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 ; )

Gary Moore - Midnight Blues

This is a live performance by Irish guitarist Gary Moore performing yet another one of his slow blues classics. This one is "Midnight Blues" which is just amazing and played with so much feeling.
Prior to the beginning of the performance there is a piece of interview footage featuring Albert King talking about the younger players and how he enjoys interacting with and instructing them how to play. Moore of course goes on to talk about the influence King has had on both him and people like Clapton and Hendrix.
It's a great performance by a blues man who was taken from us at far too young an age. Moore you are missed!

Enjoy ; )

Albert King & The Bluesbreakers - Why Are You So Mean To Me

This is a live performance by blues legend Albert King and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers playing the song "Why Are You So Mean To Me".
The song was originally released as a single in 1959 on the Bobbin label. It is not one of King's most famous songs, but I really like it.
Also the version with the Bluesbreakers is really good. John Mayall's piano and especially his blues harp skills really adds another layer to this great song. This incarnation of The Bluesbreakers featured former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor who does a really good solo on this playing a Stratocaster.
What really impressed me about this though was King's playing at the end of the song. He really plays a lot faster than I've ever heard him play while still keeping the soul alive in his playing. Truly a great performance from all parts. A great performance.

Enjoy ;-)

Gary Moore - Still Got the Blues (In Loving Memory of Gary Moore)

This is a live performance by blues and rock guitarist Gary Moore playing what is probably known as his signature song, or at least his most well known song of his solo career.
As I just recently found out, Gary Moore has passed. He died in a hotel room during a vacation at the age of 58. The specific date has been dated to the early hours of 6 February. The reason I'm just posting about it now is that I just recently found out. It hasn't gotten a lot of media attention which is a little sad, because he was a great guitarist in both rock and blues and hugely successful (at least in Europe). I haven't seen a lot of media coverage in neither the American media or the European media which is why I'm a little delayed with this.
I think it is tragic in that he died at age 58 in what seems to be a sudden death. And we know that he was still making music. His latest record was released in 2008 and he seemed to still be energetic and have plenty of music left in him. And that's the sad part, all of that beautiful, soulful and rocking music we'll be missing out on.
I also always felt that Gary never got the full recognition he deserved. I mean he was somewhat well known as a blues and rock guitarist and as an influence on a lot of people spanning a broad spectrum of genres, but he never really got enough recognition. He was never really placed in the same league as Clapton, SRV and Hendrix. And in my book he ranks right up there with them. I know you should never rank guitarist, and I'm not comparing them, but Gary deserved a broader audience and he deserved to be one of those guys who everyone knows, and I don't think he is. And that's sad.
What we can do now is simply try and remember all of the beautiful music Gary has brought us. He brought us everything from hard rock to slow blues and he did it in his own style. And that's quite an accomplishment in my book. I mean he can play rock guitar and still also play blues in his own style with the same amount of feeling as the greats.

Below are a list of links to previous posts I posted featuring Gary Moore. Remember: The best memory is one's music, so click them and remember Gary for all the good music he brought.
Gary Moore - Don't Believe a Word
Gary Moore - The Stumble
Gary Moore - Dust My Broom
Gary Moore and Albert King - Stormy Monday

Gary Moore you will be missed.
R.I.P.

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)

Bonnie Raitt & Taj Mahal - She Caught The Katy

This is a clip from "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", it's Bonnie and Taj promoting an upcoming tour at the time of the broadcast. The tour is probably finished by now.
I watched this clip online about six months ago, and absolutely loved it. Love the way it's a call and response between Bonnie and Taj, it's just a great performance. The the clip was taken down, and I couldn't find a proper clip of Bonnie and Taj performing this song anywhere. There were amateur recordings from some of the gigs they played during their tour, but the quality was bad.
Then I finally found it, someone had re-uploaded the clip, I was ecstatic. I say watch it now, before youtube takes it down again. Watch and enjoy.

The song itself has also gained some notoriety. It has become a blues standard and has been performed by several artists. To name a few it has been covered by Albert King and probably most famously in the film "Blues Brothers" sung by John Belushi. According to John's widow "She Caught The Katy" is John's favourite blues song.
This is my favourite version however. The tempo is just right, a little faster than earlier versions. And Bonnie's slide playing really adds to the performance and just makes it even better.
A truly great performance. HURRY UP AND WATCH IT, BEFORE IT GETS TAKEN DOWN AGAIN!!

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 ; )

Jimi Hendrix - Red House

This is a clip from the classic Woodstock festival of 1969. The clip is of Hendrix's band of Gypsies performing the Hendrix tune "Red House". It's one of the bluesiest tunes of Hendrix's who very often were more rock 'n' roll. It's like a psychedelic blues, mixing the blues with a hint of psychedelia.
The song has become a blues standard, and is respected and covered by many artists. Artists like Gary Moore, Prince and Johnny Winter. But it's also been covered by some of the great blues legends, and Hendrix's own idols like; Buddy Guy, Albert King and John Lee Hooker.
Truly a great tune adapted by the blues legends. Hendrix was a legend, a true master of his instrument, an innovator and just plain out of this world.

So enjoy Hendrix playin' Red House!!

Freddie King - Goin' Down

This is a clip of blues legend Freddie King performing Goin' Down live. Freddie is one of the '3 Kings of blues'. The three kings of blues are Albert, B.B. and Freddie King, all named 'King' as their last name. Freddie being inspired by both the raw Texas blues and the West side Chicago blues fused them into his recognizable tone and sound. Freddie has influenced a lot of players; Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Peter Green are all inspired by Freddie.
The song 'Goin' Down' has been covered on  occasion by artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan , Keith Richards and the G3 guys, but it isn't Freddie's most covered song.

Enjoy ; )