B.B. King - The Vintage Years [4CD Box Set] (2002)

04 Jul, 16:33
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Artist: B.B. King
Title: The Vintage Years
Year Of Release: 2002
Label: Ace Records [ABOXCD 8]
Genre: Electric Blues, Soul Blues, Rhythm & Blues
Quality: 320 kbps / FLAC (tracks+cue, log, scans) / WAV (tracks, scans)
Total Time: 5:11:13
Total Size: 766 mb / 1.28 gb / 3.11 gb
WebSite: Album Preview

This impressive, impeccably packaged four-CD box set focuses solely on B.B. King's 1950s and 1960s recordings for the Modern family of labels. That was a period that basically encompassed the vast majority of his work prior to 1962, though he did a few non-Modern sides before signing with ABC Paramount in early 1962 and did a few other sides for Modern in the mid-'60s. So this is basically a box-set overview of King's early career, one that saw him score many R&B hits and build a career as a blues legend, even as the blues were falling out of fashion in favor of rock and soul. As many tracks as there are here -- 106 in all, four of them previously unreleased -- this isn't a catchall roundup of everything the prolific King did for the label. Additional material shows up on more specialized retrospectives, like Ace's own The Modern Recordings, 1950-1951. King's output during this period might be more consistent than it is varied, but both King fans and committed blues enthusiasts in general will be mighty happy with this set, presenting the considerable bulk of his significant Modern sides with intelligence. Each individual CD focuses on a theme of sort. Disc one, "The Great B.B.," concentrates on the hits and most familiar tunes, like "Sweet Little Angel," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "Sweet Sixteen," "Downhearted (How Blue Can You Get?)," "Rock Me Baby," "3 O'Clock Blues," and "Did You Ever Love a Woman." The disc titled "Memphis Blues'n'Boogie" is pretty self-explanatory and perhaps the least exciting of the CDs, as it's the most samey-sounding. The disc "Take a Swing With Me" is devoted to King's mild stylistic tours into soul, gospel, doo wop, and rock & roll, though it's usually a case of King absorbing such influences into blues than trying something too different. The final CD, "King of the Blues," puts the spotlight on his later recordings for the label, in which his sound was maturing into something more urbanely soulful, though "Fishin' After Me" (aka "Catfish Blues") sounds like a Howlin' Wolf track with a typically smooth B.B. King vocal dubbed onto it. There are a lot of good tracks here that even those with relatively large B.B. King collections might not be too intimate with, and even the more generic ones virtually always maintain a high level of professionalism and passion. A major bonus is the 76-page booklet, with detailed essays on King's early career, the Modern label, King's early road tours, an interview with early King producer Sam Phillips, and a thorough B.B. King/Modern discography.

:: TRACKLIST ::

Disc 1 - The Great B.B.
1. 3 O'Clock Blues (03:03)
2. You Know I Love You (03:05)
3. Woke Up This Morning (02:58)
4. Please Love Me (02:51)
5. Blind Love (03:05)
6. You Upset Me Baby (03:03)
7. Every Day I Have The Blues (02:50)
8. Ten Long Years (02:50)
9. Crying Won't Help You (03:02)
10. Did You Ever Love A Woman (02:35)
11. Bad Luck (02:56)
12. Sweet Little Angel (1957) (03:04)
13. Why I Sing The Blues (02:53)
14. Worry Worry (02:51)
15. Sweet Sixteen (Parts 1 & 2) (06:21)
16. My Own Fault (Aka It's My Fault) (1960) (03:41)
17. Good Man Gone Bad (02:50)
18. I'll Survive (02:45)
19. Walking Dr. Bill (03:47)
20. You're Breaking My Heart (04:18)
21. Gonna Miss You Around Here (02:59)
22. Downhearted (Aka How Blue Can You Get) (03:16)
23. Ain't Nobody's Business (03:06)
24. Rock Me Baby (03:00)

Disc 2 - Memphis Blues 'N' Boogie
1. B.B. Boogie (03:13)
2. Mistreated Woman (02:52)
3. The Other Night Blues (03:43)
4. Walkin' And Cryin' (03:29)
5. My Baby's Gone (02:03)
6. Don't You Want A Man Like Me (02:22)
7. She's Dynamite (02:31)
8. B.B. Blues (02:28)
9. A New Way Of Driving (01:57)
10. Questionnaire Blues (02:59)
11. Hard Workin' Woman (02:35)
12. She's A Mean Woman (02:34)
13. Pray For You (02:28)
14. That Ain't The Way To Do It (02:18)
15. She Don't Move Me No More (03:12)
16. Fine Lookin' Woman (02:23)
17. My Own Fault Darlin' (Aka It's My Fault) (1952) (03:28)
18. Shake It Up And Go (02:36)
19. Gotta Find My Baby (02:26)
20. Some Day, Somewhere (02:53)
21. You Didn't Want Me (02:33)
22. Story From My Heart And Soul (02:58)
23. Boogie Woogie Woman (02:50)
24. Highway Bound (02:47)
25. Neighborhood Affair (02:58)
26. Why Did You Leave Me (03:10)
27. Praying To The Lord (02:50)
28. Please Help Me (03:16)

Disc 3 - Take A Swing With Me
1. Love You Baby (AKA Take A Swing With Me) (02:40)
2. When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer (02:55)
3. The Woman I Love (02:40)
4. Everything I Do Is Wrong (02:26)
5. Whole Lotta Love (03:09)
6. Boogie Rock (AKA House Rocker) (03:02)
7. Dark Is The Night, Pt. 1 (02:37)
8. Dark Is The Night, Pt. 2 (02:44)
9. Let's Do The Boogie (02:27)
10. Sweet Little Angel (1956) (03:13)
11. Confessin' The Blues (02:54)
12. Baby, Look At You (03:09)
13. You Don't Know (02:26)
14. Be Careful With A Fool (02:52)
15. Recession Blues (02:22)
16. Days Of Old (02:29)
17. You Know I Go For You (02:40)
18. Don't Look Now, But I've Got The Blues (02:43)
19. Sweet Thing (03:04)
20. I've Got Papers On You, Baby (02:22)
21. Tomorrow Is Another Day (02:57)
22. Sneakin' Around (03:03)
23. Please Accept My Love (02:34)
24. Early In The Morning (02:35)
25. On My Word Of Honor (02:56)
26. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (03:15)
27. Why Not (02:09)
28. Precious Lord (03:23)

Disc 4 - King Of The Blues
1. I'm King (02:22)
2. Baby Please Don't Go (02:33)
3. Mean Old Frisco (02:34)
4. I've Got A Right To Love My Baby (03:15)
5. Fishin' After Me (Aka Catfish Blues) (02:32)
6. Partin' Time (03:01)
7. Bad Luck Soul (02:18)
8. You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now (05:14)
9. Get Out Of Here (02:40)
10. Hold That Train (03:57)
11. Bad Case Of Love (02:20)
12. Let Me Love You (03:05)
13. Mashed Potato Twist (02:28)
14. Got 'Em Bad (02:58)
15. Christmas Celebration (02:39)
16. Down Now (03:03)
17. Beautician Blues (02:00)
18. The Worst Thing In My Life (03:49)
19. Blue Shadows (03:48)
20. It's A Mean World (02:33)
21. Five Long Years (03:29)
22. Make Me Blue (02:23)
23. Blues Stay Away From Me (03:07)
24. Long Gone Baby (02:18)
25. The Jungle (03:14)
26. That Evil Child (03:52)

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