We're always adding new recommendations so stop back frequently.

Bad Company 

Their double disc compilation, Original Bad Company Anthology, release includes all one would need in a Bad Company collection. It even includes a handful of key outtakes that are not available elsewhere. 

The Paul Rodgers DVD includes his band performing a number of classic Bad Company songs, along with other material including the Free hit "All Right Now." 

Bad Company Reunion

The Band  

The Band's Greatest Hits is an excellent low price introduction to their studio material. The box-set A Musical History is an excellent package.

If you are a fan of Bob Dylan, you may want to pick up one or both of the Bob Dylan live albums where the Band back him.   

The Beatles

The Beatles Stereo Box Set

Product Description
*CDs packaged in three panel digi-pak with digital mini documentaries
* Remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee

All 13 Studio remasters plus Past Masters (digi packaging with digital mini documentaries)
Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Help!
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles
Yellow Submarine
Abbey Road
Let It Be
 - and
Past Masters

DVD of all 13 mini-documentaries (Running time: 40 minutes)

Jeff Beck  

Jeff Beck offers a good one disc compilation that highlights his solo career. The song selection can not be faulted, but the poor non-chronological sequence should be criminal. The live version of "Blue Wind" lacks some fidelity and the studio version would have been the wiser  choice.

Beck's more expansive three disc box set, Beckology, has lots of early material dating back to the Yardbirds and even earlier.  

In October 2006, The Jeff Beck's first two solo albums were reissued w/ bonus tracks - Truth , Beck-Ola.

This classic line-up included Rod Stewart, Nicky Hopkins, Ron Wood, within the personnel. I recently listened to Beck-Ola. I was expecting a little better sound, but the music is good, especially if you like Beck's guitar playing. While I enjoy this music a great deal, it is a Jeff Beck purchase. Also check out Rod Stewart with the  The Faces and his early career, Ron Wood is in The Faces and The Rolling Stones, and Nicky Hopkins with The Rolling Stones. Liner notes by Charles Shaar Murray include interview excerpts with Beck, credits, and photos.

Chuck Berry

We think the best way to collect Chuck Berry is through one of his compilations.  They have been so many that you can become dizzy considering your options. In 2007 there was a release entitled, Ultimate Chuck Berry, 56 songs. It runs neck and neck with Gold 50, songs, offering the best value. I like Ultimate better because it has the Christmas songs, "Merry Christmas Baby," and "Run Rudolph Run," which are on the box set, but seem to be left off of all of the other compilations. Note: Gold has the same songs as the Chess release Anthology, but is less expensive. Below we listed a single, double and triple disc release. 

Black Sabbath 

For a casual fan, Black Sabbath's two-disc compilation Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 is a superb choice.

Additional Black Sabbath content
Hard Rock

Blind Faith 

Eric Clapton short lived pairing with Steve Winwood in the super group Blind Faith has some great moments mixed in with good material. 

Clapton's long career has so many different facets, and we would rank the Blind Faith stint as average, compared to what he recorded throughout his career. When we reach for Eric Clapton it is seldom to hear Blind Faith. For many listeners, if you have a few songs from a collection that is satisfactory. Picking up Clapton's box set Crossroads includes plenty of material from this period.  

Blind Faith: Deluxe is a two disc collection that includes the remastered original album loads of extra songs and jam sessions, for the serious collector. 

See also our Eric Clapton section for the re-union tour featuring Clapton and Winwood, a 2009 release of their 2008 performances tour is available in both audio and video. 

Additional Blind Faith content
Eric Clapton profile

Boris Garcia 

Reviewing Once More Into Bliss was the first I heard Boris Garcia. Not being familiar with the voices and their style, it takes a bit to get used the sound before an accurate review can be made. In these cases, sometimes the music isn't to my liking and turns out to be a waste of time, other times some new great sounds are discovered. So which of those camps does the Boris Garcia's third release, Once More Into Bliss, fall into? ...review continues here

Michael Bloomfield 

David Bowie 

Wow!!! Oh my!! (insert other exclamations as needed) But you're probably wondering "What the ---?", and rightly so: STAGE was a live album released in 1978, scoring no hits, and dismissed at the time in favor of DAVID LIVE, which had been released four years earlier and was better mixed & more focused in style.

And yet .... continued

Additional David Bowie content
David Bowie

Our two favorite Bowie albums are Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory. The Best of David Bowie is a good value collection, note, there are some single versions on the collection.

Roy Buchanan's is one of the most innovative guitar players that I've heard. I was fortunate to see him perform live twice in the 1970's. Amazing! He generally plays with a blues or rock attitude, though he does stretch into different genres like surf, or country. So while Roy isn't not a strictly blues performer, but when he goes for that approach he's clearly one of a kind. From Second Album, "Tribute To Elmore James" is a great example of him playing the blues. Why that song gets left off of so many Roy Buchanan compilations should be criminal, there is room for those three and half minutes of bliss. 

Buchanan's playing offers the guitar sustain that Carlos Santana mastered, the phasing of David Gilmour (particularly like he demonstrated on Animals), the natural blues flow of Stevie Ray Vaughan, all rolled into one. Perhaps most important or at a minimum impressive, is that Buchanan's playing is so unique and original.

There is a superb career retrospective entitled Sweet Dreams: The Anthology, which includes six live tracks (blistering), and an assortment of his best songs from his albums. 

Some of the best material from Sweet Dreams was previously unreleased such as "Dual Soliloquy," a twelve minute solo guitar piece recorded in 1972, and two live covers songs, "Hey Joe," and "C. C. Ryder." Buchanan's version of Joe Walsh's track "Turn to Stone" is very David Gilmour like.

Buchanan's compilation Deluxe Edition that covers material from his last three albums with Alligator records; Dancing on the Edge, Hot Wires, and When a Guitar Plays the Blues.

Additional Roy Buchanan content
Profile and discography
Instrumental

James Burton is best known for his work in Elvis Presley's TCB (Taking Care of Business) Band. James Burton's resume is too extensive for this page, so we're highlighting a few select items. Also of note, Burton played with Merle Haggard. who is listed separately on this page. 

We highlighted two instrumental releases first. They are The Guitar Sounds of James Burton and another album by James Burton & pedal steel guitarist Ralph Mooney called Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin'.  

Below we noted some of James Burton's  work with Gram Parsons.

James Burton sweet Telecaster guitar riffs beautifully filled up Gram Parsons two solo albums, G. P. and Grievous Angel. The basic personnel was Elvis' TCB backing band, along with Gram Parsons, and of course, Emmylou Harris.

There are only two albums with this line-up and they are magical. They are available as a two-fer, or as a box set with alternate takes and slightly better sound. I upgraded to the box-set and am sure glad I did, but casual fans will be more than satisfied with the original two albums without the alternate tracks. 

Our website features much more about Gram Parsons, these releases, along with the other bands that he played in.