Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: The Best Of B.B. King (Millennium Collection)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you've ever enjoyed any of BB King's music you will thoroughly enjoy this compilation. It spans his carreer and his different types of music. Some of the songs make you want to crawl into the corner seat at your local bar with a bottle all to yourself while others make you want to get up & dance. It is one of the better blues albums I've heard. Going to buy one for my Mom right now, that's how good it is.

If you just want a taste of BBK than this is an excellent place to start for a small amount of bucks, money well spent. Remastering is very good. Jump and shout and get your mojo goin'.

A lot of songs for little money, however, there are no liner notes and the sound quality is very poor. To some it may sound "authentic," but there are many other compilations that are a much better introduction to B.B. King.

This is the best B.B. King CD value for the money. It's a little shallow song-wise and leaves out so many gems form his long, fruitful career, but it's some of his most accessable music. Traces of soul, rock, and '80s pop fall in with the blues on the album's ten tracks, making a good choice for the pop muisc collector or casual fan. More ardent fans will, and should, want more, but it's worth the price for what you get.

Dollar for dollar, the Millennium Collection CDs are disappointing, and that is putting it nicely.

You can get many more songs for not much more money by looking at other collections, or "Best of" CDs. I see these in the store and am always amazed that people buy them. Not just for BB King, but for numerous artists.

Dollar for dollar, this is simply the worst way to sample the King.

I absolutely love B.B. King. He and his partner, (his guitar) "Lucille," get plenty of focus on this 10-song collection. Their big songs like 'Sweet Sixteen,' 'The Thrill Is Gone' and their duet with Bobby 'Blue' Bland 'Let The Good Times Roll' all appear on this set.

But, the reason that I'm not giving this set five stars is because it stops at just 10 songs. B.B.'s songs can get pretty long, but at just 10 songs, there is plenty of room for more great ones. Where are some of his EMI year songs like 'Every Day I Have The Blues'? That's a very disappointing omission.

Overall, if you want a quick, cheap B.B. King retrospective spanning a two decade period (1962-1983), than look no further. This set gets the job done well. But for B.B. King fans who want more than just ten songs, stick with records like 'Great Moments With B.B. King.'

But at the end of the day, his installment in UMG's '20th Century Masters' series isn't terrible. But it could be a LOT better.

Recommended for the budget-minded casual B.B. King fan.

BB King is a legendary bluesman, without question. This CD doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of BB's now 50+ year career. Yes, you have "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Paying The Cost to be The Boss," and even "Let the Good Times Roll," but there is so much more.

I think the most surprising (and aggravating) omission is "How Blue Can You Get," which is one of his signature tunes, and "Rock Me Baby" which was always one of my personal favorites. All in all, you can simply not truncate a 50-year career into ten songs.

BB deserves better than this. You do too. Go for the "Ultimate Collection."

start level 5 points
length -1 point
no pre 60's tracks -1 point
crossover tracks (although I like Into the night) -1 point
result = 2 points - do not buy