Eric Clapton – Malted Milk (Robert Johnson)

This is a live performance by blues guitarist Eric Clapton playing his rendition of the classic Robert Johnson song “Malted Milk”. Clapton has been a fan of Johnson since very early in his beginning to play the guitar. He has also stated in many interviews his admiration for Johnson and his ability to play like he does on his own. (I’ve embedded the original version of this below).

Clapton’s version is very similar to the original which has sort of always been Clapton’s mission in covering Johnson. Playing it either similar to him or in a fashion that you can still hear that it’s Robert Johnson music.
This version that Clapton plays here is from the Martin Scorsese documentary “Nothing But The Blues”. Another great version of this by Clapton can be found on his 1992 “Unplugged” album.
It’s a great song. I really love the little motive that plays after the line “spooks around my bed”, at the same time, it’s traditional and totally outside what you’d normally do in a blues. The genius of Robert Johnson!

Enjoy ; )

John Lee Hooker with Ry Cooder - Crawling King Snake

This is a live performance by John Lee Hooker playing his classic song "Crawling King Snake" live. On stage he is joined by guitarist Ry Cooder who's sitting in on this tune.
The song was originally written and recorded by John Lee Hooker. It is one of his many famous songs and it has also been covered by many different artists. One of them being The Doors who recorded a version of the song and released it in 1971. The song has also been done by: George Thorogood, Etta James, John P. Hammond, and Buddy Guy to name a few. (I've embeded Buddy Guy's version beneath, he plays it acoustic and with a lot of conviction and atmosphere, a solo acoustic recording, like the old blues players would have done it.)

It's a great and classic blues song, and Hooker plays it his way which is the right way. Cooder doesn't show off much in this, but then again when you're with the greats you hold back a bit. Both performances of this great blues song are great.

Enjoy ; )

Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Lead Belly)

This is a live performance by American grunge band Nirvana playing the song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night". The performance is from the band's MTV Unplugged performance from 1993.
The song is an American folk song which dates back to around the 1870's. It is also known under the alternate titles: "Black Girl" and "In the Pines". The person who is most commonly associated with the song is Huddie Leadbetter aka Lead Belly. He recorded various versions of the song throughout the 1940's and it is also this version that Nirvana covers and re-interprets in their own way. (Original Lead Belly version embeded below).

The song has been done by a long list of artists, including: Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Hole, Grateful Dead, and Dolly Parton.
I love both versions and I really think that what Nirvana did was very interesting. They took Lead Belly's original arrangement of the song and used it with the set-up of two guitars, bass, drums, and a cello. It sounds beautiful and it definitely captures some of that beautiful energy of the original recording. A great acoustic performance.

Enjoy ; )

Johnny Copeland - Flying High

This is an acoustic live performance by Texas blues artist Johnny Copeland. He plays the song "Flying High" on a TV-recording (from 1989). It's a self-accompanied acoustic performance, it always fascinated me when artists did self-accompanied performances. The song it self I haven't been able to find any information on. I checked all of Copeland's tracks on Amazon and it looks like this one never made it on to any of his studio, compilation or live albums that they distribute at least.
It's a traditional blues in E though. He keeps it simple, but very effective. The rhythm and timing is spot on and the aggressive approach of using a pick to really make it loud really sounds great.
It's a great performance by a great blues man!

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 ; )

Joe Bonamassa - Woke Up Dreaming

This is a live performance by blues and rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa playing his original song "Woke Up Dreaming".
The song was originally released on Bonamassa's 2003 album "Blues Deluxe" which was his fourth album as a solo artist. The song is sort of Bonamassa's version of an acoustic blues song, but with his own significant and apparent touch. For one it's very fast, but still follows a somewhat familiar chord structure again with some apparent differences from your run of the mill blues, this is definitely unique and different while still familiar which is quite an accomplishment in a song.
He also explains this as he's getting into the tune in this performance. The performance is from the series "Guitar Center Sessions" where the artists switch between talk and performance. He kind of combines it in the beginning as he explains how this song came to be.
It's a great song, I really love the speed and truly unique sound it has. Also just watching Bonamassa playing is amazing, his technique is amazing and his control of volume on an acoustic instrument is amazing as well.
It's a great performance of a really good song.

Enjoy ; )

Cream - Outside Woman Blues

This is a live performance by British supergroup Cream performing a live version of the song "Outside Woman Blues". The performance is from their 2005 reunion concert at The Royal Albert Hall. It's a great performance and it shows just what this trio was capable of and still were capable of back in 2005.
The song was originally recorded by Blind Joe Reynolds in 1929. It has since been covered by a large number of artists, but most notably Cream. Cream's version was released in 1967 on their "Disreali Gears" album. There were only two covers on this album, and the rest of the songs were originals. Also the lyrics are credited to Blind Joe Reynolds, but with arrangement by Clapton. This is also very clear, if you take a listen to the original (click here for a performance of the original).
The song has been performed by a lot of artists and Clapton has also played the song live as a solo artist. Like this acoustic clip embeded below which is a very good version. It really marks Clapton's self-accompanied style and abilities and his vocal ability as well.

The song has also been performed by: Jimi Hendrix, Back Door Slam, Doyle Bramhall II, Van Halen and Johnny Winter.
I love both of Cream's versions of this song. They're both great performances who share displaying Clapton's guitar abilities and his vocal ability as well.

Enjoy ; )

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 ; )

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 ; )

Rory Gallagher - Out on the Western Plain

This is a live performance by blues and folk musician Rory Gallagher. He plays his version of the classic folk song "Out on the Western Plain".
The song was originally a folk song performed by the artist known as Leadbelly or Lead Belly. He was a folk and blues singer in the late 1880's up until his death in 1949. He was known for his strong voice, his virtuosity on the 12-string acoustic guitar, for playing the accordion, harmonica, piano, violin and concertina and for introducing a huge catalogue of folk standards.
Gallagher's version is quite different from the original recording though the lyrics are the same. Gallagher plays it with a pick and his fingers in an Open-D tuning. Leadbelly also used low tunings, but it was a baritone standard tuning (B-E-A-D-F#-b) on a 12-string acoustic. The Open-D also gives that low feel which is what I think Gallagher went for intentionally when he decided to interpret the song.
A good song that really sets the mood. You just feel like you're out on the Western Plain after listening to it.

Enjoy ; )

Kansas - Dust in the Wind

This is the music video to the classic Kansas single "Dust in the Wind". The song was released as a single in 1977 and peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was written by Kerry Livgren and it was a departure for the band as they had not done any acoustic tracks prior to this one. The main melancholic acoustic guitar part is played on two acoustic six string guitars. One is in standard tuning and the other is in what is known as Nashville tuning. The two guitars together create the same sound one would get on a 12-string guitar. On top of this Robby Steinhardt plays the violin and viola on the instrumental bridge of the song.
I really like this song and I think it is one of the best acoustic guitar songs ever, period!

So enjoy it ; )

Muddy Waters - You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had

This is a live performance by Muddy Waters from 1966. Him and his excellent swinging band play the Muddy Waters single "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had". The song was released as a single in 1964 and is one of the last known singles Muddy did. Muddy was extremely productive and has released approximately 60 singles throughout his career.
The song was originally never released on an album, but it was recorded during a subsequent session for the Chess company album "Folks Singer" released in 1963. Today the songs from the subsequent sessions are included on reissues of the album. The album (without the added bonus tracks) is an acoustic album.
I really love this performance, the band really just has a groove unlike any band today. Plus we get some wicked slide guitar from Muddy himself, he really plays with feeling, and he's a natural at slide. A great performance of a true classic Waters song.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton - Blue Eyes Blue

BLUE EYES BLUE from kristine sun on Vimeo.
This is the music video to the song "Blue Eyes Blue" by Eric Clapton. It is a very good looking video, the sets and the camera work is really good, a well made music video with a simple concept.
The song is an acoustic pop song in that classic Clapton style. A set of chords, Clapton's vocals, a choir and an acoustic solo by Clapton.
I think it was made, or was featured in some Julia Roberts film, there's footage in the video that appears to be from a film, but I'm not sure of that.
It's a good little pop song by Clapton with that classic Clapton pop sound.

Enjoy ; )

Metallica - Mama Said

The top video is of James Hetfield performing an acoustic version of this song of the band's album "Load". It's a genre bending tune that strays a lot from Metallica's other songs. It starts off with an acoustic guitar, and the towards the chorus goes into a country inspired piece, with the whole thing sort of peaks, and power chords played on a distorted electric guitar plays through the last part of the song. I think it's a really good song, and it really sounds great in the studio version, a well mixed song that mixes genres. The video below is the music video for the song, so you can hear the studio version of the song as well.

The lyrics are written by Hetfield, and they are about a boy struggling to find his own way in life without his mother. This draws on Hetfield's own relationship to his mother who died of cancer.
The song has never really been part of Metallica's live set, probably because it strays so much from Metallica's traditional metal sound. Hetfield has played it alone with no accompaniment, and has also played with country singer Jessi Colter. But we'll probably never get the band playing the song live as it was recorded. It's sort of James' song which is also shown in the fact that the other band members only make a brief and excluded cameo in the music video for the song.
Still a very good song.


Enjoy ; )

Motörhead - Ace of Spades (Acoustic) (100th post)

This is a recently recorded acoustic version of the Motörhead song "Ace of Spades", they recorded it for a European beer commercial, and took the tempo down to a slow blues progression. Really shows the relation between genres, when you can just slow something down and add an acoustic guitar instead of an electric, and boom heavy metal turned into slow acoustic blues.
The top box is the new single in its full length, and the two videos are the commercial in which the song is featured, and a behind the scenes following Motörhead as they recorded the song.
I really like this song, it really shows that Lemmy has a broad style, and can play many different types of music. This is just pure acoustic blues, and I love it. It both features acoustic guitars playing the slow main rhythm part, a blues harp solo by Lemmy and a Dobro solo by Phil Campbell. It's a great song, and it really shows that Motörhead is much more than a metal band.

Bonnie Raitt - Love Me Like a Man

This is a 1995 performance from Bonnie Raitt, she plays the song "Love Me Like a Man", an acoustic traditional slow blues song with a traditional non slide blues solo from Raitt. This is just pure blues, and it absolutely proves that Bonnie deserves a rank among the best. This is just pure blues, it's acoustic and old school, gotta love that. She is only accompanied by a bass, and supplies both the singing and sweet guitar playing herself. Truly an amazing performance from a female blues singer with a delightfully raspy beautiful voice and guitar playing skills that match the skill of all the male blues players out there. Let's face it, there aren't a lot of female guitarists doing the blues thing which just furthermore makes Bonnie unique, there aren't no one who is doing what she's doing. She's amazing, gotta love Bonnie Raitt!

Enjoy ; )

Lightnin' Hopkins - Hurricane Beulah

This is an acoustic performance by blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins who, as mentioned in earlier posts, was an influence on Stevie Ray Vaughan and many other players.
Here he is performing an acoustic version of the song "Hurricane Beulah", a song about a real category 5 hurricane that hit America in 1967.
It's a great song and a great performance by Lightnin'. He a really good blues man, just him and his guitar that's all it takes, that's all he needs to be great.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton & Robert Cray - Befor You Accuse Me

This is a performance from the American TV-show "Nightmusic", a TV-show that had live music and exposed both new and unknown talent. It had a wide variety of acts, from blues and rock acts like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray to classic music in the form of the Kronos Quartet.
This is a performance by Clapton also featuring Robert Cray, they both do a solo. The song was originally done by rock legend Bo Diddley, but has been covered in two different versions by Clapton. He had an acoustic version of the song on his 1992 unplugged album. He has also done electric versions both live and in the studio. It's a great performance, and both Clapton and Cray play really good on the song.

Enjoy ; )

Jimi Hendrix - Hear My Train a Comin

This is an acoustic recording of Hendrix playing his classic song "Hear My Train a Comin" on a twelve string acoustic guitar.
The song appears on the 1994 posthumous album "Blues", the acoustic version opens the album, and the electric version is the last track on the album.
It's a great song, both the acoustic and electric. The electric has that energized innovative Hendrix sound, but I personally prefer the acoustic, it's more emotional.
A great song, and a great performance, a man and his guitar, just beautiful.

Enjoy ; )

Drifting Blues - Eric Clapton

This is a live acoustic version of the classic blues song "Drifting Blues" (sometimes written "Driftin' Blues"). It's a classic blues standard done in the west coast style. It was originally written and performed by Johnny Moore's group "The Blazers". It was one of the biggest blues hits of the 1940's.
It has been covered by several artists including; Charles Brown, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Albert King and Clapton of course who recorded the song numerous times.
For a DVD of this concert click here.

Enjoy ; )