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A 60s set from Memphis bluesman BB King – but one put together with a very distinct Chicago touch as well! The set's produced by Johnny Pate, and recorded live with a vibe that's similar to King's classic recording at The Regal – but it's almost got even more of a soulful punch, thanks to backing from a cool small combo that includes Bobby Forte on tenor, Kenneth Sands on trumpet, Duke Jethro on Hammond, and Louis Satterfield on bass! BB's vocals are great – in his best early form – and the tunes are bluesy, but also smoke with a nice degree of soul – and almost some jazzy touches at times from the tenor and organ. Titles include "Don't Answer The Door", "Blind Love", "Tired Of Your Jive", "Night Life", "Buzz Me", and "Waitin On You". LP, Vinyl record album

mi ryOne of the standout classics from BB King's legendary run at Kent – a classic album with a cool little cover to boot! Arrangements on the set are by Maxwell Davis – who has this great way of bringing out some of the jazzier currents in BB's music – almost the same Memphis blend that Bobby Blue Bland was using at the time – really showing a new level of sophistication added to the blues! BB's guitar and vocals are wonderful – with this bold, youthful power that's free from any cliche or easy modes – and titles include "Beautician Blues", "The Jungle", "5 Long Years", "Eyesight To The Blind", "Blue Shadows", "The Worst Thing In My Life", "Blues Stay Away", "Got Em Bad", and "It's A Mean World". LP, Vinyl record album

Kent recordings by BB – issued here in a mid 60s package with a pretty slick photo on the front! Cuts include "Good Man Gone Bad", "I'm King", "Partin Time", "You're On The Top", "Feel Like A Million", "I'll Survive", "Long Nights", "What A Way To Go", and "I've Got A Right To Love My Baby". Ace reissue adds 10 more bonus tracks – doubling the size of the original album! CD

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Mighty nice work from the early years of BB King – tracks from the 50s and early 60s stretch when he was recording for the Modern/RPM label in the years before he hit bigger fame at ABC – really keeping things raw, and showing off the special Memphis side of his music! BB's already great on both vocals and guitar – and he solos plenty on these cuts – but there's also some great arrangements on many numbers too, using some jazzy currents that showcase that level of sophistication that helped King really push blues styles strongly forward at the time. Titles include "Everyday I Have The Blues", "Rock Me Baby", "Sweet Sixteen (parts 1 & 2)", "Going Down Slow (1959 version)", "Your Fool (original version)", "Gotta Find My Baby", "Shotgun Blues", "Boogie Rock", "Down Hearted", and "Sweet Little Angel". LP, Vinyl record album

BB King in London – not playing live, but working in the studio with a host of British musicians he'd inspired over the years! The lineup varies from track to track, giving a nice sort of variety to the album – and the overall feel is a bit like some of the Chess London sessions of the time – but maybe more blues overall! Features work by Peter Green on guitar, Steve Marriott on harmonica, Alexis Korner on acoustic guitar, Gary Wright on electric piano and Hammond, Ringo Starr on drums, and The Mystery Shadow on Hammond – and titles include "Ghetto Woman", "Wet Hayshark", "Part Time Love", "We Can't Agree", and "Blue Shadows". LP, Vinyl record album

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BB King at his late 60s best – working here in the company of producers Johnny Pate and Quincy Jones, and serving up a great blend of blues and soul in the process! The set's less a "best of", than a collection of ABC work that doesn't seem to be on the other full albums of the time – mostly produced by Johnny Pate, with those great Chicago soul touches that helped his work with King really cross new boundaries – and finally give BB the kind of full, forceful approach that Bobby Blue Bland had been getting for years. The Quincy Jones cuts are two from the soundtrack to For Love Of Ivy – both pretty groovy, with a socking soul punch – and titles on the full album include "Tired Of Your Jive", "Don't Answer The Door", "The BB Jones", "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss", "All Over Again", "I Don't Want You Cutting Off Your Hair", "Sweet Sixteen", "Meet My Happiness", and "You Put It On Me". CD

One of the standout classics from BB King's legendary run at Kent – a classic album with a cool little cover to boot! Arrangements on the set are by Maxwell Davis – who has this great way of bringing out some of the jazzier currents in BB's music – almost the same Memphis blend that Bobby Blue Bland was using at the time – really showing a new level of sophistication added to the blues! BB's guitar and vocals are wonderful – with this bold, youthful power that's free from any cliche or easy modes – and titles include "Beautician Blues", "The Jungle", "5 Long Years", "Eyesight To The Blind", "Blue Shadows", "The Worst Thing In My Life", "Blues Stay Away", "Got Em Bad", and "It's A Mean World". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic early work from BB King – a well-titled early album! Cuts include "Good Man Gone Bad", "I'm King", "Partin Time", "You're On The Top", "Feel Like A Million", "I'll Survive", "Long Nights", "What A Way To Go", and "I've Got A Right To Love My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

40 tracks! CD

The very first full length album from BB King – a killer collection of previous singles for the RPM Records label, served up as a bold statement of King's early genius! The record announces its presence right from the very first note – that brilliant blend of effortless electric guitar solo work and completely charismatic vocals that made BB such a star, right from the get-go – and which maybe comes through even more clearly here than in some of his overproduced material from later decades! Many tracks have nicely jumping backings by the great Maxwell Davis – and titles include "Please Love Me", "Bad Luck", "3 O'Clock Blues", "Ten Long Years", "Sweet Little Angel", "You Upset Me Baby", and a classic early take on "Every Day I Have The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

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The definitely got the title right here – as BB King is plenty great, and already a powerhouse in these early years of his career! King sprung forth from the Memphis scene almost fully-formed – and in addition to his famous guitar work, he was also a hell of a singer who could bring a new sort of soulful presence to blues music – able to croon with the charm of a jazz singer in the right moments, join with a doo wop group at others, yet come on with the power of a bluesman whenever he stepped in front of the mic! This great album has BB in all these modes – recorded with brilliantly bold sound – and titles include "I Had A Woman", "Sweet Sixteen", "Someday Baby", "I'm Gonna Quit My Baby", and "I Was Blind". LP, Vinyl record album

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Lots of early classics from BB King – including "I've Got Papers On You Baby", "Sweet Thing", "Treat Me Right", "I Love You So", "Come By Here", and "Tomorrow Is Another Day". LP, Vinyl record album

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An excellent set by BB King – one of his best from the 60s, and a smoking live set recorded at Chicago's legendary Regal Theatre! The enthusiasm at the venue shows that BB's Memphis-honed style is a perfect fit for the electrified Chicago sound of the 60s – and the recording really brings out some wonderful responses from the audience – making the record a blues equivalent of James Brown's famous Live At The Apollo set! The record features introductions by Chicago DJs Pervis Spann and E Rodney Jones – and tracks include "Every Day", "Please Love Me", "Worry Worry", "Woke Up This Morning", "Help The Poor", and "You Upset Me Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

BB King is a blues musician with a much richer story than most – one that's captured here in very vivid detail by the author, as he mixes together a wealth of historical research with quotations from interviews and other materials too – all of which really makes the long journey of BB King come alive, as he shifts from roots in the south to the Memphis scene, then California, then superstardom that made him one of the biggest blues figures of the 20th Century! There's a great flow to the book – down to earth details that really make you feel like you're following King on his rise to fame – yet the big section at notes also indicates that the author wasn't just throwing stories out there without any support, and did plenty to weave the whole thing together with an eye for the facts. Softcover edition is 481 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Includes selections by Johnnie Taylor, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Bobby Bland, Little Richard, Little Milton, Koko Taylor, Luther Ingram, McKinley Mitchell, BB King, Robert Cray, J Blackfoot, Johnny Winter, Shirley Brown, Albert King, Jimmy Reed, and Slim Harpo. LP, Vinyl record album

BBE strikes again with another massive bit of funk! This time, they've got Pete Rock helping Keb Darge to choose the tracks – and the set's divided up so that the first half's all cuts picked by Pete, and the second's picked by Keb. These two funky selectas go head to head in a wonderful batch of rare tunes – and if you ask us, the listener's the real winner! Titles include "Trespasser (part 1)" by Bad Medicine, "Chains & Things" by BB King, "Soul Lover" by Mutt & Jeffo, "Break It Loose (part 2)" by Onyx, "You're Welcome Stop On By" by Vickie Anderson (Mommie O), "Big Bad John" by Big John Hamilton, "Prelude To Say Brother" by Stark Reality, "We Are The Chosen Few" by The Chosen Few, "Nothin But A Party (part 1)" by The Blenders, "Jones N" by The Soulistics, "Don't Give A Damn" by King Cain & Silvertone Band, "Twine Time" by Seeburg Spotlite Band, "Ca Ba Dab" by Soul Swingers, "Deal With It" by Jimmy Lane & The Incredibles, and "What They Doing (Funkie Junkie)" by Charles Pryor & Power Of Love. Loads of excellent cuts – and almost none of them have been reissued before! CD

Duets with BB King, Robbie Robertson, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood, George Jones, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Neily Young, Bruce Springsteen, and others. CD

A wonderful compilation of Lee Hazlewood songs performed by others in the 60s – magnificent pulp pop, girl groups, starlets, rockers and more covering prime era Lee tunes – songs about lovers, fools, rebels and heartbroken examples of all of the above! There's little we can add to the lore of Lee – but these songs are atypically diverse and the set as a hole does a terrific job of showing just have far the Hazlewood touch could reach! Features Lee duets with Nancy Sinatra & Suzi Jane Hokum, and covers by Duane Eddy, The Hondas, The Darlenes, Al Casey, Sanford Clark, Ann Margaret, The Wildcats, Dino, Desi & Billy, The Sharps, Peggy March and many more1 25 tracks in all: "Lady Bird' by Nancy & Lee, "Sweet Ride" by Dusty Springfield, "You Turned My Head" by Ann Margaret, "Don't Look Now, But I've Got The Blues" by BB King, "(I'm Afraid) You'll Hurt Me" by The Darlenes, "The City Never Sleeps At Night" by The Shacklefords, "Guitar On My Mind" by Duane & Miriam Eddy, "Das Ist Zauberei (And I Loved You Then)" by Peggy March, "Twelve Feet High" by The Hondas and many more. CD

A totally great collection of rare material from the Bluestime label – a rare rootsy side of the Flying Dutchman imprint at the start of the 70s! Flying Dutchman is a well-remembered label for its rich array of funk and jazz titles – and although Bluestime worked in the blues side of the spectrum, most of these numbers are pretty darn funky too – thanks to some shared musicians and production talents with the main Flying Dutchman scene. In other words, the tracks are all pretty darn hip – and way way more than blues – really more funk tunes that have a gritty, raspy edge – like those rare few times when Chess Records' bluesmen got nice and funky. Titles include "I'm A Dues Payin Man" by Optis Spann, "Every Day I Have The Blues" by T-Bone Walker, "Plastic Man" by Joe Turner, "Love" by Harmonica Slim, "Paris Blues" by The Super Black Blues Band, "I Wonder Why" by Otis Spann, "Something So Bright" by Malcolm & Chris, "That's Alright" by Harmonica Slim, Chicago Charva Chapter" by The Plaster Caster Blues Band, "Disillusion Blues" by Leon Thomas, and "For BB King" by T-Bone Walker. CD

Stormin soul – and a killer set of upbeat 60s numbers! The package was put together for the UK mod scene, but it's a great batch of American tracks from the classic years of soul – not really Northern, not really southern – but kind of a hard-swinging approach to the music that makes for a really lively package overall! The set's got 20 tracks in all, all thumpin, bumpin, and gruntin-type numbers – with titles that include "Do The Whoo Pee" by Sugar Pie Desanto, "Lay This Burden Down" by Mary Love, "Make Me Yours" by Bettye Swann, "I Keep Forgetting" by Chuck Jackson, "I've Got Papers On You Baby" by BB King, "Hole in The Wall" by George Stone, "Have Love Will Travel" by Richard Berry & The Pharoahs, "Keep My Woman Home" by Danny White, "Mama Julie" by Terry & Jerry, and "I Got A Woman" by Billy Hawks. CD

Not the usual old school R&B – but a sweet batch of cuts from a time when the music was taking on a new style in the soul generation – as older artists and younger singers moved gritty vocals into a range of great new grooves – much of which were a real precursor to the Northern Soul scene in the UK! Years later, we'd probably call these cuts deep soul – although the grooves are more upbeat than the usual numbers of that style, and often romp around in ways that have stronger ties to funk or boogaloo soul – with mighty strong vocals that really sock a heavy punch. Tracks include "I Say I Love You" by Johnny Guitar Watson, "Oh Baby Don't You Weep" by Luther Ingram, "Man Is A Mean Thing" by Barbara Perry, "Double Locks" by Johnny Gosey, "Long Gone Baby" by BB King, "You're Supreme" by Sterling Magee, and "I'm The Man" by Albert Washington & the Kings. LP, Vinyl record album

Hip live material – featuring work by Roberta Flack, BB King, Curtis Mayfield, LesMcCann, Billy Eckstine, and Herbie Mann! LP, Vinyl record album

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With Pete Jacobson on piano, Kenny Baldock on bass, and Spike Wells on drums. CD

A solid modern soul debut from Gregory Abbott – leanly grooving midtempo production on par with some of the biggest stars at the time – with deeply sinking hooks and beautiful vocals from Gregory! He has that way of rolling from laidback, effortless energy to a sweet falsetto and growling emotion, and he's at the top of his game here. LP, Vinyl record album

Breathy, bubbly, and oh so sexy – the amazing Brigitte Bardot is still one of the greatest goddesses of French pop music – and this set of work from is a treasure all the way through – and a double-length package that includes material that's not always on other best of collections of work from the great BB! The set features two duets with Sacha Distel, and one more from Olivier Despax – and also includes two duets with Serge Gainsbourg, who also wrote other material too! In the years before Serge met Jane Birkin, Bardot was one of his foremost female foils – a singer who was already well-suited to Gainsbourg's playfully sexy themes, given her reputation in famous films. The backings for the tunes are tremendous too – often romping with that subtle undercurrent of funk that shows up in the grooviest French pop – or offset with bits of bossa, jazz, and other cool instrumentation. 27 tracks in all – with titles that include "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Pas Davantage", "El Cuchipe", "Sidonie", "Harley Davidson", "C'Est Une Bossa Nova", "Maria Ninguem", "Un Histoire De Plage", "Lecon De Guitare", "La Chasse", "Toutes Les Betes Sont A Aimer", "Bonnie & Clyde", "Mister Sun", "Le Diable Est Anglais", "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus", and "Le Soleil De Ma Vie". LP, Vinyl record album

Four of the more obscure RCA albums from the great Bobby Bare – all brought together here in a single set! First up is the very unusual English Countryside album – a special set that has the vocals of Bobby Bare paired with a group from the UK – Liverpool's Hillsiders, who sing with a style that's a bit folk, and a bit rock – but which takes on a very distinct country vibe amidst the RCA production of Chet Atkins! Both Bare and The Hillsiders sing solo on the record – but most of the set has them paired together, and the presence of all those voices on the tracks create a nice sense of spontaneity – maybe a hint at the more relaxed recording approach that Bobby would use on his big albums of the mid 70s! Titles include "Sweet Dreams", "Six Days On The Road", "Find Out What's Happening", "Love's Gonna Live Here", "Goin Home", "Blue Is My Lonely Room", and "I Washed My Face In The Mountain Dew". Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn is a seminal album in the career of Bobby Bare – and the record that really has him turning from a young smiling country singer to the kind of more adult, mature talent that would really send him over the top! The album's promise of "controversial country songs" is certainly apt – as in addition to the great Tom T Hall title cut, the album also features Bare taking on great material from Kris Kristoffersen, Mel Tillis, and even the team of Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn – all set to arrangements that are nicely more sophisticated than those used on the more pop productions of some of Bobby's earlier albums. Titles include "Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn,", "The Law Is For The Protection Of The People", "Watching The Trains Go By", "Skip A Rope", "Rainy Day In Richmond", "Cincinnati Jail", "Wild As The Wind", and "Drink Up & Go Home". I Hate Goodbyes is the record that marked the return of Bobby Bare to RCA Records in the early 70s – and one that also marks the start of a very different phase in Bare's career! This time around, Bobby's handling the production himself – working with the kind of thoughtful, mature material that would really let him open up – songs from Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newbury, the team of Bill Rice and Jerry Foster, and even an early tune from Shel Silverstein – who would soon become one of the biggest contributors to Bobby's records. The vibe is very different than his RCA material of the mid 60s, and in a great way – on titles that include "I Hate Goodbyes", "Restless Wind", "Ride Me Down Easy", "Send Tomorrow To The Moon", "You Know Who", "An Offer She Couldn't Refuse", "What's Your Mama's Name Child", and "Poison Red Berries". Last up is Cowboys & Daddys – an overlooked gem in the mid 70s RCA years of the great Bobby Bare – and a set that really shows the dedication that Bare had during these years to finding the most sophisticated material of the new country generation! The list of songwriters alone is great – as the set features tracks from Terry Allen, Shel Silverstein, David Hickey, and Tom T Hall – plus an early contribution from Bob McDill, with whom Bare would soon record a lot more material on albums to come. There's a mature, laidback vibe to the whole set – different than some of the more playful Bobby Bare albums of the time – and titles include "Chester", "The Cowboy & The Poet", "Amarillo Highway", "Speckled Pony", "Calgary Snow", "Last Dance At The Old Texas Moon", "Pretty Painted Ladies", and "The Stranger". CD

A trio of albums that pair RCA country star Bobby Bare with some of the label's female singers – all brought together with bonus tracks too! Tunes For Two is one of the magical pairings of Bobby Bare and Skeeter Davis – both rising stars in the RCA country lineup of the 60s – each with their own sort of special sound! Skeeter's got a heartbreaking mode that's kind of post-Patsy Cline – perfect for the slower, blue-tinged tracks on the set – and a nice contrast with the more natural approach of Bobby – who's always got his emotions handy, but also often with a wry eye that lets him put things in perspective. The pair duet directly on most numbers – instead of singing back and forth – and titles include "In The Misty Moonlight", "Dear John Letter", "Too Used To Being With You", "True Love", "Let It Be Me", and "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds". Game Of Triangles is a compelling take on the country duo mode of the 60s – an album that features some tracks that have all three singers working together – beautiful "love triangle" numbers – then more tracks that feature each singer on their own! The triangle numbers are especially compelling – and include "One Among The Three Of Us", "Bye Bye Love", "Three Mixed Up Hearts", "Which One Is To Blame", and "The Game Of Triangles" – a really fresh version of country heartbreak modes. Other cuts are nice, too – and include Bobby Bare singing "Homesick" and "Guess I'll Move On Down The Line", Liz Anderson singing "The Wife Of The Party" and "Fairytale", and Norma Jean singing "Pursuing Happiness" and "Don't Let That Doorknob Hit You". Last up is Your Husband My Wife – a set that has the duo of Bare and Davis really maturing nicely – hitting modes that are a lot more country than some of Skeeter's early pop material, with beautiful back/forth vocals that open up the well-penned tunes of heartbreak and the struggles of love to survive. Titles include "Before The Sunrise", "Let's Make Love Not War", "There Never Was A Time", "A Truer Love You'll Never Find", and the great "Your Husband My Wife". CD features three more bonus tracks – "Vegas" by Bare with Jeannie Bare, "No Memories Hangin Round" by Bare with Rosanne Cash, and "It's A Dirty Job" by Bare with Lacy J Dalton. CD

A landmark leaping-off point for The Beatles – and a record that really paved the way for countless new ideas to come! The mix of catchy pop and freer ideas here is really wonderful – tunes that introduce a whole new mature world in mainstream music – yet manage to have all the catchy complexity of the earlier years too. Production, songwriting, and delivery is superb – and titles include "Norwegian Wood", "Think For Yourself", "The Word", "Girl", "I'm Looking Through You", and "Run For Your Life"". LP, Vinyl record album