The Chess Box [BOX SET]

Bo Diddley

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 1990)
• Original Release Date: August 21, 1990
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Chess
• ASIN: B000002P8J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,931 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Bo Diddley

2. I'm a Man

3. You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)

4. Diddley Daddy

5. Pretty Thing

6. Bring It to Jerome [Alternate Take]

7. Bring It to Jerome [Master]

8. Diddy Wah Diddy

9. I'm Looking for a Woman

10. Who Do You Love?

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. She's Alright

2. Say Man [Alternate Take]

3. Roadrunner

4. Spend My Life With You

5. Cadillac

6. Signifying Blues [Extended Version]

7. Deed and Deed I Do

8. You Know I Love You

9. Look at My Baby

10. Ride on Josephine

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

He's celebrated for the syncopated beat bearing his name that has spanned rock & roll's entire history. Unfortunately, his namesake also gets him mislabeled as a one-trick pony. This two-disc set does much to remedy the situation, tracking 1955 through 1968 and featuring all the hits. However, The Chess Box also displays Diddley's rock and blues versatility, from the reggae-ish (before there was reggae) "Crackin' Up" and the Who's onstage hard-rock anthem "Roadrunner" to the wonderful formerly U.K.-only "Greatest Lover in the World" and rock's first song about a junkie ("Pills," later revived by the New York Dolls). Most surprising is Diddley's beautiful yet previously unreleased doo-wop classic, "You Know I Love You." The excellent liner notes by MCA's primo compiler, Andy McKaie (with Diddley himself), and the late Robert Palmer add extra value to the package. --Bill Holdship

Product Description

Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential music for any rock and roll fan, July 7, 2000

By	Christopher Ingalls (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Forget Elvis Presley -- Bo Diddley is the king of rock and roll. The man behind the famous "shave and a haircut" beat opened the doors for raw, unbridled passion in rock and his influence is still felt every day. Not only does this stunning two-disc anthology cover the classics you already know ("Bo Diddley," "I'm A Man," "Bring It To Jerome," etc), it also spotlights some terrific obscure Bo cuts ("Pills," "Ride On Josephine"). Bo wasn't just known for the famous Bo Diddley Beat, either. The set also includes forays into ballads ("I'm Sorry"), blues ("The Clock Strikes Twelve," "Before You Accuse Me"), instrumental excursions ("Aztec") and some funky, quasi-Latin sounds ("Ooh Baby"). Despite the fact that his name is not nearly as well-known as his less-talented contemporaries, Bo Diddley's music deserves to be heard. Pick up a copy and discover the true beginnings of rock and roll.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Don't Know Diddley, You Don't Know Rock , November 18, 2005

By	El Lagarto (Ambler, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If you're unfamiliar with the great Bo Diddley, this is not the place to start. However, if you know some of his classics, and you want to dig deeper into the trademark groove, you couldn't do any better. The packaging, booklet, and selection are all fantastic and it's a solid value. Because Bo Diddley is one of rock's Founding Fathers, people forget that he's great fun, possesses a sly and irreverent wit, and has diverse musical interests. He also doesn't get enough credit for being a terrific singer. All the essential tracks are here, and plenty of great surprises. Too many standouts to mention except for one, I Can Tell - it sneaks up on you and just won't let go. Anyone who wears a cobra snake for a necktie is all right with me. Go for it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Primal, powerful blues and rock n' roll, January 18, 2004

By	Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Bo Diddley's thumping shave-and-a-haircut-six-bit rhythm may not sound all that daring today, but half a century ago Diddley was a supremely innovative musician, hammering out rough blocks of chords on his square-shaped guitar, and shouting his tough-guy lyrics at the top of his powerful voice.

Diddley's trademark vibrating, fuzzy guitar tone did much to expand the electric guitar's power and range, and he was almost as influential as label mate Chuck Berry in shaping the sound and the attitude of rock n' roll, writing clever, wisecracking lyrics and macho boasts to rival Berry's, and inspiring numerous young white artists along the way with his music and his galvanizing stage persona.

This double-disc compilation is the most comprehensive one available, including all the classics, and adding several lesser-known songs, a few alternates, and some previously unreleased recordings.
Disc 1 opens with Diddley's first single, the double-sided monster "Bo Diddley / I'm A Man", and also includes the tough, grinding rockers "You Don't Love Me", "Mona", "Crackin' Up", and "Who Do You Love", the magnificent bluesy "Before You Accuse Me" and "I'm Looking For A Woman", and an updated take on the prewar classic "Diddy Wah Diddy". The surprisingly sweet and sincere "Dearest Darling" is here as well, as is the instrumental "The Clock Strikes Twelve" which features a solo violin, and the doo-wop ballad (!) "I'm Sorry".

On disc 2 you'll find "Road Runner" (beep beep!), a swinging, swaggering "Spend My Life With You", the supremely catchy "Pills", and the bump-and-grind of the sax-driven "Cadillac" and the classic "I Can Tell".
"You Know I Love You" is another uncharacteristic but well-crafted doo-wop ballad, a previously unreleased one at that. The irresistable, piano-driven "Look At My Baby" and the funky "The Greatest Lover In The World" are both pure, joyous, bluesy rock n' roll, and the Willie Dixon-penned "You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover" is one of Bo Diddley's most memorable singles. "The Greatest Lover" is yet another track which was released for the first time on this compilation, by the way.
"Bo Diddley 1969" is excactly what is sounds like, a remake of the 1955 single with different lyrics and a tagged-on chorus, but it's good fun, and the production is better and cleaner.
And there's a little oddity here as well, the instrumental "Atzec", which was actually written and performed by Diddley's lead guitarist Peggy "Lady Bo" Jones, but mistakenly credited to Bo Diddley himself.

Ellas McDaniels' powerfully rhythmic, almost hypnotic mid-50s music is neither blues, R&B or rock n' roll, but somewhere in between, stretching back as far as Africa, and foreseeing rap and blues-rock. MCA/Chess' single-disc "His Best" remains the best purchase for novices, but "The Chess Box" is by far the best collection of Bo Diddley's unique blues, R&B, and piledriving proto-rock n' roll.
Highly recommended.