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. ~ Richie Unterberger
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