Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Friday, April 4, 2014

The Blues Brothers - The Definitive Collection (1992)


I was only marginally aware of The Blues Brothers in 1978 because I never could manage to stay awake to watch Saturday Night Live (I usually fell asleep in front of the TV during Fantasy Island). In 1980, when the movie came out, I wasn't allowed to see 'R' rated movies so that was out. I didn't get to the Blues Brothers until I bought their 1981 Best Of The Blues Brothers compilation LP (below) around 1986, then I caught up quickly.


It's better than The Return Of Bruno. As a musician, Belushi at least tried to be entertaining. I've never seen or heard anything entertaining from coat-tailer Aykroyd. However, they put together a great band (Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Tom Scott, Paul Shaffer, etc.) and covered some great tunes. More R&B and soul than blues, these covers are good for the occasional listen, but they usually make me want to hear the original cuts and I think everyone involved would be ok with that. To be honest, my DVD of the movie gets about the same amount of playing time as this disc.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:  20 tracks clocking in at 67 minutes.
  • 8 tracks from the 1978 album Briefcase Full Of Blues (peaked on the charts at #1)
  • 6 tracks from the 1980 album Made In America (peaked at #49)
  • 5 tracks from the 1980 movie soundtrack (peaked at #13)
  • 1 track from the previously mentioned Best Of compilation album (peaked at #143)
The best tracks on the disc are Aretha Franklin singing Think and Ray Charles singing Shake A Tail Feather (mistitled on this disc as "Shake Your Tailfeather"). Other favorites are Rubber Biscuit, I Don't Know, and Expressway To Your Heart.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousApril 4, 2014 at 9:20 AM

    I was watching the night SNL first featured the Blues Brothers, and I remember wondering if it was supposed to be funny. But I give Belushi and Aykroyd credit for crediting the original artists they were covering, and the fact that they weren't faking it--they had a genuine love and respect for the blues. If forced to choose, the 1980 movie is probably my single favorite film of all time.

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