VA - The Best BLUES Album In The World... Ever! (2CD) (2000)

Hardly. What is on this two-disc set is a real hodgepodge of new and old tracks by a variety of artists ranging from soul shouters and blues-rockers to the true originators. Disc one gets off to a sluggish start with tracks from Johnny Winter, the Boneshakers, Colin James, Larry McCray, the Kinsey Report, John Hammond, Duke Robillard, and Terry Evans, but picks up a bit with entries from Elmore James, Lowell Fulson, B.B. King, and Albert Collins. The second disc is better, with classics from Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, and Lightnin' Hopkins paving the way, with only entries from Gary Moore, Jon Cleary, Johnny Winter, J.J. Cale, and John Mayall dropping the quality. Although heavily advertised on TV, this is a long, long way from being an ultimate blues collection.