Predictably, given the drug problems which preceded its release, Clapton's second solo album proper seems to come and go in an opium haze of its own making. Oddly though, it suits him. As the history of rock attests, if you're going to get into one hard drug then you may as well make it heroin. Whereas cocaine feeds the ego and destroys judgement, heroin sublimates it and allows the artist to regress into his music. Which pretty much describes where 461 Ocean Boulevard is at. Because tracks like "Steady Rollin' Man" and US chart topper "I Shot The Sheriff" sound like they have all the time in the world, they make light work of putting the listener in a similar frame of mind. Best of all though is "Let It Grow", for many the kind of tender, foetal balladry which finds Clapton at his most quintessential. Inevitably, he cleaned up his act and sporadically attained similar heights. But for sheer mood and sense of moment, 461 Ocean Boulevard remains his masterpiece. --Peter Paphides

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008
This is a wonderful album. It marked Clapton's sobriety following his heroin usage, and has a theme of redemption and rebirth running through it. Also, there's a strong taste of someone who has turned himself inside and out.

In places, this is passionate, elsewhere playful, and in many places you can hear a man asking himself what he has left. Fantastic stuff, strongly recommended.

Format, 02 Dec 2006
This CD is in DTS format only - not DVD Audio as suggested.Thers is a big difference. If you want true 24 bit stereo sound, then buy the SACD.

Fantastic In SACD Format!, 21 Jul 2005
After an absence due to personal problems, Clapton settled into the 461 Ocean Boulevard Florida estate to restart his career. It was a major turning point. His heady rock attitude was adapting to a mellower R & B with a tad more funkiness. "Motherless Children", ""Willie And The Hand Jive" and "Mainline Florida" brought out the best gut bouncing rhythm and blues yet. Jump-started with the Bob Marley single, "I Shot The Sheriff", Clapton gained back his old audience while bringing in new fans to the new blue-eyed soul in the USA. He included some nearly spiritual numbers as well. ""Please Be With Me" is a begging love ballad and "Let It Grow" culminates with the frenzy of a soaring synthesizer. Yvonne Elliman does a fantastic back-up job with her own sultry vocals and accentuates Clapton's soulful voice. The and this is the only format where you can get them. Still considered one of Clapton's best, you can't miss with this one, especially in SACD format!

Masterful Return Fom The Abyss, 18 May 2005
This is Eric Clapton's finest solo album. It is so consistently brilliant and melodic and heart-warming. It is an album which people return to time after time....and never find anything less than immensely uplifting. The opener 'Motherless Children' is a cover but Clapton somehow makes it his own with a great vocal and some truly wonderful slide guitar playing. Other highlights are almost too numerous to mention. 'Let It Grow' is perhaps the best Clapton ballad of all. Great melody, superbly positive lyric and of course that wonderful guitar. Only Eric Clapton can make the electric guitar sound so warm and welcoming as it does here. That does not mean it's Middle Of The Road. Far from it. These guitar lines are universal in their appeal. The same goes for 'Please be With Me' which is about as gorgeous a song as you could possibly imagine. 'Give Me Strength' is not far behind.
And then you have the inspired cover of Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Clapton reckoned it was not a patch on the original. Bob Marley himself reckoned otherwise.
Even the lesser tracks have incredible appeal. 'Willie And The Hand Jive' is a hilarious attempt at Reggae which again Marley would presumably (although I have no confirmation of this) would have found creditable indeed. 'I Can't Hold Out' is another cover which Clapton again makes his own. What a superbly perfect laid back band we hear on this album!
The bonus live material is quite revealing and for the most part very enjoyable. But the main joy here is the original album, a true renaissance of an artist who many thought at the time had beeen lost to the perils of heroin. Well he's certainly proved that wasn't the case in the years since, but no more so than on this majestic album.
Five Stars, no question.

Eric's best album, 04 Feb 2005
Eric was in various blues-rock groups, notably the Yardbirds and Cream, before embarking on a solo career, during which he recorded many excellent albums. This is one of the best, if not the best of the lot. It includes I shot the sheriff, a British top ten hit that topped the American charts, as well as many other outstanding songs.

The album features Yvonne Elliman (best known for her Saturday night fever hit, If I can't have you) on backing vocals. She provides great support for Eric on this album, especially on Let it grow, my favorite song here after I shot the sheriff (on which Yvonne also sings). Eric and Yvonne co-wrote Get ready and sing it as a duet.

The album opens with a traditional song, Motherless children, and closes with a song that Eric wrote about himself, Give me strength. Both of them are great songs, as are all the songs in between.

The musicians are in top form throughout on this classic blues-rock album. If you are a fan of classic rock music and haven't already got this album, what are you waiting for?

Guitar-slinging blues mama, erudite songwriter and social activist, Bonnie Raitt has become a veritable institution within American music over her three-decade plus career. This overdue Best of… features some of her greatest hits since she signed up with Capitol in 1989. The songs included date back to her seminal and profile-raising (not to mention multi-Grammy winning) album Nick of Time and through definitive moments from the other five albums she has released with the label.

Given Raitt's prolific nature and consistently solid output, it must have been a difficult task narrowing this collection down to just 18 songs, but ultimately it seems to flow well, illustrating that despite her increasingly mainstream status and sound, she has still written some kick-ass blues and rock & roll alongside the sugary ballads and saccharine pop hits. From the doo-wop flavour of "Something to Talk About", through torch songs ("I Can't Make You Love Me", "You", "Lover's Will"), raw blues numbers ("Love Sneaking Up on You", "Love Me Like a Man") and some booty-shaking rock & roll ("Rock Steady", "I Believe I'm in Love with You") this is a passionate and sensitive album, and a must for all Raitt fans. --Paul Sullivan

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008
This is a wonderful album. It marked Clapton's sobriety following his heroin usage, and has a theme of redemption and rebirth running through it. Also, there's a strong taste of someone who has turned himself inside and out.

In places, this is passionate, elsewhere playful, and in many places you can hear a man asking himself what he has left. Fantastic stuff, strongly recommended.

Format, 02 Dec 2006
This CD is in DTS format only - not DVD Audio as suggested.Thers is a big difference. If you want true 24 bit stereo sound, then buy the SACD.

Fantastic In SACD Format!, 21 Jul 2005
After an absence due to personal problems, Clapton settled into the 461 Ocean Boulevard Florida estate to restart his career. It was a major turning point. His heady rock attitude was adapting to a mellower R & B with a tad more funkiness. "Motherless Children", ""Willie And The Hand Jive" and "Mainline Florida" brought out the best gut bouncing rhythm and blues yet. Jump-started with the Bob Marley single, "I Shot The Sheriff", Clapton gained back his old audience while bringing in new fans to the new blue-eyed soul in the USA. He included some nearly spiritual numbers as well. ""Please Be With Me" is a begging love ballad and "Let It Grow" culminates with the frenzy of a soaring synthesizer. Yvonne Elliman does a fantastic back-up job with her own sultry vocals and accentuates Clapton's soulful voice. The and this is the only format where you can get them. Still considered one of Clapton's best, you can't miss with this one, especially in SACD format!

Masterful Return Fom The Abyss, 18 May 2005
This is Eric Clapton's finest solo album. It is so consistently brilliant and melodic and heart-warming. It is an album which people return to time after time....and never find anything less than immensely uplifting. The opener 'Motherless Children' is a cover but Clapton somehow makes it his own with a great vocal and some truly wonderful slide guitar playing. Other highlights are almost too numerous to mention. 'Let It Grow' is perhaps the best Clapton ballad of all. Great melody, superbly positive lyric and of course that wonderful guitar. Only Eric Clapton can make the electric guitar sound so warm and welcoming as it does here. That does not mean it's Middle Of The Road. Far from it. These guitar lines are universal in their appeal. The same goes for 'Please be With Me' which is about as gorgeous a song as you could possibly imagine. 'Give Me Strength' is not far behind.
And then you have the inspired cover of Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Clapton reckoned it was not a patch on the original. Bob Marley himself reckoned otherwise.
Even the lesser tracks have incredible appeal. 'Willie And The Hand Jive' is a hilarious attempt at Reggae which again Marley would presumably (although I have no confirmation of this) would have found creditable indeed. 'I Can't Hold Out' is another cover which Clapton again makes his own. What a superbly perfect laid back band we hear on this album!
The bonus live material is quite revealing and for the most part very enjoyable. But the main joy here is the original album, a true renaissance of an artist who many thought at the time had beeen lost to the perils of heroin. Well he's certainly proved that wasn't the case in the years since, but no more so than on this majestic album.
Five Stars, no question.

Eric's best album, 04 Feb 2005
Eric was in various blues-rock groups, notably the Yardbirds and Cream, before embarking on a solo career, during which he recorded many excellent albums. This is one of the best, if not the best of the lot. It includes I shot the sheriff, a British top ten hit that topped the American charts, as well as many other outstanding songs.

The album features Yvonne Elliman (best known for her Saturday night fever hit, If I can't have you) on backing vocals. She provides great support for Eric on this album, especially on Let it grow, my favorite song here after I shot the sheriff (on which Yvonne also sings). Eric and Yvonne co-wrote Get ready and sing it as a duet.

The album opens with a traditional song, Motherless children, and closes with a song that Eric wrote about himself, Give me strength. Both of them are great songs, as are all the songs in between.

The musicians are in top form throughout on this classic blues-rock album. If you are a fan of classic rock music and haven't already got this album, what are you waiting for?

Blown away, 16 Jan 2007

I bought this album on the strength on the one song i heard on the radio " I Cant Make You Love Me" and was suprised to find so many other gems on this album. I really didnt know alot about Bonnie Raitt but i am glad that i do now, she has a really sweet voice and the songs are just beautifull they really seem to hit me where i am at in my life at this present moment.

I would recommend her to anyone.

Bonnie's most successful recordings, 02 Jun 2005
During the seventies and eighties, Bonnie recorded many fine albums for Warner, building up a significant fan base without really hitting the big time. Eventually, Warner lost interest and Bonnie's contract was not renewed. She switched to Capitol in 1989 and recorded the album Nick of time, which won plenty of awards and sold better than any of her Warner albums.

This compilation covers Bonnie's music on Capitol from 1989 to 2003. Overall, the music is slicker than Bonnie's Warner recordings - not so much as to put off long-standing fans but enough to attract a lot of new fans. Thus, there is more pop and rock but less blues in these recordings, while there is little or no folk that was so significant in some of Bonnie's seventies albums. However, there are other influences, most notably the final track (Hear me Lord), a Zimbabwean song that retains some of its African flavor.

The album opens with three tracks from Nick of time, which are followed by three from Luck of the draw, three from Longing in their hearts, three from the live album Road tested, two from Fundamental and four from Silver lining. Among the highlights are Thing called love, Something to talk about, I can't make you love me, Rock steady (with Bryan Adams) and the aforementioned Hear me Lord.

This is a truly magnificent collection of Bonnie's music. I still favor her Warner recordings, for which there is also a compilation (Bonnie Raitt Collection). Buy both if you can afford to.

The talented Ms Raitt, 13 Jul 2003
This is a fantastic album. Bonnie Raitt seems to be little known over here, although she's well known and respected in the States. I first heard her on her Grammy-winning 'Nick of Time' album. This 'Best Of' album pulls together some fine songs.She has a voice that can pull off blues, rock, country, ballad and a pop-style.

The songs on this album are evocative, moving from tales of ageing and loneliness through finding love, losing love and accepting all that life throws at her. The stand-out track for me will always be the achingly beautiful but sad 'I Can't Make You Love Me' but I must confess to also loving the bluesy 'Love Me Like A Man' and the rock of 'Rock Steady' which sees her rocking with Bryan Adams. In fact, I could wax lyrical about the first 14 songs or so on this 18 track album.

If you've never heard Bonnie Raitt before, give this album a try. I sure you won't be disappointed.

She's SO under-rated!!, 12 Jul 2003
When Bonnie Raitt collected four Grammies for her 1989 multiplatinum breakthrough Nick of Time, it offered sweet justification for fans that had followed her through years of great recordings but plenty of hard luck in terms of commercial success. The Bonnie Raitt Collection shows why those fans were right all along. From the early blues-mama stylings of "Give It Up or Let Me Go" and "Love Me Like a Man" to the increased pop sophistication she brought to songs like her funky reworking of Del Shannon's "Runaway" and Bryan Adams's straight-ahead rocker "No Way to Treat a Lady", the set offers a worthwhile sampling of the decade and a half she spent recording for the Warner Bros. label. Of special note are a pair of live recordings; a previously unreleased version of "Women Be Wise", featuring one of Raitt's primary mentors, Sippie Wallace; and a duet with John Prine on "Angel from Montgomery" that first appeared on the Grammy-winning Tribute to Steve Goodman. If you only recently discovered Raitt, this collection will help you decide which of her earlier works to sample next.

5 star artist just pick your favorites....., 01 Jun 2003
Putting together a Best of by Bonnie Raitt after a
decade of excellent musical adventures (Capitol years 1989-2003)
and touring the British Isles and Scandanavian countries this summer, should
bring Bonnie more worldwide fans and more regonition. With so few slide guitar/blues based female rock/pop artist out there with musical taste shes shone all these years,
Bonnie Raitt stand alones in the music world and the material on this new collection prove why Bonnie deserves to be more popular in Europe. There is just so much excellent kick ass material
and heartfelt songs one after the other and this barely hits
on what made Bonnie such a loved artist well before these
recordings. Bonnie expanded her sound during the 90's thanks to the talents of people like Don Was and company and Bonnie's finally believing in what she can do in the studio. From first rate songs as
"Thing called Love" and "Something to talk about" to her classic "I can't make you love me" to the smokin blues of "Love sneaking up on you", "Love me like a man" and "I believe I'm in love w/you"
to the newer stuff "Spit of Love", a great Bonnie original, the beautiful "Silver Lining" the
finger popping R&B class of "Time of our Lives" and the
stylistic gems "I can't help you now" and "Hear me Lord" Bonnie
Raitt continues to expand her musical boundries and is a pure
talented dynamite in a prefab 15 min fame world. Looking forward
to Best of Bonnie Raitt Vol.2 years.

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008
This is a wonderful album. It marked Clapton's sobriety following his heroin usage, and has a theme of redemption and rebirth running through it. Also, there's a strong taste of someone who has turned himself inside and out.

In places, this is passionate, elsewhere playful, and in many places you can hear a man asking himself what he has left. Fantastic stuff, strongly recommended.

Format, 02 Dec 2006
This CD is in DTS format only - not DVD Audio as suggested.Thers is a big difference. If you want true 24 bit stereo sound, then buy the SACD.

Fantastic In SACD Format!, 21 Jul 2005
After an absence due to personal problems, Clapton settled into the 461 Ocean Boulevard Florida estate to restart his career. It was a major turning point. His heady rock attitude was adapting to a mellower R & B with a tad more funkiness. "Motherless Children", ""Willie And The Hand Jive" and "Mainline Florida" brought out the best gut bouncing rhythm and blues yet. Jump-started with the Bob Marley single, "I Shot The Sheriff", Clapton gained back his old audience while bringing in new fans to the new blue-eyed soul in the USA. He included some nearly spiritual numbers as well. ""Please Be With Me" is a begging love ballad and "Let It Grow" culminates with the frenzy of a soaring synthesizer. Yvonne Elliman does a fantastic back-up job with her own sultry vocals and accentuates Clapton's soulful voice. The and this is the only format where you can get them. Still considered one of Clapton's best, you can't miss with this one, especially in SACD format!

Masterful Return Fom The Abyss, 18 May 2005
This is Eric Clapton's finest solo album. It is so consistently brilliant and melodic and heart-warming. It is an album which people return to time after time....and never find anything less than immensely uplifting. The opener 'Motherless Children' is a cover but Clapton somehow makes it his own with a great vocal and some truly wonderful slide guitar playing. Other highlights are almost too numerous to mention. 'Let It Grow' is perhaps the best Clapton ballad of all. Great melody, superbly positive lyric and of course that wonderful guitar. Only Eric Clapton can make the electric guitar sound so warm and welcoming as it does here. That does not mean it's Middle Of The Road. Far from it. These guitar lines are universal in their appeal. The same goes for 'Please be With Me' which is about as gorgeous a song as you could possibly imagine. 'Give Me Strength' is not far behind.
And then you have the inspired cover of Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Clapton reckoned it was not a patch on the original. Bob Marley himself reckoned otherwise.
Even the lesser tracks have incredible appeal. 'Willie And The Hand Jive' is a hilarious attempt at Reggae which again Marley would presumably (although I have no confirmation of this) would have found creditable indeed. 'I Can't Hold Out' is another cover which Clapton again makes his own. What a superbly perfect laid back band we hear on this album!
The bonus live material is quite revealing and for the most part very enjoyable. But the main joy here is the original album, a true renaissance of an artist who many thought at the time had beeen lost to the perils of heroin. Well he's certainly proved that wasn't the case in the years since, but no more so than on this majestic album.
Five Stars, no question.

Eric's best album, 04 Feb 2005
Eric was in various blues-rock groups, notably the Yardbirds and Cream, before embarking on a solo career, during which he recorded many excellent albums. This is one of the best, if not the best of the lot. It includes I shot the sheriff, a British top ten hit that topped the American charts, as well as many other outstanding songs.

The album features Yvonne Elliman (best known for her Saturday night fever hit, If I can't have you) on backing vocals. She provides great support for Eric on this album, especially on Let it grow, my favorite song here after I shot the sheriff (on which Yvonne also sings). Eric and Yvonne co-wrote Get ready and sing it as a duet.

The album opens with a traditional song, Motherless children, and closes with a song that Eric wrote about himself, Give me strength. Both of them are great songs, as are all the songs in between.

The musicians are in top form throughout on this classic blues-rock album. If you are a fan of classic rock music and haven't already got this album, what are you waiting for?

Blown away, 16 Jan 2007

I bought this album on the strength on the one song i heard on the radio " I Cant Make You Love Me" and was suprised to find so many other gems on this album. I really didnt know alot about Bonnie Raitt but i am glad that i do now, she has a really sweet voice and the songs are just beautifull they really seem to hit me where i am at in my life at this present moment.

I would recommend her to anyone.

Bonnie's most successful recordings, 02 Jun 2005
During the seventies and eighties, Bonnie recorded many fine albums for Warner, building up a significant fan base without really hitting the big time. Eventually, Warner lost interest and Bonnie's contract was not renewed. She switched to Capitol in 1989 and recorded the album Nick of time, which won plenty of awards and sold better than any of her Warner albums.

This compilation covers Bonnie's music on Capitol from 1989 to 2003. Overall, the music is slicker than Bonnie's Warner recordings - not so much as to put off long-standing fans but enough to attract a lot of new fans. Thus, there is more pop and rock but less blues in these recordings, while there is little or no folk that was so significant in some of Bonnie's seventies albums. However, there are other influences, most notably the final track (Hear me Lord), a Zimbabwean song that retains some of its African flavor.

The album opens with three tracks from Nick of time, which are followed by three from Luck of the draw, three from Longing in their hearts, three from the live album Road tested, two from Fundamental and four from Silver lining. Among the highlights are Thing called love, Something to talk about, I can't make you love me, Rock steady (with Bryan Adams) and the aforementioned Hear me Lord.

This is a truly magnificent collection of Bonnie's music. I still favor her Warner recordings, for which there is also a compilation (Bonnie Raitt Collection). Buy both if you can afford to.

The talented Ms Raitt, 13 Jul 2003
This is a fantastic album. Bonnie Raitt seems to be little known over here, although she's well known and respected in the States. I first heard her on her Grammy-winning 'Nick of Time' album. This 'Best Of' album pulls together some fine songs.She has a voice that can pull off blues, rock, country, ballad and a pop-style.

The songs on this album are evocative, moving from tales of ageing and loneliness through finding love, losing love and accepting all that life throws at her. The stand-out track for me will always be the achingly beautiful but sad 'I Can't Make You Love Me' but I must confess to also loving the bluesy 'Love Me Like A Man' and the rock of 'Rock Steady' which sees her rocking with Bryan Adams. In fact, I could wax lyrical about the first 14 songs or so on this 18 track album.

If you've never heard Bonnie Raitt before, give this album a try. I sure you won't be disappointed.

She's SO under-rated!!, 12 Jul 2003
When Bonnie Raitt collected four Grammies for her 1989 multiplatinum breakthrough Nick of Time, it offered sweet justification for fans that had followed her through years of great recordings but plenty of hard luck in terms of commercial success. The Bonnie Raitt Collection shows why those fans were right all along. From the early blues-mama stylings of "Give It Up or Let Me Go" and "Love Me Like a Man" to the increased pop sophistication she brought to songs like her funky reworking of Del Shannon's "Runaway" and Bryan Adams's straight-ahead rocker "No Way to Treat a Lady", the set offers a worthwhile sampling of the decade and a half she spent recording for the Warner Bros. label. Of special note are a pair of live recordings; a previously unreleased version of "Women Be Wise", featuring one of Raitt's primary mentors, Sippie Wallace; and a duet with John Prine on "Angel from Montgomery" that first appeared on the Grammy-winning Tribute to Steve Goodman. If you only recently discovered Raitt, this collection will help you decide which of her earlier works to sample next.

5 star artist just pick your favorites....., 01 Jun 2003
Putting together a Best of by Bonnie Raitt after a
decade of excellent musical adventures (Capitol years 1989-2003)
and touring the British Isles and Scandanavian countries this summer, should
bring Bonnie more worldwide fans and more regonition. With so few slide guitar/blues based female rock/pop artist out there with musical taste shes shone all these years,
Bonnie Raitt stand alones in the music world and the material on this new collection prove why Bonnie deserves to be more popular in Europe. There is just so much excellent kick ass material
and heartfelt songs one after the other and this barely hits
on what made Bonnie such a loved artist well before these
recordings. Bonnie expanded her sound during the 90's thanks to the talents of people like Don Was and company and Bonnie's finally believing in what she can do in the studio. From first rate songs as
"Thing called Love" and "Something to talk about" to her classic "I can't make you love me" to the smokin blues of "Love sneaking up on you", "Love me like a man" and "I believe I'm in love w/you"
to the newer stuff "Spit of Love", a great Bonnie original, the beautiful "Silver Lining" the
finger popping R&B class of "Time of our Lives" and the
stylistic gems "I can't help you now" and "Hear me Lord" Bonnie
Raitt continues to expand her musical boundries and is a pure
talented dynamite in a prefab 15 min fame world. Looking forward
to Best of Bonnie Raitt Vol.2 years.

Thoroly Good!, 22 May 2008
I heard Bad to the Bone on the radio whilst driving in USA and just had to buy some George Thorogood. Hearing the song again for the first time years reminded me of George's fantastic set during Live Aid in 1986. When I put it on in the car I just wondered how I had got by all these years without owning this masterpiece. It's a great mix of rock a blues, like ZZTop with attitude! Buy it, enjoy it and play it loud!

6 Star Album......, 03 Oct 2007
Bought on a whim and boy am I glad I did. I had no idea that there was such a talent.
This album rocks from start to finish. I shall investigate these guys seriously.
Well worth buying if you like rocking blues.
Fabulous.


these destroyers are a great blues band, 02 Oct 2007
George Thorogood and the destroyers are my favorite blues rock band, and they are the best along with ZZ Top and Bad Company. I bought this cd 5 months ago, because i was interested in Bad to the Bone song, wow that song is great that has the funniest lyrics i have ever heard they make me laugh. It also remains as my favorite song by the Destroyers. George thorogood is also a big drinker too, he did some other of my favorites like One bourbon, one scotch, One beer , Move it on over, and I Drink Alone. especially one bourbon, one scotch, one beer is a 8 in a half minute long song that starts out with a story, it soon rocks as the solos kick in overrall an excellent track. Move it on over is blues at the finest! I really dont think that WHO DO YOU LOVE song is that great. BUT I DRINK ALONE is pretty good, another party song. anyways that is all i feel about commenting about it.

It passes the Madison Blues test!, 03 Jan 2007
I bought this album on a whim as I have a great interest is R&B (old meaning),Dr Feelgood and Wilko Johnson, Pirates etc, and heard some of the clips on the Amazon site. It is a truly great record and makes you drive much faster. My son also like the rocking sound. Whenever he tells me he has a new song that he thinks I would like I always ask him if it passes the Madison Blues test. Invariably he has to admit it that it does not!! Our favourite is "One bourbon, one whiskey, one beer" which is really a short story in rock form and it really does rock with clever guitar work in between the narrative. George is my new best friend>

Rock. That's all there is to say., 22 Mar 2006
Low-down and dirty guitar-driven blues from a master of the art. I defy you to put this on your car stereo and not break the speed limit, particularly with numbers like "Who Do You Love" and "Talk Too Much" on offer. And rev yourself up for a night out with the slinky, rawly sexual classic "Bad To The Bone".

Turn it up. Drink it up. Enjoy.

When this collection was first released, back in 1961, it soon became the bible of that decade's folk-blues revival, a set of songs which had scorched deep lines in the blues psyche, subsequently modified, electrified and boogie-fied. This reissue also includes a freshly exhumed alternative take of "Travelling Riverside Blues", as good an excuse as any to upgrade from old vinyl. The original album pulled together all of Johnson's classic songs, his ghost suddenly made corporeal for a generation that had only heard of the rare 78s via whispered rumour. "Cross Road Blues", "Terraplane Blues", "Hell Hound On My Trail": they're all tortured cries for help, Johnson most likely at the end of his teens when he recorded his only two sessions, first in 1936, then 37. He was a complete individual: these songs may well be fodder for countless cover versions, but few modern artists can hope to reproduce the originator's stylistic mannerisms. Johnson favoured uneven lines, unpredictable emphasis, strumming and plucking around an implied central melody. For the experienced listener, it's probably wise to invest in Complete Recordings, but as an introduction to Johnson's unique art, this disc has certainly stood the test of time. --Martin Longley

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008
This is a wonderful album. It marked Clapton's sobriety following his heroin usage, and has a theme of redemption and rebirth running through it. Also, there's a strong taste of someone who has turned himself inside and out.

In places, this is passionate, elsewhere playful, and in many places you can hear a man asking himself what he has left. Fantastic stuff, strongly recommended.

Format, 02 Dec 2006
This CD is in DTS format only - not DVD Audio as suggested.Thers is a big difference. If you want true 24 bit stereo sound, then buy the SACD.

Fantastic In SACD Format!, 21 Jul 2005
After an absence due to personal problems, Clapton settled into the 461 Ocean Boulevard Florida estate to restart his career. It was a major turning point. His heady rock attitude was adapting to a mellower R & B with a tad more funkiness. "Motherless Children", ""Willie And The Hand Jive" and "Mainline Florida" brought out the best gut bouncing rhythm and blues yet. Jump-started with the Bob Marley single, "I Shot The Sheriff", Clapton gained back his old audience while bringing in new fans to the new blue-eyed soul in the USA. He included some nearly spiritual numbers as well. ""Please Be With Me" is a begging love ballad and "Let It Grow" culminates with the frenzy of a soaring synthesizer. Yvonne Elliman does a fantastic back-up job with her own sultry vocals and accentuates Clapton's soulful voice. The and this is the only format where you can get them. Still considered one of Clapton's best, you can't miss with this one, especially in SACD format!

Masterful Return Fom The Abyss, 18 May 2005
This is Eric Clapton's finest solo album. It is so consistently brilliant and melodic and heart-warming. It is an album which people return to time after time....and never find anything less than immensely uplifting. The opener 'Motherless Children' is a cover but Clapton somehow makes it his own with a great vocal and some truly wonderful slide guitar playing. Other highlights are almost too numerous to mention. 'Let It Grow' is perhaps the best Clapton ballad of all. Great melody, superbly positive lyric and of course that wonderful guitar. Only Eric Clapton can make the electric guitar sound so warm and welcoming as it does here. That does not mean it's Middle Of The Road. Far from it. These guitar lines are universal in their appeal. The same goes for 'Please be With Me' which is about as gorgeous a song as you could possibly imagine. 'Give Me Strength' is not far behind.
And then you have the inspired cover of Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Clapton reckoned it was not a patch on the original. Bob Marley himself reckoned otherwise.
Even the lesser tracks have incredible appeal. 'Willie And The Hand Jive' is a hilarious attempt at Reggae which again Marley would presumably (although I have no confirmation of this) would have found creditable indeed. 'I Can't Hold Out' is another cover which Clapton again makes his own. What a superbly perfect laid back band we hear on this album!
The bonus live material is quite revealing and for the most part very enjoyable. But the main joy here is the original album, a true renaissance of an artist who many thought at the time had beeen lost to the perils of heroin. Well he's certainly proved that wasn't the case in the years since, but no more so than on this majestic album.
Five Stars, no question.

Eric's best album, 04 Feb 2005
Eric was in various blues-rock groups, notably the Yardbirds and Cream, before embarking on a solo career, during which he recorded many excellent albums. This is one of the best, if not the best of the lot. It includes I shot the sheriff, a British top ten hit that topped the American charts, as well as many other outstanding songs.

The album features Yvonne Elliman (best known for her Saturday night fever hit, If I can't have you) on backing vocals. She provides great support for Eric on this album, especially on Let it grow, my favorite song here after I shot the sheriff (on which Yvonne also sings). Eric and Yvonne co-wrote Get ready and sing it as a duet.

The album opens with a traditional song, Motherless children, and closes with a song that Eric wrote about himself, Give me strength. Both of them are great songs, as are all the songs in between.

The musicians are in top form throughout on this classic blues-rock album. If you are a fan of classic rock music and haven't already got this album, what are you waiting for?

Blown away, 16 Jan 2007

I bought this album on the strength on the one song i heard on the radio " I Cant Make You Love Me" and was suprised to find so many other gems on this album. I really didnt know alot about Bonnie Raitt but i am glad that i do now, she has a really sweet voice and the songs are just beautifull they really seem to hit me where i am at in my life at this present moment.

I would recommend her to anyone.

Bonnie's most successful recordings, 02 Jun 2005
During the seventies and eighties, Bonnie recorded many fine albums for Warner, building up a significant fan base without really hitting the big time. Eventually, Warner lost interest and Bonnie's contract was not renewed. She switched to Capitol in 1989 and recorded the album Nick of time, which won plenty of awards and sold better than any of her Warner albums.

This compilation covers Bonnie's music on Capitol from 1989 to 2003. Overall, the music is slicker than Bonnie's Warner recordings - not so much as to put off long-standing fans but enough to attract a lot of new fans. Thus, there is more pop and rock but less blues in these recordings, while there is little or no folk that was so significant in some of Bonnie's seventies albums. However, there are other influences, most notably the final track (Hear me Lord), a Zimbabwean song that retains some of its African flavor.

The album opens with three tracks from Nick of time, which are followed by three from Luck of the draw, three from Longing in their hearts, three from the live album Road tested, two from Fundamental and four from Silver lining. Among the highlights are Thing called love, Something to talk about, I can't make you love me, Rock steady (with Bryan Adams) and the aforementioned Hear me Lord.

This is a truly magnificent collection of Bonnie's music. I still favor her Warner recordings, for which there is also a compilation (Bonnie Raitt Collection). Buy both if you can afford to.

The talented Ms Raitt, 13 Jul 2003
This is a fantastic album. Bonnie Raitt seems to be little known over here, although she's well known and respected in the States. I first heard her on her Grammy-winning 'Nick of Time' album. This 'Best Of' album pulls together some fine songs.She has a voice that can pull off blues, rock, country, ballad and a pop-style.

The songs on this album are evocative, moving from tales of ageing and loneliness through finding love, losing love and accepting all that life throws at her. The stand-out track for me will always be the achingly beautiful but sad 'I Can't Make You Love Me' but I must confess to also loving the bluesy 'Love Me Like A Man' and the rock of 'Rock Steady' which sees her rocking with Bryan Adams. In fact, I could wax lyrical about the first 14 songs or so on this 18 track album.

If you've never heard Bonnie Raitt before, give this album a try. I sure you won't be disappointed.

She's SO under-rated!!, 12 Jul 2003
When Bonnie Raitt collected four Grammies for her 1989 multiplatinum breakthrough Nick of Time, it offered sweet justification for fans that had followed her through years of great recordings but plenty of hard luck in terms of commercial success. The Bonnie Raitt Collection shows why those fans were right all along. From the early blues-mama stylings of "Give It Up or Let Me Go" and "Love Me Like a Man" to the increased pop sophistication she brought to songs like her funky reworking of Del Shannon's "Runaway" and Bryan Adams's straight-ahead rocker "No Way to Treat a Lady", the set offers a worthwhile sampling of the decade and a half she spent recording for the Warner Bros. label. Of special note are a pair of live recordings; a previously unreleased version of "Women Be Wise", featuring one of Raitt's primary mentors, Sippie Wallace; and a duet with John Prine on "Angel from Montgomery" that first appeared on the Grammy-winning Tribute to Steve Goodman. If you only recently discovered Raitt, this collection will help you decide which of her earlier works to sample next.

5 star artist just pick your favorites....., 01 Jun 2003
Putting together a Best of by Bonnie Raitt after a
decade of excellent musical adventures (Capitol years 1989-2003)
and touring the British Isles and Scandanavian countries this summer, should
bring Bonnie more worldwide fans and more regonition. With so few slide guitar/blues based female rock/pop artist out there with musical taste shes shone all these years,
Bonnie Raitt stand alones in the music world and the material on this new collection prove why Bonnie deserves to be more popular in Europe. There is just so much excellent kick ass material
and heartfelt songs one after the other and this barely hits
on what made Bonnie such a loved artist well before these
recordings. Bonnie expanded her sound during the 90's thanks to the talents of people like Don Was and company and Bonnie's finally believing in what she can do in the studio. From first rate songs as
"Thing called Love" and "Something to talk about" to her classic "I can't make you love me" to the smokin blues of "Love sneaking up on you", "Love me like a man" and "I believe I'm in love w/you"
to the newer stuff "Spit of Love", a great Bonnie original, the beautiful "Silver Lining" the
finger popping R&B class of "Time of our Lives" and the
stylistic gems "I can't help you now" and "Hear me Lord" Bonnie
Raitt continues to expand her musical boundries and is a pure
talented dynamite in a prefab 15 min fame world. Looking forward
to Best of Bonnie Raitt Vol.2 years.

Thoroly Good!, 22 May 2008
I heard Bad to the Bone on the radio whilst driving in USA and just had to buy some George Thorogood. Hearing the song again for the first time years reminded me of George's fantastic set during Live Aid in 1986. When I put it on in the car I just wondered how I had got by all these years without owning this masterpiece. It's a great mix of rock a blues, like ZZTop with attitude! Buy it, enjoy it and play it loud!

6 Star Album......, 03 Oct 2007
Bought on a whim and boy am I glad I did. I had no idea that there was such a talent.
This album rocks from start to finish. I shall investigate these guys seriously.
Well worth buying if you like rocking blues.
Fabulous.


these destroyers are a great blues band, 02 Oct 2007
George Thorogood and the destroyers are my favorite blues rock band, and they are the best along with ZZ Top and Bad Company. I bought this cd 5 months ago, because i was interested in Bad to the Bone song, wow that song is great that has the funniest lyrics i have ever heard they make me laugh. It also remains as my favorite song by the Destroyers. George thorogood is also a big drinker too, he did some other of my favorites like One bourbon, one scotch, One beer , Move it on over, and I Drink Alone. especially one bourbon, one scotch, one beer is a 8 in a half minute long song that starts out with a story, it soon rocks as the solos kick in overrall an excellent track. Move it on over is blues at the finest! I really dont think that WHO DO YOU LOVE song is that great. BUT I DRINK ALONE is pretty good, another party song. anyways that is all i feel about commenting about it.

It passes the Madison Blues test!, 03 Jan 2007
I bought this album on a whim as I have a great interest is R&B (old meaning),Dr Feelgood and Wilko Johnson, Pirates etc, and heard some of the clips on the Amazon site. It is a truly great record and makes you drive much faster. My son also like the rocking sound. Whenever he tells me he has a new song that he thinks I would like I always ask him if it passes the Madison Blues test. Invariably he has to admit it that it does not!! Our favourite is "One bourbon, one whiskey, one beer" which is really a short story in rock form and it really does rock with clever guitar work in between the narrative. George is my new best friend>

Rock. That's all there is to say., 22 Mar 2006
Low-down and dirty guitar-driven blues from a master of the art. I defy you to put this on your car stereo and not break the speed limit, particularly with numbers like "Who Do You Love" and "Talk Too Much" on offer. And rev yourself up for a night out with the slinky, rawly sexual classic "Bad To The Bone".

Turn it up. Drink it up. Enjoy.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

If this is your first exposure to Eric Clapton, a bit of bewilderment would be in order. This is the legendary guitar icon. This is (as his early apostles once proclaimed) God. Ranging from the mid-80s through to the late 90s, The Clapton Chronicles owes less to the groundbreaking blues-rock of Clapton's 60s and 70s classics than to the polished-to-a-glare pop of Phil Collins, who produced one of the tracks included in this 14-song anthology. His reinterpretation of his greatest recording--the once-gripping, now-placid "Layla"--perhaps best illustrates Clapton at middle-age: Who wants to bask in his darkest period? Not Clapton, who converts his surging, purging charge into a soothing stroll. And perhaps not fans of such docile MOR fare as "My Father's Eyes", "Tears in Heaven" and the two new tracks, "Blue Eyes Blue" and "Get Lost". --Steven Stolder

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008
This is a wonderful album. It marked Clapton's sobriety following his heroin usage, and has a theme of redemption and rebirth running through it. Also, there's a strong taste of someone who has turned himself inside and out.

In places, this is passionate, elsewhere playful, and in many places you can hear a man asking himself what he has left. Fantastic stuff, strongly recommended.

Format, 02 Dec 2006
This CD is in DTS format only - not DVD Audio as suggested.Thers is a big difference. If you want true 24 bit stereo sound, then buy the SACD.

Fantastic In SACD Format!, 21 Jul 2005
After an absence due to personal problems, Clapton settled into the 461 Ocean Boulevard Florida estate to restart his career. It was a major turning point. His heady rock attitude was adapting to a mellower R & B with a tad more funkiness. "Motherless Children", ""Willie And The Hand Jive" and "Mainline Florida" brought out the best gut bouncing rhythm and blues yet. Jump-started with the Bob Marley single, "I Shot The Sheriff", Clapton gained back his old audience while bringing in new fans to the new blue-eyed soul in the USA. He included some nearly spiritual numbers as well. ""Please Be With Me" is a begging love ballad and "Let It Grow" culminates with the frenzy of a soaring synthesizer. Yvonne Elliman does a fantastic back-up job with her own sultry vocals and accentuates Clapton's soulful voice. The and this is the only format where you can get them. Still considered one of Clapton's best, you can't miss with this one, especially in SACD format!

Masterful Return Fom The Abyss, 18 May 2005
This is Eric Clapton's finest solo album. It is so consistently brilliant and melodic and heart-warming. It is an album which people return to time after time....and never find anything less than immensely uplifting. The opener 'Motherless Children' is a cover but Clapton somehow makes it his own with a great vocal and some truly wonderful slide guitar playing. Other highlights are almost too numerous to mention. 'Let It Grow' is perhaps the best Clapton ballad of all. Great melody, superbly positive lyric and of course that wonderful guitar. Only Eric Clapton can make the electric guitar sound so warm and welcoming as it does here. That does not mean it's Middle Of The Road. Far from it. These guitar lines are universal in their appeal. The same goes for 'Please be With Me' which is about as gorgeous a song as you could possibly imagine. 'Give Me Strength' is not far behind.
And then you have the inspired cover of Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Clapton reckoned it was not a patch on the original. Bob Marley himself reckoned otherwise.
Even the lesser tracks have incredible appeal. 'Willie And The Hand Jive' is a hilarious attempt at Reggae which again Marley would presumably (although I have no confirmation of this) would have found creditable indeed. 'I Can't Hold Out' is another cover which Clapton again makes his own. What a superbly perfect laid back band we hear on this album!
The bonus live material is quite revealing and for the most part very enjoyable. But the main joy here is the original album, a true renaissance of an artist who many thought at the time had beeen lost to the perils of heroin. Well he's certainly proved that wasn't the case in the years since, but no more so than on this majestic album.
Five Stars, no question.

Eric's best album, 04 Feb 2005
Eric was in various blues-rock groups, notably the Yardbirds and Cream, before embarking on a solo career, during which he recorded many excellent albums. This is one of the best, if not the best of the lot. It includes I shot the sheriff, a British top ten hit that topped the American charts, as well as many other outstanding songs.

The album features Yvonne Elliman (best known for her Saturday night fever hit, If I can't have you) on backing vocals. She provides great support for Eric on this album, especially on Let it grow, my favorite song here after I shot the sheriff (on which Yvonne also sings). Eric and Yvonne co-wrote Get ready and sing it as a duet.

The album opens with a traditional song, Motherless children, and closes with a song that Eric wrote about himself, Give me strength. Both of them are great songs, as are all the songs in between.

The musicians are in top form throughout on this classic blues-rock album. If you are a fan of classic rock music and haven't already got this album, what are you waiting for?

Blown away, 16 Jan 2007

I bought this album on the strength on the one song i heard on the radio " I Cant Make You Love Me" and was suprised to find so many other gems on this album. I really didnt know alot about Bonnie Raitt but i am glad that i do now, she has a really sweet voice and the songs are just beautifull they really seem to hit me where i am at in my life at this present moment.

I would recommend her to anyone.

Bonnie's most successful recordings, 02 Jun 2005
During the seventies and eighties, Bonnie recorded many fine albums for Warner, building up a significant fan base without really hitting the big time. Eventually, Warner lost interest and Bonnie's contract was not renewed. She switched to Capitol in 1989 and recorded the album Nick of time, which won plenty of awards and sold better than any of her Warner albums.

This compilation covers Bonnie's music on Capitol from 1989 to 2003. Overall, the music is slicker than Bonnie's Warner recordings - not so much as to put off long-standing fans but enough to attract a lot of new fans. Thus, there is more pop and rock but less blues in these recordings, while there is little or no folk that was so significant in some of Bonnie's seventies albums. However, there are other influences, most notably the final track (Hear me Lord), a Zimbabwean song that retains some of its African flavor.

The album opens with three tracks from Nick of time, which are followed by three from Luck of the draw, three from Longing in their hearts, three from the live album Road tested, two from Fundamental and four from Silver lining. Among the highlights are Thing called love, Something to talk about, I can't make you love me, Rock steady (with Bryan Adams) and the aforementioned Hear me Lord.

This is a truly magnificent collection of Bonnie's music. I still favor her Warner recordings, for which there is also a compilation (Bonnie Raitt Collection). Buy both if you can afford to.

The talented Ms Raitt, 13 Jul 2003
This is a fantastic album. Bonnie Raitt seems to be little known over here, although she's well known and respected in the States. I first heard her on her Grammy-winning 'Nick of Time' album. This 'Best Of' album pulls together some fine songs.She has a voice that can pull off blues, rock, country, ballad and a pop-style.

The songs on this album are evocative, moving from tales of ageing and loneliness through finding love, losing love and accepting all that life throws at her. The stand-out track for me will always be the achingly beautiful but sad 'I Can't Make You Love Me' but I must confess to also loving the bluesy 'Love Me Like A Man' and the rock of 'Rock Steady' which sees her rocking with Bryan Adams. In fact, I could wax lyrical about the first 14 songs or so on this 18 track album.

If you've never heard Bonnie Raitt before, give this album a try. I sure you won't be disappointed.

She's SO under-rated!!, 12 Jul 2003
When Bonnie Raitt collected four Grammies for her 1989 multiplatinum breakthrough Nick of Time, it offered sweet justification for fans that had followed her through years of great recordings but plenty of hard luck in terms of commercial success. The Bonnie Raitt Collection shows why those fans were right all along. From the early blues-mama stylings of "Give It Up or Let Me Go" and "Love Me Like a Man" to the increased pop sophistication she brought to songs like her funky reworking of Del Shannon's "Runaway" and Bryan Adams's straight-ahead rocker "No Way to Treat a Lady", the set offers a worthwhile sampling of the decade and a half she spent recording for the Warner Bros. label. Of special note are a pair of live recordings; a previously unreleased version of "Women Be Wise", featuring one of Raitt's primary mentors, Sippie Wallace; and a duet with John Prine on "Angel from Montgomery" that first appeared on the Grammy-winning Tribute to Steve Goodman. If you only recently discovered Raitt, this collection will help you decide which of her earlier works to sample next.

5 star artist just pick your favorites....., 01 Jun 2003
Putting together a Best of by Bonnie Raitt after a
decade of excellent musical adventures (Capitol years 1989-2003)
and touring the British Isles and Scandanavian countries this summer, should
bring Bonnie more worldwide fans and more regonition. With so few slide guitar/blues based female rock/pop artist out there with musical taste shes shone all these years,
Bonnie Raitt stand alones in the music world and the material on this new collection prove why Bonnie deserves to be more popular in Europe. There is just so much excellent kick ass material
and heartfelt songs one after the other and this barely hits
on what made Bonnie such a loved artist well before these
recordings. Bonnie expanded her sound during the 90's thanks to the talents of people like Don Was and company and Bonnie's finally believing in what she can do in the studio. From first rate songs as
"Thing called Love" and "Something to talk about" to her classic "I can't make you love me" to the smokin blues of "Love sneaking up on you", "Love me like a man" and "I believe I'm in love w/you"
to the newer stuff "Spit of Love", a great Bonnie original, the beautiful "Silver Lining" the
finger popping R&B class of "Time of our Lives" and the
stylistic gems "I can't help you now" and "Hear me Lord" Bonnie
Raitt continues to expand her musical boundries and is a pure
talented dynamite in a prefab 15 min fame world. Looking forward
to Best of Bonnie Raitt Vol.2 years.

Thoroly Good!, 22 May 2008
I heard Bad to the Bone on the radio whilst driving in USA and just had to buy some George Thorogood. Hearing the song again for the first time years reminded me of George's fantastic set during Live Aid in 1986. When I put it on in the car I just wondered how I had got by all these years without owning this masterpiece. It's a great mix of rock a blues, like ZZTop with attitude! Buy it, enjoy it and play it loud!

6 Star Album......, 03 Oct 2007
Bought on a whim and boy am I glad I did. I had no idea that there was such a talent.
This album rocks from start to finish. I shall investigate these guys seriously.
Well worth buying if you like rocking blues.
Fabulous.


these destroyers are a great blues band, 02 Oct 2007
George Thorogood and the destroyers are my favorite blues rock band, and they are the best along with ZZ Top and Bad Company. I bought this cd 5 months ago, because i was interested in Bad to the Bone song, wow that song is great that has the funniest lyrics i have ever heard they make me laugh. It also remains as my favorite song by the Destroyers. George thorogood is also a big drinker too, he did some other of my favorites like One bourbon, one scotch, One beer , Move it on over, and I Drink Alone. especially one bourbon, one scotch, one beer is a 8 in a half minute long song that starts out with a story, it soon rocks as the solos kick in overrall an excellent track. Move it on over is blues at the finest! I really dont think that WHO DO YOU LOVE song is that great. BUT I DRINK ALONE is pretty good, another party song. anyways that is all i feel about commenting about it.

It passes the Madison Blues test!, 03 Jan 2007
I bought this album on a whim as I have a great interest is R&B (old meaning),Dr Feelgood and Wilko Johnson, Pirates etc, and heard some of the clips on the Amazon site. It is a truly great record and makes you drive much faster. My son also like the rocking sound. Whenever he tells me he has a new song that he thinks I would like I always ask him if it passes the Madison Blues test. Invariably he has to admit it that it does not!! Our favourite is "One bourbon, one whiskey, one beer" which is really a short story in rock form and it really does rock with clever guitar work in between the narrative. George is my new best friend>

Rock. That's all there is to say., 22 Mar 2006
Low-down and dirty guitar-driven blues from a master of the art. I defy you to put this on your car stereo and not break the speed limit, particularly with numbers like "Who Do You Love" and "Talk Too Much" on offer. And rev yourself up for a night out with the slinky, rawly sexual classic "Bad To The Bone".

Turn it up. Drink it up. Enjoy.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

Not so much soft as flaccid, 11 Jun 2006
If this was the best of Clapton then there would be none of his albums in my collection. No surprise to see Phil Collins was involved, this is Clapton sans fire, sans soul, sans almost everything. Despite his inconsistent output he has produced some magical albums from Mayall onwards, be picky there are much much better albums than this MOR, corporate moneygrabber.


Slower Hand, 06 May 2006
This is a fairly tired album from the blues master; the songs are mush and a bit depressing; hope he never returns to the same ways again

Mature Clapton at his best, 09 Aug 2001
For anyone who enjoys this type of soft....hard rock/blues this must be one of the best Albums ever, especially the unplugged/live version of Layla. The rest of the tracks are just great. One addition could have been an unpugged version of Lay Down Sally

Eric Clapton has slowed down., 15 Nov 2000
Once a master of blues guitar rock, in the last twenty years Eric Clapton has turned his talents to pop-rock. Chronicles is the definitive introduction to pop-rock Clapton. It is an excellent introduction to Clapton's recent music. The guitar playing is all over the album and is good but not the dazzling stuff of his early years that became the stuff of legend. Highlights of this CD include the beautiful, acoustically based Tears in Heaven, the live, acoustic reworking of Layla and the live version of Wonderful Tonight. Those listeners who want to know why Clapton is regarded as a guitar legend and would like to hear his work before he became Chris De Burgh's older brother of this CD, should buy Derek and the Dominoes' Layla.

Definitely 'the best of Clapton', 18 Oct 2000
It was a real pleasure to aquire and listen to one of contemporary musics most captivating lyricist, singer/guitarists. From the emotive 'tears in heaven' to the energetic, in your face style of 'its in the way that you use it', Clapton never ceases to disapoint. A combination of good ol' fashioned rock and roll mixed with solefull R & B makes the the Clapton Chronicles a must. Mind you, the chronicles also highlight Claptons mastery as a experienced, insightful story teller. The minidisk version is clean and crisp and truely does justice to this superb artist!

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008
This is a wonderful album. It marked Clapton's sobriety following his heroin usage, and has a theme of redemption and rebirth running through it. Also, there's a strong taste of someone who has turned himself inside and out.

In places, this is passionate, elsewhere playful, and in many places you can hear a man asking himself what he has left. Fantastic stuff, strongly recommended.

Format, 02 Dec 2006
This CD is in DTS format only - not DVD Audio as suggested.Thers is a big difference. If you want true 24 bit stereo sound, then buy the SACD.

Fantastic In SACD Format!, 21 Jul 2005
After an absence due to personal problems, Clapton settled into the 461 Ocean Boulevard Florida estate to restart his career. It was a major turning point. His heady rock attitude was adapting to a mellower R & B with a tad more funkiness. "Motherless Children", ""Willie And The Hand Jive" and "Mainline Florida" brought out the best gut bouncing rhythm and blues yet. Jump-started with the Bob Marley single, "I Shot The Sheriff", Clapton gained back his old audience while bringing in new fans to the new blue-eyed soul in the USA. He included some nearly spiritual numbers as well. ""Please Be With Me" is a begging love ballad and "Let It Grow" culminates with the frenzy of a soaring synthesizer. Yvonne Elliman does a fantastic back-up job with her own sultry vocals and accentuates Clapton's soulful voice. The and this is the only format where you can get them. Still considered one of Clapton's best, you can't miss with this one, especially in SACD format!

Masterful Return Fom The Abyss, 18 May 2005
This is Eric Clapton's finest solo album. It is so consistently brilliant and melodic and heart-warming. It is an album which people return to time after time....and never find anything less than immensely uplifting. The opener 'Motherless Children' is a cover but Clapton somehow makes it his own with a great vocal and some truly wonderful slide guitar playing. Other highlights are almost too numerous to mention. 'Let It Grow' is perhaps the best Clapton ballad of all. Great melody, superbly positive lyric and of course that wonderful guitar. Only Eric Clapton can make the electric guitar sound so warm and welcoming as it does here. That does not mean it's Middle Of The Road. Far from it. These guitar lines are universal in their appeal. The same goes for 'Please be With Me' which is about as gorgeous a song as you could possibly imagine. 'Give Me Strength' is not far behind.
And then you have the inspired cover of Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Clapton reckoned it was not a patch on the original. Bob Marley himself reckoned otherwise.
Even the lesser tracks have incredible appeal. 'Willie And The Hand Jive' is a hilarious attempt at Reggae which again Marley would presumably (although I have no confirmation of this) would have found creditable indeed. 'I Can't Hold Out' is another cover which Clapton again makes his own. What a superbly perfect laid back band we hear on this album!
The bonus live material is quite revealing and for the most part very enjoyable. But the main joy here is the original album, a true renaissance of an artist who many thought at the time had beeen lost to the perils of heroin. Well he's certainly proved that wasn't the case in the years since, but no more so than on this majestic album.
Five Stars, no question.

Eric's best album, 04 Feb 2005
Eric was in various blues-rock groups, notably the Yardbirds and Cream, before embarking on a solo career, during which he recorded many excellent albums. This is one of the best, if not the best of the lot. It includes I shot the sheriff, a British top ten hit that topped the American charts, as well as many other outstanding songs.

The album features Yvonne Elliman (best known for her Saturday night fever hit, If I can't have you) on backing vocals. She provides great support for Eric on this album, especially on Let it grow, my favorite song here after I shot the sheriff (on which Yvonne also sings). Eric and Yvonne co-wrote Get ready and sing it as a duet.

The album opens with a traditional song, Motherless children, and closes with a song that Eric wrote about himself, Give me strength. Both of them are great songs, as are all the songs in between.

The musicians are in top form throughout on this classic blues-rock album. If you are a fan of classic rock music and haven't already got this album, what are you waiting for?

Blown away, 16 Jan 2007

I bought this album on the strength on the one song i heard on the radio " I Cant Make You Love Me" and was suprised to find so many other gems on this album. I really didnt know alot about Bonnie Raitt but i am glad that i do now, she has a really sweet voice and the songs are just beautifull they really seem to hit me where i am at in my life at this present moment.

I would recommend her to anyone.

Bonnie's most successful recordings, 02 Jun 2005
During the seventies and eighties, Bonnie recorded many fine albums for Warner, building up a significant fan base without really hitting the big time. Eventually, Warner lost interest and Bonnie's contract was not renewed. She switched to Capitol in 1989 and recorded the album Nick of time, which won plenty of awards and sold better than any of her Warner albums.

This compilation covers Bonnie's music on Capitol from 1989 to 2003. Overall, the music is slicker than Bonnie's Warner recordings - not so much as to put off long-standing fans but enough to attract a lot of new fans. Thus, there is more pop and rock but less blues in these recordings, while there is little or no folk that was so significant in some of Bonnie's seventies albums. However, there are other influences, most notably the final track (Hear me Lord), a Zimbabwean song that retains some of its African flavor.

The album opens with three tracks from Nick of time, which are followed by three from Luck of the draw, three from Longing in their hearts, three from the live album Road tested, two from Fundamental and four from Silver lining. Among the highlights are Thing called love, Something to talk about, I can't make you love me, Rock steady (with Bryan Adams) and the aforementioned Hear me Lord.

This is a truly magnificent collection of Bonnie's music. I still favor her Warner recordings, for which there is also a compilation (Bonnie Raitt Collection). Buy both if you can afford to.

The talented Ms Raitt, 13 Jul 2003
This is a fantastic album. Bonnie Raitt seems to be little known over here, although she's well known and respected in the States. I first heard her on her Grammy-winning 'Nick of Time' album. This 'Best Of' album pulls together some fine songs.She has a voice that can pull off blues, rock, country, ballad and a pop-style.

The songs on this album are evocative, moving from tales of ageing and loneliness through finding love, losing love and accepting all that life throws at her. The stand-out track for me will always be the achingly beautiful but sad 'I Can't Make You Love Me' but I must confess to also loving the bluesy 'Love Me Like A Man' and the rock of 'Rock Steady' which sees her rocking with Bryan Adams. In fact, I could wax lyrical about the first 14 songs or so on this 18 track album.

If you've never heard Bonnie Raitt before, give this album a try. I sure you won't be disappointed.

She's SO under-rated!!, 12 Jul 2003
When Bonnie Raitt collected four Grammies for her 1989 multiplatinum breakthrough Nick of Time, it offered sweet justification for fans that had followed her through years of great recordings but plenty of hard luck in terms of commercial success. The Bonnie Raitt Collection shows why those fans were right all along. From the early blues-mama stylings of "Give It Up or Let Me Go" and "Love Me Like a Man" to the increased pop sophistication she brought to songs like her funky reworking of Del Shannon's "Runaway" and Bryan Adams's straight-ahead rocker "No Way to Treat a Lady", the set offers a worthwhile sampling of the decade and a half she spent recording for the Warner Bros. label. Of special note are a pair of live recordings; a previously unreleased version of "Women Be Wise", featuring one of Raitt's primary mentors, Sippie Wallace; and a duet with John Prine on "Angel from Montgomery" that first appeared on the Grammy-winning Tribute to Steve Goodman. If you only recently discovered Raitt, this collection will help you decide which of her earlier works to sample next.

5 star artist just pick your favorites....., 01 Jun 2003
Putting together a Best of by Bonnie Raitt after a
decade of excellent musical adventures (Capitol years 1989-2003)
and touring the British Isles and Scandanavian countries this summer, should
bring Bonnie more worldwide fans and more regonition. With so few slide guitar/blues based female rock/pop artist out there with musical taste shes shone all these years,
Bonnie Raitt stand alones in the music world and the material on this new collection prove why Bonnie deserves to be more popular in Europe. There is just so much excellent kick ass material
and heartfelt songs one after the other and this barely hits
on what made Bonnie such a loved artist well before these
recordings. Bonnie expanded her sound during the 90's thanks to the talents of people like Don Was and company and Bonnie's finally believing in what she can do in the studio. From first rate songs as
"Thing called Love" and "Something to talk about" to her classic "I can't make you love me" to the smokin blues of "Love sneaking up on you", "Love me like a man" and "I believe I'm in love w/you"
to the newer stuff "Spit of Love", a great Bonnie original, the beautiful "Silver Lining" the
finger popping R&B class of "Time of our Lives" and the
stylistic gems "I can't help you now" and "Hear me Lord" Bonnie
Raitt continues to expand her musical boundries and is a pure
talented dynamite in a prefab 15 min fame world. Looking forward
to Best of Bonnie Raitt Vol.2 years.

Thoroly Good!, 22 May 2008
I heard Bad to the Bone on the radio whilst driving in USA and just had to buy some George Thorogood. Hearing the song again for the first time years reminded me of George's fantastic set during Live Aid in 1986. When I put it on in the car I just wondered how I had got by all these years without owning this masterpiece. It's a great mix of rock a blues, like ZZTop with attitude! Buy it, enjoy it and play it loud!

6 Star Album......, 03 Oct 2007
Bought on a whim and boy am I glad I did. I had no idea that there was such a talent.
This album rocks from start to finish. I shall investigate these guys seriously.
Well worth buying if you like rocking blues.
Fabulous.


these destroyers are a great blues band, 02 Oct 2007
George Thorogood and the destroyers are my favorite blues rock band, and they are the best along with ZZ Top and Bad Company. I bought this cd 5 months ago, because i was interested in Bad to the Bone song, wow that song is great that has the funniest lyrics i have ever heard they make me laugh. It also remains as my favorite song by the Destroyers. George thorogood is also a big drinker too, he did some other of my favorites like One bourbon, one scotch, One beer , Move it on over, and I Drink Alone. especially one bourbon, one scotch, one beer is a 8 in a half minute long song that starts out with a story, it soon rocks as the solos kick in overrall an excellent track. Move it on over is blues at the finest! I really dont think that WHO DO YOU LOVE song is that great. BUT I DRINK ALONE is pretty good, another party song. anyways that is all i feel about commenting about it.

It passes the Madison Blues test!, 03 Jan 2007
I bought this album on a whim as I have a great interest is R&B (old meaning),Dr Feelgood and Wilko Johnson, Pirates etc, and heard some of the clips on the Amazon site. It is a truly great record and makes you drive much faster. My son also like the rocking sound. Whenever he tells me he has a new song that he thinks I would like I always ask him if it passes the Madison Blues test. Invariably he has to admit it that it does not!! Our favourite is "One bourbon, one whiskey, one beer" which is really a short story in rock form and it really does rock with clever guitar work in between the narrative. George is my new best friend>

Rock. That's all there is to say., 22 Mar 2006
Low-down and dirty guitar-driven blues from a master of the art. I defy you to put this on your car stereo and not break the speed limit, particularly with numbers like "Who Do You Love" and "Talk Too Much" on offer. And rev yourself up for a night out with the slinky, rawly sexual classic "Bad To The Bone".

Turn it up. Drink it up. Enjoy.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

Not so much soft as flaccid, 11 Jun 2006
If this was the best of Clapton then there would be none of his albums in my collection. No surprise to see Phil Collins was involved, this is Clapton sans fire, sans soul, sans almost everything. Despite his inconsistent output he has produced some magical albums from Mayall onwards, be picky there are much much better albums than this MOR, corporate moneygrabber.


Slower Hand, 06 May 2006
This is a fairly tired album from the blues master; the songs are mush and a bit depressing; hope he never returns to the same ways again

Mature Clapton at his best, 09 Aug 2001
For anyone who enjoys this type of soft....hard rock/blues this must be one of the best Albums ever, especially the unplugged/live version of Layla. The rest of the tracks are just great. One addition could have been an unpugged version of Lay Down Sally

Eric Clapton has slowed down., 15 Nov 2000
Once a master of blues guitar rock, in the last twenty years Eric Clapton has turned his talents to pop-rock. Chronicles is the definitive introduction to pop-rock Clapton. It is an excellent introduction to Clapton's recent music. The guitar playing is all over the album and is good but not the dazzling stuff of his early years that became the stuff of legend. Highlights of this CD include the beautiful, acoustically based Tears in Heaven, the live, acoustic reworking of Layla and the live version of Wonderful Tonight. Those listeners who want to know why Clapton is regarded as a guitar legend and would like to hear his work before he became Chris De Burgh's older brother of this CD, should buy Derek and the Dominoes' Layla.

Definitely 'the best of Clapton', 18 Oct 2000
It was a real pleasure to aquire and listen to one of contemporary musics most captivating lyricist, singer/guitarists. From the emotive 'tears in heaven' to the energetic, in your face style of 'its in the way that you use it', Clapton never ceases to disapoint. A combination of good ol' fashioned rock and roll mixed with solefull R & B makes the the Clapton Chronicles a must. Mind you, the chronicles also highlight Claptons mastery as a experienced, insightful story teller. The minidisk version is clean and crisp and truely does justice to this superb artist!

Essential Wolf, 27 Aug 2006
A welcome budget price collection by one of the most charismatic and influential blues artists of all time. Many of Wolf's best known numbers are here, commencing with 'How Many More Years' from his first session in 1951 in Sam Phillips' Memphis studio, and continuing through the 1954 to 1965 period with Chess Records. The material is licensed from MCA, and therefore in excellent sound quality, with stereo mixes being used on some of the later dates. Just reading the titles reveals that most of the essential tracks are present, including the ones that were to feature strongly in the white blues boom of the 1960s: 'The Little Red Rooster', 'Spoonful', 'Killing Floor', and the inevitable 'Smokestack Lightnin''.

Wolf's songs were notable for their innovative lyrics, mostly composed by Willie Dixon, who, as a member of the Chess house band, played bass on many of these numbers. The CD could almost be considered a tribute to Dixon's songwriting talents. The lyrics of 'Tail Dragger' are particularly interesting in that they describe how the prowling wolf would wipe his tracks out with his tail, a theme borrowed from the 1930 recording 'Howling Wolf Blues No.3' by J.T. 'Funny Paper' Smith, the original Howling Wolf, from whom Chester Burnett obtained his pseudonym.

The rich, dynamic sound of the original recordings is well captured on this reissue, with the stunning guitar of Hubert Sumlin well to the fore on most numbers, and Otis Spann's piano featured here and there, including 'Wang Dang Doodle' and the moody 'Evil'. If you don't already own these classic recordings then this is an excellent place to start.


A good place to start, 04 May 2003
This is actually a pretty good compilation. It has most of Wolf's best-known songs, the fidelity is good, and the price is reasonable. It doesn't quite measure up to MCA/Chess' "His Best", however, and if you're into Howlin' Wolf, "His Best" and "His Best, vol. II" are an ultimately more satisfying purchase.

A good place to start, 04 May 2003
This is actually a pretty good compilation. It has most of Wolf's best-known songs, the fidelity is good, and the price is reasonable. It doesn't quite measure up to MCA/Chess' "His Best", however, and if you're into Howlin' Wolf, "His Best" and "His Best, vol. II" are an ultimately more satisfying purchase.

The main man., 25 Oct 2002
When the blues hit Chicago and got lectrified there were two competing champs for the heavyweight title.

Muddy Waters is the better known, and no slouch in my book, but this guy is the real king.

Listen in awe to that primal bellow. Hubert Sumlin was no slouch on guitar either. Truelly a giant of the blues, and with Willie Dixon penning most of the songs, how can you lose?

So turn your blues-lite Clapton cds into coasters and get your ears round the Wolf.

A good compilation with some cracking songs., 22 Feb 2002
This is a great compilation if Howlin Wolf's best known work and as such is not going to be of much use to die hard fans but as an introduction it works just fine. Howlin Wolf had one of the greatest blues voices, a kind of melodic growl, that was almost an instrument in its own right. It is in fine especiaaly on such songs as "Backdoor Man" (which is a classic) and "Smokestack Ligthning". The tunes are fine and great if you like delta blues but the whole compilation lacks depth (probably due to the fact it's a compilation)and so does not receive the full 5 stars. But this is defenitely worth purcahsing if your a fan of the blues, Beefheart or Zappa

The full-tilt blues album that Clapton had been promising for years, From the Cradle proves the guitarist's enduring devotion to a form he had long relegated to merely a flavour in his music rather than the main ingredient. Clapton's singing on the album is somewhat mannered; he tries to compete with original versions of these songs by Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, and others, and there's no way he's going to win that battle. Still, you can feel the emotional connection Clapton has with these songs, and guitar aficionados will swoon over his fretwork on songs such as "Third Degree", "Someday After a While", and the incendiary "Groanin' the Blues". --Daniel Durchholz

Unpredictable, laid back and fine, 16 Jun 2008