Burnside on Burnside (2001)

After decades of obscurity, septuagenarian Burnside now claims a glut of product in the blues bins -- remixes, reissues, recombinant experiments. But the guitarist's electric snake-charming remains best heard live, making this collection (recorded mostly in a Portland, Ore., ballroom) essential Burnside, especially for beginners. The jokes are the same ones he tells at every show. But there's nothing tired about his trio's crackling sound, full of ''Bad Luck and Trouble'' and the perseverance to overcome them both.