As Good as it Gets
Info
|
Label |
Vanguard |
|
Released |
March 3, 1998 |
|
Original year of release |
1998 |
|
Recorded |
? |
|
Total playing time |
70:30 |
|
Producer |
? |
|
|
|
Buddy Guy |
Guitar, Vocals |
|
other performers unknown |
|
Tracks
written by |
playing time |
||
| 1. |
Mel London |
3:23 |
|
| 2. |
Mercy Dee Walton |
5:38 |
|
| 3. |
Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones |
3:43 |
|
| 4. |
John Davenport/Eddie Cooley |
6:26 |
|
| 5. |
Traditional |
2:53 |
|
| 6. |
Buddy Guy |
4:46 |
|
| 7. |
B.B.King |
5:39 |
|
| 8. |
Joe South |
3:54 |
|
| 9. |
? |
6:47 |
|
| 10. |
? |
5:16 |
|
| 11. |
Willie Dixon |
5:06 |
|
| 12. |
Robert Geddins |
4:17 |
|
| 13. |
Buddy Guy/Phil Guy |
8:37 |
|
| 14. |
Bob Crowder/ Billy Eckstine/Earl Hines |
4:19 |
Reviews
Blues Access
Buddy's stay with Vanguard left rather mixed results. The fiery
guitarist fused contemporary R&B and jazz/rock elements into his
blues, and this disc veers from solid blues territory to horn-section
dominated, noisy R&B send-ups.
Living Blues
Encountering this material in a fresh setting, stripped of the familiar
configurations of the original albums, we can reassess this important
music in contemporary terms. Right off the bat, As good as it gets
receives a demerit for omitting "Mary had a little lamb,"
easily Guy's best known ...waxing. Otherwise, the CD provides a reasonable
overview of the mercurial guitarist's output. Best of all, the set uncovers
three previously unreleased items form the '67 session.
Illinois Entertainer
. ..features the best of Guy's output for the label along with four
numbers left in the can back in the '60's
Dirty Linen (Andy Allen)
Buddy Guy moved over to the Vanguard label in 1968 after a long
tenure at Chess records. Guy was by this time a very polished performer
and was interested in getting his music out to the growing group of
younger blues fans. Guy delivers impassioned vocals and even more notable
is the way that he works the dynamics of his guitar playing and volume
to deliver a really compelling performance. There are four previously
unreleased tracks on the album, though generally the material is pretty
standard stuff from Guy's repertoire. Guy gives outstanding readings
of Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used to Do," and blues standards,
"(You Give Me) Fever" and "One Room Country Shack."
CDNow
This retrospective of the blues guitar giant's work during his years
with the Vanguard label should be well received by all fans of the genre.
Buddy's tenure with Vanguard, 1965-1972, yielded a short list of quality
releases. Some of the finest moments are now captured on this compilation
issueand four previously unissued tracks are included. Guy's inimitable,
blazing guitar work is well represented here as he smokes through slow
blues and uptempo numbers. His adventurous outreach into the addition
of horn sections, which his pre-Vanguard publisher, Chess, forbade,
fuses his blues with jazz and soul. True Chicago legends abound on these
selections, including the magnificent pianist A.C. Reed. The previously
unreleased pieces "Slow Blues (instrumental)" and "The Dream" are especially
tasty. The live version of 1968's "The Things I used To Do" gives impressive
perspective to his on stage power, which continues unabated to this
day. Buddy Guy's evolution from a session man in the 50's for Chess,
through his more recent career triumphs in the 90's, are now well-chronicled
by the inclusion of this 14 track compilation. One of the last of the
living legends of the Chicago blues guitar sound is done proud on this
disc.
San Diego Tribune (George Varga)
Buddy Guy's belated rise to fame in the 1990s has been a mixed blessing.
On the one hand, the Louisiana-born, Chicago-based guitar and vocal
dynamo was long overdue for public acclaim, especially since such admirers
as Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and Billy Gibbons had long been singing
his praises. On the other, Guy's popularity with rock fans has led him
to sacrifice many of the subtle pleasures of his music in favor of an
in-your-face approach that is initially electrifying but ultimately
disappointing.
"As Good Get As It Gets" is a compilation of 14 songs/ from
Guy's tenure with Vanguard Records in the 1960s. It demonstrates just
how potent this three-time Grammy winner's music was when he was still
a struggling cult artist. What results isn't quite as galvanizing as
"I Was Walkin' Through the Woods," the classic collection
of Guy's best recordings for Chess
Records from the early 1960s, but it's close.
Highlights include his finely nuanced guitar work and singing on "The
Dream," one of four previously unreleased cuts. Then there's his
slinky version of Willie Dixon's "I'm Ready," his supple singing
on "Stormy Monday," and his bristling, brass-punctuated performance
of "Fever" from the 1968 live album, "This is Buddy Guy!"
What results is as fresh and vital as any blues album of the 1990s,
by Guy or any other artist.
Extra Info
"Slow Blues", "Give a fool like me the blues", "The Dream", "Poison Ivy" and "You got a hole in your sole" are previously unreleased.