Rating 4.0
A great place to beginThis was my first blues CD. I used to listed mainly to rock music, and it was the guitar-angle that caught me....about a hundred blues CDs ago.If you are relatively new to classic 50s and 60s blues, "Chess Blues Guitar" is an excellent starting place. This double-disc set boasts lots of well-chosen songs by Robert Nighthawk ("Anna Lee", "Someday"), Elmore James ("I Can't Hold Out"), Howlin' Wolf ("Killing Floor", "Hidden Charms", "I've Got A Woman"), Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Little Milton Campbell, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley and many more.
The Muddy Waters songs aren't really among his best, and are obviously chosen for the guitar playing, but the Howlin' Wolf-tracks in particular are not only sublime examples of classic blues guitar playing, "Hidden Charms" and "Killing Floor" are also two of Wolf's best-ever songs, and the former features perhaps the greatest guitar solo ever comitted to tape. And most of the lesser-known songs are excellent as well, even offering something for the more experienced blues fan:
Blue Smitty's "Date Bait", Danny Overbea's "Forty Cups Of Coffee", Morris Pejoe's "Tired Of Crying Over You", "Give Me One More Shot" by J.B. Lenoir, "One Sunny Day" by Lonnie Brooks, Eddie Burns' "Treat Me Like I Treat You", "Claim On You" by Lafayette Thomas, and Jody Williams' "What Kind Of Gal Is That" are all great songs, and not that easy to find on compact disc. A fine purchase for novice and veteran alike. Highly recommended. Killer Fretwork for guitar loversChess was the home of most of the bigger blues legends of the 50's and 60's. This compilation is a must have for any blues guitar lover. Some of the early tracks (the first 10 or so) are country blues and are fairly mediocre, but the rest of the album is 5 stars. Lots of catchy instrumentals from Earl Hooker, Jody Williams, Chuck Berry(even his are good!), Buddy Guy(you can here where Stevie Ray was influenced from-check out Buddy's Boogie)as well as the great Hubert Sumlin on the Howlin Wolf tracks, Otis Rush, Little Milton, and Bo Diddley. This is true blues before the rock influence caught on, so be sure to include it in your collection. |
