Organ-Ized: All-Star Tribute to the Hammond B3 Organ  (Audio CD) 
by Various Artists

For those of you who love the sound and feel of the B3, you must have this CD. For players, the same. For those curious about what all the fuss is about, you won't go wrong in adding this to your collection. For B3 sophisticates and snobs .............. well there is no hope for you anyway, so you may as well buy it too just to give you something to denigrate (no offense folks :)

The lowdown on this CD = it rules! Every selection, regardless of the gernre', is a classic example of the best that can be extracted from this instrument.

For those who have not actually played this instrument, consider this: it is a massive structure made of wood and wire. It smells of oil. When you sit and play it, it rumbles. You get the feeling that it is alive (organic?). It takes you over. It can require the use of both hands, both feet, and your knee (for the leslie switch). It is unlike any other instrument on the planet.

There is plenty on this CD for anyone to love and hate, but it all has this underlying secret: B3 players in their prime are passionate. They can rock you like no other medium.

Critisms? Okay, there are no tracks by Keith Emerson, nor Barbara Denerlein or a number of other premier players. There is a goodly representation of cajun-style organ, perhaps to the detriment of others that could have been represented. But this by no means detracts from the range presented, from the sublime to the demented, from the beautiful to the possessed, it's all here, masters at their best.

Don't listen to these tracks once. Play them a few times before you add it to the rack. If you do, I'd be willing to bet that this will become a staple of your discography.