No comments about Alive & Cool.

No comments about Crying The Blues: Live In Concert.

5 comments about Together Again...Live.

1. I'm not sure if this is the same performance my husband and I were fortunate enough to be in the audience for. It was for "Blues In The Schools" at County Hall in Charleston, SC. It has to have been a long time ago, because County Hall no longer exists. It was replaced many years ago by an auditorium and now a Performing Arts Center and a Coliseum. We just don't get the same kinds of performers there that we prefer. So I rely on my CDs. I can't remember the date; one of my children was in the High School band and this performance was designed for introducing youngsters to this genre' of music. I think it was great. I don't remember the profanity, so this probably isn't the one, since there were plenty of school kids in the audience. Hard to believe that Bobby "Blue" could behave that long isn't it? But he did and they were both just outstanding. This CD certainly was similar to what we saw that night. I have always loved blues, along with any number of other genre's of music. So I jumped at those tickets and I've never forgotten that show. It was wonderful. Even though my husband isn't crazy about 'blues' like I am, (he prefers Bluegrass), I caught him patting his foot and nodding his head quite a bit. (I don't think he was nodding off.) Could'a been though. I think it was the first in a long time and possibly the last good Blues show ever performed in Charleston. If there have been more, they got past me. It was about the time of this recording because our daughter was in the Junior Band and HS band until 1981 (from 1975). I will be purchasing the other versions right now. Or as we say in SC, 'rat now.



2. Bobby & BB is a awesome cd.The music takes you back. I recommend this cd to anyone who likes blues. You feel like you're at the concert in person.



3. I went to the concert when this album was made; the reproduction is great. Both this album and "Together For The First Time,Live", will be an asset to any blues lovers collection.



4. though I dig the first one better overall there is something about the musical chemistry that B.B.King&Bobby Bland have that blends there styles together so well. "Let the Good Times Roll" is on Point. B.B. with Lucille&Bobby on Vocals make a strong combination. this is a Good Live set.



5. I have been listening to this record for over 25 years, BB:s tone on this record still strikes me as it did the first time I heard it. One of BB:s outro:s in one of the medleys on this record is a fantastic value for the price paid for this alone. You can hear a young BB play really loud and strong making his amp sing in fantastic overtones on this one, not that nice and sweet studio tone. The two artists, BB and Bobby, works very well together and if their first record together was Bobbys, this is definitely BB:s.

5 comments about Frozen Alive!.

1. I love the telecaster, and AC really rips it up here. You can just feel AC's emotion with each screaming note. It's nice to hear a recording that isn't so polished, but beautifully spontaneous.



2. I've owned this album since it was released in 1981 and it still gets constant rotation on my phono (yes, still have one), and on my CD player. It has stood the test of time. Best cuts are "I've got that feeling" and "Cold Cuts."
   
   Both of these songs are about as good a synthesis of blues and funk as you can put together. Albert Collins and Johnny B Gaynor lay down a groove that you cannot ignore. This album belongs in the collection of every blues/funk/R&B/soul fan.



3. Albert toured extensively during this time and the Union Bar in Mpls. was a usual stop. I was lucky to attend these shows and many others featuring Albert and his band.
   His shows began with the band warming up with Casey Jones (drums) or A.C. Reed (sax) taking vocals. When the crowd was good and ready, Casey would lead into the instrumental "Frosty". After building up fury, he would announce "Ladies and Gentleman, here for you in Mpls, by way of Houston Texas, The man that cuts so deep he gets into your soul, the master of the Telecaster, Albert Collins!Albert Collins!!" With that, you would hear Albert, but not see him. He'd come into the bar playing, wringing vibrato from his Tele. Albert would then launch into any of his trademark tunes. The songs presented here are a showcase of his talent and what he did night after night.
   During "Mind to Travel", Albert would get out the 200 foot guitar cord and wander both rooms of the Union, often stopping to sit at your table, talk, have a drink, and all the while wailing in his unique open-tuned and capoed solo style.
   "Cold Cuts" features A.C. Reed helping on vocals, and Johnny B. Gayden's awesome bass solo. He played what we called his "Popeye" solo many times to adoring crowds.
   This recording takes you back to the nights when the weather was frigid, the beer frosty and the music searing. A nicer more approachable group of musicians you won't find anywhere.
   Please buy this and relive Albert's glory days. You won't be sorry.



4. Phenomenal and Riveting. Dr. Collins proves that he is the master of the Telecaster, and shreds all night with a sound that is completly out-of-site. Do yourself a favor and add this little gem to your music collection.



5. This is another favorite live electric blues recording. Albert absolutely makes that guitar sing. This guy should be at the top or near the top of any list of great eletric guitarists past and present. The only complaint is that there isn't more material here. Just 7 songs and about 36 minutes worth. All of it is good though. From the beginning you know your listening to something special.

   ..............socks

No comments about KG3 Live!: At the Bugle Boy.

No comments about Live at the Rogue: Field of Blues.

5 comments about Captured Live.

1. Have seen LC & the Nightcats several times; they are a brilliant live band. I don't believe the material included here touches on that brilliance.



2. To the reviewer who knocked this release for only having two worthwhile tracks: SHUT UP! You don't have a clue, pal! This is an excellent CD. All of Little Charlie's releases are great, and this is no exception. My personal favorite on "Captured Live" is "Smart Like Einstein". For me, there are a couple of tunes that aren't all that great, but overall it is just fine. Don't pay any attention to the editorial review, that guy is a bonehead!



3. Little Charlie Baty is an absolutely fabulous guitar player. 'Ten Years Ago' would have be to one of the best guitar pieces I have heard. 'Rain' also shows his talent. Unfortunately, the rest is a totally different style, being bouncy, humorous but much less intense, and only bordering on blues as I like it. However, the above two tracks still make it a worthwhile purchase.



4. Give it a listen. They are HOT! The bass sound is one of thebest, and may be the best I've ever heard.



5. This is a high quality live album with great sound and energy. It doesn't matter what track you listen to, the group displays a high threshold of talent. No matter what you call their music, or how you label them specifically, the fact is, these guys are cookin! They have a big bass sound here (not taking anything away from anyone else in the group) for whatever reason (mix, indivdual talent, etc.) complimenting the music without getting lost in the background as the bass in most music. Instead of the bass being "featured", from time to time, it's there on every track. You can't help but move, or boogie listening to this album and the only way to describe them here is that they are HOT!

1 comments about Killing Floor.

1. Faulty liner notes on this CD, hence only two stars. The notes claim it was recorded in Bremen, Germany in 1964, but half the cuts are outtakes from the "London Sessions" of 1970. And the sound on this is somewhat inferior to "Howlin' Wolf: Live in Europe 1964" on the Sundown label. Get that CD if you can to hear a good reproduction of what Wolf sounded like on his first European tour, backed by Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim, Willie Dixon, and Clifton James.
   -Mark Hoffman
   Co-author of "Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf"

5 comments about Texas Cannonball.

1. These versions of many blues and soul standards are all fine, there are a couple of Freddie penned trax as well. I've read the quibbles in the All Music Guide and thru out the Freddie King reviwes listed below, but I still really like this music. Yes Leon's destinctive piano often sits on top of the mix, and the strings and backing female voices occationaly over power King's playing and mar and date the arrangements, but it's soooo good, even if it is at the end of the road for Freddie.
   .
   I'd suggest picking up the 2-disc "KING OF THE BLUES".
   That CD contains all of these cuts and then some; about 60 in all, in a generous package. There are only a handful of songs that are not up to par and some that are so good you will wonder why you did not already have King in your blues collection. For those looking for a blues CD beyond Freddie's vintage 1950's classics, see "KING OF THE BLUES".



2. After listening to blues for many, many years, and playing a bit myself, IMO, "Me and My Guitar" is the second greatest blues song ever recorded by anybody, anywhere (the greatest being "Crossroads" by Cream). That's my 2 cents' worth.



3. This is a fantastic album by Freddie King. Recorded in 1972 on Leon Russell's Shelter label, the album features Freddie on guitar, Leon on piano, and Donald Duck Dunn on bass. Great renditions of Lowell Fulsom's Reconsider Baby, Howlin Wolf's How Many More Years, and Bill Wither's Aint No Sunshine. Plus a coupl eof track written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. In the thirty plus years I have been listening to this, I have worn out at least four copies. Freddie really knows how to make that guitar sing.



4. I was introduced to Freddie King's music going on forty years ago and was fortunate to have actually seen him in concert several times when he visited San Antonio. This is by far my favorite work from Freddie. I'm not a great admirer of Leon Russell, but he does provide Freddie with some exceptional material that has had staying power with me for decades. I still own this on vinyl, a most cherished possession. Every cut is great. Having said that, an alternative would be to buy "The Best of the Shelter Years" because you get most of the cuts on Cannonball and other greats like "Woman Across the River". A real classic and one that the Allman Bros. have recently covered.
   
   There is also a 2002 DVD covering this 1972 album.



5. Freddies steel finger 'n' thumbpicks make the notes ring out throughout this classic album. The notes swoop and bend. The version of "Reconsider Baby" (originally done by Lowell Fulson but also covered by Elvis Presley) seems like it was almost MADE for Freddie. His voice is racked with pain and anguish as he slows the song down to a funky grind and adds shimmering finger vibrato to notes that seem to fall from the sky. He was definitely the finest vocalist amongst the famous "3 Kings" and his guitar playing has influenced everyone notable, from Clapton to Johnny Winter to Paul Kossoff,etc..
   A few people have tried to cover songs featured here. Tab Benoit has adequately attempted "Me & My Guitar" back in 1998, but the growling vocals of Freddie can't be equalled. Every track featured on this CD is superb and the cover art was striking when this album first was issued on vinyl back in 1971.
   This CD version comes with several *bonus tracks which adds incentive to purchase it. If you think the Texas Shuffle started with The Vaughan Brothers THINK AGAIN because this was from where it originated.
   I was so fortunate to see Freddie King live on stage with Eric Clapton back in summer 1976. He was a giant , both musically and physically!

3 comments about Spontaneous Combustion.

1. Frank "Son" Seals performs a handful of his best songs on this 1996 live album, including "Your Love Is Like A Cancer", "Every Goodbye Ain't Gone", and "Don't Pick Me For Your Fool".
   The sound is very good, and Seals plays some gritty guitar licks, backed by a small horn section. All good, eh?
   
   Well, I know that last bit won't be to everybody's liking, and the trumpet which pops up here and there grates on my nerves as well. But that's a minor quibble, and most of the time you don't even notice it...Seals' guitar and his gruff voice is firmly in control, and fans should certainly enjoy this album. I wouldn't recommend it as the place to start, however; little things the synthetic sounding organ and the grotesque flute solo which marrs an otherwise good "The Sun Is Shining" means that Son Seals and his music is better presented to newcomers on albums like "Deluxe Edition" and his debut LP "The Son Seals Blues Band".
   
   Still, the good easily outnumbers the bad, and when Sidney James Whingfield stays away from the organ and plays the piano instead, like on "I Need My Baby Back", it is very good indeed. And the horns, which aren't scored all that interestingly, actually work really well on the punchy "No, No Baby".
   A bit more variation in mood and tempo would have been nice, though.



2. Even if you don't believe in the reality of spontaneous combustion,this album will make you a believer.You can't go wrong with song titles like'Your Love is Like a Cancer'...The album also features a number of excellent previously unreleased songs,all done by Seals and his live band in their unique manner...blues like molten lava.A historic performance.



3. If you have never heard a Son Seals cd, this is the one to hear. He rumbles through 60+ minutes of "Bad Axe" blues. Seals sets the ultimate mood in blues with "Mother Blues" and jams all the way through the finale, "Don't Lie to Me". With an eclectic backing band, including an impressive horn section, this is a must hear for all Music fans not just blues fans.