Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. I Just Want Your Stingaree
2. Black Rider
3. New Dupree Blues
4. Just Because
5. Deep Elem Blues
6. Cindy
7. Filipino Hombre
8. Begin The Beguine
9. Dream Dust
10. It's Been A Long Time
11. Whose Dream Are You
12. Dark Eyes
13. Blue Skies
14. My Isle Of Golden Dreams
15. Everybody Knew But Me
16. Baby What You Do To Me
17. Song Of The Islands
18. Aloha Oe
19. One Sided Affair
20. What Would It Take
21. Rumours Are Flying
22. Pretending
23. Gotta Get Me Somebody To Love
24. Steel Guitar Rag
25. Guitar Boogie

Disc 2:

1. Lover
2. Brazil
3. What Is This Thing Called Love
4. Hip-Billy Boogie
5. Nola
6. Caravan
7. Cryin'
8. Dry My Tears
9. Tennessee Waltz
10. Goofus
11. Little Rock Getaway
12. Mockin' Bird Hill
13. How High The Moon
14. Chicken Reel
15. Walkin' And Whistlin' Blues
16. Josephine
17. In The Good Old Summertime
18. I Wish I'd Never Seen Sunshine
19. Three Little Words
20. Jazz Me Blues
21. Just One More Chance
22. Whispering
23. World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
24. Meet Mr Callaghan
25. Jingle Bells

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #164917 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-12
• Number of discs: 2

CD Description
GUITAR WIZARD is a two-CD budget-priced compilation that does a great service by rounding up many of Les Paul's best early recordings, including a handful of his earliest duets with Mary Ford (though the duo recorded many of their most popular songs in the mid-'50s, this set stops in 1951). The collection also features recordings Paul made with the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Georgia White, and Helen Forrest.
Even more pleasurable than these vocal tracks, however, are Paul's instrumentals, which reveal the range and skill in hisplaying. Paul bounces from hard-swinging jazz to Hawaiian-styled guitar to cowboy songs and brings to each his trademark wit and wizardry. Though Paul wouldn't be recognized for his technological innovations (such as his advances with multi-track recording techniques or his contributions to the evolution of the electric guitar) for some time, these recordings will tell listeners all they need to know about his abilities. Beautiful sound, booklet, and packaging sweeten the deal.

Customer Reviews

From the thirties to the early fifties
Les is remembered for many things including the type of guitar he gave his name to, but his contribution to recorded music is impressive, as this collection covering his work from 1936 to 1951 demonstrates.

This amazing compilation brings includes many of his finest solo recordings and a few of his earliest duets with Mary Ford, although many of these are missing including Vaya con dios. You need a different compilation to do justice to his duets with Mary. Do not worry - there is much compensation for those missing duets, because his work backing Georgia White (New Dupree blues, I just want your stingaree, Black rider), Bing Crosby (It's been a long long time, Whose dream are you), Helen Forrest (Baby what you do to me, Everybody knew but me) and the Andrews sisters (Rumors are flying) is also represented here.

There are plenty of instrumental tracks here - all superbly performed - but the inclusion of tracks featuring the various singers adds plenty of extra variety. Among the notable instrumentals here are Lover, Brazil, What is this thing called love, Whispering, Meet Mister Callaghan and Jingle Bells. The duets with Mary that are featured here include Tennessee waltz, Mocking bird hill, How high the moon, I wish I had never seen sunshine, Just one more chance and The world is waiting for the sunshine.

This is an excellent collection of Les Paul's music at a great price. Exactly why it stops at 1951 is a mystery, as Les and Mary continued to record for Capitol until 1958. Maybe a second volume is planned - if so, that would also be worth buying.