Customer Reviews
BB King - The Ultimate Collection 
2008-04-25
What can I say? It's BB King's greatest hits. If you're a BB King fan who wants to stick one CD in and drive, this is the one!
Poor Recording 
2008-02-01
This recording is aweful. I've heard B.B. King in concert, and he sounds a lot better than this. This recording makes his voice sound harsh and flat. Maybe the LP is better. Try that instead of the CD.
BBKing the ultimate collection 2008-01-03
It is awesome I gave it to a friend for Christmas and she loved it
All My Favorites Are On This Album 
2007-12-28
This album is aptly named: it really is the ultimate collection. And with 21 tracks, you really get your money's worth. All the old favorites are here.
Great introduction to B. B. King 2007-06-22
B. B. King is one of the best known bluesmen of the past several decades. His first hit came in 1951 with the wonderful "Three O'clock Blues" (more on this cut below). Nonetheless, his reputation was not very widespread among "mainstream" America. That changed with the British invasion (the Rolling Stones, Animals, Yardbirds, and so on) as well as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (the liner notes do a good job of chronicling King's career). By the later 1960s, he became well known to people throughout the world. And in 1970, his great song, "The Thrill is Gone," became a hit. Even though this is a nice compilation of his best works, one can always wonder about items excluded. Personally, I regret that "Why I Sing the Blues" was not a part of this CD. But that is hardly a major problem. One final comment before taking a look at a sampling of his works on this CD. His guitar playing, of course, is legendary, but his is a restrained style, not spitting out a bazillion notes in a few seconds, as some guitarists are wont to do. But his guitar playing is mesmerizing.
Some cuts:
"Three O'clock Blues": This is a nice example of his blues singing. He has a fine voice, a nice blues voice. He looks around, in the song, at 3 O'clock in the morning.
"Well, I can't find my baby,
Lord, I can't be satisfied."
His guitar work is sterling, but understated. There is a very well done guitar turn about 2/3 of the way through. All in all, a strong work.
"Sweet Sixteen": This cut begins with some very well done guitar work. Not wild playing, but controlled and oh so effective. It reminds one that playing fast is not necessarily playing well. He sings of when he met his baby, when she was "sweet sixteen." He says that she was "the sweetest thing I ever seen." But then things soured and she left. He displays great blues singing, as he wails away about her running away from him.
"The Thrill Is Gone": Quintessential B. B. King. This features wonderful guitar work. "The thrill is gone" is sung throughout as a recurring phrase. The pain of lost love is manifest. And his splendid guitar work is a glue that holds the work together.
"Nobody Loves Me but My Mother": This is short but cool! One of my favorites. There is nice keyboard playing. One of the great blues lines is repeated in this bagatelle:
"Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jiving, too."
When all is said and done, this is a good way for anyone interested in B. B. King to be introduced to his work. His blues playing on guitar and his singing are top notch. A good CD to add to one's musical library.
The Best single disc of BB you will find 2007-04-03
B.B. King's music has been anthologized and put in box sets many times, but this is the first single-disc collection that truly spans the American icon's career. It starts with his breakthrough 1951 No. 1 R&B hit "Three O'Clock Blues" and ends, chronologically, with 2000's "Ten Long Years" from his platinum-selling, pop-chart-topping smash collaboration with Eric Clapton,
Riding with the King. In between there are 19 numbers that trace King's creative peaks (1969's "The Thrill is Gone," 1960's "Rock Me Baby") and valleys (1973's disco-inspired "I Like to Live the Love"). And they all tell the story of his growth as a performer. As the years and tunes tumble by, King's guitar solos become more expansive and adventurous, and his cross-genre experiments, like 1987's "When Love Come to Town" with U2, grow bolder. "I'll Survive," also featured here, has become King's late-career theme song, but as he heads toward his 80th birthday on September 16, 2005--still playing 150 concerts a year with his vastly influential guitar skills sharp and his voice just a bit weathered--King's version of survival contains genuine majesty.
--Ted Drozdowski
Terrific Decades Spanning Compilation!!! 2006-11-13
One of the best compilation CD's that I have ever heard!!! Includes many of B.B.'s early work, without any sugar coating. Includes songs that today might be considered mildly controversial like "Don't Answer the Door" and "Paying the Cost to be the Boss" and classics like "Rock me Baby" all the way through more modern hits like "When Love Comes to Town" with U2. This is a CD that you can play over and over again without getting tired of it.
unbelievable 2005-06-23
i've never heard music so moving in my entire life, this is the ultimate addition to anyones collection, get it or be lost
The Growth of a Legend 2005-06-10
This collection of great songs begins with the early hits and moves thru time to the more recent collaborations with U2 and Eric Clapton. You can really hear B.B. King grow as an artist as the album progresses and recording techniques improve. The songs themselves are truly classic : the lyrics to How Blue Can You Get belong in a museum. I especially recommend Paying The Cost To Be The Boss , Never Make A Move Too Soon, and his signature song, The Thrill Is Gone. There is no way that any blues fan cannot enjoy this cd
****1/2 - the finest introduction yet 2005-05-14
Finally - a really good single-disc compilation which doesn't exclude King's earliest (and best) material.
Much better than "Greatest Hits" and more affordable than various multi-disc compilations, "The Ultimate Collection" is the place to start for newcomers and curious listeners who want to know what Riley "B.B." King is all about.
"Three O'Clock Blues", "You Upset Me Baby", "Sweet Little Angel"...this is not everything you could ever want from B.B., but it is a very fine place to start.
