Guitar Slim is the kind of bluesman who makes one realize just how tame most performers are today. Just one listen to his searing, distorted guitar and boastful vocals on "Guitar Slim" will raise your expectations of other artists. Truth told, Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones was one of the greats of 1950s blues, a supreme showman who influenced Earl King, Albert King, and many others to follow in his wake. This collection contains Slim's finest work for the Specialty label and was put together with loving care by compiler Billy Vera. Slim's immortal "The Things That I Used to Do" is here along with impassioned and unforgettable cuts like "Sufferin' Mind" and "Reap What You Sow." Hidden treasures are plentiful with excellent alternate takes, sound checks of Slim calling the shots in the studio, and the classic New Orleans sound of saxophonists Joseph Henry Tillman and Gus Fontenette. --Ken Hohman