Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: B.B. King

1	Three O'Clock Blues 3:02
2	Every Day I Have the Blues 2:49
3	Sneakin' Around 2:07
4	How Blue Can You Get? 2:42
5	Don't Answer the Door 5:11
6	Paying the Cost to Be the Boss 2:35
7	The Thrill Is Gone 5:26
8	Ain't Nobody Home 3:15
9	Don't You Lie to Me 6:13
10	Inflation Blues 4:14
11	Playin' With My Friends 5:19
12	I'll Survive 4:51

Barnes & Noble

No one can make a guitar sing quite like B. B. King, and few can actually sing with his graceful power. Although this collection merely skims the surface of his incredible 50-plus-year career, it still proves that King is a seminal figure of the blues. His signature songs remain vital, decades after they were recorded: “Three O’clock Blues,” “Don’t Answer the Door,” “How Blue Can You Get,” and “The Thrill Is Gone,” to name a few, have an elemental force -- these are definitive examples of postwar electric blues at its best. King’s guitar work, economical, lyrical and stinging in equal parts, is among the key influences of rock 'n' roll music. Anyone who wants to know why this masterly musician is venerated by everyone from Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton to U2 and Jeff Beck should cock an ear to these bejeweled performances. King may be experiencing a late-career surge; the seeds of his current legendary stature can be found here in abundance. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

Issued as part of a series in conjunction with the major television documentary series The Blues, this is a hop-skip-jump 12-song compilation of tracks spanning nearly half a century, from the early '50s to the late '90s. For a man whose prolific career has actually been the subject of more than one box set, it's a rather skimpy overview. Still, the kind of listeners who buy this sort of thing aren't looking for box sets, but for a sampler or introductory portal. What's here is certainly worthy, including his 1950s hits "Three O'Clock Blues" and "Every Day (I Have the Blues)"; a few of his more fully produced, brassy 1960s ABC sides; the 1969 breakthrough pop hit "The Thrill Is Gone"; and just three post-1976 tracks, one of which ("Playin' With My Friends") features Robert Cray as co-lead vocalist and guitarist. "Sweet Sixteen," "Sweet Little Angel," and "Rock Me Baby" are just a few of the substantial hits conspicuous by their absence. There's something to be said for a single-disc King anthology that cross-licenses from throughout his career, but the best compilations focusing on specific eras of his work give a much better idea of his scope and depth. Richie Unterberger