At 87, he's the undisputed king of the blues thanks to the emotional and musical range of his vocal and guitar work, and this retrospective provides a powerful reminder of all that BB King has achieved. Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his signing to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962, but in fact marking his career since his first recording for Bullet Records in Memphis in 1949, it comes in two different formats. There's a 10‑CD set chronicling his entire recordings and a well-packaged, cut-down four‑CD version, both including a good collection of essays and information. The latter contains 77 tracks from throughout his life, including the pained and exquisitely sung Three O'Clock Blues, from 1951, and the upbeat Everyday I Have the Blues, from his historic live sessions at the Regal club in Chicago in 1964, plus later collaborations with U2, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Dr John. Glorious.
Contributor
Robin Denselow
Robin Denselow is a journalist and broadcaster who specialises in music and politics. He is the author of When The Music's Over, a history of political pop
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