Search - Bo Diddley :: Universal Masters Collection

Do the Math Before You Buy

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 04/16/2000

(1 out of 5 stars)

"You have only enough disposable income to buy one Bo Diddley album. You want the original Chess recordings, so it needs to be something on MCA (which purchased the Chess catalog years ago). Here are your choices: 1) 20 Century Masters (2000) - 12 songs of classic Bo Diddley: "Bo Diddley," "I'm a Man, "Who Do You Love," "Road Runner" and others.2) Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (1997) - 20 songs of classic Bo Diddley. Ten of the 12 songs on the 20th Century Masters disc, plus another 10 songs, including "Pretty Thing," "Before You Accuse Me" and "The Story of Bo Diddley." [And this album is still in print!]It's examples like this where MCA has two competing anthologies by the same artist in its catalog that it becomes obvious their biggest concern is getting your money instead of meeting your music needs."

Exellent single disc compilation

I did the math, pendeho | 05/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd has the essential Bo Diddley Chess sides such as Bo Diddley, I'm a Roadrunner, Who Do You Love, and You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover. For half the price if the other MCA compliation and only 8 songs less, this is the better value. Exellent Bo Diddley Chess set."

A Very Good Place To Start!

Johnny Boy | Hockessin, DE | 04/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I must say, this isn't the best Bo Diddley collection, but it'll do for new fans looking for a good introduction to his music. Everything on here is greatest hits material. And, at this price, it's hard to pass this by.



While I can see why some might prefer "His Best: Bo Diddley," that compilation is getting more expensive and harder to find these days, meaning that this CD is or will soon become the most readily available compilation of Bo Diddley's music.



Having said all of this, you still have to ask: where is Hey! Bo Diddley, Pills and The Story of Bo Diddley? They easily could have fit these classics on this disc. At only 12 tracks, it is clear that there could be SO MUCH MORE material on here. But still, this is a pretty nice collection for the casual, budget-minded fan looking for a cross section of Bo Diddley's hits.



These are the classic Chess/Checker recordings, enhanced by the 20th Century Masters 24.bit remastering. It's not 5-stars, but deserves 4 for sure.



Enjoy!"