B.B. King - Greatest Hits

B.B. King | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 25, 1998)
• Original Release Date: August 25, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B00000ADG3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Memphis Blues

Editorial Reviews

KING B. B. GREATEST HITS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Sampler, January 1, 2001

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: B.B. King - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

This is an extremely brief single-disc summary of B.B. King's MCA output beginning with his first single for the label, 1963's "How Blue Can You Get?" through his pairing with Robert Cray on "Playin' with My Friends" from 1993's Blues Summit all-star recording. Among the many highlights are two tracks ("Every Day I Have the Blues" and "Sweet Little Angel") from the essential Live at the Regal, "The Thrill Is Gone" (which went to No. 15 in 1970, making it the highest charting blues song ever on the U.S. pop charts!) and the chilling "When Love Comes to Town" with U2. While condensing 30 years of music onto a single disc is an impossible task, this makes an excellent primer for novice fans on a budget. RECOMMENDED [Note: Last November MCA released the 2-disc B.B. King Anthology. It includes EVERY song on Greatest Hits, plus an additional 18 songs. For a few extra bucks, this would be the album to get instead.]

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have never heard BB, this is a great place to start., February 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: B.B. King - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

The only reason that I can think of as to why no one has bothered to review this cd is because those of us who are fans already have most of the tracks on here. But for those of you who have only recently seen the light and have become BB fans and don't know where to start, this is the perfect cd for you. This cd was put out only recently, and it does a great job of covering BB's older songs as well as some from the more recent "Blues Summit". This is far superior to the way-too-short "Best of BB King" LP that we were stuck buying until this one came out. All but three or four of the songs on "Best of.." are covered here also. The point is, if you are only going to buy one BB King album (and may I ask WHY???). this should be it. In my opinion, every one of these songs, especially the incredibly durable blues classic "The Thrill is Gone", belong in everyone's music collection. Once you check this one out, you will immediately want to get into some of his other albums, of which I would recommend "Completely Well", "Back In The Alley", and of course the new one, "Blues On The Bayou". Do yourself a big favor and buy the cd, you're gonna love it.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "So You See Why I Stuck With Blues.", December 20, 2000

By 

Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: B.B. King - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

This BB King quote, stated to David Ritz, was his conclusion to why he chose to play and sing blues over his other love, gospel music. "A gospel song would get me a pat on the head," he said. "But a blues would get me a dime." The blues earned King not only more than his share of dimes, but a spot among music's seminal performers and teachers. Despite Ritz properly mentioning that King's music was too blue for rock and roll or soul during his early career, he has become as much a caretaker of rock's traditions as of the blues themselves.

This one-disc collection, even at 16 songs, seems too little space for BB King's prolific, quality output, especially after 1992's expansive "King Of The Blues" box. But "Greatest Hits" timed to King's most recent rock-oriented successes: his "How Blue Can You Get?" sampled on a pop hit, his U2 collaboration, his Robert Cray duet on "Playing With My Friends" (from "Blues Summit," among the 90s best blues releases), even "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss" covered by Pat Benatar! With remarkable liner notes and references to original ABC/MCA LPs (nearly all in print), "Greatest Hits" is a sampler tour through BB King's immense, classic blues catalogue.

It's also another chance to hear King with much better sound, courtesy of compiler Andy McKaie (who handled MCA's exceptional Chess blues compilations) and Erick Labson's remastering. It freshly paints Johnny Pate's production on 1964's seminal "Live At The Regal" tracks, King's 1969-70 string of of rockin' blues hits ("Why I Sing The Blues," the original "Thrill Is Gone"), even overlooked gems like Doc Pomus/Dr. John's tailor-made "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere."

What "Greatest Hits" shows most is King's guitar playing and vocal economy; no melismatic vocal trills or guitar hyperspace, even live where crowds needed pleasing. Instead, King's solos in "I Like To Live The Love" and "Don't Answer The Door" press the melody forward, and his underrated vocals show occassional collaborator Bobby Bland's strong "Sinatra Of The Blues" influence. King shared (or at least impressed) these traits on his most recent collaborator, Eric Clapton, and here does with just-enough help from friends like Joe Walsh and Leon Russell (on Russell's "Hummingbird") and Stevie Wonder (on "To Know You Is To Love You..")

"Greatest Hits" is THE King album for casual fans or those who enjoy his rare spins on classic rock or oldies radio. Blues fans wanting to dig deeper should pick up any of the original LPs, including "Live At The Regal," "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere," "Indianola Mississippi Seeds, " or the Bobby Bland collaborations. "Greatest Hits" covers quality ground quickly, and thus remains an essential one-stop blues shop.