The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash

This is a live performance by legendary British rock 'n' roll band The Rolling Stones playing their classic song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" live. The performance is from the concert-film "Shine a Light" from 2008 directed by Martin Scorsese.
The song was released in 1968 and it was considered The Rolling Stones' venture back into the rock 'n' roll bluesy sound that they were originally known for. The song was written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
The song has also been recorded by soul diva Aretha Franklin. She did a recording of the song for the Whoopi Goldberg film of the same name. Richards and Ronnie Wood also played the guitar parts on her version.
Other notable covers of the song includes: Leon Russell, Tina Turner, Peter Frampton, Johnny Winter, Motörhead and Guns N' Roses.
It's a great song and the version from "Shine a Light" is an awesome performance of the song as well, with some really good camera angles courtesy of Scorsese. A great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Jimi Hendrix - Lover Man

This is a live performance by Jimi Hendrix playing his classic song "Lover Man". The performance is from The Royal Albert Hall in 1969.
The song "Lover Man", also known under the titles: "Here He Comes" and "Here He Comes Your Lover Man", is unique in that a studio version wasn't released until 2010. It has been performed live on numerous occasions and performed as early as 1968. The structure of the song is the same they'd use when covering B.B. King's tune "Rock Me Baby".
It's a great song and Hendrix really adds that unique touch and sound to this tune. My favourite version is a rare take that I haven't really identified. It's from youtube and all I know is that it's rare. Embeded below:

There's no video, just pictures. The audio quality is really good though and to me it sounds like a deposited studio take. It's a slower version of the song which I really dig. The slow tempo really adds to the psychedelia factor. Also the extended wah wah solo at the end of the song.
I love this take and any version of this song. It's so good and one of Hendrix's best in my opinion.

Enjoy ; )

Nina Simone – Ain’t Got No, I Got Life

This is a live performance by American soul, jazz and blues singer Nina Simone performing her classic song “Ain’t Got No, I Got Life”.
The song is actually a musical medley of two songs combined in to this tune. It’s two songs from the musical “Hair”.
Simone’s version of this song helped her gain a younger audience and it became a reoccurring song in her repertoire.
The song was featured on Simone’s 1968 album “’Nuff Said!”. The album was nominated for an Emmy and it spawned this song that became a huge hit for Simone in Europe.
A great song and a great performance that ought to lift your spirit.

Enjoy ;-)

The Black Crowes - Hard to Handle

This is a live performance by American rock band The Black Crowes performing their version of the classic song "Hard to Handle".
The song was originally recorded by Otis Redding in 1967. This version was released posthumously in 1968 on the album "The Immortal Otis Redding". This version was produced by Steve Cropper.
It has become a very popular song and it has been covered by a large number of artists. Artists such as: Tom Jones and of course the band The Black Crowes who's version is perhaps the most successful and well known.
This version was released in 1990 on the band's debut album "Shake Your Money Maker". The melody for this version of the song is taken from a Buddy Guy song named "A Man of Many Words". Two versions of the original recording by The Black Crowes exists: The original album version and the single mix which adds an overdubbed brass section to the song.
They also use a brass section at this live performance which just makes it sound sweet. The performance is from the recently released DVD "Live in San Francisco" . This DVD features the concert footage from the band's reunion concert in 2005. It's a really great performance, front man Chris Robinson delivers an amazing and energetic performance, Rich Robinson delivers a solid and funky rhythm guitar and Marc Ford does an amazing job on lead guitar. This added to the horn section makes for one hell of a performance. Really an awesome performance!

Enjoy ; )

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 ; )

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 ; )

Cream - Sitting on Top of the World (Robert Cray)

This is a live version of the song "Sitting on Top of the World" live at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005. It was their reunion concert.
The song has a long history of covers and various performers. It was originally written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon. It has been covered by an area of well known blues artists such as: Robert Cray, Big Bill Broonzy, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Jack White and B.B. King.
The version Cream covered was the one recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1957. The Cream version was released in 1968. I think that these bluesy interpenetrations of this classic song are both great. I also really like it the way Robert Cray plays it. It's a little more laid back and a little slower, and of course his playing adds to the experience. (Cray version embeded below).

I think it's a really good performance, and I really think that Cream did an amazing job on this. Clapton's playing is superb, Ginger's drumming is fitting and not too over the top and Jack Bruce sings the song beautifully and plays the harmonica on it as well. A great performance, no two great performances!

Enjoy ; )

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 ; )

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 ; )

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)

Jeff Beck - Hi Ho Silver Lining

This is a live performance by Jeff Beck, he is joined on stage by Mitch Mitchell and Steve Winwood. "Hi Ho Silver Lightning" is an iconic 1960's rock song. It was released as a single in 1967 by "The Attack", but only a few days later Beck released a version of the song as well, and this became the most known rendition of the song.
It's a pretty silly song, but also a crowd pleaser and something that gets the crowd going and singing along. Beck does a little solo, but it's not much. A good steady performance of a silly song.

Hope you enjoy it ; )

The Doors - Touch Me

This is a performance by 70's rock band The Doors performing their classic song "Touch Me". A song more in the category of dance music, or maybe even a ballad at some points in the song, though it is a complicated progression, and it isn't just one genre throughout. It was released on the band's debut album "The Soft Parade", and was written by Robby Krieger.
The song is also notable for it's use of a string section, a horn section and a sax solo from Curtis Amy. It was released as a single in 1968, and did very well in the charts reaching no. 3 on the American Billboard chart.
It's a great performance, only made better by the accompaniment of the horn section and the string section which makes this a really good 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
file info · help

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


Enjoy ; )

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower

This is a performance by Hendrix of the classic Dylan song "All Along The Watchtower". The song was originally recorded by Dylan, but the most famous version of the song has become the one done by Hendrix on his 1968 album "Electric Ladyland".
Hendrix was very influenced by Dylan, because he has said in interviews that Dylan was the one who gave him courage to start singing, so definitely thank you for that Dylan. Before Hendrix started playing solo and as leader for his own groups he toured playing the rhythm sections for various bands, including Little Richards band.
This is definitely the most famous rendition of the song, and Dylan (who generally isn't easy to impress) was overwhelmed by this version, and has said that Hendrix with his talent build upon the song and made it better. Dylan took notice of this version, and started doing Hendrix's version live and still does Hendrix's version to this day. So in a way the cover had become the original, or at least been embraced by the original artist.
Hendrix's version is amazing, and he could even do it live which is just even more amazing. This rocks, no doubt about it and it's one of my favourite Hendrix tracks.

Enjoy ; )