His Best [Bo Diddley]

Personnel: Bo Diddley (vocals, guitar, violin); Jerome Green (vocals, maracas); Peggy Jones (guitar, background vocals); Jody Williams, Ricky Jolivet (guitar); Edward Drennon (electric violin); Billy Boy Arnold, Little Walter, Lester Davenport (harmonica); Otis Spann, Lafayette Leake (piano);
Willie Dixon, James Bradford, Jesse James Johnson, Chester Lindsey (bass);
Frank Kirkland, Clifton James, Billy Downing, Edell Robertson (drums); Cornelia Redmond (tambourine); The Bo-ettes (aka The Cookies), Bobby Baskerville, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, The Carnations (background vocals).
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Bo Diddley.
Compilation producer: Andy McKaie.
Includes liner notes by Don Snowden.
Digitally remastered by Erick Labson, MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California.
This is part of Chess Records' 50th Anniversary series.
Personnel: Bo Diddley (vocals, guitar, violin); Jerome Green (vocals, maracas, background vocals); Peggy Jones (guitar, background vocals); Ricky Jolivet, Jody Williams (guitar); Eddie Drennon (electric violin); Lester Davenport, Little Walter, Billy Boy Arnold (harmonica); Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann (piano); Clifton James, Billy Downing, Edell Robertson, Frank Kirkland (drums); Cornelia Redmond (tambourine); Bobby Baskerville, The Carnations, The Cookies , The Flamingos , The Moonglows (background vocals).
Recording information: Chicago, IL (03/02/1955-09/11/1966).
Photographer: Ray Avery.
The Chess Records' "His Best" compilations are generally outstanding, and the Bo Diddley installation is no exception. Outside of purchasing Bo's key studio albums, or shelling out for the comprehensive box set, HIS BEST is the Bo Diddley disc to have, since it covers all of his essential hits, from "Roadrunner" to "I'm a Man" to "Hey! Bo Diddley" to "Who Do You Love?"
But the real surprise here is the quality of the remastering, which brings out a real crispness and edge to the recordings, and the "longer cuts" that result from re-edits to the original masters. Also here, of course, are the infectious, hugely influential Bo Didley beat, the rumbling, ch-chinking guitar, Bo's neo-blues wails and self-mythologizing lyrics, and everything else that makes this music some of the absolute best and most important in the chapters of early rock & roll.