AMG Review of How Blue Can You Get? Classic Live Performances 1964 to 1994

Thom Owens
All Music Guide

The double-disc collection How Blue Can You Get: Classic Live 1964-94 covers 30 years of B.B. King's remarkably popular and groundbreaking career, picking out choice live performances from a variety of sources. King has always been acknowledged as one of the most electrifing blues guitarists, as well as one of the best all-around entertainers that the genre has to offer, so it stands to reason that the compilation is filled with terrific music. And it certainly is -- from his astonishing performance at the Regal to recent performances in Japan, B.B. shines throughout the set. Despite all of the fine music this has to offer, it doesn't capture the spark of one of his live shows, where he interacts brilliantly with the audience; you still have to pick up Live At the Regal to experience that. Even though How Blue Can You Get lacks the kinetic energy of a live concert, there's enough prime material to make it an essential addition to any B.B. King fan's library.