Bessie Smith - Greatest Hits (49 tracks) +Album Reviews

Bessie Smith
Greatest Hits
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop

Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
1. Down Hearted Blues - Bessie Smith, Austin
2. Gulf Coast Blues - Bessie Smith, Williams, Clarence
3. Jailhouse Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
4. St. Louis Gal - Bessie Smith, Robinson, John [Dru
5. Aggravatin' Papa - Bessie Smith, Britt
6. Baby Won't You Please Come Home - Bessie Smith, Warfield
7. Chicago Bound Blues - Bessie Smith, Austin
8. T'Ain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do - Bessie Smith, Grainger
9. Any Woman's Blues - Bessie Smith, Austin
10. Easy Come Easy Go Blues - Bessie Smith, Brown
11. Ticket Agent, Ease Your Window Down - Bessie Smith, Williams
12. Hateful Blues - Bessie Smith, Johnson
13. Careless Love Blues - Bessie Smith, Traditional
14. New Gulf Coast Blues - Bessie Smith, Williams
15. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle - Bessie Smith, Bradford
16. The Yello Dog Blues - Bessie Smith, Handy
17. I Ain't Got Nobody - Bessie Smith, Williams
18. What's the Matter Now - Bessie Smith, Williams
19. Baby Doll - Bessie Smith, Smith
20. Hard Driving Papa - Bessie Smith, Brooks
21. The Gin House Blues - Bessie Smith, Henderson, Fletcher
22. Lost Your Head Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
23. After You've Gone - Bessie Smith, Creamer
24. Backwater Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
Track Listings (25) - Disc #2
1. Preachin' the Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
2. Alexadner's Ragtime Band - Bessie Smith, Berlin
3. A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Bessie Smith, Green
4. Mean Old Bed Bug Blues - Bessie Smith, Wood
5. Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair - Bessie Smith, Brooks
6. Thinking Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
7. I'd Rather Be Dead and Buried in My Grave - Bessie Smith, Fuller
8. Empty Bed Blues, Pt. 1 - Bessie Smith, Johnson
9. Empty Bed Blues, Pt. 2 - Bessie Smith, Johnson
10. Spider Man Blues - Bessie Smith, Gray
11. Slow and Easy Man - Bessie Smith, Red
12. I'm Wild About That Thing - Bessie Smith, Williams, Spencer
13. You've Got to Give Me Some - Bessie Smith, Williams
14. Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out - Bessie Smith, Cox, Ida
15. Wasted Life Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
16. Don't Cry Baby - Bessie Smith, Bernie
17. Baby Have Pity on Me - Bessie Smith, Moll
18. Hustlin' Dan - Bessie Smith, Crawford
19. Black Mountain Blues - Bessie Smith, Cole
20. In the House Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith
21. Blue Blue - Bessie Smith, Smith
22. I Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl - Bessie Smith, Bryant
23. Safety Mama - Bessie Smith, Smith
24. Do Your Duty - Bessie Smith, Wilson
25. Gimme a Pig Foot and a Bottle of Beer - Bessie Smith, Wilson

CD Details

All Artists: Bessie Smith
Title: Greatest Hits
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Fabulous
Release Date: 6/21/2005
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop
Styles: Vocal Blues, Traditional Blues, Traditional Jazz & Ragtime
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPCs: 824046200428, 669910160763, 669910315859

CD Reviews

The Queen

Alfred Johnson | boston, ma | 06/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Elsewhere in this space I have mentioned that in the early days of the blues, at least the recorded blues, women vocalists dominated the market. One thinks of Mabel Smith and Ma Rainey in that regard. But the queen of the hill, and the one still best remembered, for roaring out those barrel house blues is Bessie Smith. This little two-disc compilation gives a very nice beginner cross section of the kind of subjects that she sang about-mainly broken-hearted love, no good men and the trials and tribulations of being a black women on her own.

Bessie music also represents the place, as with Blind Willie McTell on the male side, where the blues go from the Saturday night juke joints of the farm, make that cotton, country to the more sophisticated Southern city locales. Furthermore, she along with Memphis Minnie were the queens of the now lost art of sexual double entendre- you know, 'put a little sugar in my bowl', 'take me for a buggy ride' and other classic lines of that type.

Be aware in listening to this compilation that the quality of the early recordings can be a liitle grating on the ear but bear with it because this thing just grows on you. It is rather an acquired taste but one you have the Bessie in your head you will not want to turn the damn thing off. Top selections here are a moanful , weary Empty Bed Blues, St Louis Gal, Preachin Man Blues that later singers have covered. All these recordings all the essentials to bring you up to speed on Bessie. No way, but go back the first sentence- you will be saving your pennies to get the next album to get others."

Queen (or Empress) of the Blues is right.

Richard Gearon | Orange County, CA USA | 03/19/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My only previous exposure to Bessie Smith was seeing the soundie of her singing "St. Louis Blues." I saw this about half a dozen times, on TV, starting in the mid-sixties. I wasn't prepared for this woman's genius. What a voice. My #1 favorite "girl" singer is Billie Holliday, and it is obvious, from these tracks, that "Lady Day" was influenced, a great deal, by Bessie Smith. With that said, I don't think anyone could guess my #2 favorite girl singer. It's Linda Ronstadt."

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