The Blues tracks you have to learn!

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mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
edited May 2017 in Technique
Hi guys,

I'm on a blues learning mission at the moment, and mainly focussing on Albert and Freddie King.

This thread is for listing blues tracks that you think are really awesome and worthwhile to learn in order to develop vocabulary and better vibrato, bending and expression.

This is for Blues rather than blues/rock, but the border is a bit murky here, so feel free to chip in with some that nudge towards rock also.

I'll get the ball rolling with 'Same old Blues' and "five long years' by Freddie king and 'Blues Power' by Albert King from Live Wire/Blue Power.

GO!

*EDIT* I forgot to say, I'm talking electric blues here specifically - I know there are loads of other awesome types, delta/slide finger style etc.

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Comments

  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    The Stumble - Freddie King.

    It's interesting to compare versions by various guitarists that have covered it. Peter Green's version is one of my favourites.
    It's not a competition.
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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    @stratman3142 totally agree on both counts :)
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  • Need Your Love So Bad as covered by Peter Green is in that style and pretty much a standard.  Hideaway by FK, Oh Pretty Woman by AK.  

    But you really need to cover BB King if you're looking at blues guitarists called King!  Sweet Sixteen, Sweet Little Angel etc.  buy Live at the Regal!  
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    Crosscut Saw is a bit of a staple.
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  • cruxiformcruxiform Frets: 2533
      buy Live at the Regal!  
    +1. Listen to the intro solo on this track. Sublime.


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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    Live at the Regal and Blues is King are my favourite from B.B. 

    Born Under A Bad Sign is one of the greatest albums ever! You can't beat Albert King with the MG's!
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  • Jez6345789Jez6345789 Frets: 1756
    If you want a taster just listen to their greatest hits or best of. 

    Elmore James
    Howlin Wolf
    Muddy Walters
    Lowell Fulson
    Willie Dixon (wrote most of the best tunes)
    Obviously the 3 Kings

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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    If you want a taster just listen to their greatest hits or best of. 

    Elmore James
    Howlin Wolf
    Muddy Walters
    Lowell Fulson
    Willie Dixon (wrote most of the best tunes)
    Obviously the 3 Kings

    specific tracks boss!
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    On this topic- I've kept going back to the Leadbelly tunes.
    I've done a few arrangements of the songs for voice and guitar- so much of what we draw on as electric blues players comes from those songs, as well as Johnson of course.

    The biggest problem I have with playing them out is avoiding the N word, or the word 'coloured'- which I just don't feel comfortable singing.
    A song like 'Bourgeois Blues' has to be significantly re-written- the Pete Seeger and Ry Cooder version skip over those words as well.
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  • mgawmgaw Frets: 5239
    Live! on the radio    greg koch  check out him doing stormy monday and indeed the rest of the album, dont think you can get too much better than this as far as blues guitarists go, virtuoso performance
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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    I can't get enough Koch. He is a beast.

    Have you seen this @mgawhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeKq03-5aXo

    great!
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  • mgawmgaw Frets: 5239
    I can't get enough Koch. He is a beast.

    Have you seen this @mgawhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeKq03-5aXo

    great!
    i hadnt @mburekenge so thanks, he is a stunning guitarist that man, one thing to watch for is using the phrase i cant get enough Koch :)
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16255
    Almost anything by Otis Rush. He was another obvious influence on Clapton and Green, lot of minor blues, vibrato, use of the blues rhumba (also used quite a bit by BB King, there had been various rhumba crazes in the USA so it was quite a well known feel), those little trills (which you hear in Green and Santana but weren't really done by any of the Kings)and not very dependant on the 12 bar form. IIRC some of the guitar playing in his early work was actually done by Ike Turner who produced his Cobra sessions.  I'll suggest this as it's also well covered:



    Magic Sam gets overlooked sometimes but he made a couple of blues standards including this, which has the same name as the Rush track but is a different song (!). The way the guitar is almost orchestrated on this as bounces between chords, double stops and single note runs is like a bridge between the rootsier styles of say Lightnin Hopkins and the hybrid approach of Hendrix. Sometimes blues guitar parts can sound a bit random taken out of context of the song but here it carries everything: 




    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    @mgaw yes big Koch is well endowed with talent and always has such girth to his tone.

    @EricTheWeary will check those out for sure, thanks.
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  • GulliverGulliver Frets: 848
    edited May 2017
    Hideaway from the Beano Album


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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9552
    Gulliver said:
    Hideaway from the Beano Album


    ^Probably the most memorable track on Beano. However, for me, the stand out playing is on 'Key To Love' - a superb example of control and aggression.

    I'll also add 'Love That Burns' from Fleetwood Mac's Mr Wonderful album.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • PowerslavePowerslave Frets: 98
    You need a Muddy Waters riff in your repertoire - Hoochie Coochie Man, Mannish Boy, ....

    And don't be afraid to tweak it to suit.

    Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker is another must have.
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  • bbill335bbill335 Frets: 1368
    You need a Muddy Waters riff in your repertoire - Hoochie Coochie Man, Mannish Boy, ....

    Gotta be 'Standing Around Crying', what a belter.
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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    edited June 2017
    Tore down, Freddie king...
    shake your money maker - Elmore or Fleetwood mac
    dust my broom - Elmore
    hoochie coochie man - muddy
    Manish boy - muddy
    Let the Good times roll - bb King
    need your love so bad - Fleetwood mac
    black magic woman - Fleetwood mac (maybe)
    messin with the kid, bullfrog blues - Rory gallagher
    i'm ready - wille dixon, Freddie kind etc
    crossroads - any version
    born under a bad sign - albert king
    crosscut saw - albert king (version off I wanna get funky)
    before you accuse me - ccr
    red house - Hendrix
    I ain't drunk - albert collins
    one bourbon, one scotch, one beer - john lee hooker (prefer it to boom boom).
    boom boom - john lee hooker
    why I play the blues bb King
    how blue can you get - bb king
    too tired - Gary Moore & albert king
    riot cell block 9 - dr feelgood
    gangster of love - johnny winter
    killing floor - howlin wolf
    T Bone Shuffle - T bone walker (in fact anything by T Bone)
    goin down - Freddie king
    pride & joy - stevie ray Vaughan
    damn right I got the blues - buddy guy
    slippin out slippin in - buddy guy
    Stepped in what? - Johnny Johnson
    johnny b Goode - chuck, johnny winter etc
    sweet home Chicago - any
    hideaway - Freddie king
    just a little bit - Freddie king
    roadhouse blues 
    dark end of the street - Ry cooder


    will think of others as soon as hit post but that's no a bad wee list . I know some are really not bending as you requested but I reckon the songs and styles outwith all add in to tour brains Interpretation of blues and what notes work and when so feel they are good to add here and there.

    for me bending if you took Freddie king, bb king, peter green and t bone walker and concentrated on their stuff you'd have a wealth of superb material for bending type blues.  Maybe even add some clapton (though his bending stuff is very Freddie king)



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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    Also have a listen to Roy Buchannan 

    and Lonnie Mack as well 

    with shorter list above and these two you get a variety of styles of blues with bending :)
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