Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Illustrated Man - Johnny Winter
2. Frosty - Albert Collins
3. I've Got Love If You Want It - John Hammond, Jr.
4. Three O'Clock Blues - B.B. King
5. Can't Stay Away from You - Charlie Musselwhite
6. Don't Get Me Shook Up - Duke Robillard
7. Cold Sweat - The Boneshakers
8. Me and My Baby - Larry McCray
9. No More Doggin' - Colin James, The Little Big Band
10. Too Early to Tell - Kinsey Report
11. I Shall Not Be Moved - Roebuck "Pops" Staples
12. Get Your Lies Straight - Terry Evans
13. Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl - Hadda Brooks
14. Down Here in the Real Big Empty - Roy Rogers
15. Dust My Broom - Elmore James
16. Today Is Your Birthday - Solomon Burke
17. Tramp - Lowell Fulson
18. So Good to My Baby - Big Maybelle

Disc 2:

1. Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters
2. My Babe - Little Walter
3. Wang Dang Doodle - Koko Taylor
4. Little Red Rooster - Howlin' Wolf
5. Reelin' and Rockin' - Chuck Berry
6. I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James
7. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
8. Still Got the Blues - Gary Moore
9. Shame, Shame, Shame - Johnny Winter
10. Help Me Somebody - Jon Cleary
11. Born Under a Bad Sign - Albert King
12. Chill Out (Things Gonna Change) - John Lee Hooker
13. Shotgun Blues - Lightnin' Hopkins
14. Me and My Guitar - Freddie King
15. Damn Right, I've Got the Blues - Buddy Guy
16. Ground on Down - Ben Harper, Ben Harper
17. Low Down - J.J. Cale
18. Spinning Coin - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59709 in Music
• Released on: 2000-02-29
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

The best ever?
Not even close to the best ever. The actual title should read: "The Best Blues Album For Which We Were Able To Get Rights To The Songs Quickly" or something like that. The fact is this double disc set is just a grab bag of songs with absolutely no thought put into it whatsoever. With a few exceptions, disc one is practically a throw away. Larry McCray, Kinsey Report, Gary Moore, and Terry Evans et. al. are all ok modern blues artists but hardly deserve to be on a blues album titled "The Best Ever" -especially one limited to only two discs.

This is a Virgin release, so poor understanding of the genre is to be expected. However, to boldly exclaim that this is the best ever compilation is a rather ostentatious position -even for the Virgin people. The best ever blues compilation would certainly be a difficult undertaking. However, this set completly ignores the likes of giants like Big Maceo, Tommy Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson I & II, Robert Johnson, Tampa Red, Lowell Fulson, Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson, Roosevelt Sykes, Robert Nighthawk, Jimmy Witherspoon, Floyd Dixon, and so many many more important and entertaining historical blues artists. The most shocking eversight is the absence of T-Bone Walker!

Really, I think this is a waste of your money. Even on its own level the flow is odd especially on disc one. Disc two has a better grouping and flow of great blues artists and songs, but still not worth the price. There has yet to be a true "best of" compilation to be released, so for now I suggest you may want to explore the best attempt to date. It is a four disc box set released on MCA in 1996 called "Mean Old World."

Not the best ever...but still darn good
Although the title is totally hyperbole, this is an excellent collection of blues tunes of various eras and styles.

I am a relative newcomer to the blues, so a compilation like this is right up my alley. It lets me get a taste of different aspects of the blues, and to discover artists that I would not have otherwise been exposed to.

Represented here are some of the early delta bluesmen (Lightnin' Hopkins "Abilene", mislabeled as "Shotgun Blues"), the early electric blues (Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy"), the '60's revival (B. B. King's "3 O'Clock Blues"), the great female blues singers (Koko Taylor's smokin' "Wang Dang Doodle"), the British blues bands (John Mayall's "Spinning Coin"), contemporary American blues rock (Johnny Winter's "Illustrated Man"), and lesser known contemporary artists (Colin James' infectious cover of "No More Doggin'").

Throw in selections by Albert Collins, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, J. J. Cale, and others, and you have a blues compilation CD that may not be "The Greatest in the World", but one that both novices and long time blues fans can enjoy. Highly recommended to anybody with ann interest in the blues.

Classic In Every Way! You will FEEL the Blues!
Calling your album the "best ever" takes balls, but this CD stands the test. From classics like Muddy Waters' 'Mannish Boy' or Little Walter's 'My Babe' to hot female singers like Etta James and the dynamic Koko Taylor to oldies radio station's staples like 'Reeling and Rockin'' by Chuck Berry and classic rock blues like Gary Moore's 'Still Got The Blues', this CD covers a lot of ground.

If you want an introduction to the blues and can only buy one CD, this should be it! If you already love the blues, you'll love hearing these songs again and remember them like your first kiss. Either way, this CD will put sadness in your heart or heat in your loins, sometimes in the same song!