Smokestack Lightnin': The Best Of

With his larger-than-life persona, roaring vocals, and the raw, skittering guitar lines of Hubert Sumlin behind him, Howlin' Wolf turned out dozens of stellar blues singles for Chess Records between 1956 and 1973, including "Back Door Man," "Smokestack Lightnin'," and the magnificent "Killing Floor," among many others. All of these along with his other classic and essential singles for the label are collected here in this expansive two-disc, 48-track set. ~ Steve Leggett