The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy"

Les Paul | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 28, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00000DRE4
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,905 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Technically accomplished guitar playing, slick production, July 29, 2004

By 

_ "micksh" (Lowell MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy" (Audio CD)

Besides being a fantastic guitarist, Les Paul is also an accomplished engineer and inventor. This album does not showcase Les Paul the guitarist so much as it does Les Paul the producer. Many recording and mixing tricks are featured here, including his interesting trick of playing several licks, playing them back at different speeds, and mixing them together in such a way that they're all in the same key. These recordings sound wild and futuristic today; it's hard for me to imagine how they must have sounded fifty years ago.

Some songs here (notably "Lover" and "How High the Moon") are great, but at least as many are disappointing. Also, Les Paul's highly sped up guitar tracks can wear on the ears after a while - they're on nearly every track. In short, this album is essential listening for anyone interested in great guitar plaing and fancy production, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it holds up well to repeated listening.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great overview of Les Paul & Mary Ford's hits, June 17, 2005

By 

Bradley Olson (Bemidji, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy" (Audio CD)

Released in 1992 as a single disc distillation of the hard to find "The Legend and The Legacy" boxed set, this CD, although it has some instrumental work, it focuses more on his hits with his wife at the time these were recorded, Mary Ford including the huge hits "Mockin' Bird Hill," "Tennessee Waltz," "How High The Moon," "Bye Bye Blues," "In The Good Old Summertime," "Tiger Rag," and, among others, one of my personal favorites, the spiritual "Vaya Con Dios" which is translated to "May God Be With You." Les's production techniques are ever present on this disc, but what makes this disc worthwhile is Les's guitar and Mary's singing with the music being a great mixture of many kinds of music that is hard to describe other than Les Paul music and as another reviewer mentioned, it is very comparable to Chet Atkins, another one of my favorite guitarists. BTW, this disc has been reissued recently with 3 bonus tracks added but as long as this pressing of it is still available, pick it up while you can, as it is cheaper than the new reissue, released to celebrate his 90th birthday. For those who prefer his instrumental work over his duets with Mary Ford, the disc to start with is the ASV Living Era compilation "How High The Moon," but this is still a great companion to the ASV disc. For those who are wanting more and can't find the boxed set, Collectables reissued the original albums in twofers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Collection But Needs a Bit More Balance, August 5, 2005

By 

Sam Bethune (Lincoln, Nebraska USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy" (Audio CD)

I'm a huge fan of Les Paul and Mary Ford and I own a copy of the "Legend and the Legacy" box set, so I may be a bit biased in my review of this disc, which frankly I think is a little top heavy with the vocal works.

There are only a few instrumental tracks here, and while those are very good indeed, some of Les's best stuff was left out. Had I been compiling this disc I would have included "Brazil", "Caravan", and my all time favorite Les Paul instrumental piece "Little Rock Getaway", in which Les cuts loose with just about everything in his arsenal. Like "Lover", it's a very interesting and complex arrangement that's a joy to hear.

I'm also a little puzzled as to why some of Mary Ford's best vocal work was left off this disc. I would have gladly traded her cover version of "Tennessee Waltz" for "Cryin'", a song that I consider to be one of the most beautiful things she's ever sung. "Dry My Tears", a song with which Mary Ford and Les Paul and closely identified, was also left out. That aside, I am thankful that the powers that be saw fit to include an edition of Les and Mary's radio program that features "Avalon", "Where or When", and "I'll See You in my Dreams", three songs that I would love to have heard in full on the box set.

All in all, I think this is a fairly good collection, albeit a bit heavy on the vocal hits and not nearly representative enough of Les Paul's extraordinary guitar talent. Until you're fortunate enough to find the box set, this collection will have to do.