"Easy Listening Blues" is a bit of an oxymoron, especially in the hands of B.B. King, who might be smooth and urbane in some respects, but who's rarely recorded music that could be categorized as easy listening. That's the title that Crown used, however, for this all-instrumental 1962 collection. Just prior to leaving Modern for ABC, King did a lot of recording that Modern milked for sides to put out after he'd left the company, and the liner notes to the Ace CD reissue of the album speculate that these tracks were laid down in late 1961 as part of this process. Since a big part of the pleasure of listening to B.B. King is hearing his voice, and hearing the songs he wrote and interpreted, an all-instrumental album -- no matter how competently done -- is almost bound to sound like something's missing. And although this is a competent record, it's got to rank as one of his less essential efforts, the ten numbers often sounding like warm-up tunes or background generic blues club filler, hastily ground out to meet a quota. That doesn't mean that it's worthless -- the tunes are pleasant if unimaginative, and King plays with his usual authority, making occasional nods toward the rock & roll twist craze in cuts like "Night Long" and "Hully Gully Twist" (aka "Hully Gully"). The 2004 Ace CD reissue adds historical liner notes and, more importantly, eight instrumental bonus tracks, taken from instrumental odds 'n' ends like the 1955 single "Talkin' the Blues"/"Boogie Rock" (aka "House Rocker"); the 1962 single "3 O'Clock Stomp" (aka "Poontwangie"); a couple Modern outtakes that didn't surface until a 1987 Ace compilation; and three previously unissued recordings, those being "Really the Blues" (aka "Slidin' and Glidin'"), "King's Rock Jazz," and a "previously unissued extended take" of "Mashing the Popeye." Some of these extras are among the best the expanded CD has to offer, particularly the swinging "King's Rock Jazz" (where the horns are as prominent as King's guitar) and "Boogie Rock," which benefits from a Maxwell Davis sax solo."Easy Listening Blues" is a bit of an oxymoron, especially in the hands of B.B. King, who might be smooth and urbane in some respects, but who's rarely recorded music that could be categorized as easy listening. That's the title that Crown used, however, for this all-instrumental 1962 collection. Just prior to leaving Modern for ABC, King did a lot of recording that Modern milked for sides to put out after he'd left the company, and the liner notes to the Ace CD reissue of the album speculate that these tracks were laid down in late 1961 as part of this process. Since a big part of the pleasure of listening to B.B. King is hearing his voice, and hearing the songs he wrote and interpreted, an all-instrumental album -- no matter how competently done -- is almost bound to sound like something's missing. And although this is a competent record, it's got to rank as one of his less essential efforts, the ten numbers often sounding like warm-up tunes or background generic blues club filler, hastily ground out to meet a quota. That doesn't mean that it's worthless -- the tunes are pleasant if unimaginative, and King plays with his usual authority, making occasional nods toward the rock & roll twist craze in cuts like "Night Long" and "Hully Gully Twist" (aka "Hully Gully"). The 2004 Ace CD reissue adds historical liner notes and, more importantly, eight instrumental bonus tracks, taken from instrumental odds 'n' ends like the 1955 single "Talkin' the Blues"/"Boogie Rock" (aka "House Rocker"); the 1962 single "3 O'Clock Stomp" (aka "Poontwangie"); a couple Modern outtakes that didn't surface until a 1987 Ace compilation; and three previously unissued recordings, those being "Really the Blues" (aka "Slidin' and Glidin'"), "King's Rock Jazz," and a "previously unissued extended take" of "Mashing the Popeye." Some of these extras are among the best the expanded CD has to offer, particularly the swinging "King's Rock Jazz" (where the horns are as prominent as King's guitar) and "Boogie Rock," which benefits from a Maxwell Davis sax solo.false2025-09-16 01:50:11Easy Listening Blues19621962-01-011962-01-0128Blues RockChicago Blues114285224191392140a1e-0230-42d2-9b96-19757782ed8adcb03ce3-67a5-4eb3-b2d1-2a12d93a38f3f59be4cd-3222-442f-a1f9-914169d813db/media/data/media5/Music/B.B. King/Easy Listening Blues/folder.jpgB.B. KingB.B. KingRiley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.King was born on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, toured the world extensively. King died at the age of 89 in Las Vegas on May 14, 2015.