Search - B.B. King :: The Best of B.B. King

Excellent Blues Album

The Duder | Providence, RI | 02/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That 5 is really a 4.5.



I don't write reviews usually but the previous reviewers are entirely misguided and wrong, hence the need for another review. This is NOT a compilation disc- it is not a greatest hits collection, and it is not 70 minutes long. "Blues on Top of Blues" was an ALBUM, and a good one at that. The album is very brassy, as B.B. hired a fellow named Johnny Pate (who also worked with Curtis Mayfield) to help him arrange the songs. There are definite gems here- "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss" is a classic, and "Heartbreaker" and "Raining in My Heart" are good cuts. I don't know why I single them out, because it's pretty good end to end- lots of soul, great singing and playing by B.B., and standard era arrangements. This is a major piece that chronicles an important place in B.B. King's career, and should be treated as such. If you are looking for "The Thrill Is Gone," get a different cd, rather than buying this album and then complaining about its absence because you are too stupid to research your purchase!



"Blues on Top of Blues" came out in 1968 (hence the brevity which the other geniuses noted), but it's still pretty much the same quality as the vinyl, so when they remaster it I'll give that the full 5 stars."

Blues on top of Blues

Stan M. Strawn | 06/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had this on vinyl years ago, but lost it. I reordered it on CD because the tunes still ring in my mind. The best horn arrangements I've ever heard on a B.B. King album. Not a lot of guitar, but great vocals, great arrangements, Horns are awesomeat times. So many of his albums just repeat previously recorded stuff- THIS IS A GEM!"