The Essential T-Bone Walker Collection

This double disc set is well titled, as it contains most of T-Bone's greatest recordings from his glory years. Disc One comes from his Capitol and Black & White period, and includes his best-known song, "Call It Stormy Monday," along with his other classics, backed by the cream of the Los Angeles players. Disc Two is the best of his Imperial sides, the sides that B. B. King has said were the recordings that were his greatest inspiration, mostly backed by the warm horn charts of Maxwell Davis, who later performed the same function for B. B. The remastering is awesome; this stuff has never sounded cleaner. You can hear every instrument, not easy on recordings from the late 40s-early 50s. The liner notes are literate and informative, and of generous length. Great photos inside too!