B.B. King: the best albums and DVDs of late king of the blues

Nobody seems to know who came up with the mordant remark "smart career move" in response to the death of Elvis Presley, but there is no doubt that his demise revived his record sales.

Public interest in artists often spikes after their deaths, and it is a safe bet that the recent passing of another of Memphis' adopted sons, B.B. King - he and Presley were both were born in the US state of Mississippi, but made their names in Tennessee - has stimulated some additional interest in his voluminous but confusing discography.

The loss of the undisputed king of the blues on May 14 made international headlines, and for the benefit of anybody who would like to find out why he was so revered - or would like to hear some more of his music - here are a few suggestions for your listening pleasure.

B.B. King was first anthologised with the release of his debut album, (1956), which was a collection of singles dating back to 1950 (his first release was issued in 1949).

There have been many more compilations since. There are well more than 20 available, ranging from single-disc samplers to lavishly packaged boxed sets. One CD is nowhere near enough to get the measure of King's monumental achievement, but the 1999 release does a respectable job with two. The biggest solo hits are all here, alongside an assortment of collaborations, recorded live and in the studio.

Much the best of the boxed-set treatments is the 10-CD . Unfortunately it is hard to find new, although a condensed four-CD version is available from iTunes.