mandag den 31. januar 2011

Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft


This is a live performance from 1973 of Isaac Hayes performing the Theme from Shaft. The song was originally recorded in 1971 as the theme for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film "Shaft". The song was shortened from the version in the film and was released as a single. It reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in America. The following year the song won an Oscar for the best original song. This also made Hayes the first Afro-American to win an Academy Award in a non-acting category.
The song has been featured in many TV-shows and films since and was also re-recorded for the 2000 remake of the film, it wasn't changed, just re-recorded.
It's a very traditional and good funk song. It has a lot of wah-wah on the guitar and I think it sounds amazing, and Hayes has a voice unlike anyone. It's so low-registered, and I love it. It's a great song, but also a historic song in recent Afro-American historic events. A great song.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 30. januar 2011

Parliament-Funkadelic - Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)


This is a music video from the classic funk group Parliament-Funkadelic (Funkadelic was a sister act of George Clinton's first project Parliament, it's a rather complicated band-history, but the two groups were basically a music collaboration collective, in short terms. The credited writers of this song are George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Jerome Brailey.
The song is off Parliament's album titled "Mothership Connection". It is one of the most recognizable P-Funk songs and also their best selling single ever reaching gold in 1976 (the same year as the single's release).
The song has become quite familiar in pop-culture and has been sampled on numerous occasions by artists like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. An example of this can be found in Snoop Dogg's song "Undacova Funk" featuring Bootsy on the track. (Embeded below)

I think it's a really good song, and it has a nice jazz vibe, not just in the progression, but in the way the musicians are playing off each other. A very good funk song indeed.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 29. januar 2011

Iron Butterfly - Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way)


This is a live performance from 60's band Iron Butterfly. They play the song "Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way)" often shortened to "Easy Rider". The song appears on the band's 1970 album "Metamorphosis". This live performance is from 1968 which means that they are playing the song prior to recording it. This song was released as a single, but didn't do that well in the charts, it topped at no. 66 on the Billboard Charts and was considered a minor hit. The album is also famous for being one of the first to ever feature talk box on a rock album.
On this song one of the guitarists use slide and the other doesn't. The song has that 60's/70's Middle Eastern sound combined with a more traditional rock sound. Doug Ingle is the lead singer on this song and he also plays the organ on it.
I think it's a pretty good song, and I've always enjoyed it and I hope you will too.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 28. januar 2011

Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan - Frosty


This is a live performance from a trio of blues guitarists who are all legends in their own right, but together they equal one hell of a performance! The trio consists of Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan and his brother Stevie Ray Vaughan.
They play the classic Albert Collins song "Frosty". This instrumental was one of Collins' hugely successful instrumental pieces. And it was recorded around 1958 at the beginning of Collins' recording career.
Collins is famous for his use of open minor tunings combined with the use of a capo on the guitar. This technique is credited by Collins to his cousin Willow Young. Collins was also famous for his entertainment skills and showmanship. He would often, as he also does in this clip, get up close and personal with his audience. He also very often continued playing through the PA system after he left the building. One time he left the stage, continued playing, went to a pizza place, ordered a pizza and several minutes after he returned onto the stage have it delivered on stage. A great player indeed.
I really think this is a great performance. It cuts straight into Stevie doing a solo, then goes onto his brother Jimmie Vaughan doing a solo and then for a large part of the video Collins is soloing. He is soloing for the longest time and it shows respect that the Vaughan Brothers stepped back and let Collins take the stage for the biggest part of the performance. Another funny thing is that Jimmie is actually playing one of Stevie's guitars. He is playing Stevie's "Charley Stratocaster", a custom built guitar given to Stevie by Charley Wirz. (You can tell from the slight difference in body-shape and the lipstick pick-ups.
It's a great performance from three blues legends. Gotta love that!!

Enjoy ; )

torsdag den 27. januar 2011

Robert Cray - I'll Go On


This is a live performance from blues artist Robert Cray. Robert and his band plays the song "I'll Go On" from their 1995 album "Some Rainy Morning" (the performance is from 1996).
The song is an original Cray song as he composed both the song and the lyrics. I think it's a very good performance and a very good song. Cray portrays the role of both rhythm and lead player very well, and sings to perfection as well. The band is also very good.
It's a great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 26. januar 2011

Joe Satriani - Summer Song


This is a live performance by guitarist Joe Satriani. He plays his 1992 song "Summer Song" live, the performance in this video is from 2006. The song was released on the album "The Extremist" which got quite a lot of radio play and helped Satriani getting his solo career of the ground.
It's a great up-tempo rock song with a happy vibe that just brings good vibrations to the air particles it's moving. It really is a hard rock/rock 'n' roll song in the style of Satriani. He uses a wide combo of licks and techniques, but they aren't all difficult techniques and if you listen carefully you'll hear that he even throws in a Chuck Berry riff at one point.
I also love the ending where Satriani literally sustains a note where it pretty much seems like he could sustain it forever, if he wanted to. As Nigel Tufnel would say; "The sustain, listen to it.[...]you can just hold it and you can go have a bite, you'll still be hearing that one". Spinal Tap joke, gotta love that film!!
This is a great song, and an awesome performance.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 25. januar 2011

Steve Vai - Jibboom


This is a performance by guitarist Steve Vai playing something a little more bluesy and outside his comfort-zone. The song appears on Vai's 1999 album "The Ultra Zone".
On the album Vai mentions that this track is an homage to blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. And you can definitely hear the resemblance, it's a classic blues progression that sort of is a take-off/sounds similar to songs recorded by SRV song like Scuttle Buttin', Mary Had a Little Lamb and Testify. It's an homage and it's own original thing, but the general feel and groove of the song is similar to many SRV songs.
Steve Vai recently said in a video posted on his official youtube channel that blues is outside his comfort-zone. He jokingly says that he plays blues within the comforts of his own home which is a pretty funny thing to say. (I've embeded the video below, he also shares some very good practice-techniques for guitar)

I really love how long this performance is. It starts out with the basic song, and then goes into Vai soloing. Then it turns into a "call and response" sort of thing between Vai and the bassist which is just awesome. The bassist really does an amazing job, and the two performers play to well together and interact so well on stage. At the end Vai goes into a Hendrix style guitar thing, making sounds by using the whammy bar, the natural harmonics and the control knobs to really make the guitar scream.
This is an awesome performance and awesome showmanship. Gotta love that!!

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 24. januar 2011

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Testify


This is a live performance from blues guitarist extraordinaire Stevie Ray Vaughan playing the instrumental song Testify live from the El Mocambo venue in Canada.
The song originally consisted of two different recordings of the same song, but with different lyrics. They have been dubbed the names Testify Parts I and II. The song was recorded by The Isley Brothers in 1964 who at this time had Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Embeded below is a short clip of the original recording (or at least one of the original recordings with Hendrix on guitar). It sounds different and has lyrics, but you can recognize the riff that Stevie did a take-off on.

Stevie's version was released on the 1983 album Texas Flood and it was the fifth track on this record. It starts out with a stand-alone guitar riff and on the 7th bar the bass and drums kick in and play with the guitar for the rest of the song.
I think it's a very good song, and without Hendrix's version we wouldn't have had Stevie's. Hendrix just seems a bit like he's holding back, he was playing with a group and hadn't branched out as a solo artist at this point. Remember we were still four years away from Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), but he definitely shines on this as well. Stevie's version just sort of became the famous one, and is in my opinion the superior version.
Especially from The El Mocambo gig which is one of the best gigs ever recorded. It's so good, and if the DVD "Live at The El Mocambo" isn't in your collection, it ought to be!!

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 23. januar 2011

Dave Powers - Powerhuse


This is an excerpt from an American public access television programme called "The Piano Guy". It's basically an educational show that sometimes just features talented performers performing certain pieces. In this segment Dave Powers plays the song "Powerhouse". (He plays both set of hands in the video, impressive!!)
The song "Powerhouse" was composed by Raymond Scott in 1937. It is most famous for being featured in a lot of Warner Brothers classic cartoons.
The piece consists of two seemingly different breaks. The tempi of those pieces are also different. The A piece of the composition is fast and frantic, and was often used for chase scenes. The B piece is slower and sounds more slavish and industrial which is why it's often referred to as "assembly-line music". The structure of the song is A-B-A.
I really think it's a fun little composition, and Dave just plays it so well. I really love how he also throws a little jazz into the mix when making the last transition from the B piece to the A piece ending the composition.
It's a good song, and it's very well played, and hey it has a jazz influence on it, so that's why I'm posting it.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 22. januar 2011

Santana - Black Magic Woman


This is a live performance by Carlos Santana and band. They play the song "Black Magic Woman" which over time has become a Santana classic.
It was originally performed by the British band Fleetwood Mac who released the song as a single in 1968 and was released on the albums "English Rose" (US) and "The Pious Bird of Good Omen". (The album had different titles depending on whether it's the US release or the American release).
In 1970 it became a huge hit in America. This version was done and recorded by Santana and sung by Gregg Rolie. It did well in both Canadian and American charts after its release on the 1970 Santana record "Abraxas". It soon became more associated with Santana than Fleetwood Mac.
Santana's version is similar to the original, but it has more of a voodoo feel to it. They added more rhythmic instruments such as clave, conga and timbales which made the rhythm more complex.
It's a really good song, and Santana really owns it and plays it very well. It's like a song written for him, though that was never the case, but it just fits him so well. A great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 21. januar 2011

George Harrison ft. Eric Clapton - Taxman (SRV)


This is a live performance from George Harrison, joining him on stage is his good friend Eric Clapton. Clapton is very respectful and doesn't steal the show, he respectfully stays in the background and plays the lead part when needed.
The song Taxman was released by The Beatles on their 1966 album Revolver, it is the opening track on the album. The song is written by George and it is about the high progressive tax the British government was taking at this time. It was basically written after Harrison found out how much of his income was being taken by "the taxman". On the record version the solo and guitar parts are played by Paul McCartney, he also plays the bass on the track.
Click here for a sample from the album version of the song. (Taken from Wikipedia.)
This live version is really good, and Clapton does a really good job. However I've always more leaned towards Stevie Ray Vaughan's interpretation of the song. It is very different from the original, and it doesn't even have the same key-centre. The original version by Harrison is in G, and SRV's version is in B♯. I think it just sounds better and is played with more attitude (and also in a humorous way). The original version has that 60's mercy beat sound, and SRV's version is more bluesy and done in a Texas style which is more my flavour. SRV never got to perform it live, and it has only been released on his 1995 Greatest Hits album (as the only never before released track). Both versions are excellent, I just prefer Stevie's which is embeded beneath.


Enjoy both versions!! ;-)

torsdag den 20. januar 2011

The Highway Men - Big River


This is a live performance by the country supergroup The Highway Men. They perform the classic Johnny Cash song "Big River". The Highway Men is a supergroup consisting of various members who are most known for influencing the sub-genre of country known as "outlaw country". The genre was big in the 60's and 70's and also somewhat popular in the 80's. It is known for having a specific sound, and the artists are often self-declared outlaws in music.
The song Big River is a Johnny Cash original and it was released in 1958. Cash is also one of the members of the band, alongside; Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. I think it's a really good performance, and a really well written song.
Of course as with so many other good songs it has been covered. My favourite cover is the one done by Motörhead front man Lemmy. He really sings it well and it somehow fits his voice really well. I've embeded that version beneath.


Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 19. januar 2011

Steve Vai - Building The Church


This is a live performance by guitarist Steve Vai performing one of his original instrumental guitar pieces. It was released in 2009 on both CD, DVD and Blu-ray. This number is really good, and it's not just a guitarist showing off. I've always loved Steve Vai because he is an original. He really tries to be innovative and push the envelope as far as what is possible on guitar. On top of that he's also a great composer who does some really good guitar instrumentals. He plays fast, but has a lot of feeling in his playing as well. He's really good, and you gotta respect that!

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 18. januar 2011

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing


This is a live performance from Dire Straits performing their classic song "Money for Nothing". It is from the concert DVD "Live At Knebworth 1990 - Parts 1, 2 & 3" (click here for Amazon page).
The song was released as a single in 1985 and the song is from the "Brothers in Arms" album, also from 1985. It became a huge hit, due to many factors. First off, it's a really good song, Sting appeared on the intro singing in falsetto and it spawned a ground breaking music video. The video features very early computer-animation which today looks silly, but back then looked really good and new. (Music video embeded beneath).

In 1985 it won a Grammy for best Rock Performance at the 28th annual Grammy Awards. The lyrics are basically the new MTV generation through the eyes of a middle-aged working class man, shortly. The writing credit is shared between Sting and Mark Knopfler.
This performance is really good, and it also features Eric Clapton who stays in the background for the most part, but does a little solo in the song. It's a good steady performance.

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 17. januar 2011

Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight


This is a live video by Eric Clapton performing his classic song "Wonderful Tonight". The performance is from the Wyclef Sean concert "Wyclef Jean's All Star Jam At Carnegie Hall" (click here for Amazon page).
The song "Wonderful Tonight" is from Clapton's 1977 album "Slowhand". It was released as a single the year after. The song is written about Pattie Boyd. She was George Harrison's wife, but Clapton crushed on her, and had an affair with her at one point.
I think this is a very good performance. The band backing up Eric is Wyclef's band, and it really sounds good. The calypso-isc rhythm section really adds to this song and fits in perfectly. It's a good performance, and a great group backing Clapton up.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 16. januar 2011

Volbeat - I Only Wanna Be With You


This is the music video to Volbeat's version of the classic Dusty Springfield single "I Only Want to Be With You" (often spelled "I Only Wanna Be With You", and also the way it's spelled on the cover of Volbeat's album). The song is of Volbeat's 2005 debut album "The Strength/The Sound/The Songs".
They are a band with a very distinctive sound drawing on many different influences and mixing them into a very unique, tasty and easily recognizable sound. They draw on a wide variety of genres spanning anything from hard core heavy metal, to rockabilly and even a folk/country influence as well. They have done songs dedicated to both Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, and Michael Poulsen the front man also emulates an Elvis like way of singing, it sounds unique and is an important part of the band's sound picture. The country influence can also be seen in their fondness of telling stories in the lyrics of their songs, and they have created their own text univers of Guitar Gangsters and Cadillacs, and many times continue story-arks throughout songs, and string them together that way. If you like both metal, but also enjoy listening to many other types of rock, I'd say: Give them a listen. They're definitely worth it. And I think this version of "I Only Wanna Be With You" is very interesting and different.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 15. januar 2011

Heart - Barracuda


This is a live performance from the band Barracuda. They play their classic 1977 single Barracuda live many years later at this gig. The performance is from a new concert DVD and Blu-ray recently released by the band promoted by the Eagle Rock company.
The song Barracuda is a hard rock classic, with a driving riff and an extensive use of natural harmonics both in the solo and the intro of the song, it has a unique sound. The song was written as a protest towards the record company Mushroom Records who had publicised a story about a lesbian relationship between the two leaders of the band (who are sisters, so it was a dumb, immature and respectless move towards the band). The Wilson sisters have often stated in interviews that they'd listen to music like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. They'd admire the bands, but not like many of their friends who thought they were sexy, and wanted to be with them. Ann and Nancy wanted to be like them, and be independent recording artists in their own rights which was tough in the 70's as women.
The song was also ranked as the 34th best hard rock song ever by VH1 and their viewers who decided on an online poll.
The song was also used at (and is still used at) The Republican National Convention. Sarah Palin had the nickname Barracuda in high school (due to her sports involvement). And they purchased the rights to the song. The Wilson sisters disproved of this, and in an open letter asked for them to stop using the song. This didn't work as they had legally purchased the rights to the song and were paying royalties to the band every time they used it. Other band members have said that it was a good thing, because it, in the end, ended up putting focus on Obama's campaign, due to the media coverage of the band's disapproval, and the fact that they got royalties. The Wilson sisters however still disprove of this.
It's a great song that's been used literally everywhere, and just keeps getting better with time.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 14. januar 2011

Guns N' Roses - Bad Apples


This is the music video to the Guns N' Roses song "Bad Apples" from their "Use Your Illusion I" album. "Use Your Illusions" was a double release, two albums released at the same time. The albums were released in 1991, and were hugely successful. The albums were different from the band's earlier work in many ways. Their '87 release of "Appetite for Destruction" was much more in the category of classic hard rock. Where as these albums drew on many different influences such as classical music, traditional blues music and country. Of course still blending in their early sound. Axl started playing piano on several tracks, and the band did more ballads than they did hard rock.
"Bad Apples" is the 14th track on the record, it has only been performed live twice and according to Slash the song was written while the band was rehearsing in Chicago for a period of time.
I think it's a good song with a really good groove. The music video isn't their best, but it's still a pretty good song.

Enjoy ;

torsdag den 13. januar 2011

Queen+Paul Rodgers - Feel Like Makin' Love


The song "Feel Like Makin' Love" is a song originally by the British supergroup Bad Company. The song originally appeared on the band's LP "Straight Shooter", it was released in 1975 and released as a single the same year. The song was ranked as the 78th best hard rock song by VH1 and its viewers.
It has been covered by a large number of different artists and has been referenced in popular culture on many occasions. One of the most well known covers is Kid Rock's version from 2003. It was highly successful, but doesn't come close to the original, not even close.
The group was a supergroup and consisted of members from various bands. They were managed by Peter Grant who also managed Led Zeppelin. Rodgers was with the group from 73-82, and has since joined various other groups, and done a lot of work with rock legends like Jimmy Page and the remaining members of Queen Brian May and Roger Taylor. Rodgers has been quoted as saying that he feels the best version of this song is with the members from Queen. I agree, it's a great performance, and it's really energetic, gotta love that!

Enjoy it ; )

onsdag den 12. januar 2011

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Lonnie Mack - Double Whammy


This is a performance by Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan joining him on stage is guitarist Lonnie Mack who is famous among guitarists for introducing a new kind of playing that influenced a lot of people. He is considered one of the first blues rock performers, and performed many instrumentals, including this one. The original title of the song was simply "Wham", but when played and recorded on Mack's "Strike Like Lightning" album featuring SRV they changed the title.
Lonnie also named the whammy bar on the guitar, before it was known as a tremolo bar, but this recording panned the American term "whammy bar" instead.
Stevie had been playing Lonnie Mack's stuff since the very early days of his learning. He plays it on the "Live at The El Mocambo" DVD, and quotes it as the first record he ever owned.
Stevie and Lonnie became close friends, and the generation gap wasn't a problem. Lonnie has said that Stevie was a mature soul. Also when Lonnie got ill Stevie and the band helped him out by helping to pay his medical bills, and Tommy Shannon and Stevie personally installed an air-condition system in Lonnie's house.
It's a good performance, but you can tell that Stevie is holding back, just a bit, like he always did playing with his heroes. I personally prefer the version from El Mocambo, it's a little faster, and Stevie plays it to the max. But any ways, it's a great performance of a great instrumental from the mind of Lonnie Mack.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 11. januar 2011

Jeff Beck - Nessun dorma


This is a performance from British guitarist Jeff Beck, it is from the 2010 Crossroads Festival, and it is an amazing performance. He plays his instrumental version of the classic opera piece "Nessun dorma". It has been sung by many famous opera singers, and is one of the most famous tenor arias from any opera. It is also widely recognizable due to the use of the piece in other contexts such as film, television and other rendition like Beck's version.
Beck's version was recorded on his solo album "Emotion & Commotion", and it was done with a 40-piece symphony orchestra. Beck's guitar piece supplements the human voice in the piece. Beck has stated that he always wanted to emulate the human voice with the guitar, and that this piece just really works on the guitar.
They play it on a much smaller scale live, the bassist Tal Wilkenfeld switches to an upright bass, and even plays with a bow for a part of the performance. The drummer switches to a different technique using a different kind of drum sticks, and uses the various high-hats to make them slowly vibrate and create sound. The rest is a keyboard section synthesizing the orchestral parts. It sounds surprisingly good, and it's a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 10. januar 2011

Foghat - Slow Ride


This is yet another 70's hard rock song, and it's awesome. It's a performance by the British blues-rock band Foghat. They perform the song "Slow Ride" which was also their most successful song. It was composed by Dave Peverett, and recorded by the band. It was first released in 1975 on the band's album "Fool for the City". It was named the 45th best hard rock song ever by VH1 and its viewers.
It's a nice and simple song mainly driven by a simple riff focused around an A power-chord. The thing that makes it an awesome performance is the slide guitar played by Rod Price. He really does a good job, and without that it would have been a boring performance. It's an interesting approach to slide guitar, it isn't slow, and much more a rock 'n' roll style of slide playing, in many ways similar to that of Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. But a great performance, of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 9. januar 2011

Jethro Tull - Aqualung


This is a performance by English progressive rock band Jethro Tull. They play their song "Aqualung", a weird art rock/hard rock song about an old nasty man, to sum it up short. (Listen to the song, the lyrics are pretty well spoken, and easy to understand). The song is from the album also titled "Aqualung" released in 1971.
It is a weird composition, starting off with a really hard and heavy riff. It is inspired by Beethoven and his 5th symphony, which is somewhat similar to this.
It's a great performance, and everyone really delivers solid. Very enjoyable.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 8. januar 2011

Whitesnake - Still of the Night


This is a live performance by the British hard rock/metal band Whitesnake performing one of their classic songs "Still of the Night". The song was released in 1987 on their self-entitled album. It did fairly well in the charts, and in 2009 it was ranked the 27th best hard rock song by the VH1 network and its viewers.
The song kinda fuses the early blues vibe and influence with a more modern metal style. And that's just what it sounds like, you end up with this sweet hard rock song, with distorted guitars, pinch harmonics, awesome vocal performance and a sound that's both unique and totally familiar.
The song has also been stated to sound like the Zeppelin song "Black Dog", and I agree, but that's not a bad thing. First off, the riff from "Black Dog" does sound somewhat similar, but it is much more complicated than the riff in "Still of the Night". Besides what's wrong with drawing influence from Led Zeppelin, all 70's/80's bands should do that. There's influence and then plagiarism, and this is definitely just influence, well done Whitesnake.
It's a great song, and to this day it is still used as Whitesnake's encore at concerts, and with good reason, what an awesome way to end a show.
They really perform in this clip, and give 100 %. The fans are into it, and joins in on singing, the guitar parts rock, the melodic middle session rocks and David Coverdale does a fucking amazing job on the vocals. Truly an awesome performance.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 7. januar 2011

Rolling Stones ft. Christina Aguilera


This is a performance by British rock 'n' roll band The Rolling Stones featuring Christina Aguilera. They play the classic Rolling Stones song "Live with Me" from their 1969 record "Let It Bleed". It isn't the most famous song be The Stones, but it is considered an important song amongst fans. It was one of the first recordings where guitarist Mick Taylor contributed. It is the first song where Keith Richards is credited for playing bass (he only played bass on the original recording, and sticks to playing guitar in the performance clip above). This original recording was also the first song to feature sax player Bobby Keys.
The performance in the clip above is from Martin Scorcesse's concert film "Shine a Light" from 2008. It's a really good film, and it hosts some really good and solid performances from the band, and is excellently shot.

Previous posts from the film "Shine a Light"
Brown Sugar
You Got The Silver
Champagne And Reefer (ft. Buddy Guy)

Enjoy ; )

torsdag den 6. januar 2011

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir


This is a live performance by the British hard rock band Led Zeppelin performing the classic song "Kashmir". It was written over a period stretching from 1973-1975 which was the release year for the song. It was on Zeppelin's album "Physical Graffiti". It was written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Bonham. And the lyrics of the song date back to 1973.
The main guitar riff is played in Open Dsus4 tuning (commonly referred to as DADGAD-tuning). It has an eastern sound and feel to it, and Page has stated that he had a sitar, and that therefore the sitar was an influence on the song. It is one of the few songs from Zeppelin to feature session musicians as the album version has a string section and a brass section as well, and an added mellotron on top, and you get the distinctive sound of this song.
It's a great performance, Plant is singing his lungs off and Page is playing to the point where he starts sweating, and Bonham is as always just excellent on the drum kit. A great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 5. januar 2011

Rory Gallagher - Laundromat


This is a live performance from Irish blues guitarist Rory Gallagher. The performance is from '71, and Rory plays the song "Laundromat" from his debut solo album released in 1971.
It's a great simple blues shuffle song, with a lot of amazing lead licks by Gallagher. The tempo and speed of the song also kinda makes it sound a little like a ZZ Top song, not completely similar, the riff does resemble ZZ Top's "La Grange" a little bit.
It has a great groove and it's a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 4. januar 2011

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida


This is a live performance from 1999 by the band "Iron Butterfly" playing their classic 1968 song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (a play on the saying "In The Garden of Eden", probably what it sounds like on an acid trip). It was released in 1968, and it is famous for being one of the longest songs ever recorded on a studio album. The album version runs longer than 15 minutes, and most of it is musical breaks. It has been hated for this by many, but it was the 60's, so give them a break. It isn't a bad song, but listening to 15 minutes of playing is a little long. Not saying that I hate long recordings, I mean Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King's version of "Blues at Sunrise" is also about 15 minutes long, and I love that, but a little more is going on during that performance. Any ways, sidetracked.
This live version is 10 minutes, and cuts off a little at the end, probably uploaded when the youtube limit was 10 minutes for non-partners. The list of members this band has had is endless, and I don't feel like getting in to it, but all I can say is that this isn't the original line-up. They do a good job though.

Enjoy ; )
(Click here for a funny little gag from The Simpsons including this song)

mandag den 3. januar 2011

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love


This is a live performance by legendary blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He performs his classic song "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love", and does an excellent job. The song was originally released on Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's album "Soul to Soul" from 1985. This album is definitely one of Stevie's most soulful albums, the Hammond B3s and the wah-wah pedal compared to earlier releases. This song is an example of a soulful slow blues song in the style of SRV, and it just sounds amazing.
It's a really good performance, and you can really tell that he's really feeling it. There's a little introduction where they're getting ready, and then as fast as the snap of a finger Stevie's in blues mode, just feelin' it 100 %, impressive. He's soulful and amazing, and truly one of the best, if not the best blues guitarist ever.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 2. januar 2011

Earl Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Breakdown


This is a performance from The Late Show with David Letterman featuring Earl Scruggs and friends performing the classic 5-string banjo piece "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" with a bunch of guest artists joining in.
The song is part of the musical genre called bluegrass which is a very fast paced kind of music, usually with a simple three chord structure throughout which people then jam on and do solos on top on. The piece was written by Earl Scruggs, and recorded by Flatt & Scruggs in 1949. It is considered one of the hardest pieces for 5-string banjos, and only very skilled players can play it at it's intended speed.
The line-up on stage is impressive, it includes; Paul Shaffer on piano, Steve Martin on banjo and Albert Lee on electric guitar, to name a few, it's a long list of performers, and I probably only know the name of half of them, I know shame on me.
Any ways, it's a great up tempo performance of a good song, and bluegrass is related to country which is related to blues, so I can justify posting this here.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 1. januar 2011

ZZ Top - Pincushion


This is the music video to the ZZ Top song "Pincushion", it's a pretty cheesy video, and it definitely has that ZZ Top 80's feel (even though the song was published in '94). It was published on ZZ Top's Antenna album. The album itself reached no. 14 on the album sales lists, but the song "Pincushion" actually got to no. 1 on a lot of mainstream rock charts at the time.
It's a great song with a great riff and sound. The video is actually pretty good, and fits the song pretty well. It's pretty silly, but fits the sexual innuendoes throughout the lyrics. It's a fun little song, and a good video.

Enjoy ; )