Customer Reviews

All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings (2nd Ed)

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I love this book. It has rested by my bedside for several months now and I am constantly picking it up. The great thing about this book is that it has opened so many doors to new great blues artists I'd never heard of before, and really serves as a chain in which I discover a blues artist I like, which leads to another, and another. Simply put, you can't go wrong with this book because by the time you waste your money on two CDs you dislike because of poor sound quality or because it's one of the artist's lesser works, you caould have bought this book. If you're at all interested, buy it.

I've read them all and this is the very best of all the blues guides available. While some of the reviews are inconsistant as are the recommended CDs, reviews and recommendations by Bill Dahl and Cub Coda, which account for most of them, are 100% on the mark every time. It is an excellent way start a killer blues library and avoid the less than desirable CDs and save yourself some money. This is the one to buy.

This book (encyclopedia) gives a description of, and rates nearly every quality blues recording available. Contains detailed histories of the lives of thousands of blues artists.

Contains detailed essays on the roots of the blues, the evolution, and different styles of blues, such as Delta, Chicago, Piedmont, West Coast.....And also has music maps showing the influences on different styles of blues, as well as describing the most influential artist in each respective style.

I don't buy an album without consulting this, or the jazz edition. This blues edition is so comprehensive it even delves into gospel, jazz, and a bit of soul music.

Full of great information. I am sure that this is the best blues encyclopedia available.

This alphabetically arranged Lexicon helps readers to make sense of the dizzying list of blues artists who have contributed to thise body of music. The book is fairly broad and includes many crossover type bands (blues derivation of Rock, for example), with a brief history and list of essential recordings from each artist.

I expected the book to be somewhat more "readable" rather than a catalogue of artists; however, it is useful as the latter. You will not be disappointed with the volume, and you will probably pull it out frequently when shopping for blues music, reviewing artists heard on public radio's blues shows, or when browsing the internet for non-copyrighted blues recordings (many of the oldest recordings are in public domain).

The price also makes it worthwhile. If it guides you toward a single, more satisfying blues recording (or helps you avoid a single stinker), then it's paid for itself.

this book it's very well written. Got lots of essays on every blues styles and sub-styles, very well written too. Got lots of music maps for almost all of the essays, very well traced. Got lots of helpful and factfiled info about each entry, and a very helpful and great reviews on each artist albums...nothing to tell more about it. Here you learn a little about blues history, you learn about the blues records and wich ones do you chose, and the artists bios...

This is a perfect starting point for anyone who wants to get immersed in blues music. The Blues volume (I bought Rock, Jazz and Blues) includes artists and listings for artists that cross over from Rock (Led Zeppelin) and Jazz as well as contemporary and classic blues artists. If you were going to quibble, you might complain there's too much filler here, that those who are primary known as rock artists (Cream, Zeppelin, ZZ Top, etc.) ought to appear only under that umbrella. Okay. But maintaining such a wide view is exactly what makes this volume useful. REQUIRED READING AND REFERENCE material.

This massive, well-researched tome about blues music is as good as it gets. My book has become so dog-eared, I'm thrilled to see an updated edition has finally come out. I will be investing in it, and am hungry to read what these blues experts have to say about the state of blues with the newcomers to the scene over the past ten years.

When a friend gave me this book about 5 years ago, I was hungry to learn all I could about the history of the blues. I've been a blues lover since my childhood (I was raised in Chicago in the sixties,) and grew up seeing such greats as James Cotton and other old-timers. They would show up in blues bars to jam with lesser-known artists. I feel enriched for having experienced that. Reading this book, I recognize that I was a part of blues history, but didn't know it at the time.

This fabulous book is essential reading for those eager to learn about our blues heritage. It's well organized, divided into sections about regional blues, the evolution of various blues styles, artists, it's all there. You will not regret your purchase. If not for the early blues pioneers covered between these pages, there would be no rock n roll.

For the musicologist, or Blues afficionado, The 1999 edition of The Allmusic Guide To The Blues is an absolute must! Authored by Michael Erlewine, and Co-authored by the late Cub Coda, The book is not only a labor of love, but an accurate snapshot of the history of the blues with in depth details of the artists's music discography, and personal lives as well as the crossover influences,subgenres and labels from their beginnings up to the time of print. If you need one source of reference for The Blues, The Allmusic guide to the Blues is it

No doubt about it in my mind, more bang for your buck than any other book on the subject. Major blues writers like Jim O'neal, Jas Obrecht, Bill Dahl, etc. contribute. Thousands of albums reviewed. Also great essays, maps, background material, play lists, etc. Just the best I have yet seen.

This is a wonderfully complete, concise text of American Folk blues. It is well composed, informative, and can be considered as either an easy reading book, or a reference. Be careful, for after a few readings, the highlights and dog-eared pages you create may slow your research. There are many and varied opinions about each personality, and music type. The rating system used by the authors is extremely helpful, but still leaves open the subjective reviews. All in all, a must for the blues lover!...................................................... Uncle Ruggs....................................................................................................... Michael F. Ruggiero, DO ........Bryan, Tx.