****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I bought this Jimmy Reed classic Big Boss Man here on Amazon back in 1998. That copy was a replacement for an earlier CD, which had been a replacement for an earlier vinyl album from the '70s, both lost in a series of long-distance moves. For those who know his music, the late Jimmy Reed needs no introduction, as to many of us, he was one of the greatest bluesmen who ever lived.I was introduced to his music in the early 1960s, but it's been said that '50s, no bluesman was more popular than Jimmy Reed. His laid back, slack-jawed singing, penetrating harmonica and mesmerizing guitar patterns were one of the blues' most easily identifiable sounds in the decades of the '50s and '60s, and had a major impact on many blues and rock & roll artists who followed.I'm listing the tracks for this exceptional CD here because I'm afraid that like so many classic yet non-mainstream albums, they will be lost or relegated to collector-only editions:1. Big Boss Man2. Big Legged Woman3. Hi Yellow Good Lovin'4. Bright Lights, Big City5. Baby What You Want Me To Do6. I Got The World In A Jug7. We Got To Stick Together8. Milking The Cow9. Big Boss Man (High Energy Version)10. Funky Funky SoulSome of these songs may have a familiar ring, as some have been covered by such groups and artists as The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison's group, the Steve Miller Band, Neil Young and others. And this Mississippi-born blues musician and songwriter's recordings of "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City" were both voted onto the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.But what really interested me was to see that this artist's work live on in Big Boss Man, which is an expanded MP3 album of the best of his works.1. Big Boss Man (2:50)2. You Got Me Dizzy (2:51)3. Take Out Some Insurance (2:21)4. Found Love (2:20)5. You Don't Have To Go (3:07)6. Hush, Hush (2:34)7. Caress Me Baby (2:50)8. Close Together (2:34)9. Ain't That Loving You Baby (2:15)10. Baby What You Want Me To Do (2:23)11. Honest I Do (2:43)12. Going To New York (2:19)13. Bright Lights, Big City (2:42)14. Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth (2:24)15. Good Lover (2:29)16. Down In Virginia (2:27)17. The Sun Is Shining (2:51)18. Shame, Shame, Shame (2:50)My personal favorite choices of these tracks? I could easily say every one of them, as each is a wonderful 5-star example of this bluesman's exceptional works, but way up on the list are "Big Boss Man", "You Got Me Dizzy", "Hush, Hush", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", "Going To New York", "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Shame, Shame, Shame". Listen to the sample tracks, and if you're into the blues, you'll hear why Jimmy Reed is so admired amongst blues musicians.Jimmy Reed died in Oakland, California in 1976 from complications of alcoholism and epilepsy. He was eight days away from his 51st birthday. It's good to see that his music lives on here.7/21/2012
