The Best Blues Album in the World...Ever!

Best Album In The World Ever (Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 29, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 29, 2000
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00004LMKJ
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,940 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > Blues > Jump Blues
  • #63 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Texas Blues
  • #69 in Music > Blues > Slide Guitar

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Illustrated Man - Johnny Winter

2. Frosty - Albert Collins

3. I've Got Love If You Want It - John Hammond

4. Three O'Clock Blues - B.B. King

5. Can't Stay Away from You - Charlie Musselwhite

6. Don't Get Me Shook Up - Duke Robillard

7. Cold Sweat - The Boneshakers

8. Me and My Baby - Larry McCray

9. No More Doggin' - Colin James And The Little Big Band

10. Too Early to Tell - The Kinsey Report

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters

2. My Babe - Little Walter

3. Wang Dang Doodle - Koko Taylor

4. Little Red Rooster - Howlin' Wolf

5. Reelin' and Rockin' - Chuck Berry

6. I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James

7. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker

8. Still Got the Blues - Gary Moore

9. Shame, Shame, Shame - Johnny Winter

10. Help Me Somebody - Jon Cleary

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The best ever?, May 13, 2001

By 

political idiot (california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Blues Album in the World...Ever! (Audio CD)

Not even close to the best ever. The actual title should read: "The Best Blues Album For Which We Were Able To Get Rights To The Songs Quickly" or something like that. The fact is this double disc set is just a grab bag of songs with absolutely no thought put into it whatsoever. With a few exceptions, disc one is practically a throw away. Larry McCray, Kinsey Report, Gary Moore, and Terry Evans et. al. are all ok modern blues artists but hardly deserve to be on a blues album titled "The Best Ever" -especially one limited to only two discs.

This is a Virgin release, so poor understanding of the genre is to be expected. However, to boldly exclaim that this is the best ever compilation is a rather ostentatious position -even for the Virgin people. The best ever blues compilation would certainly be a difficult undertaking. However, this set completly ignores the likes of giants like Big Maceo, Tommy Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson I & II, Robert Johnson, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson, Roosevelt Sykes, Robert Nighthawk, Jimmy Witherspoon, Floyd Dixon, and so many many more important and entertaining historical blues artists. The most shocking oversight is the absence of T-Bone Walker!

Really, I think this is a waste of your money. Even on its own level the flow is odd especially on disc one. Disc two has a better grouping and flow of great blues artists and songs, but still not worth the price. There has yet to be a true "best of" compilation to be released, so for now I suggest you may want to explore the best attempt to date. It is a four disc box set released on MCA in 1996 called "Mean Old World."

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the best ever...but still darn good, January 3, 2004

By 

Mark H. Orgel "mhorgel" (Prospect, Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best Blues Album in the World...Ever! (Audio CD)

Although the title is totally hyperbole, this is an excellent collection of blues tunes of various eras and styles.

I am a relative newcomer to the blues, so a compilation like this is right up my alley. It lets me get a taste of different aspects of the blues, and to discover artists that I would not have otherwise been exposed to.

Represented here are some of the early delta bluesmen (Lightnin' Hopkins "Abilene", mislabeled as "Shotgun Blues"), the early electric blues (Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy"), the '60's revival (B. B. King's "3 O'Clock Blues"), the great female blues singers (Koko Taylor's smokin' "Wang Dang Doodle"), the British blues bands (John Mayall's "Spinning Coin"), contemporary American blues rock (Johnny Winter's "Illustrated Man"), and lesser known contemporary artists (Colin James' infectious cover of "No More Doggin'").

Throw in selections by Albert Collins, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, J. J. Cale, and others, and you have a blues compilation CD that may not be "The Greatest in the World", but one that both novices and long time blues fans can enjoy. Highly recommended to anybody with ann interest in the blues.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Not The Best (But Close To It)!!, October 12, 2009

By 

Charlotte L. Slaughter "soul fan" (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best Blues Album in the World...Ever! (Audio CD)

In my personal opinion, you can not represent your product as the "Best Blues Album in the World...Ever!" if you do not include Jimmy Reed, Bobby "Blue" Bland or Muddy Waters! I am positive many other fans of the blues will bemoan other blues artists not represented here. Having gotten all of that out of my system, I will now expound on those wonderful artists represented here. Oh Boy! There's: B.B. King, Albert King, Koko Taylor, Etta James, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Winter and on and on!! You will not be disappointed with this collection. It is rollicking good fun! I highly recommend this album.