Eric Clapton - Motherless Children

This is a live performance by Eric Clapton. He is joined on stage by Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II. Bramhall and Clapton are playing slide on this tune while Trucks handles the rhythm part which is unusual as Trucks is known for his virtuous slide playing. The performance is from a concert in France from 2006. It's not professionally shot, but the audio is surprisingly good. Also this track is pretty rare for Clapton to do live.
The song is from Clapton's "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974) album which was a highly successful album from Clapton, also containing Clapton's version of "I Shot the Sheriff" his only #1 hit on the Billboard hot 100.
The lyrics to the song are traditional and ergo have no writer. The arrangement is credited to Clapton and Carl Radle.
The song is basically about mothers and the big impact and love they have on everyone around them. It's also about the void left should a mother die. So I thought it would at the very least be somewhat relevant on mother's day.
It's a great performance and the audio is surprisingly tolerable.

Enjoy ; )

Led Zeppelin - Black Dog

This is a live performance by British rock band Led Zeppelin playing the song "Black Dog" released in 1971. This performance is from 1975.
The song appears on Led Zeppelin's 1971 album "Led Zeppelin IV". The main riff of the song is attributed to bassist John Paul Jones who wrote it with the intention of doing a song people couldn't groove and dance to. He thought that with the complex rhythm changes and progressive riff that this would be accomplished. The song is named after a nameless black Labrador retriever who wandered around the studio at the time of recording. The lyrics are completely unrelated to the dog. Robert Plant did the vocals in two takes.
It's a great song and one of many instantly recognizable Zeppelin tracks. They had something with their riffs and rhythm that just made them unique and gave them a sound like no other band.
Truly a great song and performance.

Enjoy ; )

Santana - Black Magic Woman

This is a live performance by Carlos Santana and band. They play the song "Black Magic Woman" which over time has become a Santana classic.
It was originally performed by the British band Fleetwood Mac who released the song as a single in 1968 and was released on the albums "English Rose" (US) and "The Pious Bird of Good Omen". (The album had different titles depending on whether it's the US release or the American release).
In 1970 it became a huge hit in America. This version was done and recorded by Santana and sung by Gregg Rolie. It did well in both Canadian and American charts after its release on the 1970 Santana record "Abraxas". It soon became more associated with Santana than Fleetwood Mac.
Santana's version is similar to the original, but it has more of a voodoo feel to it. They added more rhythmic instruments such as clave, conga and timbales which made the rhythm more complex.
It's a really good song, and Santana really owns it and plays it very well. It's like a song written for him, though that was never the case, but it just fits him so well. A great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

Robert Palmer Addicted to Love

This is a performance from 80's rock king Robert Palmer. The song was released in 1986 on Palmer's "Riptide" album, and got very popular due to a video featuring fashion models playing the instruments, and Palmer singing. A classic 80's music video, cheesy and corny. You can say that Palmer rose to success through videos very much the same way ZZ Top did. The song is known for it's catchy guitar riff and a drum opening in 7/4 rhythm, the rest of the song is in 4/4 rhythm. The song did very well in the charts.
It's a great performance, and everyone really grooves. The guitar solos are good, and the drummer really gets the audience going. A good performance, of a good song.

Charts (1986)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks	1

Enjoy ; )

ZZ Top - Bang Bang

(The resolution isn't very good, so it's the small size player)
This is a live performance by blues, rock and hard rock band ZZ Top. They perform the song "Bang Bang" from their 12th studio album Rhythmeen released in 1996. It's a great little song that does what ZZ Top does best, produce good, funky, bluesy and fun songs.
On this album they sort of went back to a more rock/bluesy sound. In the 80's they had experimented with synthesizers and electronic drum beats. A sound that gave the great air-play and success, but didn't sound like their earlier work.
The album got mixed reviews, but I think that it's a top notch album, prima quality, and just what you'd expect from ZZ Top. If you're a fan, it's a must-have in your collection, definitely.
They do a great performance with a nice set of bongos accompanying Frank Beard on the drums which gives the song a very good rhythm and groove.
A great song, and a great performance.

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 ; )

John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

This is a performance from the 60's by blues legend John Lee Hooker. He performs it with an electric guitar accompanied by himself. It's a great performance, and the foot tapping is just excellent and done with perfect timing. It's a nice throw back to the roots of the blues, artists like Robert Johnson who would also tap the rhythm with his foot as he was recording. Now it's just done with an electric guitar instead.
The song also gained some notoriety when featured in "The Blues Brothers", John himself cameos in the film as a South Side Chicago street musician.
A great song, and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

B.B. King - Telephone Song

This song was originally recorded on the 1990 album "Family Style" by the Vaughan brothers. The album was recorded after Stevie's recovery from his alcohol and drug addiction. Stevie had always wanted to do something with his brother Jimmy, but due to success at the same time in different bands, they had never had the time to do it. Stevie took the initiative and the album happened.
This performance sadly is from the SRV memorial concert. A concert played in memory of Stevie shortly after his passing. B.B. plays a version of the song that is a little slower than on the album, but still brings his unique brand of guitar playing to the song. He also sings it very well, and Stevie would've loved B.B. performing one of his songs, as B.B. was one of Stevie's idols. Jimmy Vaughan joins B.B. on stage, but doesn't do much lead playing, he leaves most of that to King.

Enjoy ;