This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
DISCS: Four.
TRACKS: 60.
YEARS: 1940 – 2000.
LOWDOWN: No, this is not the box set to Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. But if you can’t find that one — or don’t want to shell out the big bucks for it — then Rounder Records’ Box Of The Blues might be the way to go. It mines the same rich vein of traditional American music from Delta wizards like Sonny Boy Williamson to Chicago stars like Otis Spann and contemporary torch-bearers like Corey Harris. Toss in names like Big Joe Williams, Jimmie Rogers, Robert Nighthawk, Charles Brown, Otis Clay, Solomon Burke, The Holmes Brothers and even George Thorogood and you have a worthy anthology.
NEW STUFF: A few of these tracks are new to CD — but really, the old stuff is the point here.
EYE CANDY: Just a 50-page booklet. At least I think it was 50 pages; mine was missing some. Here’s hoping you have better luck — otherwise you’ll be singing the Boxing Day Return Line Blues.
DAMAGE: About $30.
