Robin Gibb - Islands in the Stream

This is a live performance by former Bee Gees member and singer-songwriter Robin Gibb. He is playing "Islands in the Stream" live with a big orchestra featuring both various percussive instruments, electric instruments, choir girls, and a string section. The performance is from the DVD "In Concert with..." available through Eagle Rock.
The song was originally recorded by country artists Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. It was written be the Bee Gees, but it was originally written for Marvin Gaye. Bee Gees then changed the style of it so Dolly and Rogers could record it.
It's a good pop song, from back when they knew how to make good pop songs with good melodies.

Enjoy ; )

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 ; )

Repost: B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone

I posted this once before, but the version I posted was taken down from youtube. I don't mind that however, because this is a better version in my opinion. (Click here to read the text from the old post, and a little background on the song).
This version is from BB's performance at the 1993 Montreux Jazz Festival, and it's just a smokin' version of the song. It starts out a little slower than the first version I posted, with BB playing at a very low volume level, with a lot of emotion. Then towards the end it picks up speed, BB turns up the volume, stands up and gives us the grand finale of his playing, and this concert. It's a great performance and a great show. (Can be purchased at Amazon.com, and is published by Eagle Rock, click here for product information).
It's a great performance, and the whole band is into it. The string section from the original recording is imitated beautifully on a keyboard, and the horn section do a fine job.
This is a great performance, and if not the best, then definitely one of the best versions of this song.

Enjoy ; )

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)