Eric Clapton – Malted Milk (Robert Johnson)

This is a live performance by blues guitarist Eric Clapton playing his rendition of the classic Robert Johnson song “Malted Milk”. Clapton has been a fan of Johnson since very early in his beginning to play the guitar. He has also stated in many interviews his admiration for Johnson and his ability to play like he does on his own. (I’ve embedded the original version of this below).

Clapton’s version is very similar to the original which has sort of always been Clapton’s mission in covering Johnson. Playing it either similar to him or in a fashion that you can still hear that it’s Robert Johnson music.
This version that Clapton plays here is from the Martin Scorsese documentary “Nothing But The Blues”. Another great version of this by Clapton can be found on his 1992 “Unplugged” album.
It’s a great song. I really love the little motive that plays after the line “spooks around my bed”, at the same time, it’s traditional and totally outside what you’d normally do in a blues. The genius of Robert Johnson!

Enjoy ; )

Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Lead Belly)

This is a live performance by American grunge band Nirvana playing the song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night". The performance is from the band's MTV Unplugged performance from 1993.
The song is an American folk song which dates back to around the 1870's. It is also known under the alternate titles: "Black Girl" and "In the Pines". The person who is most commonly associated with the song is Huddie Leadbetter aka Lead Belly. He recorded various versions of the song throughout the 1940's and it is also this version that Nirvana covers and re-interprets in their own way. (Original Lead Belly version embeded below).

The song has been done by a long list of artists, including: Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Hole, Grateful Dead, and Dolly Parton.
I love both versions and I really think that what Nirvana did was very interesting. They took Lead Belly's original arrangement of the song and used it with the set-up of two guitars, bass, drums, and a cello. It sounds beautiful and it definitely captures some of that beautiful energy of the original recording. A great acoustic performance.

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!! ;-)

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower

This is a performance by Hendrix of the classic Dylan song "All Along The Watchtower". The song was originally recorded by Dylan, but the most famous version of the song has become the one done by Hendrix on his 1968 album "Electric Ladyland".
Hendrix was very influenced by Dylan, because he has said in interviews that Dylan was the one who gave him courage to start singing, so definitely thank you for that Dylan. Before Hendrix started playing solo and as leader for his own groups he toured playing the rhythm sections for various bands, including Little Richards band.
This is definitely the most famous rendition of the song, and Dylan (who generally isn't easy to impress) was overwhelmed by this version, and has said that Hendrix with his talent build upon the song and made it better. Dylan took notice of this version, and started doing Hendrix's version live and still does Hendrix's version to this day. So in a way the cover had become the original, or at least been embraced by the original artist.
Hendrix's version is amazing, and he could even do it live which is just even more amazing. This rocks, no doubt about it and it's one of my favourite Hendrix tracks.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Things That I Used To Do

This is a video of Stevie performing his version of this classic blues song. It was first recorded by blues artist Guitar Slim, and after a long time on Southern rural radio stations, it was picked up nation wide and became somewhat of a hit.
The song was produced and arranged by a young Ray Charles, and took several takes to get just right.
It has become a legendary song, and it has been covered by a lot of artists including; Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy and John Mayer. (click links to go to artist's version)
It's a great song, and a great performance. The camera angels are a little weird, and it's not the most well shot video, but the audio is descent and it's an enjoyable watch.

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Come On (Part III)

This is a live performance from blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. He performs the song "Come On" originally recorded on the 1985 album "Soul to Soul".
The song was originally recorded and performed by Earl King. The song is also known under the title "Let the Good Times Roll".
The song was popularized by Jimi Hendrix who covered the song on his "Electric Ladyland" record. Hendrix sped up the song, but kept the original guitar riffs etc. SRV's version is basically a cover of the Hendrix version.
The song was also done by Freddie King and many other artists.

Enjoy, and let the good times roll ; )

Roy Rogers - Walkin' Blues

This is a performance by slide guitarist Roy Rogers. The song was originally composed and recorded by blues legend Robert Johnson. It was released as a B-side to Johnson's song "Sweet Home Chicago".
It's a pretty classic song, and it's been covered by a lot of artists such as Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and Rory Gallagher.
I love Roy's version, he's just so good with that slide, and comes closest to capturing some of the original. Both Rory's and Clapton's versions are much slower than the original, and are good in their own right. But Roy's version rocks!

Enjoy ; )

Steven Tyler & Joe Perry - I'm A King Bee

 This is a performance from the great blues film "Lightning in a Bottle" that features various artists performing blues standards and blues classics.
The original song was recorded by swamp blues artist Slim Harpo who wrote and recorded the song in 1957.
Rolling Stones also did a cover for their debut album, it's pretty similar to the original, but also features a slide solo by Brian Jones.
The song has also been recorded by Muddy Waters in 1981, and been spoofed by John Belushi on SNL, where he performed the song wearing a bee costume.

It's a great little blues song, enjoy ; )

Robert Cray - Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

This is the music video for the Robert Cray song "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark". It's a great little blues number, with an upbeat rhythm. The good thing about Cray is that he's original while still sticking to and knowing all of the old blues stuff. He composes and does his own original songs and makes his own lyrics, a relate-able blues.
Cray has played with many artists and a lot of his idols, I love the version him and Stevie Ray Vaughan did live of Cray's song "New Blood"(click link to listen). It's a great performance, and Cray's got a great voice and good guitar skills, a true double threat.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton - Motherless Child

This is a live performance video for Clapton's single from his 1994 album "From the Cradle". It's a traditional up beat blues song that was first popularized by Barbecue Bob (click here for Bob's version) in 1927, so yet again Clapton goes back on the musical time line. Bob's version is a little slower than Clapton's cover, but other than that it's pretty much the same song.
It's a nice and cheerful song.

Enjoy ; )

B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone

This is a performance from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", it features B.B. King performing his classic "The Thrill Is Gone". The song was written by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins in 1951, but popularized by B.B. King in the 70's.
B.B. tells the story that he had been jamming on the tune for some time, and tried to work it out. When he finally recorded it he didn't know it would be one of the songs that helped to plunge him into mainstream music and cross over. The original studio recording from B.B. had an added string section that also helped with mainstream audiences.
A great tune!

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 ; )

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 ; )