Customer Reviews

Rollin' & Tumblin'

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This fine Elmore James-anthology spans 36 tracks, including the obligatory "Dust My Broom", "The Sky Is Crying", "It Hurts Me Too", "Shake Your Moneymaker", "Standing At The Crossroads" and "Look On Yonder Wall", the slide guitar classics which has inspired countless others, from J.B. Hutto and Hound Dog Taylor to George Thorogood and Eric Clapton.

The remaining thirty tracks may not be as well known, but there are several gems stacked away here, and the choice of songs is generally very sensible, although I would definitely have included "Madison Blues" and "She's Got To Go". But apart from those two, virtually all of James' best songs are here.

Elmore James always sang like he meant it. His huge voice and intense vocal delivery makes him my favorite bluesman, along with the wonderful arrangements of his songs - you just can't get enough of Elmore's burning slide guitar coupled with a sax or two and the clanging piano of Johnny Jones or Ike Turner.
Elmore truly rocked, and he did it years before the official birth of rock n' roll.

Rhino's "The Sky Is Crying - The History Of Elmore James" remains the definitive Elmore-compilation (unless you count the box sets, of course), but this two CD-set is a very worthy alternative.

An excellent range of Elmore's music containing most of his most important numbers. Musically superb but lacking in sleeve note details. Does anyone know where I can find information on recording dates, locations, musicians, writers, etc?