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The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson | 
 enlarge | Artist: Sonny Boy Williamson Ii
Label: Mca
Category: Music
List Price: $25.98
Buy New: $24.58
You Save: $1.40 (5%)
New (11) Used (9) Collectible (2) from $11.99
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 50789
Format: Box Set
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
UPC: 076732934326
EAN: 0076732934326
ASIN: B000002OC0
Release Date: June 8, 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Same day shipping. Free upgrade to 1st class mail for all CDs. Professional packaging material. Friendly customer service.
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Good Evening Everybody | | • | Don't Start Me to Talkin' | | • | All My Love in Vain | | • | You Killing Me | | • | Let Me Explain | | • | Your Imagination | | • | Don't Lose Your Eye | | • | Keep It to Yourself | | • | The Key (To Your Door) | | • | Have You Ever Been in Love | | • | Fattening Frogs for Snakes | | • | I Don't Know | | • | Like Wolf | | • | Cross My Heart | | • | Ninety Nine | | • | Born Blind | | • | Little Village | | • | Unseen Eye | | • | Your Funeral and My Trial | | • | Keep Your Hands Out of My Pockets | | • | Unseeing Eye | | • | Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide | | • | The Goat |
Disc 2
| • | Cool Disposition | | • | Santa Claus | | • | Checkin' up on My Baby | | • | Temperature 110 | | • | Lonesome Cabin | | • | Somebody Help Me | | • | Down Child | | • | Trust My Baby | | • | Too Close Together | | • | Too Young to Die | | • | She's My Baby | | • | Stop Right Now | | • | Too Old to Think | | • | One Way Out - Sonny Boy Williamson, James, Elmore | | • | Nine Below Zero | | • | Help Me | | • | Bye Bye Bird - Sonny Boy Williamson, Dixon, Willie | | • | Bring It on Home - Sonny Boy Williamson, Dixon, Willie | | • | Decoration Day | | • | Trying to Get Back on My Feet | | • | Close to Me - Sonny Boy Williamson, Dixon, Willie | | • | I Can't Be Alone |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Rice Miller, "Sonny Boy II", began his association with Chess Records in 1955, when he was already at least 45 years old. His exuberant yet dynamic and intricate playing brought the harmonica from the Delta to Chicago, influencing every harp blower since. He developed his rough and wild, hard-swinging, juke-joint style during extensive travels throughout the South. These 45 potent Chess recordings are more refined and urbanized than his earlier Trumpet work, but still capture the excitement of those early sides. Included are remakes of Trumpet classics such as "Eyesight to the Blind" (re-titled "Born Blind") as well as classic gems including "One Way Out" and "Bring It On Home." --Marc Greilsamer
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| Customer Reviews:
 Bad To The Bone February 1, 2008
handyman
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I saw recently where Elvis Costello had this, or some other SBW collection, in his current Top Ten play list. That got me thinking.
Handyman owns a fairly deep collection of wide ranging, well-worn and warped blues LPs.
My most heavily traveled avenue of interest being the post-war 1950's Chicago blues scene.
I have a few vinyl volumes of SBW Chess material. Those recordings are desert island blues picks for me.
Sonny Boy Williamson's take on the blues has a particular funky edge, a particular off-beat that I cannot describe in musical terminology, but which I have always found distinctive and attractive.
The goldmines of the frontliners; Muddy Waters, Howlin'Wolf, Elmore James,John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy etc have been unearthed and scavenged for years.
Sonny Boy's mine is a bit harder locate but, the blues treasure lying therein is, in my humble opinion, of equal intrigue and value, and holds a particular shine.
I encourage anyone getting onboard the never ending blues train to make room for some SBW in their satchel.
THE " REAL BLUES"....!! December 25, 2004
Classics Buff (OAK PARK, MICH. USA)
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
THIS IS THE BEST OF THE BLUES SINGERS..STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO BB KING AND RAY CHARLES..IT DONT GET ANY BETTER..AND NOW I FINALLY SEE WHERE THE YOUNG BRITISH GROUPS LIKE THE ROLLING STONES AND ETC. FROM THE 60'S COPIED THEIR STYLE...AND WITH THE HARMONIC SOUND TOO...GO TO THE ROOTS FOR THE TRUE SOUND CAUSE NOTHING ELSE CAN COMPARE!!!
One of the best collections by one of the best blues singers May 4, 2003
Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is a superb collection.
Singer/harpist Aleck "Rice" Miller may have started calling himself "Sonny Boy Williamson" to take advantage of the fame of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson from Tennessee. But he wasn't a cheap imitator - Miller was one of the major blues artists at Chess Records in the 50s, alongside Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, and probably the best harmonica player the blues has even seen.
Rice Miller was a tremendous songwriter whose keen attention to detail was quite unusual in a genre which relied heavily on cliche and a handful of repeated patterns. He penned witty, sometimes romantic, sometimes venomous lyrics, and tunes memorable enough to rival those of Chess stalwart Willie Dixon. He was an equally terrific singer, highly expressive, and usually backed in the studio by superstar musicians like Dixon, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann and Robert "Jr." Lockwood.
Sometimes a double-disc compilation is stretching it, especially for the casual fan, but these 45 tracks are not even close to being too many. Absolutely everything on "The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson" is worth a listen, and I can easily name another dozen songs which should have been here...Miller's recordings for Chess maintained an incredible level of quality.
There are really too many highlights to mention, but among the very best songs are "Don't Start Me To Talkin'", "All My Love In Vain", "Your Funeral And My Trial", "Let Me Explain" and "Fattening Frogs For Snakes" from Miller's first Chess LP, as well as "Help Me", "Checkin' Up On My Baby", "Too Young To Die" and many, many more - and more than half of these tracks are not on the single-disc MCA/Chess-release "His Best", which should be sufficent reason to pick up this fine collection instead.
And while you're at it, get Miller's early Trumpet recordings as well on Arhoolie's "King Biscuit Time"!
Raw Blues At Its Finest December 1, 2002
Kurt Harding (Boerne TX)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Though I had heard many of his songs performed by others, I did not know the name Sonny Boy Williamson until I heard a John Mayall song about him thirtysome years ago. Recently, my dormant interest in the Delta blues was rekindled, so I decided to try and find out just what this Sonny Boy was about.
Where better to start than a box set? I really had no idea what to expect when I bought it, but what I got was more than expected. I took the set on a recent road trip and listened to both discs more than five times each and found something new to like each time.
The verdict? I love this stuff. Not only can Sonny Boy play his blues harp like no other, he can really sing. His songs are well-written and are often humorous when they are not meant to be. The sound is great too, one can hear every instrument at work, particularly the drums which drive the easy swing of Sonny's blues.
My favorites? I like every song. If I had to pick, Unseen Eye and Somebody Help Me would be near the top.
The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson dishes out a heaping plateful of raw blues at its primitive finest. Don't miss out on this one, its money well-spent.
The greatest storyteller blues singer March 20, 2002
L. E STOTTLEMEYER (KCMO)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Sonny always had a great story song- There was always some predicament going on or some trouble he was in or just simply him being nosey and signafying on other folks problems. And all of this made him the best story teller. I absolutely love his storytelling in song. He was without a doubt the most compelling storyteller in all of Blues history. Buy this cd it's great and listen to the great stories. Sonny in one song says quote- "My baby asked me for 100 dollars and I didn't have but 99"- or the greatest (aint gone be no more sugar daddy) song ever recorded called "Fattening frogs for snakes" and of course his biggest hit is included on this package-1955's "Don't start me talking" because Sonny says when he starts talkin "he'll tell everything he knows". All of these are great classic blues songs from a true blues genius.
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