Dan Gould Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 I have tracked down just about every one of these little jewels and it has only fed my jones for more B.B. Is anyone in the "know" on future release schedules? The website doesn't have any info. It looks like there's one more Crown LP to get the reissue treatment Twist with B.B. King. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on an LP copy of this one, though knowing how the Bihari's repackaged and renamed songs, not to mention made crappy pressings part of their business plan, I really should just wait til Ace gets around to it. Then I'll know I'm getting the best transfer, plus bonus tracks. Are there also plans to reissue Kent LPs? Speaking of which, here's the AMG review of The Jungle, which ought to be enshrined among the worst reviews they're published: A powerful collection of singles from about 1962-1967, this is an interesting record because it illustrates some of the stylistic changes in King's music (and "urban blues" in general) during this period — the transition from upright bass to the heavier-sounding electric, the horn arrangements become less jazzy and more "punchy" and soul-influenced, and his guitar style itself becomes more economical. AMG makes it sound as though B.B. was still signed to Kent in these years, and this a contemporaneous change in B.B.'s style. In fact, the label took tracks B.B. left in the can when he signed with Bluesway and punched them up with "contemporary" sounding overdubs, in hopes of continuing to get more money out of what they'd invested in B.B. years before. Anyway ... long live B.B. King and the Ace reissue series!!! Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 I have tracked down just about every one of these little jewels and it has only fed my jones for more B.B. Is anyone in the "know" on future release schedules? The website doesn't have any info. It looks like there's one more Crown LP to get the reissue treatment Twist with B.B. King. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on an LP copy of this one, though knowing how the Bihari's repackaged and renamed songs, not to mention made crappy pressings part of their business plan, I really should just wait til Ace gets around to it. Then I'll know I'm getting the best transfer, plus bonus tracks. Are there also plans to reissue Kent LPs? Speaking of which, here's the AMG review of The Jungle, which ought to be enshrined among the worst reviews they're published: A powerful collection of singles from about 1962-1967, this is an interesting record because it illustrates some of the stylistic changes in King's music (and "urban blues" in general) during this period — the transition from upright bass to the heavier-sounding electric, the horn arrangements become less jazzy and more "punchy" and soul-influenced, and his guitar style itself becomes more economical. AMG makes it sound as though B.B. was still signed to Kent in these years, and this a contemporaneous change in B.B.'s style. In fact, the label took tracks B.B. left in the can when he signed with Bluesway and punched them up with "contemporary" sounding overdubs, in hopes of continuing to get more money out of what they'd invested in B.B. years before. Anyway ... long live B.B. King and the Ace reissue series!!! I have little B B King RPM/Modern/Kent material. I've so far been put off buying a lot because of the very real danger of buying the same tracks over and over in different packages; I don't have handy access to a blues discography so I can sort out for myself what to get. Do all these 6 Crown reissues on Ace (plus "Spotlight on Lucille") cover the whole of B B's work for the Biharis' labels? What does one need to buy to cover that? MG Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Posted January 28, 2006 The reissue series has explicitly avoided replicating what the Biharis did - repackage things ad nauseum. The Crown reissues do not cover everything recorded, far from it, but they have superior sound and sometimes double the length of the original albums with contemporaneously recorded unissued material. Ace also has some larger reissues, here there is definitely a risk of duplication. But the whole series is so nicely done ... you absolutely cannot go wrong with the Crown reissues, and I would first recommend My Kind of Blues because it is top notch and also what B.B. identified as his favorite recording. Just him, Lucille, piano bass and drums. You may find the EMI reissue of this floating around but Ace adds about another 8 tunes of similar instrumentation. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Thanks. I'll start with that one, since it was the first to be issued by Ace and, one assumes, likely to be the first to be deleted. Though you can't tell; Ace deleted the middle of the three Slim Harpo CDs, leaving me with a hole. MG Quote
Jim R Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 I've neglected King's recordings for too many years... possibly because they're so ingrained I feel like I don't need to buy them. I think another reason is that I've always expected to come across a boxed set where I could grab large chunks of essential material at a time (like the T-Bone Mosaic set). I still haven't seen any boxed sets of King's work that really tempted me... but I haven't really looked carefully. Have I overlooked anything? I just recently bought the 2 CD set "Original Greatest Hits" on EMI. I found it in a used bin for $12.95, and couldn't resist. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 I've neglected King's recordings for too many years... possibly because they're so ingrained I feel like I don't need to buy them. I think another reason is that I've always expected to come across a boxed set where I could grab large chunks of essential material at a time (like the T-Bone Mosaic set). I still haven't seen any boxed sets of King's work that really tempted me... but I haven't really looked carefully. Have I overlooked anything? I just recently bought the 2 CD set "Original Greatest Hits" on EMI. I found it in a used bin for $12.95, and couldn't resist. Ace has a 4 CD box called "The vintage years". But, as Dan said, there's a lot of duplication between that and the Crown LP reissues. The Ace issue I really love is one called (on LP) "King of the blues guitar" and (on CD) "Spotlight on Lucille". The album (with bonus tracks on CD) is a bunch of instrumentals that were never released until Ace got hold of them and they're fabulous! They haven't been issued elsewhere as far as I know. MG Quote
Steve Gray Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 There are actually two more to go, they have issued ten already. The other two are 'Twist with BB King' and 'BB King sings Spirtuals' 'Twist' contains quite a few duplicates already issued in this series so it will be interesting to see what Ace do with it. No news on when they will come out. Quote
jazzbo Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 I'm solidly with Dan on these Ace reissues. Theyre fantastic! I've every one released so far. . . and am sad they're going to end with one more (weren't there twelve lps)? Ace has a four cd box set that is superb if one wants to go that route. . . will duplicate a lot of material in these Crown lp reissues but. . . if you just want four superb discs of B. B. by Bihari. . . that's a helluva box set. Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Posted January 28, 2006 There are actually two more to go, they have issued ten already. The other two are 'Twist with BB King' and 'BB King sings Spirtuals' 'Twist' contains quite a few duplicates already issued in this series so it will be interesting to see what Ace do with it. No news on when they will come out. Thanks Steve, I forgot to ask what the plans were for "Sings Spirituals", I had a vinyl copy of that one in my sights right around Christmas but decided to pass. Glad to know it will be included. Quote
Steve Gray Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Coincidentally, I happened to listen to 'My Kind of Blues' this morning. I bought this in the sixties in England on the Ember label and hated it. Of course it is actually a wonderful session and the ACE CD does it proud. I now realise that the Ember LP was a travesty and completely unlistenable, far worse than any cheap Crown LP. Lloyd Glenn and BB are both wonderful on it. I might be wrong but I think this was the only occasion when BB set out to record a whole LP during his time at Modern. Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 29, 2006 Author Report Posted January 29, 2006 There are actually two more to go, they have issued ten already. The other two are 'Twist with BB King' and 'BB King sings Spirtuals' 'Twist' contains quite a few duplicates already issued in this series so it will be interesting to see what Ace do with it. The crown discography at bsnpubs.com shows these as the contents of "Twist": You Upset Me Baby/Woke Up This Morning/Please Love Me/Bad Case of Love/Groovin' Twist//Bad Luck Soul/Do What I Say/Rockin' Twist/Come By Here/Oh Baby I only recognize "Bad Case of Love" as on one of the previous reissues. What else am I missing that would be duplicated? Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 29, 2006 Report Posted January 29, 2006 There are actually two more to go, they have issued ten already. The other two are 'Twist with BB King' and 'BB King sings Spirtuals' 'Twist' contains quite a few duplicates already issued in this series so it will be interesting to see what Ace do with it. No news on when they will come out. My hardcopy Ace catalogue for 2005 only lists 6. I had a look on the Ace site, but it's hard to identify which are part of this series and which aren't. Would you mind listing them? MG Quote
Steve Gray Posted January 29, 2006 Report Posted January 29, 2006 The 10 already issued are :-- The Great BB King The Blues Singin the Blues More BB King Easy Listening Blues Blues in my heart The Soul of BB King King of the Blues BB King Wails My Kind of Blues You upset me baby,Woke up this morning and Please Love me are all on Singin the Blues Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 29, 2006 Report Posted January 29, 2006 The 10 already issued are :-- The Great BB King The Blues Singin the Blues More BB King Easy Listening Blues Blues in my heart The Soul of BB King King of the Blues BB King Wails My Kind of Blues You upset me baby,Woke up this morning and Please Love me are all on Singin the Blues Thanks very much, Steve. MG Quote
Guest Posted January 29, 2006 Report Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) From 1950 to 1957, RPM issued 35 singles by B. B. King: 304 Mistreated Woman 304 B. B. Boogie 311 The Other Night 311 Walkin' & Cryin' 318 My Baby's Gone 318 Don't You Want A Man Like Me 323 She's Dynamite 323 B. B. Blues 330 She's A Mean Woman 330 Hard Workin' Woman 339 3 O'Clock Blues 339 That Ain't The Way To Do It 348 Fine Lookin' Woman 348 She Don't Move Me No More 355 Shake It Up & Go 355 My Own Fault 360 Gotta Find My Baby 360 Some Day, Somewhere 363 You Don't Want Me 363 You Know I Love You 374 Story From My Heart 374 Boogie Woogie Woman 380 Woke Up This Morning 380 Don't Have To Cry 386 Please Love Me 386 Highway Bound 391 Neighborhood Affair 391 Please Hurry Home 395 Blind Love 395 Why Did You Leave Me 403 Praying To The Lord 403 Please Help Me 408 Love You Baby 408 The Woman I Love 411 Don't You Want A Man Like Me 411 Everything I Do Is Wrong 412 When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer 412 Bye! Bye! Bye! 416 You Upset Me Baby 416 Whole Lotta Love 421 Every Day I Have The Blues 421 Sneakin' Around 425 Jump With You Baby 425 Lonely & Blue 430 Shut Your Mouth 430 I'm In Love 435 Talkin' The Blues 435 Boogie Rock 437 What Can I Do 437 Ten Long Years 450 Rudy Lee 450 I'm Cracking Up Over You 451 Can't We Talk It Over 451 Crying Won't Help You 457 Let's Do The Boogie 457 Did You Ever Love A Woman 459 Dark Is The Night (Pt. 1) 459 Dark Is The Night (Pt. 2) 468 Bad Luck 468 Sweet Little Angel 479 On My Word Of Honor 479 Bim Bam 486 You Don't Know 486 Early In The Morning 492 I Want To Get Married 492 Trouble, Trouble, Trouble 494 Be Careful With A Fool 494 Quite My Baby Edited January 29, 2006 by Mike P Quote
chris olivarez Posted January 30, 2006 Report Posted January 30, 2006 The 10 already issued are :-- The Great BB King The Blues Singin the Blues More BB King Easy Listening Blues Blues in my heart The Soul of BB King King of the Blues BB King Wails My Kind of Blues You upset me baby,Woke up this morning and Please Love me are all on Singin the Blues Thanks very much, Steve. MG "You Upset Me Baby", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me Baby" are also on "Live At The Regal". Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Posted January 30, 2006 The 10 already issued are :-- The Great BB King The Blues Singin the Blues More BB King Easy Listening Blues Blues in my heart The Soul of BB King King of the Blues BB King Wails My Kind of Blues You upset me baby,Woke up this morning and Please Love me are all on Singin the Blues Thanks very much, Steve. MG "You Upset Me Baby", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me Baby" are also on "Live At The Regal". Yeah, but what makes you think these are the same recordings? Those Crown records weren't live. Quote
Adam Posted January 30, 2006 Report Posted January 30, 2006 What's the best (or a good) place to obtain these in the United States? the only B.B. I have is "Live at the Regal." What's the next thing to get? Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Posted January 30, 2006 What's the best (or a good) place to obtain these in the United States? the only B.B. I have is "Live at the Regal." What's the next thing to get? There is just so much B.B. to get ... but in this series I'd start with "My Kind of Blues" mentioned above. I got mine from Amazon. You might PM Stereojack, as when I was at his store last summer, he was stocking these Ace reissues pretty deep. Quote
Steve Gray Posted January 31, 2006 Report Posted January 31, 2006 What's the best (or a good) place to obtain these in the United States? the only B.B. I have is "Live at the Regal." What's the next thing to get? In my opinion, 'Live at the Regal' is highly overrated. In particular I do not like the way he segues from tune to tune on this album. The Modern singles are infinitely preferable. 'Singin the Blues' in this series is more or less a collection of his early singles and is highly recomended. There are also two other collections on Ace of his early and later singles which are very good buys. These are 'The RPM Hits' and 'The Best of the Kent Singles' Then there is the 4 CD box ... Quote
Steve Gray Posted March 10, 2006 Report Posted March 10, 2006 'BB King sings Spirituals' is being reissued by Ace next month BB King sing Sprituals It states that this is the 11th and last issue in this series so it looks like 'Twist with BB' is not being reissued. Quote
GregN Posted March 10, 2006 Report Posted March 10, 2006 'BB King sings Spirituals' is being reissued by Ace next month BB King sing Sprituals It states that this is the 11th and last issue in this series so it looks like 'Twist with BB' is not being reissued. Sweet! Quote
Dan Gould Posted April 16, 2006 Author Report Posted April 16, 2006 I got a new question for the B.B. experts: I just finished "The B.B. King Reader" and learned that B.B. returned to the Bihari brothers in 1965 for one six song session, and that B.B. was saving his own material for his ABC albums so he didn't record any of his own compositions. "Ain't Nobody's Business" appeared on an Ace box set, I believe. But what I am left wondering is, how were these six songs released? On AMG there are several albums released around this time, but none show "Ain't Nobody's Business" on them which leaves me wondering if they used these six songs for the singles market, or what. Can anyone shed light as to how I might obtain these final Modern recordings by B.B.? Thanks! Quote
Dan Gould Posted April 17, 2006 Author Report Posted April 17, 2006 I got a new question for the B.B. experts: I just finished "The B.B. King Reader" and learned that B.B. returned to the Bihari brothers in 1965 for one six song session, and that B.B. was saving his own material for his ABC albums so he didn't record any of his own compositions. "Ain't Nobody's Business" appeared on an Ace box set, I believe. But what I am left wondering is, how were these six songs released? On AMG there are several albums released around this time, but none show "Ain't Nobody's Business" on them which leaves me wondering if they used these six songs for the singles market, or what. Can anyone shed light as to how I might obtain these final Modern recordings by B.B.? Thanks! Up for air, as this B.B. fanatic is dying to find out how he can secure these last six Bihari tracks! Quote
Dan Gould Posted April 19, 2006 Author Report Posted April 19, 2006 For those who are interested, the B.B. King Sings Spirituals CD is now out. The Ace Records info page is here. Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.