Elmore James - The Best of Elmore James: The Early Years

Excellent overview

If you are not a fanatic, and don't want to invest in the (admittedly expensive) three-disc "The Classic Early Recordings 1951-56", this is certainly the best way to get all of Elmore James' finest recordings for the Bihari brothers' Flair and Meteor labels.
The three-CD anthology includes numerous alternate takes, which can be quite interesting for the collector, but on this fine single-disc anthology, you "only" get 28 A- and B-sides that James recorded for the Biharis, among them classic tracks like "Dust My Broom", "Sho' Nuff I Do", "Standing At The Crossroads" and "Blues Before Sunrise".

Some of the tracks are weighed down a little bit by the fact that every producer who came within striking distance of Elmore James wanted him to do that magic "Dust My Broom"-riff, which sometimes makes James sound like he's plagiarizing himself (something which he certainly didn't need to do), and songs like "Dust My Blues" are obvious attempts to duplicate the "Broom" formula.
But that doesn't change the fact that this disc features some of the greatest electric blues ever recorded - perhaps only bettered by James himself when, four years later, he went back into the studio to record for Bobby Robinson's Fire, Fury and Enjoy labels.

Many of the lesser known tracks are also great, such as "Strange Kinda Feeling" and "No Love In My Heart For You". The arrangements are simple but effective, with J.T. Brown blowing the sax and Ike Turner lending a hand (or two) on the piano on several cuts. And Elmore James' voice is powerful and intense, just like his slide playing.

Get this album, and the best of his Bobby Robinson-recordings as well (available on the superb box set "King Of The Slide Guitar" and on the single-disc "Shake Your Moneymaker"), and you'll be set. There is no finer electric blues available. August 14, 2003

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