B.B. King - 20th Century Masters: Collection - Music & Performance - CD

This 20th Century/Millennium Collection is B.B.'s very 1st midline Best Of, and though it contains his biggest hits, half of it's 10 tracks are not on the frontline Greatest Hits. This includes his #15 R&B hit theme for the Jon Landis film "Into the Night" and his hit single versions of "Guess Who," "Ain't Nobody Home" and "Let the Good Times Roll" (with Bobby Bland). Never fear, his signature, #3 R&B/#15 Pop original hit version of "The Thrill Is Gone" is here in all it's classic glory.

Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around -- well, the 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection wasn't too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but it's hard to feel that way when it's used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, it's impossible for any of these brief collections to be definitive, but they're nevertheless solid samplers that don't feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take B.B. King's 20th Century volume -- it's an irresistible ten-song summary of his MCA recordings. There may be a couple of noteworthy songs missing, but many of his best-known songs for the label are here, including "The Thrill Is Gone," "Ain't Nobody Home," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Don't Answer the Door," "Sweet Sixteen," and "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss." Serious fans will want something more extensive, but this is an excellent introduction for neophytes and a great sampler for casual fans, considering its length and price. That doesn't erase the ridiculousness of the series title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Performer	B.B. King
Music genre	Blues
Music subgenre	Blues
Music release type	Compilation
Media format	CD
Original release date	1999
Language	English
Is collectible	Y
Number of tracks	10
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	20th Century Masters
Track listing	The Thrill Is Gone, Ain't Nobody Home, Let the Good Times Roll, Guess Who, I Like to Live the Love, Don't Answer the Door, Sweet Sixteen, Paying the Cost to Be the Boss, I Got Some Help I Don't Need, Into the Night
Record label	MCA
Songwriter	songwriter
Track name	The Thrill Is Gone
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N