Customer Reviews

2-CD Chess Boxed Set

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Forget Elvis Presley -- Bo Diddley is the king of rock and roll. The man behind the famous "shave and a haircut" beat opened the doors for raw, unbridled passion in rock and his influence is still felt every day. Not only does this stunning two-disc anthology cover the classics you already know ("Bo Diddley," "I'm A Man," "Bring It To Jerome," etc), it also spotlights some terrific obscure Bo cuts ("Pills," "Ride On Josephine"). Bo wasn't just known for the famous Bo Diddley Beat, either. The set also includes forays into ballads ("I'm Sorry"), blues ("The Clock Strikes Twelve," "Before You Accuse Me"), instrumental excursions ("Aztec") and some funky, quasi-Latin sounds ("Ooh Baby"). Despite the fact that his name is not nearly as well-known as his less-talented contemporaries, Bo Diddley's music deserves to be heard. Pick up a copy and discover the true beginnings of rock and roll.

If you're unfamiliar with the great Bo Diddley, this is not the place to start. However, if you know some of his classics, and you want to dig deeper into the trademark groove, you couldn't do any better. The packaging, booklet, and selection are all fantastic and it's a solid value. Because Bo Diddley is one of rock's Founding Fathers, people forget that he's great fun, possesses a sly and irreverent wit, and has diverse musical interests. He also doesn't get enough credit for being a terrific singer. All the essential tracks are here, and plenty of great surprises. Too many standouts to mention except for one, I Can Tell - it sneaks up on you and just won't let go. Anyone who wears a cobra snake for a necktie is all right with me. Go for it.

Bo Diddley's 1990 "Chess Box" was a revelation to me when I first bought it 18 years ago. A longtime fan of great popular music, I'd loved the Stones, The Clash, Muddy Waters, Yardbirds, New York Dolls and Billy Stewart, to name just a handful of greats whose work was profoundly shaped by Mr Diddley. After forming his superb group during 1948 - 50, Bo & Co. (Jerome Green, Clifton James, Billy Boy Arnold) honed their chops and identity in Chicago clubs, and by 1954 were shopping demos to the likes of Edward Abnak at Vee Jay, who dismissed them. Undaunted, Bo soon visited the Chess brothers, who signed him to the label's Checker imprint. Checker issued Bo's first single early in 1955, when the artist was 26, and armed with one of rock 'n' roll's greatest singles, 'Bo Diddley'/'I'm A Man', the label had a smash on its hands. Bo's recording debut came out shortly before Chuck Berry's 'Maybelline' and nearly a year before Elvis made 'Jeartbreak Hotel' for RCA. Bo was no sex symbol, and he was not white, so unlike Elvis he never exuded the raw sexuality that had girls shrieking every time Presley hip-shaked, attaining near instant status as rock n' roll's first true icon and cultural lightning rod. More classic Bo Diddley singles were released later in 1955, with less dramatic success, setting a hit-and-miss pattern that continued for more than a decade. Yet Bo Diddley's influence exceeded his star power; he would never be the subject of a lavish reissue campaign, not even when Bo turned 60, 75, or passed the 50th anniversery of his recoding debut. Unlike bown-eyed-handsome-Chuck Berry Bo has never been considered marketable enough to warrant a terrific Hollywood tribute film shaped by a (in 1988) big-name director, Taylor Hackford along with music director Keith Richards. Keith was as deeply steeped in Bo as he was Berry - the Stones' first British theatre tour, in 1963, after they had after conquered the London clubs placed them on a bill opening for Bo Diddley (who would become a life-long ally and friend) as well as The Everlys. Chuck Berry conciously wrote verbally and musically literate, accessable hits both white teenagers and black kids could relate or at least dance to. Try as he often did to repeat his initial success, writing Berryesque car songs ('Cadillac') or roaring through the latest - or more likely, his own self invented - dance craze ('Craw Dad'), Bo was too original, too unlike his intended audience of Bandstand kids, to ever come across as other than his own utterly exotic, raw, sometimes goofy, invariably singular self. You might love 'Crackin' Up', 'Cookie Headed Diddley' or 'Spanish Guitar', but even if kids felt the power of the music one could hardly expect a widespread audience to relate to these and other classics. ('Spanish Guitar' was one of many dazzling instrumentals that define another aspect of Diddley: the innovator, the guitarist who used his instrument to create watery soundscapes, ambience, pure rhythmic drive, almost subliminal placement of his and the other instruments in the total picture - not to mention pure sonic filth of the highest order, with an orchestral sense that to these ears make him the Hendrix of his generation). The songs are too exotic, too unhinged in terms of sensibility, never quite fitting into blues, rock 'n' roll, soul, funk, or any category other than "Bo Diddley" to cross over on a regular basis. Thus Bo couldn't aspire to the unlikely status of household name another unrepentant original, Little Richard, achieved, with that unlikely yet super-sized persona comprised of part flamboyant-gay-black-man (in the 1950s!), part sheer ego driving a need to not just fit in but be THE epicenter through sheer energy personified, and of course part rock 'n' roll genius. Yet Bo Diddley was much more than a rhythm that's been appropriated by nearly every rocker from the Who, Stooges, Velvets (whose great drummer, Maureen Tucker, idolized Diddley), Roxy Music, and countless others. Even after his death this year at 79, which inspired some, but too little serious appreciation, the artist is vastly underrated. Only one (!), of more than a dozen classic Checker albums issued during 1957 - 1966 was remastered for CD and as of this writing remains in print, 1960's "Gunslinger". Bo created a remarkable, prolific, and astonishingly varied and experimental body of work during his fat years at Chess (roughly 1955 - 67, with occasional high points such as 1995's "A Man Amongst Men" appearing later), exploring a variety of genres from doo-wop to proto-grunge to funk, yet rooted always in the culture and sounds of Bo's 1930's-'40s childhood and adolesence, most obviously the blues from the Mississippi Delta, as well as the eclectic Carribean/French/African gumbo out of New Orleans, as well as childhood nursery rhymes and games all absorbed and integrated in his work. His stated goal was to create "Jungle Music" (recall how subversive the phrase, with its not-so-veiled racism and sexual hysteria, was in the 1960s), and for certain he succeeded. Bo was less smooth than Chuck, lacking Berry's poetic gifts, but his music was more physical, primal, predating and equal to the sheer impact of the early Stones, Iggy's Stooges, The Velvets' 'Sister Ray', or James Brown. Never a blues purist (Bo was 13 and 18 years younger than his Chess labelmates Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, respectively), he was steeped in music early, and studied classical violin for several years as a child. He began making his own guitars while in Foster vocational school.
As for the box under discussion, one has caveats: one might opt for one of the recently issued, excellent sounding single disc (2007) and double disc (2008) retrospectives, compilations that may not delve deep but offer many of Diddley's better known classics and recreate the impact of Bo's music in a way not possible in 1990, as "The Chess Box's" sound is typically thin, early digital. There is a nice balance of classics and rare or unissued gems from the vaults, but hopefully most of this material will continue to be issued as Hip-O's ongoing series of collected Chess studio recordings. But this box is worthy of investigation despite these limitations, which also, I should not, include relative (only 2 CDs, each barely over an hour) brevity of what is after all, and certainly looks like, a serious career-spanning "boxed set".
So get "The Definitive" (2007) or "Gold" (2008) if you're reticent or strapped for cash. But, if you can afford to invest, I strongly recommend Hip-O label's essential and comprehensive restoration of Bo's "Complete Chess Studio Masters", released in easily digestable, and hopefully affordable 2-CD sets that are meticulously annotated (correcting earlier mistakes about dates, musicians, etc) and prepared. A godsend for serious fans long frustrated at the shabby treatment of the catalog, I have reviewed the first volume released a year ago, "I'm A Man", which covers the seminal 1955 - 58 period, collecting every classic, obscure single, unissued track or alternate version worth hearing. Sadly, these sets are innued in a limited edition and the first volume is already out of print! This explains why you'll see it priced at nearly $100. However, the second volume, "Roadrunner: Chess Studio Masters" has just been released. "Roadrunner" collects material recorded during one amazing year, 1958 - 59. Bo began a period of experimentation and home recording that makes this volume both more astonishing and slightly uneven (after all not all experiments succeed). Also, Bo had hired Peggy Jones, one of several women guitarists he has worked with (another singular accomplishment!) by 1958, and the two share a remarkable, telepathic rapport.
Finally, what makes 1990's "The Chess Box" worthy, especially if discounted or, perhaps, in a new Japanese-mastered edition, is the book included within the box. Compiler Andy McKaie interviewed Bo for a biographical piece, which is fascinating. Yet even more essential is the revelatory essay by the late, and greatly missed musician/filmmaker/writer Robert Palmer (author of, among other works, the classic "Deep Blues", a superb 1984 biography of The Rolling Stones, and catalyst behind the great film "You See Me Laughin'", profiling the Fat Possum label and Delta greats R.L. Burnside, Jr Kimbrough, and others - though less than a decade old it captures artists who have since died and a culture quickly vanishing). Palmer's essay shows how deeply and passionately he listened and felt the music, and his formidable intellect and analytic grasp vividly make the case that Bo's music is hardly 'primitive' or limited in style or idiom; rather the body of work is shown to be utterly original, personal, yet deeply rooted in complex cultural intersection and history, as well as the artist's life and times - as part of the great Southern black migration to northern industrial cities like Chicago, Bo was a surprisingly young. And Palmer details just how ingenious and flexible Bo's re-conception of rhythmic organization, for example, remains. From his debut, Bo emphasized polyryhthmic arrangements that favor, say, tom-tom's over snare and kick-drum, and of course the sizzle of rock 'n' roll's only famous maracas player, Jerome Green, is always up front in the mix; elswher Diddley integrated wood blocks or claves in his music which often evokes African rhythmic organization, minimizing melody in such a way that presages funk and hip-hop. Then there is the role of Bo's unparalleled guitar - hear it moan like a train whistle ('Down Home Special'), evoke a speeding aeromobile ('Roadrunner'), and marvel at the arsenal of effects, devices, and roles Bo invented for the instrument. Yes, he "utterly reconceptualized rhythmic organization" but the essence of Bo Diddley's music is the undeniable pleasures one derives from this happily undated music.
OK, so I'm recommending the "Chess Box" as essential reading, since the glare and sense of lifelessness in the typically premature digital transfer hardly does the music justice. Finally, if you're still not impressed consider this: by the end of the 1950s Bo had left Chicago, where Chess Studios were located, and had begun recording on a three track Presto at his D.C. home. Thus Bo Diddley totally produced and controlled his own work, sending the tapes off to Chess. Such independence was unheard of in black OR white rock 'n' roll or popular music, at least until the emergence of the Stones/Dylan/Beatles 'modernist' era the '60s. It's the end of 2008 as I write this, and the time is right to discover, or rediscover the late Bo Diddley: his 80th birthday is this weekend, and I can't think of a better excuse.

Bo Diddley's thumping shave-and-a-haircut-six-bit rhythm may not sound all that daring today, but half a century ago Diddley was a supremely innovative musician, hammering out rough blocks of chords on his square-shaped guitar, and shouting his tough-guy lyrics at the top of his powerful voice.

Diddley's trademark vibrating, fuzzy guitar tone did much to expand the electric guitar's power and range, and he was almost as influential as label mate Chuck Berry in shaping the sound and the attitude of rock n' roll, writing clever, wisecracking lyrics and macho boasts to rival Berry's, and inspiring numerous young white artists along the way with his music and his galvanizing stage persona.

This double-disc compilation is the most comprehensive one available, including all the classics, and adding several lesser-known songs, a few alternates, and some previously unreleased recordings.
Disc 1 opens with Diddley's first single, the double-sided monster "Bo Diddley / I'm A Man", and also includes the tough, grinding rockers "You Don't Love Me", "Mona", "Crackin' Up", and "Who Do You Love", the magnificent bluesy "Before You Accuse Me" and "I'm Looking For A Woman", and an updated take on the prewar classic "Diddy Wah Diddy". The surprisingly sweet and sincere "Dearest Darling" is here as well, as is the instrumental "The Clock Strikes Twelve" which features a solo violin, and the doo-wop ballad (!) "I'm Sorry".

On disc 2 you'll find "Road Runner" (beep beep!), a swinging, swaggering "Spend My Life With You", the supremely catchy "Pills", and the bump-and-grind of the sax-driven "Cadillac" and the classic "I Can Tell".
"You Know I Love You" is another uncharacteristic but well-crafted doo-wop ballad, a previously unreleased one at that. The irresistable, piano-driven "Look At My Baby" and the funky "The Greatest Lover In The World" are both pure, joyous, bluesy rock n' roll, and the Willie Dixon-penned "You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover" is one of Bo Diddley's most memorable singles. "The Greatest Lover" is yet another track which was released for the first time on this compilation, by the way.
"Bo Diddley 1969" is excactly what is sounds like, a remake of the 1955 single with different lyrics and a tagged-on chorus, but it's good fun, and the production is better and cleaner.
And there's a little oddity here as well, the instrumental "Atzec", which was actually written and performed by Diddley's lead guitarist Peggy "Lady Bo" Jones, but mistakenly credited to Bo Diddley himself.

Ellas McDaniels' powerfully rhythmic, almost hypnotic mid-50s music is neither blues, R&B or rock n' roll, but somewhere in between, stretching back as far as Africa, and foreseeing rap and blues-rock. MCA/Chess' single-disc "His Best" remains the best purchase for novices, but "The Chess Box" is by far the best collection of Bo Diddley's unique blues, R&B, and piledriving proto-rock n' roll.
Highly recommended.

Bo Diddley didn't invent the "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm, but he made it his own. The Bo Diddley beat was a prominent part of such classics as "Bo Diddley," "Mona," "Hush Your Mouth" and "Cadillac." Examples of the longevity of the Bo Diddley beat are numerous: Listen to the Johnny Otis Show's "Willie and the Hand Jive," The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy," the Who's "Magic Bus" or George Michael's "Faith" just to name a few.

But Diddley was no mere one-trick pony. Along with long-time maracas player Jerome Green, he created such classics as "I'm a Man," "Diddy Wah Diddy," "Who Do you Love," "Before You Accuse Me" and "Road Runner." In addition to being an inventive guitar player, Diddley was a prolific songwriter, writing all but four of the songs on this 45-song box set.

If you're on a budget you could get by with the 20-track "His Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection." However, for sheer breadth the box set provides an excellent overview of one of rock's early pioneers and is the preferred place to start. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I recommend you pick up this set quickly before it goes out of print. This 2 cd anthology is comprised of Bo Diddley's (vintage) Chess sides from 1955-68. I will start by saying right off he deserves a 3 cd set like Chuck Berry, Howling Wolf & Muddy Waters. The man was ahead of his time from designing his own guitars, to distortion filled solos and trash talking lyrics. His music is just as influential as Chuck Berry's but he is still criminally underrated. Bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Yardbirds, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Eric Clapton, George Thorogood, Creedence Clearwater Revival and the New York Dolls have covered his songs. This does not include the thousands of bands who have lifted his "Bo Diddley Beat" for their own songs. The material here ranges from popular tunes such as "I'm A Man", "Who Do You Love" and "Mona" to killer blues tracks like "Before You Accuse Me". It includes autobiographical songs such as "The Story Of Bo Diddley" the braggadocio of "The Greatest Lover In The World" to his guitar instrumental prowess in "Aztec" and "Mumblin' Guitar". He even plays violin in "The Clock Strikes Twelve". In addition, there are a number of rare tracks and alternate takes. My favorites are too many to name but here a few; "Crackin' Up", "Road Runner", "Pills", "I Can Tell" and "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover." These sessions include such musicians as Jerome Green, "The Duchess", Otis Spann, Billy Boy Arnold, Willie Dixon, Lafayette Leake, and the Flamingos just to name a few. Among the tracks they did not include were the hilarious "Cops And Robbers", "Bo's Bounce", "Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger", "Bo Diddley Is Loose", and "Here 'Tis" among others. Maybe Chess will start reissuing his original albums on compact disc. If you are on a budget at least pick up "His Best" if you can not afford this set. You won't regret it.

This two CD box set covers the Chess Records recordings of Bo Diddley. Bo was one of the great founding fathers of rock and roll. He recorded for Chess for almost 20 years, so they had a lot to choose from. Most of his "classic" songs are from his earlier recordings, so they focus on that. There are plenty of songs from 1955 to 1962, but only four songs from the later years, even though he recorded for Chess up until 1973. That was probably the right decision, because what they did choose to include is great. Highly recommended.

This compilation is great, but hardly complete. Bo's early sixties' classics like 'Gunslinger' and 'Hey, Good Lookin' are missing. Without these later cuts, the set concentrates on hits from the early years while highlighting more obscure items from the sixties. Nonetheless, what's included is excellent stuff from a master.

I've been a Bo Didley fan since I first heard his strange, unmistakably "African" sound sometime in the mid-50s. There's nobody like the guy, period. I remember in the 70s, there was one of these "retro" concerts with a lot of the big stars from the "ancient past". A singer in one of the groups, I don't remember which, was interviewed about the prospect of appearing in the same lineup with Bo Didley. Believe me, the guy was sweating it. He said something like, "Man, I just hope we don't have to follow Bo Didley. That guy leaves a hole in the stage when he walks off." Check out these tunes and you'll see what that wise man was talking about. Enjoy!

I listened to both CD's twice in one weekend. Not a bad cut to be found. I always knew in my gut there must be more to Bo Diddley than what I heard on the airwaves, and this set double confirms it! I regret I waited so long to enjoy much more of what Bo has given us.