Taj Mahal - Bright Lights, Big City (Jimmy Reed)

This is a live performance by Taj Mahal and his amazing blues band doing their version of the classic blues song "Bright Lights, Big City". The performance is from the Montreux Jazz Festival, but I don't know what year.
The song was originally written and recorded in 1961 by blues guitarist and harp player Jimmy Reed. The song was one of Reed's most famous and reached #3 on the R&B Charts. (I've embeded the original Reed version beneath, there's no video, but it's some good music!)

I think that Taj Mahal and his band do a really good version. Taj Mahal really plays that blues harmonica in the style of Jimmy Reed, especially in the beginning really reaching and sustaining those high pitched notes on the harmonica. Also guitarist Jimmy D. Lane delivers and amazing guitar solo. Johnnie Johnson is seen in the background, and he does a little solo to. Great stuff, great band!
The song has also been done by "The Animals" and Sonny James, but I'd stick with Taj Mahal or Reed's version though. I really like this song, this is a blues song, no doubt about it, and Reed was one of the best in the field of writing good blues tunes.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan & W.C. Clark - Insturmental Jam

This is a performance video by Stevie Ray Vaughan that I only recently discovered. It features Stevie Ray Vaughan and fellow Texan musician W.C. Clark on the bass. As the song is an instrumental jam there is no song title.
W.C. Clark is a Texan blues, funk and jazz musician. He plays both guitar and bass. He first learned the guitar at around age fourteen and then moved on to playing bass. In the 1970's he formed a band called "Triple Threat Revue" where he played with Lou Ann Barton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He played in many bands in this period and also played with Stevie's brother Jimmie Vaughan in another band.
This instrumental jam is a true gem among SRV fans. It's really great to hear how well he fits in with the whole funk thing. Also his soloing and rhythm playing on this is spot on perfect. I know they probably rehearsed this prior to the performance, or more correctly, I'm assuming that, but who knows maybe it really is all improvised. All I know is that it is a really good performance and Stevie's abilities as a guitarist really shine through.

The Black Crowes - Remedy

This is the music video to the song “Remedy” by the band The Black Crowes.
The song is the second track on the band’s second album “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” released in 1992. The song is written by Chris and Rich Robinson. The song was very successful and it reached #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Chart and stayed at #1 for 11 weeks. It also peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It’s a great song. I love how they fuse soul music with traditional rock music to make their own sound. When I listen to this I hear something similar to The Rolling Stones in the guitar playing and in the way the piano stays on top of the beat throughout the entire song.
It’s a great song with a lot of soul and rock ‘n’ roll.

Enjoy ;-)

Rory Gallagher - Bought And Sold

This is a live performance by Gallagher and his band performing the song "Bought And Sold". The song is from Gallagher's "Against the Grain" album from 1975. It's a studio album and its production value is higher than on some of Gallagher's earlier albums.
It's one of those great Gallagher original blues songs. They have a certain sound to them that is Irish and folk influenced, but also very much influenced by both British blues music from the 60's and also American blues music.
I really love how Gallagher sings with his guitar on the "Hear my now, hear me right" part of the lyrics. Gallagher's voice always seemed to fit the guitar and when he sings along with what he's playing it's just magical. The tonality and phrasing of both his voice and the guitar sounds so wonderful
A great performance and a great song.

Enjoy ; )

Isaac Hayes - Walk On By

This is a live performance by soul musician Isaac Hayes doing his version of "Walk On By" at the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival.
"Walk On By" was originally composed by Burt Bacharac with lyrics by Hal David. The song was first recorded by Dionne Warwick. It has since been covered by many artists who have made the song a hit. Of course Isaac Hayes, but also The Stranglers, D-Train, Cyndi Lauper and Seal among others.
Isaac Haye's version was released on his 1969 "Hot Buttered Soul" album. On this version the song is transformed into an almost 13 minutes funk jam. This live version is about 9 mintues and 30 seconds. The single version from the album was cut down to about 5 minutes and it got to no. 30 on the US Hot 100 chart.
I really love this live version it's really a jam and the band is feeling it. Especially love the guitar intro by Charles "Skip" Pitts. Hayes also refers to him as Skip under the concert. The funky bass line at the end that just escalated at the end is also very impressive. A very good and funky performance.

Enjoy ; )

Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan - Frosty

This is a live performance from a trio of blues guitarists who are all legends in their own right, but together they equal one hell of a performance! The trio consists of Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan and his brother Stevie Ray Vaughan.
They play the classic Albert Collins song "Frosty". This instrumental was one of Collins' hugely successful instrumental pieces. And it was recorded around 1958 at the beginning of Collins' recording career.
Collins is famous for his use of open minor tunings combined with the use of a capo on the guitar. This technique is credited by Collins to his cousin Willow Young. Collins was also famous for his entertainment skills and showmanship. He would often, as he also does in this clip, get up close and personal with his audience. He also very often continued playing through the PA system after he left the building. One time he left the stage, continued playing, went to a pizza place, ordered a pizza and several minutes after he returned onto the stage have it delivered on stage. A great player indeed.
I really think this is a great performance. It cuts straight into Stevie doing a solo, then goes onto his brother Jimmie Vaughan doing a solo and then for a large part of the video Collins is soloing. He is soloing for the longest time and it shows respect that the Vaughan Brothers stepped back and let Collins take the stage for the biggest part of the performance. Another funny thing is that Jimmie is actually playing one of Stevie's guitars. He is playing Stevie's "Charley Stratocaster", a custom built guitar given to Stevie by Charley Wirz. (You can tell from the slight difference in body-shape and the lipstick pick-ups.
It's a great performance from three blues legends. Gotta love that!!

Enjoy ; )

George Harrison ft. Eric Clapton - Taxman (SRV)

This is a live performance from George Harrison, joining him on stage is his good friend Eric Clapton. Clapton is very respectful and doesn't steal the show, he respectfully stays in the background and plays the lead part when needed.
The song Taxman was released by The Beatles on their 1966 album Revolver, it is the opening track on the album. The song is written by George and it is about the high progressive tax the British government was taking at this time. It was basically written after Harrison found out how much of his income was being taken by "the taxman". On the record version the solo and guitar parts are played by Paul McCartney, he also plays the bass on the track.
Click here for a sample from the album version of the song. (Taken from Wikipedia.)
This live version is really good, and Clapton does a really good job. However I've always more leaned towards Stevie Ray Vaughan's interpretation of the song. It is very different from the original, and it doesn't even have the same key-centre. The original version by Harrison is in G, and SRV's version is in B♯. I think it just sounds better and is played with more attitude (and also in a humorous way). The original version has that 60's mercy beat sound, and SRV's version is more bluesy and done in a Texas style which is more my flavour. SRV never got to perform it live, and it has only been released on his 1995 Greatest Hits album (as the only never before released track). Both versions are excellent, I just prefer Stevie's which is embeded beneath.


Enjoy both versions!! ;-)

Jeff Beck - Nessun dorma

This is a performance from British guitarist Jeff Beck, it is from the 2010 Crossroads Festival, and it is an amazing performance. He plays his instrumental version of the classic opera piece "Nessun dorma". It has been sung by many famous opera singers, and is one of the most famous tenor arias from any opera. It is also widely recognizable due to the use of the piece in other contexts such as film, television and other rendition like Beck's version.
Beck's version was recorded on his solo album "Emotion & Commotion", and it was done with a 40-piece symphony orchestra. Beck's guitar piece supplements the human voice in the piece. Beck has stated that he always wanted to emulate the human voice with the guitar, and that this piece just really works on the guitar.
They play it on a much smaller scale live, the bassist Tal Wilkenfeld switches to an upright bass, and even plays with a bow for a part of the performance. The drummer switches to a different technique using a different kind of drum sticks, and uses the various high-hats to make them slowly vibrate and create sound. The rest is a keyboard section synthesizing the orchestral parts. It sounds surprisingly good, and it's a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Chris Rea - Driving Home for Christmas

This is a video for the Chris Rea Christmas song "Driving Home for Christmas". It was released in December of 1988 as a single, and wasn't attached to any particular album. It did fairly well peaking at #53 on the UK single charts. It did really well in a lot of European countries (scheme below of rankings on various charts).
The song is about a guy driving home to his family or friends to celebrate the Holidays. The song also features a little solo by Chris, it's not a slide solo which is mainly, or at least one of the things Rea is attached to.
It's a nice little Holiday song in a mellow and not over-emotional tone and feeling, a really good Christmas song.

Chart	Peak position
UK Singles Chart (2007)[2]	33
Norway Singles Chart (2008)[4]	2
Swedish Singles Chart (2010)[5]	26
Dutch Singles Chart (2008)[6]	17
Finnish Singles Chart (1999)[7]	17
Danish Singles Chart (2007)[8]	19
Austrian Singles Chart (2007)[9]	35
Swiss Singles Chart (2009)[10]	41
German Singles Chart (2008)[11]	31

Enjoy ; )

The White Stripes - Ball and Biscuit

This is a performance by legendary alternative/blues/garage rock band The White Stripes. They could probably be attached to even more genres. They perform the song "Ball and Biscuit" from the album "Elephant" released in 2003. The band consists of Jack White on guitar and Meg White on drums. That's it, two members, and two instruments. The weird thing is that it's kind of a genius thing, because it really works. The song "Ball and Biscuit" is clearly a song deeply inspired by the very early acoustic blues the likes of Robert Johnson and Son House, but in an electric version. Jack has, by many, been said to have revitalised the guitar, and I kinda understand what they mean. He draws influence from multiple genres, and innovatively mixes them all into his own, mostly electric sound. In many ways doing the same thing as Clapton was doing when he recorded Crossroads.
This song is delightfully simple, simple rhythm and simple chord structure, with a slightly more difficult solo. It's reminiscent to the old Delta Blues because it's so simple, there's no bass, and Meg White's simple drumming is kinda like a foot tap of a self accompanied acoustic blues man. Jack also has to play the bass part, the rhythm part and the solos. This makes for a very interesting and innovative trade of playing, it makes him unique. This is a great song, and it pays tribute whilst still being new and innovative, well done Jack!

Enjoy ; )

Bootsy Collins - Stretchin' Out

This is performance by funk bass player Bootsy Collins from the television show "Night Music", a late night show that showcased performers and featured live performances.
The song Stretchin' Out was released in 1976 by Bootsy's band "Bootsy's Rubber Band", a funk band that was formed after Bootsy stopped touring and recording with James Brown. The song's full title is "Stretchin' Out (In a Rubber Band)".
It's a great performance, and it seems a little unrehearsed in the good way. It's a jam, and every performer gets a slot to strut their stuff, the sax, the guitar and the bass of course. A great performance from a time where live music actually had a decent slot in television.
(I know it's not exactly rock or blues, but funk is somewhat a descendent from the blues genre. I mean all those funky chords on the guitar were first played in blues and jazz songs, funk just sped it up, added a whole lot more wah and made it more funky). And besides, you should be able to enjoy this, or you've got no good music taste what so ever!

Enjoy ; )

ZZ Top - Jailhouse Rock & La Grange

This is ZZ Top performing the classic Elvis Presley song "Jailhouse Rock". It's a typical rock 'n' roll song, and is one of the most classic songs ever. It ranked #67 on Rolling Stones list of the best songs ever.
It's a classic song, and has been recorded by an infinite number of artists; Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Beck, Cliff Richard and Queen to name a few.
It was also used as the last performance in the classic film "Blues Brothers", featuring a number of artists adding in words over the end credits (click here for Blues Brothers clip).
Elvis was Billy Gibbons main influence in deciding to be a professional musician and entertainer, he saw him live at an early age and has stated that it was at that point he decided to make a living out of music.
The video is a double performance also featuring "La Grange". It's a great performance, and Billy's guitar work is just excellent.

Enjoy ; )

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

This is a great performance of a great and innovative song. The song is innovative in that it uses the Hendrix chord (a E7#9) and uses distinctive tritones. The guitar solo is played through an Octavia pedal, a pedal that raises the pitch one whole step which was also unheard of at the time.
It's described as one of Hendrix's best songs, and by many as his signature song.
It's been covered on several occasions including a version from "Buena Vista Social Club" who covered it on the album "Rhythms del Mundo Classics"

A great performance, 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 ; )

Wee Wee Hours - Chuck Berry with Eric Clapton

This is a performance from the documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll". It's a documentary about Chuck Berry, and the influence his playing has had on more contemporary players. The film was made in celebration of Chuck's 60th birthday, and he looks better than ever in the film, energetic and young. He performs on stage with a long list of artists including; Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Etta James, Johnnie Johnson, Bobby Keys and Keith Richards to name a few.
This is a great performance, love it when Clapton goes off and does two solos in a row, as Chuck says "...Eric Clapton; man of the blues", and that's true.

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 ; )

Jeff Beck & B.B. King - Key to The Highway

This is a performance by B.B. King and Jeff Beck, it's from 2003. They perform the song "Key to The Highway", a song that's been part of King's repertoire for a long time. It is considered a blues classic, originally recorded in 1940 by Charlie Segar, and since covered by a number of blues artists. It was originally a 12-bar blues, but when covered by Big Bill Broonzy, he changed it to an 8-bar blues that sounds similar to the one performed today.
I love this performance, and the playful attitude the players have. There's nothing but respect between them. King's got the feelin', but Beck's got some speed, and in the end they're both great, it's never a competition.

Enjoy ; )

Dust My Broom - Gary Moore

This is a clip of Gary Moore covering the famous song 'Dust My Broom'. It's song that's been covered a lot, artists who have done cover-versions include; Howlin' Wolf, ZZ Top, Ike & Tina Turner, Keith Richards, and many more.
The song was originally recorded by blues legend Robert Johnson, but made famous by legendary slide player Elmore James.
Moore isn't much of a slide player, but I really think he brings something to this cover, and does a very good job with it.

Enjoy ; )

Champagne And Reefer - Rolling Stones and Buddy Guy

This is a great performance. It is from the Martin Scorsese concert film 'Shine a Light'. And I think one of the highlights, if not the highlight, of that film. Just love it, it's stone cold blues, and Buddy's playing is just fantastic, Keith and Ronnie trying to keep up, and Jagger playing a surprisingly well blues harp just adds up to a fantastic sound.
Oh and almost forgot, Buddy's vocal is just powerful and fantastic.

Enjoy ; )

If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day - Eric Clapton live

This clip is taken from Clapton's 2004 performance at the Crossroads guitar festival. It's a great version of this Robert Johnson classic, and showcases what Clapton does best, and have been doing since the early 60's: Electrifying the classic blues tunes and spreading the blues to a wider audience. Clapton also once said that it takes more than one person to duplicate what Johnson was doing in the 20's and 30's, and with this full orchestra he definetely does justice to the original.

Enjoy ; )