Customer Reviews

Completely Well

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this album in '69 when I was fourteen and have been loving it ever since...nice to have the remastered CD. B.B. King breaks out of the blues into the realm of soul on this collection (recorded over two days). The backup band is excellent, although, never mind the Amazon.com review, Al Kooper doesn't play on it (Paul Harris handles keyboards). The most amazing thing going on here is the interplay between King and the legendary bassist Gerald "Fingers" Jemmott, who played on some of Aretha's best Atlantic sides. King authors or co-authors most of the titles and they are all solid songs. He's never sang better and Lucille wails. Besides, every record collection must include "The Thrill Is Gone," one of the greatest soul/blues cuts ever.

The first thing that amazes me about this album is that no one has given it a review. I figured that this album would be a staple in anyone's album collection (especially you blues fans!). Right from the start, B.B. tells the listener that he is gonna rock your socks off. "So Excited" comes roaring into your speakers and gets your toes tappin'. Throughout the album, B.B. does a great job of playing some upbeat blues ("You're Losin' Me" and "Confessin' The Blues") mixed with some slow ballads ("Key To My Kingdom" and What Happened"). Not only do you get an all-out blues jam with "You're Mean" but you also get one of the greatest blues songs of all time with "The Thrill Is Gone." This song is what the blues is all about and it sounds wonderful with strings in the background. All I have to say is put your CD player on 'repeat' when this song is playing. From beginning to end this album is extremely satisfying!

This is still my favorite BB record, one that always improves my day. It should be combined with "Live and Well" to get more of the BB-Jerry Jemmott combination. Jerry's bass pushes BB and the band to even greater heights than usual. CD burners: combine the "Well" section with the "Completely well" set for complete bliss. It's nearly always in my car's CD to combat road rage.

There are a couple of cuts on this cd you can keep but, Keep" the Thrill is gone " and, the deep cut of " you're mean " cause it rocks .Over 8 minutes long it's BB's best jam session ever! With Hugh and all the boys they jam.. sounds more like a rock band than blues.... awesome..

B.B.King never fails to blow us away. The way music was intended to be

Thanks to the Billboard #3 Hit Single: "The Thrill Is Gone" (Which has taken B.B. King around the world, and back again!). This Album also included another Billboard Top 20 Hit Single "So Excited" that was a favorite in the R&B/Soul Market. Although the other tracks were decent Blues/Rock/Pop flavored tracks Bluesway/ABC was quicky grooming B.B. for a whole new market with future releases and from that point on B.B. has NEVER looked back and has made it to his 7th decade...WOW!!!

B.B. and Hugh do wonderful things on this CD...Greater blues, you will be hard pressed to find

B. B. King/ Completely Well: This is a very good album with one absolutely Classic track. Every track on this album is very good but it is the presence of "The Thrill Is Gone" that pushes this album from a four-star release into five-star release.

My dad's love of blues music got me into Blues as a young kid. I would hear B.B King's version of "The Thrill Is Gone" played around the house over and over and over. I remember picking up dad's Completely Well album and just staring at the cover, with B.B.'s face on it. I thought that song has got to be one of the greatest blues songs ever recorded, performed, and written, and I still do! It is stellar. B.B's emotional, powerful vocal delivery and his guitar solo on The Thrill is Gone was so inspiring to me that I would later in life pick up the guitar. I have been a huge fan of this man's music since hearing this album! Blues is not the only stuff I like, but because of B.B. King, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, this music became a benchmark for what was to come. This album is essential to your collection.

Man was this BB guy smart. The blues was booming when this album was made at the dawn of the 1970s.

So, get a fantastic producer, Bill Sczmczyk--striking gold with the James Gang--and get on a big money label, ABC. Get major musicians like Gerold Jemmott and Hugh McCracken and Herbie Lovell.

Then funk it up. Most of the music on Completely Well sticks to the blues BB King had always done. Songs like "So Excited" and "What Happened" really don't deviate from the basic cornorstones always used.

But the shining production, astounding musician ship, and overall then-modern funk vibe electrify already electrifying music. It is both modern and classic. An amazing take on the world's most fundimental music

And yes, "The Thrill Is Gone" is right here, glorious in its origional and ingenius context.