The Essential Blues [House of Blues] (1995)

About this title: Essential Blues is an attempt to trace the evolution of the music from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago and other modern, urban cities. It does a fairly good job in providing a brief history, but the main strength of the collection simply comes from the music. Featuring cuts from Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Slim Harpo, Junior Parker, Elmore James, Albert Collins, and many, many others, it's a quick and effective way to sample a variety of different blues styles. For neophytes, Essential Blues does offer a splendid introduction to the genre. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music ... read more

Tracks:

1. Dust My Blues [Bihari/James]
2. Three O'Clock Blues [King/Taub]
3. Killing Floor [Burnett/Howlin' Wol]
4. Stop Watching Your Enemies [Taylor]
5. Messin' With the Kid [London]
6. Better off With the Blues [Fritts/McClinton/Ni]
7. When You Walk Out the Door [Darby]
8. Don't Start Me to Talkin' [Williamson]
9. Blues in the Basement [Thomas]
10. Little Bluebird [Hayes/Jones/Porter]
11. Mojo Hand [Hopkins]
12. Big Boss Man [Dixon/Smith]
13. Boogie Chillen' [Hooker]
14. I'll Take Care of You [Benton]
15. Otis in the Dark [Spann]
16. Master Charge [Collins]
17. Mother Nature [Campbell]
18. Walking the Back Streets and Crying [Jones]
19. Give Me Back My Wig [Taylor]
20. Prisoner of Love [Columbo/Gaskill/Rob]
21. You Upset Me Baby [King/Taub]
22. Let's Straighten It Out [Latimore]
23. I'll Play the Blues for You [Beach]
24. Must Have Been the Devil [Spann]
25. Dimples [Bracken/Hooker]
26. Rainin' in My Heart [Harpo/West]
27. The Getaway [Robinson]
28. Too Much Sugar for a Dime [Banks/Jackson]
29. Bright Lights, Big City [Reed]
30. Driving Wheel [Sykes]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.