The Anthology [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Bobby "Blue" Bland

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 5, 2001)
• Original Release Date: June 5, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B00005K32H
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,077 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #52 in

  Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Texas Blues

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Over the 1952-82 time-span covered here, Bobby "Blue" Bland united tough-as-pavement blues singing with heartbroken Southern R&B, and helped to create chitlin-circuit soul as we know it now. Too raw for most oldies radio, Bland was a major presence in his time: 30 of these 50 songs hit the pop charts, and almost all of them were significant R&B hits. The first disc-and-a-half documents his long-running Duke Records collaboration (in Chicago, Texas, and Nashville) with trumpeter Joe Scott, who wrote ambitious arrangements that ran from tender love-man pop to howling, honking blues terrorism, but usually gave Bland a chance to emote harder than his microphone could handle. The remainder finds Little Boy Blue on his own in L.A. in the '70s, spicing up smoother blues-inflected soul (and even a stab at light disco, "It Ain't the Real Thing") with the famous squall in his voice. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Blues and a Soul Man, March 20, 2002

By	L. E STOTTLEMEYER (KCMO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For years on my R&B oldies shows on radio and in night clubs throughout the glorious south I've always featured this legend. In fact anybody that knows anything about R&B ought to be able to tell ya it's hard to do a show and not play 2 or 3 of his hits. I can fondly remember screams of joy from women in dark smoke filled clubs whenever I would play " I'll take care of you"or "I pity the fool" or " Stormy Monday". And guess what-Bobby was the first blues man to have a top 20 on the pop charts- In fact it's been a staple on my shows for years and is my all time favorite BB Bland song-The 1964 classic "Aint nothin you can do". In my opinion this cd is worth [a lot more than] they're asking for-because like a van Gogh painting all of these tracks are priceless ! Get it in the collection pronto.
P.S. They should've included one more BB Bland essential classic-"St.James Infirmary"

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raw Blues from the Juke joints, February 8, 2002

By	Andre M. "brnn64" (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Bobby Bland is a master at hardcore, juke joint-style, unassimilated, raw funky blues. If you like your blues PURE without British imitations or Motown refinements, this is for you. "Turn on the Love Light," "Don't Cry No More," "Aint That Loving You," and "Poverty" will be a revelation to those who aren't familiar with the raw music that was the link between blues and rock and roll. This CD is filled with the REAL STUFF! Enjoy.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unfairly good., July 31, 2001

By	Frank Stellavich (Deep In the Hip-Hop Underground) - See all my reviews

Though nothing holds together, conceptually, as well as the "Two Steps from the Blues" LP, this package is a long-awaited treat, collecting a lot of essentials previously spread over numerous other discs. If you're new to Bobby then you might want to get the abovementioned LP first (unless you know for a fact you have a penchant for B.B. King styled blues. But then, you probably would've been listening to Little Boy Blue for awhile already). But take my word for it, or if you know how amazing he is already, leap on this beautiful set. Also, his late stuff is just as good in its own way as the early stuff, so digging for "His California Album" would also be recommended once you've fell for one of the dopest, and sadly slept on, blues singers. The best pure male singer of the blues ever?? At least in the R&B era/genre.