King of the Blues [Box]

B.B. King

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King of the Blues [Box] Review

by Bill Dahl

No way can a mere four discs cover every facet of the blues king's amazing recording career, but MCA makes a valiant stab at it. The first two discs, as expected, are immaculate: opening with his Bullet Records debut ("Miss Martha King"), the box continues with a handful of pivotal RPM/Kent masters before digging into his 1960s ABC-Paramount material ("I'm Gonna Sit in 'til You Give In" and "My Baby's Comin' Home" are little-recalled gems). The hits -- "The Thrill Is Gone," "Why I Sing the Blues," "To Know You Is to Love You" -- are all here, and if much of the fourth disc is pretty disposable, it only mirrors King's own winding down in the studio.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Miss Martha King B.B. King	B.B. King	02:42	Amazon
2	She's Dynamite B.B. King / Hudson Whittaker	B.B. King	02:31	Amazon
3	Three O'Clock Blues B.B. King / Jules Taub	B.B. King	03:02	Amazon
4	Please Love Me B.B. King / Jules Taub	B.B. King	02:48	Amazon
5	You Upset Me Baby B.B. King / Jules Taub	B.B. King	03:02	Amazon
6	Every Day I Have the Blues Peter Chatman / Memphis Slim	B.B. King	02:48	Amazon
7	Rock Me Baby Joe Josea / B.B. King	B.B. King	03:02	Amazon
8	Recession Blues B.B. King	B.B. King	02:21	Amazon
9	Don't Get Around Much Anymore Duke Ellington / Bob Russell	B.B. King	03:15	Amazon
10	I'm Gonna Sit in 'Til You Give In The Dave Clark Five / B.B. King	B.B. King	02:13	Amazon
11	Blues at Midnight Ivory Joe Hunter	B.B. King	02:59	Amazon
12	Sneakin' Around Jessie Mae Robinson	B.B. King	02:07	Amazon
13	My Baby's Comin' Home B.B. King / Ferdinand Washington	B.B. King	02:08	Amazon
14	Slowly Losing My Mind B.B. King / Ferdinand Washington	B.B. King	02:31	Amazon
15	How Blue Can You Get? Jane Feather / Leonard Feather	B.B. King	02:42	Amazon
16	Rockin' Awhile B.B. King	B.B. King	02:44	Amazon
17	Help the Poor Charlie Singleton	B.B. King	02:38	Amazon
18	Stop Leading Me On Grainger Hunt	B.B. King	02:22	Amazon
19	Never Trust a Woman Bill Doggett / Louis Jordan	B.B. King	02:37	Amazon
20	Sweet Little Angel B.B. King / Jules Taub	B.B. King	03:50	Amazon
21	All over Again Carl Adams / B.B. King	B.B. King	02:35	Amazon
22	Sloppy Drunk Jimmy Rogers	B.B. King	03:11	Amazon
23	Don't Answer the Door, Pts. 1 & 2 James Johnson / Mark Johnson	B.B. King	05:10	Amazon
24	I Done Got Wise B.B. King	B.B. King	02:20	Amazon
25	Think It Over B.B. King	B.B. King	02:51	Amazon
26	Gambler's Blues B.B. King / Johnny Pate	B.B. King	03:16	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Goin' Down Slow James Burke Oden	B.B. King	06:30	Amazon
2	Tired of Your Jive Janet Despenza / Johnny Pate	B.B. King	03:32	Amazon
3	Sweet Sixteen, Pts. 1 & 2 Joe Josea / B.B. King	B.B. King	06:11	Amazon
4	Paying the Cost to Be the Boss B.B. King	B.B. King	02:33	Amazon
5	I'm Gonna Do What They Do to Me B.B. King	B.B. King	02:44	Amazon
6	Lucille B.B. King	B.B. King	10:15	Amazon
7	Watch Yourself Sidney Barnes / Louis Gross / George Kerr	B.B. King	05:49	Amazon
8	You Put It on Me Maya Angelou / Quincy Jones	B.B. King	02:47	Amazon
9	Get Myself Somebody Maya Angelou / B.B. King	B.B. King	02:35	Amazon
10	I Want You So Bad B.B. King	B.B. King	04:13	Amazon
11	Why I Sing the Blues Dave Clark / B.B. King	B.B. King	08:35	Amazon
12	Get off My Back, Woman B.B. King / Fats Washington / Ferdinand Washington	B.B. King	03:15	Amazon
13	Please Accept My Love B.B. King / Sam Ling	B.B. King	02:47	Amazon
14	Fools Get Wise B.B. King	B.B. King	02:39	Amazon
15	No Good B.B. King / Ferdinand Washington	B.B. King	04:36	Amazon
16	So Excited Gerald Jemmott / B.B. King	B.B. King	05:35	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	The Thrill Is Gone Rick Darnell / Roy Hawkins	B.B. King	05:26	Amazon
2	Confessin' the Blues Walter Brown / Jay McShann	B.B. King	04:58	Amazon
3	Nobody Loves Me But My Mother B.B. King	B.B. King	01:26	Amazon
4	Hummingbird Leon Russell	B.B. King	04:36	Amazon
5	Ask Me No Questions B.B. King	B.B. King	03:09	Amazon
6	Chains and Things Dave Clark / B.B. King	B.B. King	04:53	Amazon
7	Eyesight to the Blind Sonny Boy Williamson II / B.B. King	B.B. King	04:06	Amazon
8	Niji Baby B.B. King	B.B. King	06:28	Amazon
9	Blue Shadows Larry Glenn / Lloyd Glenn	B.B. King	05:09	Amazon
10	Ghetto Woman Dave Clark / B.B. King	B.B. King	05:15	Amazon
11	Ain't Nobody Home Jerry Ragovoy	B.B. King	03:13	Amazon
12	I Got Some Help I Don't Need Dave Clark / B.B. King	B.B. King	03:26	Amazon
13	Five Long Years Eddie Boyd	B.B. King	05:13	Amazon
14	To Know You Is to Love You Ray Henderson / Stevie Wonder / Syreeta Wright	B.B. King	08:35	Amazon
15	I Like to Live the Love Dave Crawford / Charles Mann	B.B. King	03:29	Amazon
16	Don't Make Me Pay for His Mistakes Miles Grayson / Bobby Lexing	B.B. King	03:15	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 4

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Let the Good Times Roll Fleecie Moore / Sam Theard	B.B. King	05:33	Amazon
2	Don't You Lie to Me Hudson Whittaker	B.B. King	06:09	Amazon
3	Mother Fuyer B.B. King	B.B. King	03:06	Amazon
4	Never Make a Move Too Soon Stix Hooper / Will Jennings	B.B. King	05:29	Amazon
5	When It All Comes Down (I'll Still Be Around) Will Jennings / Joe Sample	B.B. King	04:12	Amazon
6	Better Not Look Down Will Jennings / Joe Sample	B.B. King	03:22	Amazon
7	Caldonia Fleecie Moore	B.B. King	02:48	Amazon
8	There Must Be a Better World Somewhere Dr. John / Doc Pomus / Mac Rebennack	B.B. King	03:46	Amazon
9	Play With Your Poodle Sam Hawkins / Lightnin' Hopkins / Tampa Red / Hudson Whittaker	B.B. King	00:55	Amazon
10	Darlin' You Know I Love You Jules Bihari / B.B. King / Jules Taub	B.B. King	04:46	Amazon
11	Inflation Blues Allegretto Alexander / Louis Jordan / Tommy Southern	B.B. King	04:15	Amazon
12	Make Love to Me Georg Brunis / Alan Copeland / Paul Mares / Walter Melrose / William Norvas / Ben Pollack / Leon Roppolo / Mel Stitzel	B.B. King	01:47	Amazon
13	Into the Night Ira Newborn	B.B. King	04:12	Amazon
14	Six Silver Strings Dave Crawford / Luther Dixon	B.B. King	04:19	Amazon
15	When Love Comes to Town Bono / Adam Clayton / The Edge / Larry Mullen, Jr.	B.B. King feat: U2	03:30	Amazon
16	Right Place, Wrong Time Mac Rebennack	B.B. King	04:02	Amazon
17	Many Miles Travelled Vernon Reid / Jon Tiven / Sally Tiven	B.B. King	04:01	Amazon
18	I'm Moving On Will Jennings / Joe Sample	B.B. King	04:10	Amazon
19	Since I Met You Baby Ivory Joe Hunter	B.B. King	02:51	Amazon