CD-Charts Position 1
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The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James

by: Elmore James

Release Date April 06, 1993
Love the blues? This is for you. One of the early up from Mississippi to Chicago bluesmen (I think he died in '43). "Madison Blues" and "The Sky is Crying" the way 'lonesome George' heard them first.

CD-Charts Position 2
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Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best of the Fire Sessions

by: Elmore James

Release Date March 20, 2001
Why the reservations?
Well, this collection only focuses on Elmore James' recordings for Bobby Robinson in the early 60s. He did remake many of his early hits for Robinson's Fire, Fury and Enjoy labels, and often in even better versions, but a few early-50s classics are missing, so "Shake Your Moneymaker" doesn't really work as a definitive Elmore James-compilation.

But let's forget about what's not here for a moment, and look at what is:
"Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best Of The Fire Sessions" gathers sixteen songs from the "King Of The Slide Guitar" box set, perfectly showcasing Elmore James' incredibly intense, slide guitar-driven electric blues. James was equally at home playing a smouldering slow blues like "The Sky Is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Blues Masters: The Very Best of Elmore James

by: Elmore James

Release Date March 14, 2000
Nice introduction to bluesman Elmore James! The liner notes emphasize his important role in the development of the blues. He died way too early, at 45, because of heart trouble.

His vocals were strong, with a straight out blues sound; his guitar playing was exceptional, too. The liner notes that that "". . .it was Elmore and his signature crashing licks that sliced the deepest and influenced the most from the moment he recorded his first immortal treatment of `Dust My Broom.'"

And so it makes sense to talk a bit of that iconic song. "Dust My Broom" was one of his great hits (the liner notes suggest that he adopted the song's sensibility from Robert Johnson. The guitar sound is classic blues. Sonny Boy Williamson (II) does ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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King of the Slide Guitar

by: Elmore James

Release Date November 11, 2004
My thirst for a library of Elmore James recordings led me to purchase this collection. I could hardly wait the time it took to arrive! My collection previously consisted of 3 overlapping compilations of his most popular recordings, "Whose Muddy Shoes" on Chess, "Blues After Hours" on Crown, and a set of Big Joe Turner recordings on Atlantic with James providing backup.

This 3-CD box set, however, was a disappointment. An uneven collection consisting mostly (about half) of late recordings after his second heart attack and self-imposed temporary retirement, it finds James trudging through uninspired and often tedious re-recordings of much of his earlier material. Even the liner notes confess, "It marked the return of Elmore to the studio, but the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Blues After Hours

by: Elmore James

Release Date March 07, 2005
Although there is nothing previously unreleased on this album, the sound quality is astoundingly improved having been mastered from newly-discovered session master tapes. Elmore James was at his peak at this time and the visceral power of his singing and playing is all the more remarkable for his off-stage shyness and fragility. His band, the Broom Dusters, and the Maxwell Davis Orchestra, provide magnificent support.
Blues After Hours, with its distinctively sexy album cover, came out on Modern's mid-price Crown label in 1960 and comprised a carefully programmed 10-track selection of singles, including 4 B-sides, that had come out in 1954 and 1955 on the Flair subsidiary, all taken from two sessions (in Modern's own studio in Culver City, Los Angeles CA, in August ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Daddy Gave Me the Blues

by: Elmore James Jr.

Release Date March 18, 2008
I never knew there was an Elmore James Jr. until I saw a teaser for this album, and I'm a long-time Elmore James (Sr.) fan. I did a little "background check" on Jr. here and this guy has apparently had a thriving career in the Chicago club scene for over forty years! This album proves that he is indeed a blues master, and he wisely avoids trying to be a clone of his father, despite his taking on the legend's name (Elmore James Jr. is not his real name). He is a great singing and guitar talent in his own right. The man is nearly 70 years old, but it sounds like he has plenty of life left in him! Go Elmore Jr! I encourage every blues fan out there to try to catch him in concert, if possible. Reading his bio, I get the impression that he has not had the best of luck career-wise, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Let's Cut It: The Very Best of Elmore James

by: Elmore James

Release Date June 29, 1992
Ace Records' 28-track "The Best Of Elmore James - The Early Years" is more comprehensive than this collection, and the true fan will of course want the lavish three-disc box set "The Early Recordings 1951-1956". But this is a really fine sampler, opening with Elmore's shameless re-recording of "Dust My Broom", titled "Dust My Blues", and ending with the sizzling slow blues "Goodbye Baby".

Elmore James is often considered a one-riff boogie king, but that is actually very unfair, as this collection shows. Yes, he (or more likely his producers) wanted to recapture the "Broom" magic by utilizing the same riff on subsequent singles, but James had many more tricks up his sleeve, and "Let's Cut It" is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Sky Is Crying: The Legendary Fire/Enjoy Sessions

by: Elmore James

Release Date March 03, 2003
Ace Records' 28-track "The Best Of Elmore James - The Early Years" is more comprehensive than this collection, and the true fan will of course want the lavish three-disc box set "The Early Recordings 1951-1956". But this is a really fine sampler, opening with Elmore's shameless re-recording of "Dust My Broom", titled "Dust My Blues", and ending with the sizzling slow blues "Goodbye Baby".

Elmore James is often considered a one-riff boogie king, but that is actually very unfair, as this collection shows. Yes, he (or more likely his producers) wanted to recapture the "Broom" magic by utilizing the same riff on subsequent singles, but James had many more tricks up his sleeve, and "Let's Cut It" is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Blues Masters: The Very Best of Elmore James

by: Elmore James

Release Date January 29, 2008
Nice introduction to bluesman Elmore James! The liner notes emphasize his important role in the development of the blues. He died way too early, at 45, because of heart trouble.

His vocals were strong, with a straight out blues sound; his guitar playing was exceptional, too. The liner notes that that "". . .it was Elmore and his signature crashing licks that sliced the deepest and influenced the most from the moment he recorded his first immortal treatment of `Dust My Broom.'"

And so it makes sense to talk a bit of that iconic song. "Dust My Broom" was one of his great hits (the liner notes suggest that he adopted the song's sensibility from Robert Johnson. The guitar sound is classic blues. Sonny Boy Williamson (II) does some nice work on harmonica. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

GUITARS IN ORBIT [LP VINYL]

from: COLLECTABLES RECORDS

Release Date
Nice introduction to bluesman Elmore James! The liner notes emphasize his important role in the development of the blues. He died way too early, at 45, because of heart trouble.

His vocals were strong, with a straight out blues sound; his guitar playing was exceptional, too. The liner notes that that "". . .it was Elmore and his signature crashing licks that sliced the deepest and influenced the most from the moment he recorded his first immortal treatment of `Dust My Broom.'"

And so it makes sense to talk a bit of that iconic song. "Dust My Broom" was one of his great hits (the liner notes suggest that he adopted the song's sensibility from Robert Johnson. The guitar sound is classic blues. Sonny Boy Williamson (II) does some nice work on harmonica. ... Read More: