The White Stripes - Blue Orchid

This is a live performance by the alternative/blues rock band The White Stripes doing their song "Blue Orchid" live. The performance is from the Rock am Ring in 2007.
The song was originally released on the band's album "Get Behind Me Satan" from 2005, "Blue Orchid" was released as the first single from the album the same year. It's a great song and it's always great to watch Meg and Jack on stage. What they do on stage is truly unique and can't be matched by anyone.

Enjoy ; )

ZZ Top - What's Up with That

This is a live performance by Texan blues rock band ZZ Top performing the song "What's Up with That" live on Jools Holland in 1996. He also gives the band a fitting introduction as a rock 'n' roll band and protectors of rock 'n' roll which I can only agree with him on. On this performance they're joined by a choir and James Harman plays the blues harp on this number. Also I love how Holland actually introduces and mentions him. He's a musician himself and you always feel that in his hosting, you feel his genuine respect for his fellow musicians.
The song is off ZZ Top's 1996 album "Rhythmeen", so I assume they're doing a promotion tour or something on this performance.
Any ways a great song and a great little 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 ; )

Cream - Spoonful

This is a live version by the British blues rock/psychedelic band Cream performing a version of the classic Willie Dixon song "Spoonful".
"Spoonful" is a blues standard composed by Willie Dixon. It was first recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960. It was loosely based on "A Spoonful Blues" by Charley Patton from 1929.
The first version of this song recorded by Cream was recorded for their 1966 debut album "Fresh Cream". It was only released on the UK version of this album and the American crowd got it through a released LP single.
The song was very often part of Cream's live set and since the 1966 recording it developed from blues rock to a starting point for extensive improvised soloing inspired by the San Francisco music scene of the 1960's. One version of the song from Cream's "Wheels of Fire" album is about seventeen minutes long. This version is about 8 minutes long, so there's soloing, but not as much as on a lot of their other recordings.
This is a great blues song, and I really love the original idea of doing acid rock and psychedelia on a classic blues standard, gotta digg that!

Enjoy ; )

Foghat - Slow Ride

This is yet another 70's hard rock song, and it's awesome. It's a performance by the British blues-rock band Foghat. They perform the song "Slow Ride" which was also their most successful song. It was composed by Dave Peverett, and recorded by the band. It was first released in 1975 on the band's album "Fool for the City". It was named the 45th best hard rock song ever by VH1 and its viewers.
It's a nice and simple song mainly driven by a simple riff focused around an A power-chord. The thing that makes it an awesome performance is the slide guitar played by Rod Price. He really does a good job, and without that it would have been a boring performance. It's an interesting approach to slide guitar, it isn't slow, and much more a rock 'n' roll style of slide playing, in many ways similar to that of Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. But a great performance, of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

ZZ Top - Pincushion

This is the music video to the ZZ Top song "Pincushion", it's a pretty cheesy video, and it definitely has that ZZ Top 80's feel (even though the song was published in '94). It was published on ZZ Top's Antenna album. The album itself reached no. 14 on the album sales lists, but the song "Pincushion" actually got to no. 1 on a lot of mainstream rock charts at the time.
It's a great song with a great riff and sound. The video is actually pretty good, and fits the song pretty well. It's pretty silly, but fits the sexual innuendoes throughout the lyrics. It's a fun little song, and a good video.

Enjoy ; )

Paul Gilbert - Snortin' Whiskey (Pat Travers)

This is a performance by guitarist Paul Gilbert playing his version of the classic Pat Travers song "Snortin' Whiskey" (also sometimes referred to as "Snortin' Whiskey, Drinkin' Cocaine"). It's a blues rock song, and it was originally released in 1980 on by Travers and his band on the album "Crash and Burn". It is Pat Travers' most successful song, and the song that gained the most radio play and the highest positions on the charts. It is still a crowd pleaser to this day, and it is also a pleaser at Gilbert's gig.
The Paul Gilbert version is recorded at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, and that is why he talks a little bit about his amp before playing, it's a guitar geek crowd. Gilbert plays a smoking version of the song, and I thought it was worthy of being featured. Plus the fact that I haven't been able to find really good concert footage of any performance by Pat Travers. I've embeded a version done by Travers below, but the video and sound quality isn't great.
It's a great song, and a great performance by both artists.


Enjoy ; )

Repost: The Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues

I posted a live version of this song earlier, but it has been taken down from youtube, or has been disabled in some regions in the world, I don't know which! The fact of the matter is that I can't view the video embeded in the original post, so I'm reposting it.
I wrote more about the song and it's release in my earlier post which you can check out by clicking here.
This version is a little grittier, it's recorded live from live from the Third Man Records, the independent label that publish the song.

Jimi Hendrix - The Wind Cries Mary

This is a performance from Stockholm in 1967 The Jimi Hendrix Experience play one of their famous songs "The Wind Cries Mary". The song was also released in 1967 and became one of Hendrix's first songs that got popular in Europe. In America it was released as a B-Side to the song "Purple Haze".
The song would fall in the category of psychedelic blues rock, it's a great song, and it showcases just what Hendrix was about and able to create.

Enjoy ; )

The Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues

This is a song recently recorded and released by alternative band The Dead Weather. The band consists of many members who play in different bands outside The Dead Weather most notably Jack White who also produced this song. The single was released as a digital download, but will also be released on vinyl courtesy of Jack White's own record label. It will be released on a special invention; a triple decker record which consists of a A-side 12" record with a 7" record built inside containing a hidden track. To listen to the 7" record, the listener must crack the 12" record open with a knife into two areas of the record which there is no audio and one side can be lifted off, revealing the record which can then be put back together. White created the triple decker record himself and copyrighted it in 2010.
Pictures of the triple decker record:

It's a great little gritty sounding blues rock song, it's what White does best, mixing rock and blues and other genres into something unique and new, gotta love it.


Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Bad Obsession

This is a live performance by hard rock band Guns N' Roses, they perform the song "Bad Obsession" from their studio album "Use Your Illusion I". Use Your Illusion was a double release, meaning the band released two separate albums on the same date e.g. "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II".
The song is a bluesy tune, with a slide guitar and added harmonica which are typical elements in blues arrangements, here used in a more rock 'n' roll kind of way.
I love the live versions of this, it's such a big production, with a horn section, Teddy Zig Zag on the harmonica and Slash soloing with a slide on the Travis Bean. A great song, and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Rory Gallagher - Off The Handle

This is a live performance from blues rock guitarist Rory Gallagher. The song is from Gallagher's 8th studio album "Top Priority". It is an original song by Gallagher, as is all of the tracks on "Top Priority" they're composed by Gallagher, and the album is also produced by Gallagher.
The song is about anger, and getting mad with uncontrollable rage. It's a great song, and this live performance is perfect. Love it when he starts playing with the volume knob, makes the guitar talk in a voice-ish kind of way.

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 ; )

ZZ Top - Breakaway

This is a music video from ZZ Top for their song "Breakaway" from their 1994 album "Antenna". The song is a slow blues, and has some very tasty licks and guitar playing from Gibbons. The album was very popular, and the first single "Pincushion" reached no. 1 at mainstream rock charts. "Breakaway" only reached 7th place on the mainstream rock charts and wasn't as successful.
Frank Beard once said something like "blues is a guitar player's game" meaning that the guitar sound is very important in making a good blues song, and that the bass and drums are there to accompany Billy and not the other way around.
This is also heard on the tasty two guitar sound of "Breakaway", it's two guitars and drums, also performed this way live. This sound is also inspired by Billy's love of Jimmy Reed's dual guitar sound.
A great song.

Enjoy ; )

AC/DC - The Jack

Now it's time for the rock-side of things. This a performance by Australian hard rock band "AC/DC". It's the song "The Jack" from their 1975 Australian release  T.N.T. The song was originally recorded with Bon Scott on vocals, but since this performance is from 2003 Brian Johnson who does a banging job on it.
The song is essentially a typical blues structure, with a change between the three chords B, A and E played in a classic blues shuffle. It's a great performance, and shows the blues influence, not only in the rhythm playing, but also in Angus's lead playing.
Also love how both Angus and Brian really work the stage, and give a performance out of the ordinary. I mean Brian runs across stage, and reaches as much of the audience as possible, and Angus is just on, and performs brilliantly for the audience.
Truly a great performance by an awesome band.

Enjoy ; )