The Complete Chess Studio Recordings

 

Info

Label

Chess

Released

March 10, 1992

Original year of release

1992

Recorded

1960 to 1969

Total playing time

CD1 67:58, CD2 71:16

Producer

Leonard and Phil Chess

 

Musicians

Buddy Guy

Guitar, Vocals

Gene Barge

Sax (Tenor)

Lefty Bates

Guitar

Fred Below

Drums

Milton Bland

Sax (Tenor)

Reggie Boyd

Bass

Leonard Caston

Piano, Organ

Al Duncan

Drums

Jarrett Gibson

Baritone (Vocal), Sax (Tenor)

Donald Hankins

Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)

Clifton James

Drums

Lafayette Leake

Organ, Piano

Jack Meyers

Bass

Little Brother Montgomery

Piano

Matt "Guitar" Murphy

Guitar

Bob Neely

Sax (Tenor)

Robert Nighthawk

Guitar

A.C. Reed

Sax (Tenor)

Otis Spann

Piano

Charles Stepney

Drums

Leroy Stewart

Bass

Phil Thomas

Drums

Sonny Turner

Trumpet

Phil Upchurch

Bass

Murray Watson

Trumpet

Junior Wells

Harmonica

Sonny Boy Williamson (II)

Harmonica

Lacy Gibson

Guitar

Tracks

   

written by

playing time

Disk 1:

1.

First time I met the blues

Eurreal Montgomery

2:19

2.

Slop around

Buddy Guy/Eurreal Montgomery/Willie Dixon

2:07

3.

I got my eyes on you

Buddy Guy/Willie Dixon

2:20

4.

Broken hearted blues

Willie Dixon

3:19

5.

Let me love you baby

Willie Dixon

2:52

6.

I got a strange feeling

Willie Dixon/Al Perkins

3:06

7.

Gully Hully

Eurreal Montgomery

3:06

8.

Ten years ago

Buddy Guy

2:37

9.

Watch yourself

Buddy Guy

4:03

10.

Stone crazy

Buddy Guy

7:11

11.

Skippin'

Buddy Guy

3:24

12.

I found a true love

Buddy Guy

6:17

13.

Hard but it's fair

Willie Dixon

2:23

14.

Baby (baby, baby, baby)

Buddy Guy

2:10

15.

When my left eye jumps

Willie Dixon/Al Perkins

3:54

16.

That's it

Buddy Guy

2:40

17.

The treasure untold

Buddy Guy

2:02

18.

American bandstand (a/k/a American bandstand thing)

Buddy Guy/Willie Dixon/Dilly Emerson

2:02

19.

No lie

Buddy Guy/Bill Emerson

2:28

20.

$100 bill

Buddy Guy

2:12

21.

My love is real

Buddy Guy

2:37

22.

Buddy's boogie

Buddy Guy

2:37

   

Disk 2:

1.

Worried mind (a/k/a Stick around)

Buddy Guy

3:59

2.

Untitled Instrumental

Buddy Guy

1:46

3.

Moanin'

Bobby Timmons

3:38

4.

I dig your wig

Buddy Guy/Willie Dixon

2:28

5.

My time after awhile

Robert Geddins

3:00

6.

Night flight

Buddy Guy

3:19

7.

Crazy love (crazy music)

Willie Dixon

2::43

8.

Every girl I see

Willie Dixon/Michael P. Murphy

3:39

9.

Too many ways

Willie Dixon

2:13

10.

Leave my girl alone

Buddy Guy

3:27

11.

Got to use your head

Buddy Guy

2:12

12.

Keep it to myself (a/k/a Keep it to yourself)

Sonny Boy Williamson

2:46

13.

My mother

Buddy Guy

2:35

14.

She suits me to a Tee

Buddy Guy

2:16

15.

Mother-in-law blues

Gene Barge

2:43

16.

Buddy's groove

Gene Barge

3:44

17.

Going to school

Buddy Guy

3:06

18.

I cry and sing the blues

Willie Dixon

3:14

19.

Goin' home

Willie Dixon

2:41

20.

I suffer with the blues

Buddy Guy

2:46

21.

Lip lap Louie

Buddy Guy

2:21

22.

My time after awhile (alternate vocal and mix)

Robbert Geddins

3:19

23.

Too many ways (alternate with background vocal)

Willie Dixon

2:15

24.

Keep it to myself (alternate with organ overdub)

Sonny Boy Williamson

2:27

25.

I didn't know my mother (she suits me to a tee alternate)

Buddy Guy

2:24

Reviews

All-Music Guide (Cub Koda)
A two-CD compilation of Guy's seminal work for the legendary Chicago label. Full of explosive guitar and impassioned vocals, these are some of Buddy's finest recordings. A two-CD compilation of Guy's seminal work for the legendary Chicago label. Full of explosive guitar and impassioned vocals, these are some of Buddy's finest recordings.

Emap Consumer Magazines Limited (Andy Gill)
The cream of Buddy Guy's Chess work on one CD, 22 tracks recorded between 1960 and 1967, ranging from the brilliant Slop Around to I Suffer With The Blues. It's easy to see why the young Eric Clapton was so heavily influenced by Buddy Guy. The early '60s were the latter's golden era and the former's formative years, and at that time Buddy Guy was the equal of any blues guitarist in the world (and Chicago). This is the blues becoming approachable, with the bevy of girl backing singers and the rollicking rock 'n' soul arrangements of tracks like Hard But It's Fair and Baby (Baby, Baby, Baby) offering a more commercial slant than before, but without sacrificing one iota of hard blue passion.

Living Blues (10/92)
..well over 30 tracks of excellent blues....includes some of the finest blues of the postwar era....set a standard for singing and playing seldom equaled since...

Amazon (Ted Drozdowski)
Although Buddy Guy's first singles were for Chicago's Cobra Records, the bulk of his work in the early to mid-'60s was for the Windy City's most important blues label, Chess. Much of his work for the Chess brothers was as a sideman, but this collection of Guy's own singles and alternate or unreleased takes showcases the stinging guitar tone and preaching vocal style that were to become his trademarks. Among these recordings are the earliest versions of his signature tunes "I Got My Eyes On You," "Stone Crazy," "Watch Yourself," "When My Left Eye Jumps," and the nervy cry for revenge "My Time After Awhile."

Dave Bair
This collection consists of 47 tracks, recorded from 1960 to 1966. Buddy's music during his career with Chess ranged from commercial "dance" songs/ to slow blues. There's a lot of emphasis on his vocal skills rather than his guitar work, with horn sections on most tracks. The first outstanding song is "I've got a strange feeling", with a great vocal, and fine harmonica from Junior Wells. Some excellent slow blues tracks follow, "Ten Years Ago", "Stone Crazy"(with some fine guitar), "I Found True Love" and "When My Left Eye Jumps". More commercial tracks are "Hard But Fair" and "Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby", which features girl backing singers. $100 Bill is very similar to "Money". "My Love Is Real" is a ballad in the mould of "Need Your Love So Bad".
Disk 2 starts with "Worried Mind", which features some sensitive blues guitar- both the vocals and guitar on this track remind me of BB King. More guitar and keyboards here, with less brass. "Moanin" and "Night Flight" are instrumentals including nice jazz guitar. There are 2 versions of the classic blues song "My Time after a while". My favourite track is "Leave My Little Girl Alone", with it's majestic guitar introduction, and anguished vocal. This song was, of course, successfully covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan on "In Step". "Going To School" was also recorded by Stevie as "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on "Texas Flood". "I Suffer With The Blues" is a fine showcase for Buddy's guitar playing, an uncluttered arrangement with no brass. There are alternate takes of "Too Many Ways" with some unconvincing backing vocals, and "Keep It To Myself", which includes rather unnecessary organ. This is an excellent collection. Fans of Buddy's more recent work may find it somewhat different to what they are used to, but with a total of 139 minutes playing time, there's bound to be something you like!