Repost: B.B. King - How Blue Can You Get

This is the same case as yesterday's post, where I posted the clip, and then it got taken down by youtube. The original post featured a video, where BB played with Paul Shaffer and The CBS Orchestra which made it an all around awesome performance.
This new video is from the rock DVD producers and distributors Eagle Rock. It's a DVD of several blues and rock 'n' roll artists coming together for a great performance. Click here for more info on the DVD.
This is a good performance of this song too, but I really fell in love with the one from The Late Show. I just really loved the big set-up, with the horn section, and the big orchestra, I really though it sounded awesome. But now it's been taken down.
This performance is very good as well, but a completely different set-up. There's no set-up, and in a way you could say that in that way you really get to see BB's raw talent which is true. But I also really think that BB's talent shines through no matter what set-up he's in. This is a good performance, but not as good as the one in the original post. (Click here to read the old post, there's no video, hence it's been removed, but still go check it out)

Repost: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Love Struck Baby

 I posted a version of this song before. It was the version where Stevie plays the song live with Colin James. That video has been taken down from youtube, so I thought I'd post another version of the song. (click here for previous posted entry)
This version is from 1987 in New Orleans. It's a great version of the song. It's an extended version in terms of musical improvisation. There's a piano solo by Reese Wynans, and then after that Stevie goes into a guitar solo. He pretty much does the standard version of the solo, but adds a lot of new things to it. Of course he shows off and puts the guitar behind his head and keeps playing. And after that he just extends the solo even more.
It's one of those performances where Stevie was just feeling it, and started playing new stuff on the spot. I love both versions of this, but since the old version has been taken down from youtube, I'd say this is at least as good. Though you can't really judge performances like that.

U2 & B.B. King - When Love Comes to Town

This is a collaboration between the band U2 and B.B. King. The song was released in 1988 U2's album "Rattle and Hum", and it was released as the album's third single in 1989.
The song has been played live many times, all of them featuring B.B. King and his band. On the "Lovetown Tour" in 1989 the song was played as an encore on almost all nights of the tour. It was played at 46 out of the 47 shows, and was the main encore for the tour. This clip is also from the Lovetown Tour.
It's a great song with a nice and up beat rhythm. The Edge sticks to playing the rhythm parts on the song, and B.B. plays all the lead parts. The singing is shared between Bono and B.B., but it's B.B. rocking the house and getting the crowd in a good mood. He does a spoken word in the song, and really gets the audience going.
This version is on a very grand scale. B.B. was touring with a big band, featuring both choir girls and a horn section. It all helps build up the scale of the song and the performance, but it's still B.B. at the centre, giving the performance it's heart.
This is so uplifting, you can't be in a bad mood after listening to this.

Enjoy ; )

Muse - Feeling Good

This is a live performance by British band Muse. They perform their version of the classic song "Feeling Good". It's a song that has been recorded by a huge number of artists, some of them good, some of them bad. Among the bad are The Pussycat Dolls and Michael Bublé, the Pussycats is obvious, and I'm not a big fan of Bublé and his, hmm... too good image, his version is a bit karaoke like in my opinion.
The two best versions, in my opinion, is Nina Simone's version, and this one by Muse. When I first heard it, I wasn't a huge fan of their version, but I gotta say, it's really grown on me, to a point where I really like it. The Nina version is a soul and jazz thing, sung with a lot of emotion. Now the Muse version still has that jazzy soul influence, but fuses it with a rock influence. It makes it a dark and new version of the song, and very interesting. I think Muse do a really good job with this, and I really like their version.
Muse released this as a single as well, and also did a music-video for the song. It's a good video, with stunning visuals, sort of underlining the new interoperated meaning of the song. It's good, and definitely worth checking out, if you like this version of the song. Video for the song left embeded beneath in case you wanna check it out. Also below is Nina's version of the song.

Muse - Feeling Good
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Steve Vai - For the Love of God

This is a guitar instrumental piece by guitar legend Steve Vai. The song was originally recorded and released in 1990 on Steve Vai's album "Passion and Warfare".
It's a long instrumental featuring a wide variety of different guitar techniques, one more impressive than the other. He uses the whammy-bar on the song a lot, he uses pinch harmonics, natural harmonics, two finger tapping and it all adds up to something amazing and out of this world.
Vai himself has stated that when he's making music he likes to try and enter different states of consciousness. So there is a, hmm... religious or spiritual overtone at work here, and you can hear that emotion channelled through Vai's playing.
That is what I love about Vai's playing, it's ultra-technical and out of this world difficult. But through his hands it's still played with emotion. There are very few players who can be speed demons and still emote, and for that Vai, I personally salute you.
A high point of this performance, in my opinion, is when he towards the end of his performance makes the guitar sound like dolphin screams. I mean who else could do that but him? This is an all over awesome performance.

Enjoy ; )

The Doors - Wild Child

This is a video from the classic late 60's band The Doors. It's a video consisting of footage of some native-American kids spliced together with studio footage of The Doors recording the song "Wild Child". I don't know if it was a fan made video or an official video.
The song Wild Child is built up quite simple, with one riff pretty much driving the song, and then changing when the song breaks into the chorus. The riff is mainly a guitar riff played by Robby Krieger, but a Hammond B3 organ is also added, to give the song that trippy 60's feel. Robby also plays a psychedelic bottle neck slide that just fits the song perfectly.
The song was released as a single in December of 1968, but it was a B-side to the song "Touch Me".
Below is a little clip from the A-side to the single.

Audio sample
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It's a really good stoner song, with that delightful 60's psychedelic sound. A great video, and a really good song.


Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Mr. Brownstone

This is a performance by hard rock 80's band Guns N' Roses, the good line-up with Slash still playing the lead parts. The song appears on the legendary 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction".
The song was written by Izzy Stradlin and Slash, they were complaining about being heroin addicts, and started writing down lyrics on the back of a grocery bag. They brought the lyrics to Axl, and they decided to record the song. The lyrics are clearly about addiction and heroin, as Brownstone is slang for heroin, much the way Mary Jane means Marijuana.
"Mr. Brownstone" was the first UK single released by the just signed band. It was released as a double A-side along the song "It's So Easy".
The song explores what in the rock world is known as "The Bo-Diddley beat". It was a beat first used by guitarist Bo-Diddley, therefore it is named after him. It has been used by many bands though times, and was especially popularized in the 60's by bands like The Rolling Stones etc. This gives the song that Rolling Stones kind of feel. GNR are influenced heavily by 60's bands and especially The Rolling Stones, and in a song like this you can really hear it.
It's a great song with a nice long guitar introduction leading into the riff, with a sweet solo, and sweet rhythm thanks to Bo-Diddley and Matt Sorum. A great performance, of a great song.

Enjoy ; )