What is the best Elmore James album or collection?

The Classic Early Recordings 1951-1956

1991 Ace Records anthology covering James's earliest work on Trumpet and Meteor labels, preserving the raw Delta roots before his Chicago electric period.

Shake Your Moneymaker: The Best of the Fire Sessions

2003 collection focusing exclusively on James's recordings for the Fire label, where he made his most influential and widely covered slide guitar tracks.