Led Zeppelin – Ten Years Gone

This is a live performance by the British rock band Led Zeppelin they play the song “Ten Years Gone” live.
The song originally appeared on the band’s 1975 album “Physical Graffiti”. The song is credited to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. It was originally intended to be an instrumental piece composed by Page, but Plant later added the lyrics and made the song what it is. The lyrics are about Plant’s relationship to a girl who ten years earlier had forced him to choose between her or his music.
When playing the song live it was done by Page using a Telecaster with a b-bender and bassist John Paul Jones playing the rest of the parts on a three neck guitar featuring a 12-string, a 6-string, a mandolin, and bass pedals. Truly great measures to get the live performance right.
It’s a great song. I really love Page’s approach to playing the b-bender getting a sort of Eastern sound from it. It’s a great performance by a legendary band.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Johnson - Zap

This is a live performance by guitarist Eric Johnson playing one of his instrumental songs. It's titled "Zap" and it was first released on Johnson's "Tones" album and it was this track from the record was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1987.
This concert footage is from a concert in Austin Texas. It's a great rocking instrumental song performed to excellence by Johnson.

Enjoy ; )

Billy Preston - Outa-Space

This is a live performance by famous keyboard and Hammond B3 organ player Billy Preston playing his instrumental hit "Outa-Space" live. I think the performance is from 1981 (judging from the neon sign in the background of the stage).
Billy Preston was an American rhythm and blues musician from Austin, Texas, mostly raised in Los Angeles. Besides having a successful solo career, he has also played with a long list of well respected artists, such as: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Band,Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, George Harrison (solo career), Elton John, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Norah Jones, and Eric Clapton. Only mentioning a few.
"Outa-Space" is an instrumental performance by Preston and his band. It originally appeared on his 1971 debut album "I Wrote a Simple Song". The song was originally issued as a B-side. Preston wanted it released as a single, but the record company wanted it released as a B-side to the song "I Wrote a Simple Song". It weren't long though before radio DJs started flipping the single, and "Outa-Space" was a hit.
The song's distinctive sound comes from Preston running the sound of a Clavinet through a wah wah pedal. A Clavinet is essentially an amplified clavichord which is an instrument that dates back to late Medieval times. Explained in simple terms of course.
It's a great song, and the performance really shows Preston as a natural performer. He's dancing and getting the crowd involved, truly a great musician and performer.

Enjoy ; )

Joe Satriani - The Extremist

This is a live performance by rock and instrumental guitarist Joe Satriani playing his own composition "The Extremist" live.
The song is from the album also titled "The Extremist" released in 1992 and re-released in 1997.
Perhaps the most famous track from the record is "Summer Song" which got the most radio play on rock stations and was used in a lot of different commercials.
I really like this song though. I love the simple feel it has, it isn't very flashy, for a Satriani song that is. I also love the extra layer the harmonica adds, gives the song a distinctive sound and makes it stand out. A great little instrumental by Satriani.

Enjoy ; )

Joe Bonamassa - Django

This is a live performance by blues and rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa playing his instrumental song "Django" live. The performance is from The Royal Albert Hall and this concert is available in both DVD and CD format. (Click here for a previous post and another piece of performance footage from that concert featuring Eric Clapton).
This performance is the opening track alas we see Bonamassa entering the stage. It's a great little piece of instrumental music which leads into the second track "The Ballad Of John Henry" which is what Bonamassa starts playing after switching guitars.
The piece was influenced or rather inspired by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and obviously also named after him. It's a great little instrumental.

Enjoy ; )

Santana - Soul Sacrifice

This is a live performance by latin rock band Santana playing their classic instrumental song "Soul Sacrifice". The performance is from the infamous Woodstock Festival in 1969. At the time of this performance Santana wasn't really a known act and in fact their debut album hadn't even come out.
The Woodstock performance is remembered for the drummer Michael Shrieve's elaborate solo. And for the sound the band had which was very unique. A distinct fast paced latin rock sound that was really unique.
Carlos Santana has admitted to being on LSD during his performance. He has stated that it was an uncomfortable experience and that he saw his guitar as a snake that he had to hold on to tight. He states that he doesn't recommend it to anyone, but that it somehow worked out and made the performance electric. He also thanks the band's promoter Bill Graham whom he credits for the band's success and preparing them for the crowd. (Interview embeded below)

The song appeared on the band's 1969 debut album also titled "Santana".
It's a great song and an amazing performance.

Enjoy ; )

Jimi Hendrix - Villanova Junction

This is a live performance by rock god Jimi Hendrix performing the instrumental song "Villanova Junction". The performance is from the Rainbow Bridge in Maui, Hawaii, from 1970.
The song first appeared at Woodstock where it was part of the recorded set that consisted of jam based recordings.
Hendrix is playing a Gibson Flying V in this performance and I really love the cleaner tone he gets from this. Probably the humbucker pick-ups.
You can definitely hear the influence Hendrix has later had on newer artists on songs like this. It is very clear that for instance Stevie Ray Vaughan has been influenced by songs like this on his own songs like "Lenny" and "Riviera Paradise". Just the groove, tempo, expressive nature, and also slightly on the modes Hendrix uses. I must stress that this is merely what I hear when listening to this, I have no sources that confirms my assumptions other than my own personal analysis.
It's a great performance and a great song. And the sound is just excellent on this which is really nice too.

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.

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 ;-)

Eric Clapton - Over the Rainbow

This is a live performance by Eric Clapton and band from 2001 playing the classic song "Over the Rainbow". The performance is from the concert DVD and album by Clapton also released in 2001 titled "One More Car, One More Rider".
The song was originally sung by Judy Garland and it was recorded, composed and written for the classic American film "The Wizard of Oz". It is by many considered one of the greatest songs of the century and one of the greatest songs from films. Also it won an Academy Award.
The song has been done by a large number of artists and interpreted in many different genres and styles. Anything from pop to Hawaiian and more a jazzy feel like on Clapton's version. Also Jeff Beck did an instrumental version of the song on his 2010 album "Emotion & Commotion". This version sticks very closely to Garland's original recording basically trying to transfer her vocal performance into and instrumental guitar piece.
I really love this version by Clapton. It shows off Clapton's skills in more of a jazzy thing. It also shows off Clapton's voice as he sings this very beautifully in his own way. Also the back-up band does an amazing job, from David Sancious' beautiful synthesizer saxophone solo to Billy Preston imitating birds singing on the Hammond Organ. This is just a beautiful performance.

Enjoy ; )

Thelonius Monk - Blue Monk

This is a live performance by jazz legend and jazz composer Thelonius Monk playing his classic jazz standard "Blue Monk". The performance was shot in Norway in 1966. The musicians joining Monk are: Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.
As mentioned earlier "Blue Monk" is an instrumental jazz standard composed by Thelonius Monk. It is a B♭ blues based on the jazz tune "Pastel Blue".
Thelonius Monk is considered one of the great contributors of American music and he has written several jazz standards, "Blue Monk" included. He was known for his very distinctive and unique approach to the piano, for his clothing style and for standing up in the middle of songs and taking breaks to then return to the piano. He also does this in this performance. In fact all musicians but the drummer do this and then at the end they all join in again.
It's a great performance and you can really tell that the musicians are in sync with each other and leave space and respect to one another. This is a great laid back performance of a great jazz standard.

Enjoy ;-)

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Love Struck Baby & Rude Mood

This is a live performance by Texan blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan playing two of his classic songs live on stage: "Love Struck Baby" and "Rude Mood".
I already previously posted these songs, but in different versions. Click here for "Love Struck Baby" and click here for the video to "Hideaway & Rude Mood". On the performance of "Hideaway & Rude Mood" from Montreux Stevie doesn't play "Rude Mood" in its entirety, instead he switches back into "Hideaway". On this performance he plays the entire instrumental piece which I think justifies reposting it.
The performance is from Daytona Beach in 1987. And the performance has been released on the DVD "Boogie With Stevie".
You can read more info on the songs by clicking the links to the previous posts and read about them.

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 ; )

Steve Vai - Building The Church

This is a live performance by guitarist Steve Vai performing one of his original instrumental guitar pieces. It was released in 2009 on both CD, DVD and Blu-ray. This number is really good, and it's not just a guitarist showing off. I've always loved Steve Vai because he is an original. He really tries to be innovative and push the envelope as far as what is possible on guitar. On top of that he's also a great composer who does some really good guitar instrumentals. He plays fast, but has a lot of feeling in his playing as well. He's really good, and you gotta respect that!

Enjoy ; )

Steve Vai - For the Love of God

This is a guitar instrumental piece by guitar legend Steve Vai. The song was originally recorded and released in 1990 on Steve Vai's album "Passion and Warfare".
It's a long instrumental featuring a wide variety of different guitar techniques, one more impressive than the other. He uses the whammy-bar on the song a lot, he uses pinch harmonics, natural harmonics, two finger tapping and it all adds up to something amazing and out of this world.
Vai himself has stated that when he's making music he likes to try and enter different states of consciousness. So there is a, hmm... religious or spiritual overtone at work here, and you can hear that emotion channelled through Vai's playing.
That is what I love about Vai's playing, it's ultra-technical and out of this world difficult. But through his hands it's still played with emotion. There are very few players who can be speed demons and still emote, and for that Vai, I personally salute you.
A high point of this performance, in my opinion, is when he towards the end of his performance makes the guitar sound like dolphin screams. I mean who else could do that but him? This is an all over awesome performance.

Enjoy ; )

Rory Gallagher - Walk on Hot Coals

This is a 1974 performance from blues and rock guitarist Rory Gallagher. The footage is from the documentary/concert film "Irish Tour '74". It's a legendary film following Gallagher as he tours through Ireland. The director originally intended the footage to be used on a television special, but decided to release it as a theatrical feature.
The film is famous for featuring a performance from Gallagher in Belfast. Belfast was a rocky place at this time, with brawls etc. being very common, also at rock shows. This meant that most bands refused to play in Belfast. But not Gallagher. As part of his tour he stopped in Belfast, and played one of the best live shows of his career, and there was no violence at the concert, just mesmerized teens.
The song "Walking on Hot Coals" is a Rory Gallagher original. It's an instrumental song featuring a lot of guitar playing on Gallagher's part, but also a piano solo by Lou Martin. On the song Gallagher also uses pinch harmonics on the song. He was one of the first guitarists to incorporate this technique into his style. A technique he also used on the song "Off The Handle" previously posted on this blog (click here). This is just a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Steve Vai - Bad Horsie

This is a hard rock instrumental by guitarist Steve Vai. Steve is known for his technical abilities on guitar, he started out playing as one of Joe Satriani's students, and today they are both among some of the best. Steve plays with a lot of intricate techniques and with a very high skill level and difficulty to his playing. He does however also draw from a number of artists who wouldn't fall into that category like Hendrix for instance, so Steve's playing is a nice mix of technical skill level and playing with emotion. He's innovative, and has made his own line of revolutionary guitars and is just a master of the trade that is guitar playing.

The song "Bad Horsie" is the opening track on Vai's EP named "Alien Love Secrets" that came out in 1995. The song "Bad Horsie" is derived from a riff Vai contributed to the film "Crossroads" where he played the devil. The song is played tuned down to what would be Drop C tuning, a very low tuning (CGCFAD). It's a great song, and it has one hell of a groove, love it!
(As a little fun thing, I've added the guitar duel from Crossroads, you can definitely recognize the intro, it's a little silly, but great 80's retro fun)


Enjoy ; )