NOT the original recordings!
Gregg A. Sneirson | Brookline, MA USA | 07/02/2000
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I am an enormous fan of B.B. King's early work -- I listen toit all the time. Don't be fooled by this CD: these are not theoriginal recordings they purport to be. In the late 60s, King's old label, Modern Records, wanted to cash in on his newfound popularity. They decided to reissue his early recordings, but they apparently thought that the sound quality was lacking. They overdubbed new bass, drum and horn parts onto them -- destroying the original character of the recordings, and making them all sound the same. This CD is a reissue of THAT release -- NOT of the originals. For a fantastic CD of the original, unadulterated cuts, get "B.B. King: His First Two Original Albums on One CD" on the Flair label. Amazon carries that one, too, and it's a 5-star CD!"
When B.B. Was Really Hot...
Fred Rafael Rednor | D.C. | 02/25/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one one the truly great Blues compilations. The recordings were made when B.B. was really doing more than just playing the Blues - both his singing and guitar work were "on fire". These are the songs that made him so legendary and influential.
Also, on this CD the songs haven't had a horn section over-dubbed onto the tracks. This was the case on some of the compilations that were issued on LP in the '60s. What you have here is the original sound - on the border between smooth and raw - made many years before B.B. decided to become a Pop performer.
By the way, one of the other reviews gives this CD only 1 star. I think the reviewer misunderstood the rating system, since the tone of his review is actually lauditory."