BB king

Wrighty22

has anyone else seen this live footage from Sweden holly balls

BillDL

That is just around the same time I went to see him play in Edinburgh.  He was dressed the same, had the same band members, and he really rocked the place to the extent that the usually restrained British audience was up dancing to the faster tunes and singing along like it was The Apollo in Harlem.  His first few bent notes with fluttering vibrato sang like a voice in my head.  I was a little worried that his playing might be repetitious as he began picking up the groove, but it didn't take long for him to explode.  His tone that night (as evidenced in this video) was so juicy and thick and direct.  It's the tone I've been trying to get ever since, but never can. Leon Warren's guitar playing was excellent too, and the bass groove by Michael Doster? was impeccable.

Of all the videos I've watched of BB King playing live I think that particular era was when he was in his best form as far as guitar playing is concerned.  He seemed to dig in harder, push for a faster tempo, and his fingers flew around much more seamlessly and less predictably than I have ever seen before or after.  he would be around 60 years old then.  Perhaps that was him peaking with all his years of experience before getting older and becoming a bit less energetic.  I am really glad I had the opportunity to see hi, particularly right at that time.  He had a larger than life stage presence and commanded audience attention like few other artists I can think of.

I love the trumpet player's use of the red rubber cup from a sink/toilet plunger minus the wooden handle (21:03 mark).

RocknRollDave

This is a worthwhile watch too, was on BBC iPlayer last time I looked - interesting to see him recording in the UK with a very 70’s looking band. https://youtu.be/w4Q9K4IcCCM

equalsql

I saw him back in 81 (82?) in Brighton supported by The Crusaders. He was amazing, his guitar just spat tonal razer blades that night. Probably the finest all-round showman I have ever had the fortune to see.
An absolute legend no less.
Thanks for posting this up.

Caffeine_Vampire

I got the new BB book for Christmas, it's a cracking read thus far.

RocknRollDave

Caffeine_Vampire said:

I got the new BB book for Christmas, it's a cracking read thus far.

Had a quick look on Amazon and there are quite a few books on him. What’s the new one called, please?

Caffeine_Vampire

RocknRollDave said:

Caffeine_Vampire said:

I got the new BB book for Christmas, it's a cracking read thus far.

Had a quick look on Amazon and there are quite a few books on him. What’s the new one called, please?

Hey buddy, happy new year. It's called King of the Blues the rise and reign of BB King.

RocknRollDave

Caffeine_Vampire said:

RocknRollDave said:

Caffeine_Vampire said:

I got the new BB book for Christmas, it's a cracking read thus far.

Had a quick look on Amazon and there are quite a few books on him. What’s the new one called, please?

Hey buddy, happy new year. It's called King of the Blues the rise and reign of BB King.

Happy New Year to you too. 

Thanks, will check that out. I'm a sucker for a music biography.

Caffeine_Vampire

RocknRollDave said:

Caffeine_Vampire said:

RocknRollDave said:

Caffeine_Vampire said:

I got the new BB book for Christmas, it's a cracking read thus far.

Had a quick look on Amazon and there are quite a few books on him. What’s the new one called, please?

Hey buddy, happy new year. It's called King of the Blues the rise and reign of BB King.

Happy New Year to you too. 

Thanks, will check that out. I'm a sucker for a music biography.

Anytime. Enjoy.

Greatape

'Blues is King' is a perennial top ten album for me. So classy. 

rlw

RocknRollDave said:

This is a worthwhile watch too, was on BBC iPlayer last time I looked - interesting to see him recording in the UK with a very 70’s looking band. https://youtu.be/w4Q9K4IcCCM

It was how we looked in the 70's so no surprise there.

Jalapeno

equalsql said:

I saw him back in 81 (82?) in Brighton supported by The Crusaders. He was amazing, his guitar just spat tonal razer blades that night. Probably the finest all-round showman I have ever had the fortune to see.
An absolute legend no less.
Thanks for posting this up.

His Crusaders era recordings are awesome, take the Midnight Beleiver album for example, simply sublime.  My first intoduction was seeing him play the title track on OGWT. When I bought the album, the shop assistant showed another and decreed it as 'very cool' - needless to say having impressed the too-cool-for-school record shop assistants I left the shop floating on my own wave of cool !   (not code for spliffed out) 

DrumBob

What can you say about B.B. King? He's may favorite of all the bluesmen, and I was privileged to have seen him live, met and talked with him several times. He was kind, gracious, humble and a magnificent gentleman. We'll never see his like again. 

That footage posted shows him pretty much at the height of his powers. What amazing tone he had. My sister waited too long to see B.B. live. He was failing at that point, and spent most of the show sitting and talking while the band vamped quietly behind him. She came home and said, "I'll never go see him again! He was terrible! All he did was talk."

I calmly told her, you should have seen him twenty-five or thirty years ago. 

Rabs

He was amazing. I was lucky enough to see him live twice..

You guys ever seen these lessons that are up on Youtube?

Caffeine_Vampire

Rabs said:

He was amazing. I was lucky enough to see him live twice..

You guys ever seen these lessons that are up on Youtube?

They're from a 3 set DVD which is recommended viewing.

springhead

Wrighty22 said:

has anyone else seen this live footage from Sweden holly balls

I first saw him one year after that, October '87 at the Albert Hall and it was similarly fantastic.  I saw hm 4 more times after that, the next one was at Hammy Odeon which was great, smaller venue.