Katie Webster – Pussycat Moan

This is a live performance by Katie Webster, also known as the swamp boogie queen, playing the song “Pussycat Moan” live. The performance is from the 1990 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
I haven’t really been able to find any studio recorded versions of this. The only thing I’ve found is a version on the compilation CD “Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection”.
It’s a great slow blues song and Katie sings it to perfection, just the right way. Also plays the piano in that way only she can. She’s a great blues artist and more people should know about her.

Enjoy ; )

Albert King – I’ll Play The Blues For You

This is a live performance by blues legend Albert King playing the song “I’ll Play The Blues For You” live. The performance is from Ohne Filter which I assume is either a German venue or some sort of German television show. The performance is from 1992.
The song was the title track to King’s 1990 album. On the album it’s a 7:17 long blues song which makes it the longest on the album. Opening with a long blues number, now that’s Albert King.
He is joined on stage by two guitarists, and I don’t know who they are. One of them is playing a lefty Stratocaster, he only does rhythm parts, the other guitarist however does a really good solo. I’d like to credit him, but as stated above, I don’t know who he is.
It’s a great extended blues jam by The King.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Civil War

This is a live performance by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses doing a live performance of their song "Civil War".
The song was originally released on the 1990 compilation "Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel", but more famously in 1991 on the album "Use Your Illusion II". It's an anti-war protest song which uses the dual meaning of the word 'civil' to get the message get across. The song was written by, Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan and it was released as a single in 1993.
I really love how Slash opens the song with the intro riff from "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Hendrix and also ends the song on this riff. An homage to Hendrix is always welcome in my book, and it fits the song very well. It's a great song and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Sarah Vaughan - Misty

This is a live performance by American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan doing her version of the classic jazz standard "Misty". This performance is from Tokyo, Japan, 1990. This was one of her last gigs in her career, as she got ill with lounge cancer around 1989. These Japanese tour dates were her last completed gigs in her career. And she sings it so wonderfully, her illness doesn't even show a bit.
The song was written by Erroll Garner in 1954. It was originally an instrumental, but lyrics were added later on by Johnny Burke. The song has been done by many great singer, including: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Lloyd Prince, and Ray Stevens. And Sarah Vaughan of course.
It's a beautiful song, and Sarah sings it like no one else!

Enjoy ; )

Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover

This is a live performance by instrumental rock guitarist Eric Johnson playing his probably most well known instrumental composition "Cliffs of Dover" live in 1990 from New York.
The song is from the album "Ah Via Musicom" released in 1990. It is composed in the key of G major and in the studio it was recorded with a Gibson ES-355 and a Fender Stratocaster, the Strat being the one he also chooses to use on this live version.
The song won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. And it was also featured in the video game Guitar Hero III.
Johnson does a really long intro on this which is just amazing and really show just how good a guitarist he is. The main recognizable melody of the song played by Johnson doesn't kick in until about the 6:20 time signature, now that's a long intro.
It's a great instrumental performance of a really good composition. Really enjoyable and smooth.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton - Old Love

This is a live performance by British blues and rock guitarist Eric Clapton playing the song "Old Love" live at Hyde Park in 1997.
The song is originally off Clapton's 1989 album "Journeyman". The writing credit on the song is attributed to Clapton and fellow blues musician Robert Cray. The most successful song on the album however was "Bad Love", it did well in the charts and won Clapton a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1990. Clapton has also stated that this is one of his favourite albums from his career. (Cover art in picture below).

It's a really good performance of this magnificent song.

Enjoy ; )

AC/DC - Thunderstruck

This is a live performance by Australian hard rock band AC/DC playing their classic and infamous song "Thunderstruck". The performance is from their 2009 concert at River Plate which was released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2011. The concert was part of the band's tour for their "Black Ice" album.
The song "Thunderstruck" was originally released in 1990 on the album "Razor's Edge". The song is built up around a riff by Angus Young which sounds like fast tapping, but is in fact very fast picking instead. It sounds awesome!
It's a great song and exactly what hard rock is supposed to be!

Enjoy ; )

Aerosmith - Walking the Dog (Acoustic)

This is a live performance by American hard rock band Aerosmith playing and acoustic version of the song "Walking the Dog". The performance is from the MTV Unplugged series and the performance is from 1990.
The song was originally a Rufus Thomas song and was known under two titles, "Walking the Dog", and "Walkin' the Dog". This version was released on the album "Walking the Dog" and it became Thomas' signature hit and it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December of 1963. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks.
The song has been covered by a large number of artist, including: The Rolling Stones, Roger Daltrey, John Cale, and Green Day, and many more.
I really think this version by Aerosmith is great. They do it acoustic and Steven Tyler is sitting on a chair, but he's as frantic and energetic as ever. A great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

Aretha Franklin - Respect

This is a live performance by soul queen Aretha Franklin playing her classic song “Respect”. The performance is from 1990.
The song was originally recorded and released by Otis Redding in 1965. It was also written by Redding, but with a different perspective than Franklin would use later. Franklin switched the perspective so the song turned into a plea from a woman to a man demanding respect. This made the song popular in the feminist movement.
Franklin’s version was released in 1967 and it became her perhaps best known song. She won two Grammy Awards for the song in the R&B categories.
The song was a huge hit and it was later covered by a large number of artists such as: Ike & Tina Turner, Janis Joplin and Jennifer Hudson to name a few.
It’s a great song. I really love the true soul there is on this and the sound of the big orchestra with the horn section. A great song and a great performance.

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 ; )

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 ; )

Jimmie Vaughan - Tick Tock

This is a performance by Jimmie Vaughan and a bunch of other artists. It's from the Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial concert commemorating the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan on August 27th 1990.
There were many artists present at the concert, and Jimmie sort of controlled the jam on a lot of the performances, and also starts off this performance. Present were: Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Art Neville & Double Trouble.
The song is from the album Family Style by The Vaughan Brothers. It was the last album Stevie did, and he had always wanted to do a collaborative album with his brother.
This song sticks out as different, as it is about the world joining hands in peace, and in that sense a very beautiful blues ballad. In this performance the song is sung by a choir which helps give it a certain atmosphere.

Enjoy ; )

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 ; )

B.B. King - Telephone Song

This song was originally recorded on the 1990 album "Family Style" by the Vaughan brothers. The album was recorded after Stevie's recovery from his alcohol and drug addiction. Stevie had always wanted to do something with his brother Jimmy, but due to success at the same time in different bands, they had never had the time to do it. Stevie took the initiative and the album happened.
This performance sadly is from the SRV memorial concert. A concert played in memory of Stevie shortly after his passing. B.B. plays a version of the song that is a little slower than on the album, but still brings his unique brand of guitar playing to the song. He also sings it very well, and Stevie would've loved B.B. performing one of his songs, as B.B. was one of Stevie's idols. Jimmy Vaughan joins B.B. on stage, but doesn't do much lead playing, he leaves most of that to King.

Enjoy ;

Gary Moore - The Stumble

This is a performance from Montreux 1990. Gary Moore performs the Freddie King classic "The Stumble" and does a banging job with it. Peter Green, one of Moore's idols, did a version of the song with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.
Moore's version is faster than the original, but other than that it's pretty much the same song.
A great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Wall of Denial

This is a clip of Stevie Ray Vaughan performing his song "Wall of Denial" from his 1989 album "In Step". It's the fourth studio album by Stevie and the last album he did with Double Trouble. The last studio album of Stevie was the album "Family Style" done with his brother Jimmie Vaughan.
The main theme throughout "In Step" was Stevie's recent sobriety, what went before, and the fact that he had come out clean and sober on the other side.
The performance is from "The Late Show" with David Letterman, probably from a promotion tour for the album.
The album won for "Best Contemporary Blues Album" at the 1990 Grammys.

Enjoy ; )