Artist: Various Artists Rating: Release Date: August 26, 1997Type: Collection (various artists)Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Review While Chess Records' legacy as a dominating and shaping force on rock & roll is well chronicled, you don't really get the full range of it until you're ultimately confronted with the music itself. This two-disc, 36-track compilation drives that point home with an almost numbing intensity. Whether they're blues tunes that have been covered so many times they now are staples of everyone's set list (Muddy Water's "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," "I Just Want to Make Love to You"; Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man"; or Howlin' Wolf's "Back Door Man"), classics waiting to be covered ("More and More," "Bring It On Home," "Ice Cream Man"), or early rock classics themselves ("Rock and Roll Music," "Johnny B. Goode," "Susie-Q," "See You Later Alligator"), Chess seems to have laid the first set of musical footprints in the snow. No mere publishing sampler, this is an essential piece of rock & roll history and a great primer for ground-floor roots music enthusiasts. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
Tracks
CD 1
CD 2
Credits Billy Boy Arnold (Harmonica), Eddie Boyd (Piano) , Eddie Boyd (Vocals) , Eddie Boyd (Performer) , Willie Dixon (Bass) , Willie Dixon (Vocals) , Willie Dixon (Producer) , Willie Dixon (Performer) , Snooks Eaglin (Guitar) , Lowell Fulson (Guitar) , Lowell Fulson (Vocals) , Lowell Fulson (Producer) , Lowell Fulson (Performer) , Paul Gayten (Producer) , Buddy Guy (Guitar) , John Lee Hooker (Vocals) , John Lee Hooker (Performer) , Big Walter Horton (Harmonica) , Etta James (Vocals) , Etta James (Vocals (Background)) , Etta James (Performer) , Freddie King (Guitar) , J.B. Lenoir (Guitar) , J.B. Lenoir (Vocals) , J.B. Lenoir (Performer) , Little Walter (Harmonica) , Little Walter (Vocals) , Little Walter (Performer) , Willie Mabon (Piano) , Willie Mabon (Vocals) , Willie Mabon (Performer) , Cash McCall (Guitar) , Memphis Slim (Piano) , Memphis Slim (Vocals) , Memphis Slim (Performer) , Matt "Guitar" Murphy (Guitar) , Hubert Sumlin (Guitar) , Eddie Taylor (Guitar) , Chuck Berry (Guitar) , Chuck Berry (Vocals) , Chuck Berry (Overdubs) , Chuck Berry (Performer) , Phil Upchurch (Bass) , Johnnie Johnson (Piano) , Lorenzo Smith (Sax (Tenor)) , James Burton (Guitar) , Choker Campbell (Saxophone) , Bobby Charles (Performer) , Sugar Boy Crawford (Piano) , Sugar Boy Crawford (Vocals) , Sugar Boy Crawford (Performer) , Dale Hawkins (Guitar) , Dale Hawkins (Vocals) , Dale Hawkins (Performer) , Johnny Jones (Piano) , Sam Lay (Drums) , Andrew McMahon (Bass) , Jody Williams (Guitar) , Homesick James Williamson (Guitar) , Robert Lockwood, Jr. (Guitar) , Jerome Arnold (Maracas) , Alex Atkins (Sax (Alto)) , Carl Banks (Organ) , Julien Beasley (Saxophone) , Fred Below (Drums) , Bo Diddley (Performer) , John Brim (Guitar) , John Brim (Vocals) , John Brim (Performer) , J.T. Brown (Sax (Tenor)) , Howlin' Wolf (Harmonica) , Howlin' Wolf (Vocals) , Howlin' Wolf (Performer) , Little Milton (Guitar) , Little Milton (Vocals) , Little Milton (Performer) , Leonard Caston (Guitar) , Charles Chalmers (Saxophone) , Leonard Chess (Producer) , Phil Chess (Producer) , Francis Clay (Drums) , Leroy Cooper (Saxophone) , Ernest Cotton (Sax (Tenor)) , Paul Drake (Piano) , Al Duncan (Drums) , Elgin Edmonds (Drums) , Alfred Elkins (Bass) , Frank Fields (Bass) , Mike Fink (Design) , Al Galvin (Drums) , A.J. Gladney (Drums) , Jerome Green (Maracas) , Rick Hall (Producer) , Donald Hankins (Sax (Baritone)) , David Hood (Bass (Electric)) , Clifton James (Drums) , Elmore James (Guitar) , Elmore James (Vocals) , Elmore James (Performer) , Maurice Jennings (Drums) , Jimmy Johnson (Guitar) , Dave Lastie (Saxophone) , Lafayette Leake (Piano) , Stan Lewis (Producer) , Albert Lowe (Guitar) , Andy McKaie (Reissue Producer) , Andy McKaie (Compilation Producer) , Gene Miller (Trumpet) , Joe Montgomery (Piano) , Muddy Waters (Guitar) , Muddy Waters (Vocals) , Muddy Waters (Performer) , David "Fathead" Newman (Saxophone) , Floyd Newman (Saxophone) , Odie Payne (Drums) , George Patterson (Saxophone) , Milton Rector (Bass) , Arnold Rogers (Sax (Tenor)) , Jimmy Rogers (Fiddle) , Jimmy Rogers (Guitar) , Jimmy Rogers (Vocals) , Jimmy Rogers (Performer) , Otis Spann (Piano) , Billy Stepney (Drums) , Tommy Tucker (Performer) , Aaron Varnell (Saxophone) , Tom Washington (Piano) , Sonny Boy Williamson (Harmonica) , Sonny Boy Williamson (Vocals) , Sonny Boy Williamson (Performer) , Weldon Dean Young (Guitar) , Alfred Bernard (Saxophone) , Larry Guidry (Guitar) , Leon Hooper (Drums) , Ronnie Lewis (Drums) , Carlo Marino (Saxophone) , Big Boy Myles (Trombone) , Raoul Prado (Saxophone) , Slim Saunders (Vocals) , Harry Simontaux (Saxophone) , Kenneth Theriot (Drums) , Eric Warner (Drums) , Bill Dahl (Liner Notes) , Bill Dahl (Compilation Producer) , Chick Booth (Drums) , Little Sax Crowder (Sax (Tenor)) , Roger Dawkins (Drums) , Andrew Gardner (Sax (Alto)) , Robert Higginbotham (Organ) , Robert Higginbotham (Piano) , Robert Higginbotham (Vocals) , Peggy Jones (Guitar) , Peggy Jones (Vocals (Background)) , Ed LeBlanc (Piano) , Fats Morris (Trombone) , Dewey Oldham (Organ) , Dewey Oldham (Piano) , Timothy Overton (Sax (Tenor)) , Sonny Trammel (Bass) , Erick Labson (Digital Remastering) , Perry Walker (Drums) , Ray Flerlage (Photography) , Joseph Sia (Photography) , Billy Davis (Producer) , Oliver Coleman (Drums) , Willie Dixon Orchestra (?) , Paul King (Trumpet) , The Marquees (Vocals (Background)) , Johnny Williams (Drums) , Brenda Jones (Bass) , Bill Anderson (Bass)
