Mötley Crüe - Smokin' in the Boys Room

This is the music video to the song "Smokin' in the Boys Room" in the version done by glam metal band Mötley Crüe.
The song was originally done by the band Brownsville Station in 1973 on the album "Yeah!". The song is about students avoiding the smoking ban by smoking in the boys lavatory, quite simple premise really.
The version done by Mötley Crüe was released in 1985 as a single and it became the band's first top 40 hit. The song is from the album "Theatre of Pain".
I actually kind of like this version of the song. It's glam metal which I'm usually not a big fan of, but really this has much more a rock 'n' roll/bluesy feeling to it. The only thing that's glam really is their outfits and outfits don't matter to me. Also the harmonica on this sounds really good, it was done by Vince Neil which surprises me, didn't know he knew how to play the harmonica. It's a really good and catchy song.

Enjoy ; )

Gary Moore - Parisenne Walkways

This is yet another live performance by guitarist extraordinaire Gary Moore. I still felt like it was important to remember, and decided to post yet another one of Gary's performances. I explained this thoroughly in yesterday's post. I think this is one of Moore's best guitar pieces, and it's definitely on my top three of his stuff.
The song was originally released in 1979 on Moore's album "Back on the Streets". It featured guest vocals by Thin Lizzy front man Phil Lynott who also co-wrote the song with Moore.
The song is known for it's mellow slow melody and Moore's bluesy playing on it. It is probably also known for Moore's super-sustained note in the song. He also does this trick here, and it is probably something that could only be performed with a Gibson Les Paul and the skill of Gary Moore, it's quite amazing in my opinion. Moore really plays an emotional and very well fitting solo on this. The performance is from a tribute concert to Phil Lynott from 2005.
And now we neither have Moore or Lynott. Kind of sad to think about. But any ways. One of Moore's best songs in my opinion.

Enjoy, and remember Moore's music, never forget it.
Gary R.I.P.

Steve Vai - Jibboom

This is a performance by guitarist Steve Vai playing something a little more bluesy and outside his comfort-zone. The song appears on Vai's 1999 album "The Ultra Zone".
On the album Vai mentions that this track is an homage to blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. And you can definitely hear the resemblance, it's a classic blues progression that sort of is a take-off/sounds similar to songs recorded by SRV song like Scuttle Buttin', Mary Had a Little Lamb and Testify. It's an homage and it's own original thing, but the general feel and groove of the song is similar to many SRV songs.
Steve Vai recently said in a video posted on his official youtube channel that blues is outside his comfort-zone. He jokingly says that he plays blues within the comforts of his own home which is a pretty funny thing to say. (I've embeded the video below, he also shares some very good practice-techniques for guitar)

I really love how long this performance is. It starts out with the basic song, and then goes into Vai soloing. Then it turns into a "call and response" sort of thing between Vai and the bassist which is just awesome. The bassist really does an amazing job, and the two performers play to well together and interact so well on stage. At the end Vai goes into a Hendrix style guitar thing, making sounds by using the whammy bar, the natural harmonics and the control knobs to really make the guitar scream.
This is an awesome performance and awesome showmanship. Gotta love that!!

Enjoy ; )

OutKast - Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)

(Haven't been able to find a version of this that is embeddable, so click here to go to the youtube page of the song)
This is the video for the song "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me) by the rap duo OutKast. It's a song built around a classic 12-bar blues and it's sung by André 3000. It's nice to see newer artists incorporate blues elements into their songs, and especially when it's done well like this. It's basically the 12-bar in the front with a funky electric beat, and a little synthesizer towards the end.
The subject matter of the lyrics are also very bluesy, it's simple, but tells a story. It tells the story of a character trying to break free and gain independence, by leaving family, friends and the home town which is just classic blues. A lot of blues texts deal with trying to break free and leave, songs like "Dust My Broom", "Crossroads" and "I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime)", to name a few.
The video displays André 3000 playing the song in an old house in the middle of nowhere that starts to overflow with water. There is debate of the meaning of the video. Some fans believe that the proximity of the video and the flowing water are visual allusions to the flooding that occurred as an aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Other fans see the water as an image of the blues, and that the blues can overflow and choke someone's life.
(Another artist who sung about hurricanes was Lightnin' Hopkins in the song "Hurricane Beulah" click here for that performance)

(A couple of pictures of André 3000, the first one is a capture from the video. Thought I'd at least give some sort of visual aid to this post!)
Any ways.

It's a great song, and it's nice to see talented people like OutKast doing a bit of blues.

Enjoy ; )

Rory Gallagher - Going To My Hometown

This is a performance by blues and folk musician Rory Gallagher. In this performance from 1972 Gallagher plays the mandolin and plays the song "Going To My Hometown", a song that is definitely more folky than bluesy. The song sounds more like Irish folk music, but the lyrics are very bluesy in subject matter, and the mandolin has been used as a blues instrument on several occasions in the 1800's. It's a great performance and a very good vocal performance by Gallagher as well. It's simple and stripped down, a lot of the performance features a simple rhythm tapped by Gallagher with his foot, and later in the song picked up by the drummer using the bass drum. A very good song done by an excellent performer.

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 ; )

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!!