Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy

by Buddy Guy

Overview

Buddy Guy revitalized his career when he signed with Silvertone Records in the early '90s. His first album for the label, Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, was a smash success, earning critical acclaim, awards, and sales hand over fist. Prior to that record, he was a legend only among blues fans; afterward, he was a star. Although it was a bit too rock-oriented and slick for purists, Damn Right was a terrific album, setting the pace not only for Guy but for modern electric blues in the '90s. As the decade wore on, Guy continued to make albums for Silvertone, some of them a little complacent, others quite excellent. Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy attempts to summarize those years in 14 songs, including three previously unreleased cuts. Not surprisingly, the compilers favor the Guy of Damn Right, featuring four songs from the record and three from its soundalike sequel, Feels Like Rain. Only two tracks from Slippin' In, his hardest blues record for the label, made the cut, while the fine live album Live! The Real Deal and the misguided Heavy Love are represented by a track apiece. In other words, a lot of good stuff remains on the original albums, which is doubly unfortunate since the three unreleased cuts are all throwaways. By relying so heavily on two records, Buddy's Baddest doesn't wind up being an accurate portrait of Guy's Silvertone recordings. That doesn't mean it's a bad listen, since the first ten songs are all very good and quite entertaining. However, anyone who has Damn Right but wants to dig deeper into Guy's Silvertone albums may prefer to pick up Feels Like Rain, which offers more of the same crossover Chicago blues, or Slippin' In, which is the real deal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/31/2003
Label:	Silvertone Records / Sony Bmg
UPC:	0828765358224

Tracks

1. Damn Right, I've Got the Blues
2. Five Long Years
3. Mustang Sally
4. Rememberin' Stevie
5. She's a Superstar
6. Feels Like Rain
7. She's Ninteen Years Old
8. I Smell Trouble
9. Someone Else is Steppin' In (Slippin' Out, Slippin' In)
10. My Time After Awhile
11. Midnight Train
12. Miss Ida B
13. I Need Your Love So Bad
14. Innocent Man: Innocent Man/Mannish Boy/Backdoor Man

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Buddy Guy   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Electric)
Jonny Lang   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Featured Artist
G.E. Smith   Guest Artist,Guitar
Bonnie Raitt   Guest Artist,Vocals,Slide Guitar
Johnnie Johnson   Guest Artist,Piano
Jeff Beck   Guest Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Johnny Lee Schell   Guitar
Reese Wynans   Organ,Piano,Keyboards
Mick Weaver   Organ,Piano,Piano (Electric)
Jimmy Powers   Harp
Tommy Shannon   Bass
George Young   Sax (Alto)
Greg Rzab   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Chris Layton   Drums
Paul Ossola   Bass (Electric)
Lenny Pickett   Sax (Tenor)
Ron Tooley   Trumpet
Renee Geyer   Vocals (Background)
Shawn Pelton   Drums
Neil Sidwell   Trombone
Tony Braunagle   Percussion
Dennis Wilson   Trombone
The Saturday Night Live Band   Featured Artist
Johnny Lang   Featured Artist
Malcolm Duncan   Saxophone
David M. Smith   Guitar (Bass)
Sid Gauld   Trumpet
Bill Payne   Piano
Ray Allison   Drums
Chuck Domanico   Bass
Jack Holder   Guitar
Joe Sublett   Sax (Tenor)
Lew Del Gatto   Sax (Baritone)
David Grissom   Guitar
David Z.   Percussion
Leon Pendarvis   Organ
Scott Holt   Guitar
Marty Grebb   Piano
Pete Wingfield   Piano
Richie Hayward   Drums
Neil Hubbard   Guitar

Technical Credits

Jon Tiven   Composer
J. Hiatt   Composer
Brian Sperber   Mixing
Muddy Waters   Composer
John Hiatt   Composer
John Lee Hooker   Composer
Mel London   Composer
Buddy Guy   Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Ron Badger   Composer
Roger Reale   Composer
Sir Mack Rice   Composer
Sheldon Feinberg   Composer
Eddie Kramer   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Eddie Boyd   Composer
Ed Cherney   Mixing
Don Robey   Composer
Denise LaSalle   Composer
David Z.   Engineer,Producer
Robert Geddins   Composer
Jonny Lang   Performer
Roosevelt Sykes   Composer
R. Geddins   Composer
Mike Krowiak   Mixing