To call this collection of tunes from blues legend
Buddy Guy definitive is not a stretch by any means, as it is a cohesive, thoughtful, chronological collection that accurately represents all of his changes and phases through six decades. Overall, it is a mellow compilation that showcases many of
Guy's laid-back songs, several with longtime partner
Junior Wells. It's sprinkled with the many all-star bluesmen he has collaborated with over the years, and is tastefully programmed to offer what is essentially cream of the crop blues from one of its enduring legends. Your hear music issued on singles, LPs and CDs recorded from 1958 through 2004 via various recordings done for the
Artistic,
Chess,
Delmark,
Vanguard,
Blue Thumb,
Atco,
Evidence,
Alligator,
JSP,
Blind Pig, and
Silvertone labels. It really is a comprehensive overview of
Guy's best known songs, and gives fans or neophytes an accurate big picture of why
Buddy Guy remains one of the most influential artists in American popular music. The CD starts in slow grind mode with classics like
"Sit & Cry" in the style of
Howlin' Wolf with all-stars
Otis Rush and
Willie Dixon, the most well-known
"First Time I Met the Blues" with pianist
Little Brother Montgomery;
"Ten Years Ago" in his first teaming with
Wells from 1960; the downhearted
"When My Left Eye Jumps" with four horns and
Lafayette Leake on the organ; and the all-time great showtime tune with
Wells'
"Hoodoo Man Blues" from the
Delmark LP of the same name from 1966 that has become synonymous with electric Chicago.
Guy's distinctive solo guitar style is front and center on the intro of
"A Man & the Blues" alongside the immortal pianist
Otis Spann, while the sole track from
Buddy & the Juniors,
"Five Long Years," is a toned-down acoustic number with
Wells and pianist
Junior Mance from that rare
Blue Thumb recording. A funky R&B number
"A Man of Many Words," from
Atco Records in 1972 features,
Eric Clapton,
Dr. John, saxophonist
A.C. Reed and
Wells, while
Guitar Slim's standard,
"The Things I Used to Do," again with
Wells live at Montrueux, Switzerland, languishes over its time. Brother
Phil Guy joins
Buddy in a two-guitar tandem for
Champion Jack Dupree's eight-minute, low-key slow jam
"When I Left Home" and the rock & roll
"Dust My Broom" styled
"She Suits Me to a T." Another two live tracks, the upbeat shuffle of
Sonny Boy Williamson's
"Checkin' on My Baby" and
Dixon's
"Let Me Love You Baby" featuring
Pinetop Perkins,
Bill Wyman, and
Charlie Watts, and
G.E. Smith's nine-piece
Saturday Night Live Band, respectively. The final selection,
"Baby Please Don't Leave Me," with
Jimbo Mathus is a heavy contemporary stomper that shows a new attitude toward the blues that steers away from authenticity, but more toward a youth oriented audience. This CD is recommended without reservation, a great single CD overview of
Buddy Guy's soul and spirit as a true pioneer of the blues. ~ Michael G. Nastos
![Greatest Hits [MCA]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0008811174620_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits [MCA]")
![Devil You Know [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0014551495826_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Devil You Know [Bonus Tracks]")
