torsdag den 31. marts 2011

The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses


This is a studio session recorded by The Rolling Stones. In this part of the session they play their classic song "Wild Horses".
The song "Wild Horses" was released on their 1971 album "Sticky Fingers". The song is written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. Keith Richards wrote the melody and came up with the phrase "Wild Horses". A session pianist was hired for the original recording that also featured Mick Jagger and Mick Taylor on acoustic guitars. Richards played an electric guitar in Nashville tuning.
This video is from the recording session of the album "Stripped" from 1995. On this version Jagger, Richards, Wood and Watts are joined by some other musicians and record an acoustic version of this song. This version is the only version of the song that's been released as a single. It was released as a single in 1996.
Besides being a hit for The Stones it also over time became a popular song for other artists to cover. It's been covered by artists like: Leon Russel, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Guns N' Roses, Stone Sour and Sheryl Crow, to only name a few of the prominent artists who have covered this song.
I really love this song and especially in this version. The song really fits the acoustic setting. And when Richards and Jagger sing the chorus together it's just so beautiful. It shows the natural sorrow in Richard's voice and just how good his voice is and how well it country music.

Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 30. marts 2011

John Lee Hooker - Tupelo


This is a live performance by blues legend John Lee Hooker playing his classic song "Tupelo" live on acoustic guitar. The song is about an actual flood that occurred in the Mississippi Delta around 1936 and destroyed many homes and killed many people. The song captures the desperation, describes the mood and tension of the situation and tells of people turning to religion to save them from the flood.
It's a great sad and tragic song by Hooker. It shows just how powerful simple guitar playing and a voice like his turns out to be artistic and beautiful.
Floods, hurricanes and bad weather are often the subject of blues songs. As is also the case with "Hurricane Beulah" and "Texas Flood".
It's a really good song inspired by the tradition of self-accompanied Delta blues which Hooker mastered to perfection. This is a man in his element doing what he does best: Singing and playing the blues.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 29. marts 2011

Jimi Hendrix - Crosstown Traffic


This is the music video to the classic Jimi Hendrix song "Crosstown Traffic". The song was originally released in 1968 on the album "Electric Ladyland". It was released as a single in 1968 in America and in 1969 as a single in the UK, it was the second single of the album. It peaked at no. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 37 on the UK pop singles chart.
The song is one of the tracks from the album that features the full line-up of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It also features Hendrix on a self made kazoo like instrument made from a comb and a piece of tissue paper doubling that with his lead playing at various points in the song.
It's a great song and one of my favourite Hendrix songs. The lyrics are good, but simple, it's well produced, short and got mainstream success. A great song by a great artist and band

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 28. marts 2011

John Mayall, Chris Barber & Eric Clapton - Please Mr Lofton


This is a live performance by John Mayall, Chris Barber and Eric Clapton. The concert footage is from the DVD "70th Birthday Concert" from 2003 where Mayall celebrated his 70th Birthday with a concert featuring his own band The Bluesbreakers and a couple of carefully selected guest stars. Two of these were Clapton and Barber, but Mick Taylor was also featured on some of the tracks.
This part of the performance is the part where they've taken it down to a smaller scale. It's just Mayall, Clapton and Barber on stage and the rest of The Bluesbreakers have left the stage.
This DVD is a must have for all blues fans. It's a really good set-list with a lot of up-beat blues songs that'll lighten up your day for sure. Also it was a historic event since it was more than 40 years since Clapton and Mayall had been performing together, a reunion of those two is definitely worth buying for alone, but also you get Mick Taylor, Chris Barber and the rest of The Bluesbreakers on top of all of that. As said, a must see for all blues fans.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 27. marts 2011

Volbeat - Heaven Nor Hell

Video: Heaven Nor Hell
So this is a video link to Volbeat's website where they have the video to the single "Heaven Nor Hell". Would have embeded the video on this, but it was impossible to find on youtube or any other video sites, guess Universal is good at taking down videos that features their material which is totally cool by the way. Volbeat, I'm just sayin', a lot of people watch music videos on youtube, so having an official band channel with music videos would only increase your record sales and fan base. Oh, and why all the geo blocking on your Myspace page, I mean why can't your Danish fans view your videos there (and embed them in blog posts and such). I mean even Clapton has an official non-geo blocked youtube channel now. It's good marketing, trust me!

Well any ways, I recommend clicking the link. It's a really cool song and one of the best songs of the 2010 album "Beyond Hell-Above Heaven" which I highly recommend purchasing a copy of. I really love how they've added the blues harp on this. Shows development and experimentation with in the sound universe that is Volbeat which I really like. So yeah click this, show support.

And Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 26. marts 2011

Velvet Revolver - Psycho Killer


This is a live performance by American hard rock band Velvet Revolver covering the Talking Heads song "Psycho Killer" live at Rock Am Ring in Germany from 2007.
The song was originally released by Talking Heads in 1977 on their album "Talking Heads: 77" The song's lyrics are about the thoughts of a serial killer. The song has a very unique and recognizable bass line. This was also the only song from the album to enter the Billboard Pop Singles chart, though only reaching no. 93 on the list.
I love the version Velvet Revolver do, it's a little harder and it adds Slash's slide playing to the song which just makes it sound awesome.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 25. marts 2011

Bo Diddley - I'm a Man


This is a live performance by rock, R&B and blues legend Bo Diddley performing his classic song "I'm a Man", the performance is from 1992.
The song was originally recorded by by Bo Diddley in 1955. The song is a moderate slow blues with a stop tempo inspired by earlier blues recordings. The song was inspired by Muddy Water's Hoochie Coochie Man from 1954 written by Willie Dixon. After the release of the song Muddy recorded an "answer song" titled "Mannish Boy", a pun on Diddley's younger age.
The song has been done by quite a few artists and a version of Muddy and Diddley performing the song together was also recorded at one point. It was also done by The Yardbirds in 1965 when Jeff Beck was with the group. A live version was recorded as well with Clapton on guitar in 1964 before he left the band. The version with Beck did very well in the US pop charts.
A lot of songs have also taken inspiration from this classic simple song structure. Songs like "Whole Lotta Rosie" by AC/DC and "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. They both have the stop time thing and the same chord shifts as Diddley's song as well as a rhythm that strikes resemblance to Diddley's song.
Also really love the guitar solo Steve Cropper delivers. It's really good and not too long, he knew Diddley was centre stage, but still very nice indeed.
A great performance of this amazing blues song.

Enjoy ;-)

torsdag den 24. marts 2011

Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff


This is a live performance by Eric Clapton playing his version of the classic reggae song "I Shot the Sheriff". The performance is from the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival.
The song was originally written and performed by Bob Marley and his band The Wailers. It appeared on their "Burnin'" album. The story of the song is quite simple; A man who admits to having shot the sheriff also claims that he has been falsely accused of shooting the deputy sheriff.
Clapton's version was released in 1974 on the 461 Ocean Boulevard album. Clapton's version is the most commercially successful version of the song peaking at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This also meant that this was Clapton's only top charting hit in the US. And with the music standards dominating today I seriously doubt he will ever have a hit that becomes equally big. But that says more about the terrible taste of music consumers to day and nothing about Clapton.
It's a great performance and the band and Clapton really have a nice feel on it in their playing. I also really think that Doyle Bramhall II's rhythm and background playing on this makes for a very good performance. He plays something in the beginning with a wah pedal that just sounds awesome. Clapton has expressed his enthusiasm about Doyle in his autobiography alongside Derek Trucks. Also Clapton's guitar solo on this is long and played like only Clapton can. Truly a great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 23. marts 2011

Lynrd Skynrd - Sweet Home Alabama


This is a live performance by Southern rock band Lynrd Skynrd playing their song "Sweet Home Alabama" live. The song originally appeared on the band's second album titled "Second Helping" which was released in 1974. The song was the second single released from the album, prior to this "Don't Ask Me No Questions" was released and the third single of the album was "Free Bird".
The song was surrounded by controversy due to the fact that it was written as a reply to a song by Neil Young. Also the lyrics were interoperated by the public media to "support" or at least reference a former governor of Alabama who was pro segregation. I could write much more about this, but I don't feel like it's necessary. I'm not American nor was I around when this controversy occurred. To me it's always simply been a good song with lyrics that you can sing along to and a great instantly recognisable guitar riff. Now that's the recipe for a good song in my book.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 22. marts 2011

JJ Cale & Leon Russel - I Got the Same Old Blues


This is a live performance by the two rock and blues legends JJ Cale and Leon Russel. They play Cale's classic song "I Got the Same Old Blues" from Cale's 1974 album "Okie". This song got very popular and it was covered by a large number of well renowned artists such as Lynrd Skynrd and Freddie King.
Cale's style had been described as laid back. It is part of the so called Tulsa Sound that draws loosely on the genres of rockabilly, blues, country and jazz.
Leon Russel is a very well known and respected musician in the music world. In his early career he did session work for artists such as: Elton John, George Harrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson to name a few. He then later got a solo career that he maintains to this day. In 2011 he was also inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This is a very good song and it has a nice laid back session feel to it.

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 21. marts 2011

The Fabulous Thunderbirds & Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Crawl


This is a live performance by Texan blues rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds, the performance is from 1984.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds was the group that Stevie's brother Jimmie Vaughan played in from its formation in 1976 to 1989. Jimmie left the group to play in a duo with his brother, but these plans were foiled by Stevie's unfortunate death in 1990. After that the band has gone through a huge number of line-up changes.
This is a great song. There's a lot of influence from surf guitar on this definitely a lot of Dick Dale in the sound of it. Also love the musical breaks on it that includes the audience and the part where they play the guitars on their backs. Also Stevie is playing a Telecaster. I think this is the first time I've ever seen him do that. I've seen him play guitars with humbucker pick ups on rare occasions, but never a Telecaster. So it's a first. It's a great song and great solos from both Stevie and Jimmie.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 20. marts 2011

Spın̈al Tap - All the Way Home


This is a live performance by semi-fictional rock band Spın̈al Tap performing the song "All the Way Home" live at their 1992 reunion concert.
I have posted quite a few clips by Spın̈al Tap and that is because I genuinely believe that the material though funny and satiric is also pretty descent. I mean put this against any modern pop song and do quality control. Also this is one of my all time favourite films and the music always brings me in a good mood. They're satiric songs, but still very good songs in their own right.
In the film this is their fictive first single that was never released.
A pretty damn good song performed very well.
It is part of a series so the performance doesn't start right away.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 19. marts 2011

Black Sabbath - Iron Man


This is a live performance by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath playing perhaps their most famous song, or one of them at least, "Iron Man". The performance is from Paris 1970.
The song is of their "Paranoid" album which was also released in 1970. The song has since its release been featured in various TV-shows, been sampled by numerous hip-hop acts and covered by a large number of artists.
The song's title is courtesy of Ozzy Osbourne, but the lyrics were written by Geezer Butler around Ozzy's title. Originally it was named "Iron Bloke", but this was just a working title alas it was changed before the song's release.
The song is about a man who travels back in time and sees the apocalypse. When he returns to the present he is turned in two an iron man and proceeds to communicate with people around him. His attempts are ignored and mocked and so he gets angry and causes the very destruction he saw in the future.
As mentioned earlier the song has been covered by a large number of artists. Anything from Metallica to Sir Mix-A-Lot. It was also recently confirmed that William Shatner with the aid of Ozzy's former guitarist Zakk Wylde. Below is a short clip showing them working on it in the studio.

I think this is very funny and really shows the cult status the song has reached.
It's a very good performance of a truly iconic song. The audio isn't the best in the world, but still all right and a pretty good descent video quality for 1970.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 18. marts 2011

Rory Gallagher - Bought And Sold


This is a live performance by Gallagher and his band performing the song "Bought And Sold". The song is from Gallagher's "Against the Grain" album from 1975. It's a studio album and its production value is higher than on some of Gallagher's earlier albums.
It's one of those great Gallagher original blues songs. They have a certain sound to them that is Irish and folk influenced, but also very much influenced by both British blues music from the 60's and also American blues music.
I really love how Gallagher sings with his guitar on the "Hear my now, hear me right" part of the lyrics. Gallagher's voice always seemed to fit the guitar and when he sings along with what he's playing it's just magical. The tonality and phrasing of both his voice and the guitar sounds so wonderful
A great performance and a great song.

Enjoy ; )

torsdag den 17. marts 2011

Led Zeppelin - Black Dog


This is a live performance by British rock band Led Zeppelin playing the song "Black Dog" released in 1971. This performance is from 1975.
The song appears on Led Zeppelin's 1971 album "Led Zeppelin IV". The main riff of the song is attributed to bassist John Paul Jones who wrote it with the intention of doing a song people couldn't groove and dance to. He thought that with the complex rhythm changes and progressive riff that this would be accomplished. The song is named after a nameless black Labrador retriever who wandered around the studio at the time of recording. The lyrics are completely unrelated to the dog. Robert Plant did the vocals in two takes.
It's a great song and one of many instantly recognizable Zeppelin tracks. They had something with their riffs and rhythm that just made them unique and gave them a sound like no other band.
Truly a great song and performance.

Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 16. marts 2011

Guns N' Roses - Patience


This is the music video to the classic folk rock song "Patience" by Guns N' Roses. The song appears on the band's "G N' R Lies" album from 1989 which is also the last album before the band started going through line-up changes. The song peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music was written by rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin and the lyrics were done by Axl Rose.
The song doesn't feature any percussion. But in live performances the band would often play it with drums and electric instruments. They would also use keyboards on these live performances. Embeded below is a live performance like this.

The song has been covered by many artists who especially love playing the song live. It's been done live by artists like: Carrie Underwood, John Mayer with Maroon 5 and also in various ways featuring Slash and different singers.
It's a great ballad/acoustic folk rock song, and the lyrics are very good and well written as well. A gem amongst GNR songs.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 15. marts 2011

Rush - 2112 (Overture/The Temple of Syrinx)


This is a live performance from Canadian progressive rock band Rush playing the first two parts of the song "2112" from the album of the same name.
The "2112" album was released in 1976. The title track of the alum is a 20 minute suite composed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson with lyrics by the drummer Neil Peart. The composition tells the story of a dystopian society in the year 2112. This 20 minute suite and the fact that the album is named after it makes people think that it is a concept album. However technically it's not because the rest of the songs on the album have nothing to do with the suite and its lyrics.
The song is divided into 7 parts adding to the lengthy running time of about 20 minutes.
Complete list of the parts of the composition:
Part Title Starting time (*) Length (*)
I Overture 0:00 4:33
II The Temples of Syrinx 4:33 2:12
III Discovery 6:45 3:29
IV Presentation 10:14 3:42
V Oracle: The Dream 13:56 2:00
VI Soliloquy 15:56 2:21
VII Grand Finale 18:17 2:14
Total Running time 20:33
This performance only features the two first parts of the composition.
I think it's a very good song and live performance. Rush is definitely an impressive band.

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 14. marts 2011

Eric Clapton - Ain't Nobody's Business


This is a live performance by Eric Clapton playing his version of the classic 1920's song "Ain't Nobody's Business". At the end of the clip he also plays a little bit of "Drifting Blues" on a Spanish acoustic and stops to ask if there's percussion on it.
I really love the simple nature of this performance and the fact that it's split into two. It starts of with a piano and Clapton singing with only a little light percussion with a drum hit on the edge. The at the end to finish it the horn section kicks in and Clapton starts playing a solo. What you see is Clapton's vocal ability and how good a singer he is. He is one of the few people who can sort of recreate or keep the spirit of 20's and 30's music alive today which is very impressive. And then of course the guitar solo at the end which is just stunning.
The song was originally known under the title "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do". It was written somewhere in the 1920's by by pianist Porter Grainger who had been Bessie Smith's accompanist and Everett Robbins. It was first recorded by Ann Meyer in 1922 and later by Bessie Smith in 1923. The song is an 8-bar vaudeville blues song. The lyrics were copyrighted in 1922 and now they are in the public domain. Embeded below is the Bessie Smith version, it's not that similar to Clapton's version, but you can clearly hear that this was the source material.

The song has been recorded by a large number of artists over the years. Artist such as: Billie Holiday, Diana Ross, Hank Williams Jr., Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Otis Spann, and Willie Nelson among others.
It's a great song and a great set of lyrics. I really love Clapton's version of this. His singing and his guitar playing it just all adds up to something unbelievable.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 13. marts 2011

Beck - Loser


This is a live performance from 2003 by alternative rock artist Beck. The song is from Beck's 1993 album "Mellow Gold", but it was originally released on Beck's own independent record label on 12" vinyl. The song gained massive air play on modern rock station and Beck was picked up for a much bigger contract with Geffen Records who also re-released the single. It did very well and reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming Beck's first mainstream successful hit.
The song came to be as Beck moved back to his home-town of Los Angeles. He was broke and needed to take low-income jobs to survive financially. He still performed in coffee houses and such and to check if the audience was listening he would make up ridiculous lyrics while playing in and open tuning. This is how the song "Loser" eventually came to be.
It's a very good song and a very good performance by Beck as well. He is improvising and having fun with the tune and finally getting a big crowd who is listening.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 12. marts 2011

Foghat - Fool for the City


This is a live performance by British rock band Foghat performing the song "Fool for the City" from their 1975 album. "Fool for the City" was the title track and second single from the album. The most famous track from the album is their signature song "Slow Ride".
The album is also the band's only platinum selling album. "Slow Ride" reached no. 20 on the mainstream pop-charts, but "Fool for the City" didn't do as well and only reached no. 45 on the same charts.
It's a good and steady performance and song. Personally I'm not the biggest fan of Rod's lead playing. I'm more a fan of his slide work which is stunning, fast and done to perfect precision, now that's impressive. But a very good performance none the less.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 11. marts 2011

Carlos Santana, Jimmie Vaughan, Cesar Rosas & Stevie Ray Vaughan Jam at Costa Mesa


This is a live performance by a big group of guitarists doing a jam. The live performance is presumably from Costa Mesa in California. I haven't been able to find a song title, so I assume they're just jamming.
It starts off with Carlos Santana doing a solo. Then it goes over to Los Lobos lead guitarist Cesar Rosas who do an aggressive, but very good solo. Then it goes to the highlight of the performance which is Jimmie Vaughan's solo. He really plays it slow and with a lot of feeling. It's fun because you'd think that he'd be out of his element with this latin/jazz thing, but his playing fits right in. It's very soulful and very impressive.
At the end Stevie starts a solo, but the clip cuts off before he finishes. I assume the tape must have run out or something since I haven't been able to find the full performance including Stevie's entire solo.
It's a little sad, but on this particular performance it didn't seem like he could outdo his brother any way. Jimmie's playing is just amazing on this.
A great jam session with some of the best guitarists ever.

Enjoy ; )

torsdag den 10. marts 2011

Freddie King - I'm Tore Down


This is a live performance from blues guitarist Freddie King playing the song "I'm Tore Down" which is not his most famous song, but still quite known thanks to, as is the case with many of his track, being covered by famous blues artists with more mainstream appeal. The song was released in 1961 and it reached no. 5 on the American R&B charts.
Freddie is one of those guitarist who has influenced both the American and British blues boom. He was known for his aggressive and creative style of improvising. Artists who are influenced by Freddie include, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Gary Moore.
Many of Freddie's songs have been covered by famous acts. This song has been covered by John Mayer and Eric Clapton (Clapton embeded below).

I think Clapton does a very good job. He definitely adds his own unique and fast style of playing to it. And had a bigger horn section at the recording. Both versions are worth checking out though.

Enjoy ; )

onsdag den 9. marts 2011

AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long


This is a live performance from Australian hard rock/rock 'n' roll group AC/DC playing their classic song "You Shook Me All Night Long". The performance is from 1991.
The song is one of the band's signature songs and it's from their most successful 1980 "Back in Black" album. The title of the song comes from a Muddy Waters song with the title "You Shook Me" in which the line "you shook me all night long" appears. The song is also very popular at live gigs where it's very rarely excluded from the set list.
It's a very good song and I always love watching AC/DC live. I love how the sound just blasts to another level when Malcolm and Angus play the rhythm part together. Also the solo Angus does, it's him at his best, his rock 'n' roll influenced best.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 8. marts 2011

Isaac Hayes - Walk On By


This is a live performance by soul musician Isaac Hayes doing his version of "Walk On By" at the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival.
"Walk On By" was originally composed by Burt Bacharac with lyrics by Hal David. The song was first recorded by Dionne Warwick. It has since been covered by many artists who have made the song a hit. Of course Isaac Hayes, but also The Stranglers, D-Train, Cyndi Lauper and Seal among others.
Isaac Haye's version was released on his 1969 "Hot Buttered Soul" album. On this version the song is transformed into an almost 13 minutes funk jam. This live version is about 9 mintues and 30 seconds. The single version from the album was cut down to about 5 minutes and it got to no. 30 on the US Hot 100 chart.
I really love this live version it's really a jam and the band is feeling it. Especially love the guitar intro by Charles "Skip" Pitts. Hayes also refers to him as Skip under the concert. The funky bass line at the end that just escalated at the end is also very impressive. A very good and funky performance.

Enjoy ; )

mandag den 7. marts 2011

Solomon Burke - Everybody Needs Somebody to Love


This is a live performance by soul musician Solomon Burke from the British TV-show "Top of the Pops". Solomon Burke was born in 1940 and died in 2010. He was known as King Solomon, The King of Rock 'n' Soul and the Bishop of Soul. This song is perhaps is most well known and is considered his signature song.
The song was written by Solomon, Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler. The song was originally recorded by Solomon in 1964. In 1966 Wilson Pickett recorded a version of the song that did better in the charts than Solomon's original version. The song also gained fame through the version done by The Rolling Stones. The song was also featured in the film "Blues Brothers".
At the 2011 Grammys Mick Jagger performed the song as a tribute to Solomon. Since the song had once been recorded by The Stones it was fitting and Jagger did a very well job of it. (Embeded below) though it'll probably removed soon. Grammy clips don't stay on youtube for very long.

It's a very good song that shows that blues can be upbeat, uplifting, happy and even have a pop feel to them. But most of all there's a gospel feel to it as well. A very good song.

Enjoy ; )

søndag den 6. marts 2011

Oingo Boingo - Hey!


This is a live performance from rock band and avant garde group Oingo Boingo performing the song "Hey!" from their 1994 album "Boingo". The performance is also from '94 on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Boingo is the last studio-album to be released from the group as Danny Elfman, the lead singer, decided to focus his career on scoring film. He also quit music due to beginning hearing impairment. The sound on this album was different as the horn section and the keyboards were much less featured than on releases prior to this one. The tracks on this CD are also very long and this song has also been shortened for the Leno performance. The outro that is played at the end is repeated several times on the studio recording both in the beginning of the track and the end of the track, it's the "please mother, don't be angry with me"-part.
At this point the band has also shortened their name. Now it was just Boingo. It was sort of a thing they did. They started out as The Mystic Knights of The Oingo Boingo, shortened it to Oingo Boingo and at this point it was down to Boingo.
It's a very good live performance, and the song has a pop-feel to it while still being strange and bizarre enough to be Oingo Boingo.

Enjoy ; )

lørdag den 5. marts 2011

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away


This is the music video to the 1991 RHCP single "Give It Away" from their "Blood Suger Sex Magik" album. The music for the song is attributed to guitarist John Frusciante and bassist Flea. They came up with it during a jam session prior to the recording of the song. The lyrics were written by Anthony Kiedis. The single did very well on various charts and it also became the band's first UK no. 1 hit. The following single "Under the Bridge" became an even bigger success. The song also went on to win a Grammy in 1992 for Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocals.
The song is a 4/4 time composition and the sound of it is very distinctive. This has a lot to do with producer Rick Rubin who sought after a 60's vibe on the sound of the record. He didn't want a "big sound" and a wall of guitar. He just wanted a dry sound of three instruments with very little effects added. A what you hear is what you get sort of attitude. Flea's complex bass-line is also characteristic for the song and it really shows Flea's virtuosity on the fretboard.
It's a very good song and I really love the funky sound and the way Rubin produced it. A good song that just sounds amazing.

Enjoy ; )

fredag den 4. marts 2011

Jeff Beck & Imelda May - How High the Moon


This is a live performance by Jeff Beck and vocalist Imelda May from the recently released concert film "Rock 'n' Roll Party". The film honours recently deceased guitarist Les Paul, features many different guest artists, a lot of classic rock 'n' roll tracks and is also available as a CD.
Jeff Beck is joined on stage be Imelda May an Irish vocalist who sings this style of music to perfection. It is very obvious that she is trying to imitate Mary Ford's clean vocals from the original recording with Les Paul, and she does an amazing job and is a very talented singer. She earlier collaborated with Beck on his 2010 Emotion & Commotion album where she sings on "Lilac Wine" and does an amazing job.
The song "How High the Moon" is a jazz standard and it was first featured in 1940 in the Broadway revue "Two for the Show". The best known recording of the song is the one done by Les Paul and Mary Ford. (Embeded below)

This version was recorded in 1951 and it was an unexpected hit doing well on the Billboard chart at no. 1 for several weeks.
It's a very good song and a very good performance by Beck paying tribute to a great player and a great inventor.

Enjoy ; )

torsdag den 3. marts 2011

The Who - Baba O'Riley


This is a live performance by British rock band "The Who" playing the song "Baba O'Riley". The song was written by Pete Townshend and released in 1971. The song is known for it's use of early electronic experimentation done by Townshend and for it's crashing chorus of F-C-B power chords. This has made the song very popular at concerts and also a favourite on classic rock radio stations.
The song was released as a single in many European countries, but in the US and the UK it was only released as part of the album "Who's Next". On the original recording there is a violin solo as the song goes into the Irish folk style beat at the end. At most live concerts, this clip included, this is replaced by a harmonica piece played by Roger Daltrey.
The song has been ranked as the 340th Greatest Song of All Time. A remixed version of the song is also used as the theme for the TV-show CSI:NY. In fact: Every CSI show uses a Who song as their intro.
For me what also stands out on this song, and on every Who song ever recorded is the bass playing of John Entwistle. He is definitely one of the greatest bass players ever, and was one of the first who was able to really show off on the instrument, and not just be backing for the group. Below is a clip. It is the same clip as the one above, but with the isolated bass track. It's for geeks, but mind boggling to listen to.

In fact Entwistle's bass playing is what made it possible for the group to be a trio with a singer. He filled in in just the right places to make the band's sound not sound no smaller than any other band. It's like Noel Gallagher said: "They're all playing lead, aren't they, all of them", and he's right. That's the sound of The Who: a trio where everyone is playing lead. Quite impressive.

onsdag den 2. marts 2011

Paul McCartney - Helter Skelter


This is a live performance by former Beatles member Paul McCartney playing the classic song "Helter Skelter". The song originally appeared on the band's self-titled 1968 album that has since been known as "The White Album".
The song is credited to Lennon/McCartney, though Lennon has said in interviews that he feels that the song is more McCartney's song. (Though his quote was a little unclear)
"That's Paul completely ... It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me."
John Lennon 1980
McCartney has said in interviews that he wrote the song with the intention of being very loud and having a lot of tape echo on it. He wanted it to be loud, gritty and raw. It has also, by many, been called one of the first metal songs ever. It has those power chords and that raw fast energy that would later evolve and turn into metal. McCartney has also used this song to showcase and point of that he does not only do ballads, but harder rock as well.
The song occasionally appears in McCartney's live set. A live version of the song from the "Good Evening New York City" was nominated for a Grammy in 2011 in the "Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance". McCartney won the Grammy.
The song has also been covered by a large number of artists, both live and in the studio, acts including: Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, U2, Oasis, White Zombie, Bon Jovi and Soundgarden.
So a very influential song for a lot of contemporary artists.

Enjoy ; )

tirsdag den 1. marts 2011

Chuck Berry - Reelin' And Rockin


This is a live performance from the source of rock 'n' roll: Chuck Berry playing the song "Reelin' And Rockin". The performance is from 1972 in London and it was released on the album "The London Chuck Berry Sessions". The first side was recorded in the studio and the second side was recorded live. The footage is from this recording.
I really think this is an awesome live performance. Berry is very energetic and his playing is that classic Berry style done very well. Dave Kafinetti also delivers a very good piano solo on the track. A very good performance and song, Berry doing stage moves and having that humorous look in his eye. A very good performance.

Enjoy ; )