B.B. King – I’ll Survive

This is a live performance by blues legend B.B. King playing the song “I’ll Survive” live with his full band which also features a horn section, I’m a big fan of the horn section sound.
The song originally appeared on King’s 1998 album “Blues on the Bayou”. The first time I heard the song it was on the 2003 compilation album “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: B.B. King” which is a great introduction CD if you’re new to King’s music.
It’s a great song and it really has that sound of a B.B. King song. Just sounds sweet.

Enjoy ; )

Neil Young and the Bluenotes - This Note's for You

Neil young - This Note's For You by ivaxavi
This is the music video to the song "This Note's for You" from Young's album of the same name. The album was released in 1988.
The song is a comment on the commercialisation of rock 'n' roll and rock 'n' roll tours in particular. The video features a Michael Jackson look-a-like who's hair catches fire. This caused the video to, at first, being pulled of the air on MTV who had been threatened by Jackson's legal department. They did, however, bring back the video in heavy rotation when it became a hit on the Canadian music channel "MuchMusic". And it also won the 1989 MTV Video Music Award for best Music Video.
It's a great song, I really love the simple straight forward guitar riff. And Young's somewhat unique lead guitar playing really fits the song well, as well as the horn section. A great song by a great artist.

Enjoy ; )

Gary Moora - Separate Ways

This is a live performance by blues and rock artist Gary Moore performing his song "Separate Ways". The song is an original slow blues song by Gary Moore and it has that typical Moore sound to, sort of like something you also hear in songs like "Still Got The Blues" and "Parisienne Walkways".
I really love this performance. It's so soulful and emotional, a perfect example of what Moore was capable of. I really love the intro and how he ends the whole thing, it's so beautiful.
It's a great performance by an artist who was unique in his own way. We will never have another one just like Moore.

Enjoy ; )

Isaac Hayes - Soulville

This is a live performance by soul music legend Isaac Hayes playing the song "Soulville" live in concert.
The song is from the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film "Shaft". The most famous song of that soundtrack of course being the Academy Award nominated "Theme from Shaft" famous for it's heavy use of wah-wah pedal and somewhat cheesy lyrics. Click here for a performance of "Theme from Shaft". The soundtrack only contained three songs with vocals, the rest of it were instrumentals. The last song with vocals was "Do Your Thing".
It's a great performance and Hayes really impresses with his musical abilities. As he's playing the saxophone on this song. In the later years of his career he'd usually stick to playing piano. The horns would come from a three piece keyboard section Hayes used on the road.
But a great performance of a really nice song. And this song has some pretty good lyrics.

Enjoy ;-)

Aretha Franklin - Respect

This is a live performance by soul queen Aretha Franklin playing her classic song “Respect”. The performance is from 1990.
The song was originally recorded and released by Otis Redding in 1965. It was also written by Redding, but with a different perspective than Franklin would use later. Franklin switched the perspective so the song turned into a plea from a woman to a man demanding respect. This made the song popular in the feminist movement.
Franklin’s version was released in 1967 and it became her perhaps best known song. She won two Grammy Awards for the song in the R&B categories.
The song was a huge hit and it was later covered by a large number of artists such as: Ike & Tina Turner, Janis Joplin and Jennifer Hudson to name a few.
It’s a great song. I really love the true soul there is on this and the sound of the big orchestra with the horn section. A great song and a great performance.

Enjoy ;-)

The Black Crowes - Hard to Handle

This is a live performance by American rock band The Black Crowes performing their version of the classic song "Hard to Handle".
The song was originally recorded by Otis Redding in 1967. This version was released posthumously in 1968 on the album "The Immortal Otis Redding". This version was produced by Steve Cropper.
It has become a very popular song and it has been covered by a large number of artists. Artists such as: Tom Jones and of course the band The Black Crowes who's version is perhaps the most successful and well known.
This version was released in 1990 on the band's debut album "Shake Your Money Maker". The melody for this version of the song is taken from a Buddy Guy song named "A Man of Many Words". Two versions of the original recording by The Black Crowes exists: The original album version and the single mix which adds an overdubbed brass section to the song.
They also use a brass section at this live performance which just makes it sound sweet. The performance is from the recently released DVD "Live in San Francisco" . This DVD features the concert footage from the band's reunion concert in 2005. It's a really great performance, front man Chris Robinson delivers an amazing and energetic performance, Rich Robinson delivers a solid and funky rhythm guitar and Marc Ford does an amazing job on lead guitar. This added to the horn section makes for one hell of a performance. Really an awesome performance!

Enjoy ; )

The Doors - Touch Me

This is a performance by 70's rock band The Doors performing their classic song "Touch Me". A song more in the category of dance music, or maybe even a ballad at some points in the song, though it is a complicated progression, and it isn't just one genre throughout. It was released on the band's debut album "The Soft Parade", and was written by Robby Krieger.
The song is also notable for it's use of a string section, a horn section and a sax solo from Curtis Amy. It was released as a single in 1968, and did very well in the charts reaching no. 3 on the American Billboard chart.
It's a great performance, only made better by the accompaniment of the horn section and the string section which makes this a really good performance.

Enjoy ; )

Tower of Power ft. Santana - What Is Hip?

This is a live performance from the legendary funk band Tower of Power playing their famous song "What Is Hip?". Carlos Santana is sitting in with the orchestra, and does a little solo, he does all right, but you can tell that he's a bit out of his element. Still doing a pretty good job in my opinion.
Santana's band and Tower of Power are intervened, and members of Tower of Power have played in Santana (the band), so this collaboration might not be as far fetched as one would think. Santana's current keyboardist David K. Mathews started out playing for Tower of Power, or at least rose to fame playing with them.
I think it's a good performance, and this is true funk. It's on a grand scale, with a full horn section and an energetic Brent Carter leading the jam, and keeping the audience in tune as well.
A good performance, of a good funk song.

Enjoy ; )

Repost: B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone

I posted this once before, but the version I posted was taken down from youtube. I don't mind that however, because this is a better version in my opinion. (Click here to read the text from the old post, and a little background on the song).
This version is from BB's performance at the 1993 Montreux Jazz Festival, and it's just a smokin' version of the song. It starts out a little slower than the first version I posted, with BB playing at a very low volume level, with a lot of emotion. Then towards the end it picks up speed, BB turns up the volume, stands up and gives us the grand finale of his playing, and this concert. It's a great performance and a great show. (Can be purchased at Amazon.com, and is published by Eagle Rock, click here for product information).
It's a great performance, and the whole band is into it. The string section from the original recording is imitated beautifully on a keyboard, and the horn section do a fine job.
This is a great performance, and if not the best, then definitely one of the best versions of this song.

Enjoy ; )

Repost: B.B. King - How Blue Can You Get

This is the same case as yesterday's post, where I posted the clip, and then it got taken down by youtube. The original post featured a video, where BB played with Paul Shaffer and The CBS Orchestra which made it an all around awesome performance.
This new video is from the rock DVD producers and distributors Eagle Rock. It's a DVD of several blues and rock 'n' roll artists coming together for a great performance. Click here for more info on the DVD.
This is a good performance of this song too, but I really fell in love with the one from The Late Show. I just really loved the big set-up, with the horn section, and the big orchestra, I really though it sounded awesome. But now it's been taken down.
This performance is very good as well, but a completely different set-up. There's no set-up, and in a way you could say that in that way you really get to see BB's raw talent which is true. But I also really think that BB's talent shines through no matter what set-up he's in. This is a good performance, but not as good as the one in the original post. (Click here to read the old post, there's no video, hence it's been removed, but still go check it out)

U2 & B.B. King - When Love Comes to Town

This is a collaboration between the band U2 and B.B. King. The song was released in 1988 U2's album "Rattle and Hum", and it was released as the album's third single in 1989.
The song has been played live many times, all of them featuring B.B. King and his band. On the "Lovetown Tour" in 1989 the song was played as an encore on almost all nights of the tour. It was played at 46 out of the 47 shows, and was the main encore for the tour. This clip is also from the Lovetown Tour.
It's a great song with a nice and up beat rhythm. The Edge sticks to playing the rhythm parts on the song, and B.B. plays all the lead parts. The singing is shared between Bono and B.B., but it's B.B. rocking the house and getting the crowd in a good mood. He does a spoken word in the song, and really gets the audience going.
This version is on a very grand scale. B.B. was touring with a big band, featuring both choir girls and a horn section. It all helps build up the scale of the song and the performance, but it's still B.B. at the centre, giving the performance it's heart.
This is so uplifting, you can't be in a bad mood after listening to this.

Enjoy ; )

B.B. King - When It All Comes Down

This is a live performance from guitarist B.B. King at the prime of his career. He plays the song "When It All Comes Down" and we get two great soulful guitar solos in that style that can only be played by the King himself. It's a big set up with horn section, drums, bass and piano/organ. King's voice is also a big part of what really makes this performance, he sings the song so well, it's astonishing.
The song also features an amazing piano solo by pianist Eugene Carrier, he's not a very famous pianist, but from this performance you can tell that he had mad skills, an amazing talent.
This is just a great performance, B.B. sings fantastically, plays soulfully and amazingly, the band plays well and the pianist is out of this world. A truly great performance!

Enjoy ; )

Chuck Berry - Nadine (incl. Rory Gallagher version)

Ok, so the first clip is of Chuck Berry performing his classic hit "Nadine". The performance is from the film "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" which is a film from 1987 celebrating Chuck's 60th birthday by having a concert featuring different artists who feel inspired by Chuck. On this performance we also have Keith Richards, Robert Cray and Bobby Keys. It's a great performance, the song is up-tempo and it's a good rock 'n' roll song performed by a Chuck Berry in the prime of his still continuing venue playing years.

Another artist who has played this song on numerous occasions is rock and blues guitarist Rory Gallagher. This performance is from 1982. It's a little slower than Chuck's original song, and it's an extended jam on the tune running into a time of approximately 9 minutes. The great thing about this version, besides Rory's excellent playing, is the horn section, and the work they put into it. This is Rory in a bigger set-up than usual, with a horn section and the whole thing, it's great, and Rory leaves plenty of room for the horns to do their part.
A great song, in two great performances. It's such a good song.

Previous posts from the film "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll"

Wee Wee Hours - Chuck Berry ft. Eric Clapton
Hoochie Coochie Gal - Etta James
 
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 ; )

B.B. King - How Blue Can You Get

This is a performance from "The Late Show". It features B.B. King performing his classic song "How Blue Can You Get" with Paul Shaffer and the CBS orchestra. It's a great version of the song, and the CBS orchestra is great, it's such a joy to hear King performing with a horn section.
There is a mini interview after the performance, it's pretty entertaining, but the performance is the best part for sure. Prettye fun to see David trying to get King to sing with him.

Enjoy ; )