Track Listing

1. I Just Want To Make Love To You - Etta James, Phil Chess, Leonard Chess, Riley Hampton, Riley Hampton Orchestra
2. I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James, Rick Hall, Gene "Bowlegs" Miller, Charles Chalmers, Aaron Varnell, Floyd Newman, Carl Banks, Dewey Oldham, Jimmy Ray Johnson, Albert Lowe, Jr., David Hood, Roger Dawkins
3. Something's Got A Hold On Me - Etta James, John Young, Matt Murphy, Reggie Boyd, Al Duncan
4. Almost Persuaded - Etta James, Rick Hall
5. Pushover - Billy Davis, Etta James
6. Only Time Will Tell - Billy Davis, Etta James
7. If I Can't Have You - Etta James, Phil Chess, Harvey Fuqua, Riley Hampton, Leonard Chess
8. All I Could Do Is Cry - Etta James, Phil Chess, Riley Hampton, Leonard Chess
9. Tell Mama - Etta James, Rick Hall, Gene "Bowlegs" Miller, Charles Chalmers, Aaron Varnell, Floyd Newman, Carl Banks, Dewey Oldham, Jimmy Ray Johnson, Albert Lowe, Jr., David Hood, Roger Dawkins
10. I Found A Love - Etta James
11. I'm Gonna Take What He's Got - Etta James, Rick Hall
12. I Worship The Ground You Walk On - Etta James, Rick Hall
13. In The Basement Part One - Billy Davis, Etta James, Sugar Pie DeSanto
14. Lovin' Arms - Etta James, Jerry Wexler
15. Losers Weepers - Etta James, Ralph Bass
16. You Can Leave Your Hat On - Etta James, Gabriel Mekler
17. Stop The Wedding - Etta James, Ralph Bass
18. At Last - Etta James, Phil Chess, Leonard Chess, Riley Hampton

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #492 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 53 minutes

Customer Reviews

Fantastic - a must have for all those a little sentimental
This CD is wonderful, I first listened to it whilst visiting family in America, and as soon as it came on I felt so emotional. Etta's wonderful soulful voice with an oldfashioned yet timeless melody in the song 'AT LAST' featured in many films and more to come. I am sure this is bound to bring on some great feelings. Then in the basement just make s you want to dance. I was dancing round the ktichen with my four year old neice and her grandmother, 3 generations all still loving her tunes. For backgound music, to party tunes those Etta fans will be satisfied with this compilation, those new fans should check it out!

the Best of Etta James is the best!!
I bought this record for one track only - 'At last' having heard it in a number of films, but now I am completely hooked on all of the songs.

I didn't realise I would know so many of the other tracks like 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' and 'Leave Your Hat On' but I find myself singing along to each and every one.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable album and a definite must for anyones collection.

Great introduction to Etta's music
Etta was one of the finest R+B singers of the sixties and early seventies, with an incredible voice and an amazing ability to interpret a song. This compilation contains a selection of the music that she recorded forr the Chess label during that period. There are so many great songs here but I'll tell you about some of my favorites.

Almost persuaded, originally a number one country hit for David Houston, is given a bluesy R+B treatment here. Maybe Etta was inspired to try this by Ray Charles' re-interpretation of country songs, but whatever the reason she did it, the result is impressive. Loving arms, recorded by many singers but generally associated with Elvis Presley, is another inspired cover, as is At last, originally recorded by Glenn Miller.

Etta was first to record I'd rather go blind. In Britain, this became a top twenty UK hit via a cover by the British blues group Chicken Shack. Christine McVie (later of Fleetwood Mac fame) was the lead singer on that single but much as I love Christine's voice, the original version by Etta is superior. Etta's only UK hit of her own came following its use in a TV commercial in 1996 - it made the UK top five and is, of course, the raunchy opening track here, I just wanna make love to you.

Etta had plenty of R+B hits in America, though she only made a limited impact on the main pop charts. Among Etta's R+B hits to be found here are Pushover, Tell Mama and Stop the wedding, all of them excellent.

As an introduction to Etta's music, this is brilliant, especially considering that it is a budget release.