Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

This is a live performance by the classic rock band Rainbow playing their classic song "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" from their 1978 album of the same name.
The band Rainbow was formed by guitarist Rithchie Blackmore in 1975 shortly after he left Deep Purple. This performance is from 1977 and it features the line-up from the album that also was released the following year. This line-up of course also very famous for featuring legendary front man and singer Ronnie James Dio who also played with Black Sabbath for a period and had his own solo career for a long time. Recently he passed away after struggling with cancer. Dio didn't just do the front man thing when he was with the group, which he was from 1975-79, he also wrote all of the lyrics for the band in this period.
It's a great song and an amazing performance from a band that seems to be on fire. Also it's a great anthem with simple lyrics that were made for the audience to shout a long which they do and are encouraged to by Dio. A great performance by a great band.

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 ; )

ZZ Top - Blue Jean Blues

This is a clip from a live performance by blues and rock 'n' roll group ZZ Top performing their classic slow blues song "Blue Jean Blues".
The song was released in 1975 on ZZ Top's fourth album "Fandango". The album consisted of recordings from live shows and original new studio-recorded content. The only single to be released from Fandango was "Tush".
It's a very good performance, the video quality could be better and it is a little annoying that it just cuts off before they finish playing. A version of this is also on the "Live from Texas" DVD which I can highly recommend picking up.
I love how Billy Gibbons talks to the audience. This was when he started to be known as The Reverend Willy G due to this part of his audience interaction.
It's a good performance, but track down either the album version or the live version from the DVD I recommended earlier. A great song and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Led Zeppelin - How Many More Times

This is a very early performance from Led Zeppelin. It's from 1969 in Gladsaxe in Denmark, it's from a teen club, and luckily Danish television decided to record it and broadcast it. They had just published their first self-titled debut-album and this was probably part of a promotion tour.
This song is great because it shows different sides of the band within one song. It especially shows in Page's playing. He starts off showcasing his blues influence and his playing starts out kinda conventional. That doesn't last long however, as he slowly transfers into that rock style he helped from and define. Playing more aggressive. At one point he also brings out the famous string bow which he uses to harmonise with Plant's vocals. He also showcases his ability to go wild and stretch his playing all over the fretboard. This is just awesome playing showcasing all aspects of what makes Jimmy's playing (both lead and rhythm) amazing.
What a lucky audience. It's a very small audience hence this was before Zeppelin made it big and played stadiums. The small audience sits around the stage, and just observes and enjoys the music. How many people can say they've experienced a band like Zeppelin in such short distance, not many, those lucky bastards. Man I was born in the wrong decade.
This is a great performance, all of the band gives 100 % and really entertains. It's a small crowd, and the fact that they just put on a big performance for such a small audience shows just how awesome they are, how dedicated they are and how little their music was about fame. These are true musicians.
Oh and this video is just a two minute excerpt from the performance, I highly recommend watching the whole performance. (Follow the links beneath)
Part 1
Part 2

Enjoy ; )

Rory Gallagher - Bullfrog Blues

This is a great blues song from blues legend Rory Gallagher. I only recently discovered Gallagher, and I must say that I'm impressed. He's definitely a blues man, and a good one.
This is one of my favourites from him so far (haven't listened to all his stuff yet). I love his slide work, it's gritty and not perfect, but very rock 'n' roll. He has played many genres like blues, rock, hard rock, blues rock and much more, but in the end genres are just labels.
I love his energy when he's playing live, and the fact that he gets up close with the audience, a true performer, he's just great.
He has influenced many players, and Slash was a big fan of Gallagher. Slash also does slide work, and this may be influenced by Rory.

Enjoy ; )