do the Do" that does go on more than twice as long as the album rendition, and a "rehearsal take" (the only such item here) of "Worried About My Baby" that's far sparser than the one ultimately chosen. ~ Richie Unterberger

Batten down the hatches, 'cause there's a Texas Flood about to sweep through town. Stevie Ray Vaughan plugs in to wail his way through the waters, electrifying as he churns through "Love Struck Baby" and "Dirty Pool." Vaughan's blend of blues spirit and rock-guitar prowess is unmatched and this remastering of his 1983 classic showcases the man at his peak. For a thorough lesson on how to achieve guitar perfection, check out the howling instrumental jam on "Lenny."

THE CHESS BOX is a comprehensive box set with a 12-page booklet that includes extensive liner notes (including insights from Willie Dixon himself), and photos from 1941 to 1988. All songs written by Willie Dixon and performed by various artists.

Personnel: Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar); B.B. King, Eric Clapton, James "Jimbo" Mathus (guitar); Tony Garnier (upright bass); Jim Keltner (drums); The Perrys (sound effects).
Recorded at Sweet Tea, Oxford, Mississippi.
Going beyond the stripped-down arrangements of 2001's SWEET TEA, Buddy Guy picks up an acoustic guitar to cut a record that comes across as an off-the-cuff homage to mentor Muddy Waters, whose similar 1963 outing FOLK SINGER featured Guy's guitar work. From the minute this Mississippi native affects a falsetto on Skip James's "Hard Time Killing Floor," neck hairs remain standing on end for the better part of BLUES SINGER.
The remainder of these dozen carefully selected tracks find the blues legend rifling through the canons of favorites like Robert Nighthawk (a loping "Anna Lee"), Willie Dixon (the brash "I Live the Life I Love"), and Johnny Shines (a spirited "Moanin' and Groanin'"). Eric Clapton joins in for a tasty take on Frankie Sims' "Lucy Mae Blues" and B.B. King makes three for an acoustic blues summit on John Lee Hooker's seminal "Crawlin' Kingsnake." Though far from the raucous outings fans have come to expect, this collection of acoustic blues is a creative success and yet another stellar addition to Guy's already impressive discography.

2 LPs on 1 CD: THE REAL FOLK BLUES (1965)/MORE REAL FOLK BLUES (1966).
Includes liner notes by Mark Humphrey, Willie Dixon, Paul Williams.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
THE REAL FOLK BLUES:
Personnel includes: Sonny Boy Williamson (vocals, harmonica); Willie Dixon (vocals, bass); Robert Lockwood, Jr., Luther Tucker, Matt Murphy, Eddie King (guitar); Lafayette Leake (piano, organ); Otis Spann, Billy Emerson (piano); Milton Rector (acoustic & electric basses); Fred Below, Odie Payne, Al Duncan
(drums).
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Marshall Chess, Willie Dixon.
Recorded between June 1960 and April 1964. Originally released on Chess (1503).
MORE REAL FOLK BLUES:
Personnel includes: Sonny Boy Williamson (vocals, harmonica); Willie Dixon (vocals, bass); Matt Murphy, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Luther Tucker, Buddy Guy, Eddie King (guitar); Jarrett Gibson (tenor saxophone); Donald Hankins (baritone saxophone); Lafayette Leake (piano, organ); Otis Spann (piano);
Billy Emerson (organ); Milton Rector, Jack Meyers (bass); Al Duncan, Fred Below, Odie Payne, Clifton James (drums).
Recorded between June 1960 and April 1964. Originally released on Chess (1509).
Sonny Boy Williamson was born Aleck Ford and known as Aleck Miller before adopting the familiar moniker. An earlier bluesman, born Rice Miller (1914-1948), went by the same name, though he died before this one showed up on the scene. Though this second Sonny Boy was prone to wildly contradictory biographical "facts" and unreliable self-mythologizing, his musical legacy is quite solid. His edgy singing and harmonica playing was like a dagger lunging forward in the teeth of a rhythmically insistent bear. His use of dynamics was subtle but insistent, allowing a relatively quiet number like "Bring It On Home" to simmer with an unshakable air of drama and danger.
These two albums appeared after his death in 1965 and cemented his reputation for subsequent generations of blues musicians. Williamson's influence was also key to the development of the various British blues bands in the '60s (The Yardbirds, John Mayall, etc.).

 

Dubbed the patriarch of the Chicago Blues, Muddy Waters was a formidable force in the movement of this particular musical history. Fusing the old-time styles of Delta blues with the electric force of urban styling, Waters was a skilled performer, songwriter and all-around interpreter of the rhythms that were his livelihood and his life. With blues in his blood, Waters was born in Mississippi in 1915 and earned his nickname not long after because he loved, as a child, to play near a muddy creek. He also loved the harmonica and picked it up at the age of seven. Slowly following the pull of music, Waters started recording in the '40s and hit his big break in 1948 with the release of a couple of tracks featuring Delta blues backed by the edgy new sound of an electric guitar. The Chess Box is the definitive collection of the master's work. Full of rich and gritty tracks, it spans 25 years in the life of a running stream of talent expressed through a single man.

Robert Johnson`s perfectly coarse vocals and mean guitar playing turned him into a certified musical legend. His songs remain raw, uninhibited and emotionally charged examples of unadulterated blues. The Complete Recordings: Remastered is the complete presentation of the scope of Johnson`s musical legacy. Classic cuts like "Sweet Home Chicago," "Come on in My Kitchen" and "Stop Breakin` Down Blues" sound cleaner than ever on this digitally remastered double disc set. When Johnson plays, it`s impossible not to notice the impact that his style had on all those who followed him.  

Celebrated blues man, B.B. King, knows how to rock a crowd. His stage shows are legendary things of beauty - emotional thrill rides that soar up only to crash back down into a heap of wallowing musical misery. Live at the Regal is the next best thing to spending an evening with the man. The wailing guitars of "How Blue Can You Get?" are the stuff on which King has built his lengthy career. And - in case you happened to forget - the man also has a beautiful set of pipes. He rounds out this rousing performance by showing off his voice on passionate shakers like "Please Love Me" and "It`s My Own Fault."  

The Chess label lays claim to an undisputed treasury of great blues artists from the 20th century, including the legendary Muddy Waters. His Folk Singer album reappears here remastered and containing five bonus tracks, including "The Same Thing," "You Can Lose What You Never Had" and "Put Me in Your Lay Away." Believe it or not, this stands as the great bluesman's only acoustic album. Backing Waters on this recording is the dream lineup of Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, Otis Spann and James Cotton. To round out this release, the original liner notes by co-producer Ralph Bass appear alongside notes by blues expert Mary Katherine Aldin.

The Best of the Blues collects twenty-one of the finest songs from the PBS series, Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. A seven-part series of feature length films by some of the world's most respected directors, The Blues follows the music from its origins in the Mississippi Delta to today's international acclaim. An excellent introduction to the genre, The Best of the Blues collects tracks by everyone from the earliest blues legends to modern-day innovators.

1. Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson
2. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) - Bessie Smith
3. Devil Got My Woman - Skip James
4. Evil (Is Going On) - Howlin' Ron Wolf
5. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters
6. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
7. Death Letter Blues - Son House
8. Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) - Ray Charles
9. I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James
10. The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King
11. All Your Love - Eric Clapton
12. One Good Man - Janis Joplin
13. Red House - Jimi Hendrix Experience
14. One Way Out (Live) - The Allman Brothers Band
15. Pride And Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
16. Am I Wrong - Keb' Mo'
17. Just Won't Burn - Susan Tedeschi
18. Voodoo Music - Los Lobos
19. Vietnam Blues - Cassandra Wilson
20. Round And Round - Bonnie Raitt
21. I Pity The Fool - Shemekia Copeland

RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2003
FORMAT: CD

Personnel: Edgar Winter (vocals, saxophone, piano, Clavinet, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer, marimba, timbales, background vocals); Dan Hartman (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, ukulele, maracas, percussion, background vocals); Rick Derringer (vocals, guitar, slide guitar, claves, background vocals); Chuck Ruff (vocals, drums, congas, background vocals); Ronnie Montrose (guitar, 12-string guitar, mandolin); Johnny Badanjek (drums).
Liner Note Authors: Edgar Winter; Monique Winter.
Recording information: HIt Factory; Sterling Sound Studio, New York, NY.
Photographers: John Berg; Francesco Scavullo.
While this album will forever be remembered for spawning the huge hit singles "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," there's plenty more to appreciate on this stellar release. From "the other single," "Hangin' Around," to the pretty melodies of "Round & Around" and "Autumn," the set collects ten outstanding cuts, played with fervor by Edgar Winter, Chuck Ruff, Dan Hartman, Randy Jo Hobbs, and Ronnie Montrose, along with guest artist/producer Rick Derringer. The "party" feel of "We All Had a Real Good Time" and the singalong "Alta Mira" only add to this already red-hot mix, making They Only Come Out at Night the album Winter will always be remembered for. ~ Michael B. Smith