Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at 'B.B. King: Gold,' one of the many compilations of the blues legend's work that has seen a resurgence in sales following his death two weeks ago.
Week of 05/29/2015
WHO: B.B. King
WHAT: B.B. King: Gold
SPOT: 189
Anytime that a major musical figure passes away, you'll be sure to see a resurgence of sales on the album charts and otherwise for the deceased, especially if they haven't released any new music recently. B.B. King is certainly deserving of discovery by generations of young people who missed out when he was alive. His death on May 15 has led to several albums making appearances for the first time in the Billboard 200. Last week featured the The Complete Collection (no. 59) and Greatest Hits (no. 118) and this week marks the Top 200 debut of Gold...probably the best bet for the casual listener.
Greatest Hits is the most bare-bones of the three, packing the tracks that you can and should expect from such a collection. The Complete Collection has more tracks than this week's entry, but they're all studio numbers. This is where Gold triumphs, including a number of live recordings from a variety of venues, showcasing a bluesman in his ideal setting.
The highlight of this two-disc set (totaling 34 songs) is disc two's "Let The Good Times Roll," where King performs the hit with Bobby "Blue" Bland at the Coconut Grove during a 1976 concert.
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