Record Reviews

ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND ~ FINAL CONCERT 10-28-14 PEACH 810347013485 (Barcode: 810347013485) ~ USA ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2014 Released: 2024 This is an archival live album by the iconic American Rock / Blues-Rock band The Allman Brothers BandFind albums by this artist, recorded on October 28, 2014 at the Beacon Theatre. NYC. It was the final concert of the ABB, closing a forty-five years long period of activity. It presents a lineup of the group, which included three founding members: vocalist / keyboardist Gregg AllmanFind albums by this artist and drummers Jai Johanny JohansonFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. JaimoeFind albums by this artist) and Butch TrucksFind albums by this artist, with four newer members: lead guitarists Warren HaynesFind albums by this artist and Derek TrucksFind albums by this artist, bassist Oteil BurbridgeFind albums by this artist and percussionist Marc QuinonesFind albums by this artist. Both Gregg Allman and Butch Tracks died in 2017, which leaves Jaimoe as the last living founding member. The 3CD album presents the three sets the band played during this concert, a total of twenty-nine tracks, which cover mostly the music the band performed on their first five albums and a final track, which was attribute to Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist, lasting well over three hours in total. The performances are all exceptional, probably highly inspired by the emotional circumstances of the farewell concert. The band sounds perfectly together and their material is absolutely classic, untouched by passing time. ABB were an exceptional phenomenon on the US scene, impersonating probably better than any other musical unit, everything that was great about American Blues-Rock: the deep bond with Blues and the personal creativity of Rock improvisation, which dominated their act. I can hardly imagine a more proper “last word” than this iconic concert, which perfectly reflects everything the ABB stood for. I never stopped being a die-hard fan of the band, and that is not going to change. Overall, this is another extraordinary document of an exceptional band, and the times, when Rock was King and Gods were smiling at the gifted musicians, who produced timeless anthems, such as this. Rock improvisation, which is the name of the game here, never sounded better and is still light-years ahead of anything played today.

Updated: 13/07/2025Posted: 13/07/2025

CD 3 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

PAUL RODGERS ~ MUDDY WATER BLUES EAGLE 222 (Barcode: 5034504122222) ~ UK ~ Blues Recorded: 1993 Released: 2002 British vocalist Paul RodgersFind albums by this artist is without a doubt the greatest white Blues singer of all times. Since his days as the front man of the legendary FreeFind albums by this artist and in the five decades that followed no other vocalist managed to demonstrate the same level of sensitivity, virtuosity and feeling even remotely close to those of Rodgers. This stunning album, which as the title suggests is a tribute to the great Blues singer / songwriter Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist, finds Rodgers performing the classic material with flare and his usual brilliance. He is accompanied by a horde of great guitarists, all paying tribute to the great Godfather of Blues: Jeff BeckFind albums by this artist, David GilmourFind albums by this artist, Buddy GuyFind albums by this artist, Brian MayFind albums by this artist, Steve MillerFind albums by this artist, Gary MooreFind albums by this artist, Trevor RabinFind albums by this artist, Neal SchonFind albums by this artist, SlashFind albums by this artist and a few others. Anything else said about this music is completely redundant – just grab it when you can as this is one of the greatest Blues albums ever recorded!

CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend

ROLLING STONES ~ HACKNEY DIAMONDS GEFFEN 602458122565 (Barcode: 602458122565) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2019 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is the 24th studio album by the iconic British Rock group The Rolling StonesFind albums by this artist. Reduced to a trio following the death of their drummer Charlie WattsFind albums by this artist, this is the first album of original material since the 2005 album “A Bigger BangFind albums with this title”. Vocalist Mick JaggerFind albums by this artist and guitarists Keith RichardsFind albums by this artist and Ronnie WoodFind albums by this artist carry on the torch, supported by Rock stars like Elton JohnFind albums by this artist, Lady GagaFind albums by this artist, Paul McCartneyFind albums by this artist, ex-Stones bassist Bill WymanFind albums by this artist and numerous others. The album presents twelve songs, eight of which were written by the Jagger-Richards team, three were co-composed with the album’s producer Andrew WattFind albums by this artist and one is a Blues standard by Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist. The music is exactly what one might expect from a classic Rolling Stones album, full of great songs and excellent instrumental performances, superb recording quality with a retro sound and a timeless atmosphere of Classic Rock, showing clearly that six decades of music making definitely did not manage to take Stones off their path. They have more stamina, talent and balls than any contemporary Rock outfit, if there are any real Rock groups out there at all these days. The Stones really define the Classic Rock idiom better than any other musical group in history, not only because they managed to last all this years, but mostly because they managed to stay relevant all these years both a recording artists and phenomenal live performers. Their music has been an important part of the Soundtrack Of My Life for almost as long as I can remember, and never let me down since. Overall, if you are a Stones fan, this album is a true joy from start to finish, which can be cherished minute by minute and savored repeatedly, staying on the favorites list probably forever. If you are not a fan, it’s probably too late for you to save your sanity ;)

Updated: 05/12/2023Posted: 05/12/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ FATHERS & SONS CHESS 602438056224 (Barcode: 602438056224) ~ USA ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 1998 This is a reissue / remaster of the legendary 2LP Blues album released originally in 1969 by ChessFind albums on this label Records. The music was recorded by a core sextet, which included vocalist / guitarist Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist, pianist Otis SpannFind albums by this artist, guitarist Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, harmonica player Paul ButterfieldFind albums by this artist, bassist Donald DunnFind albums by this artist and drummer Sam LeyFind albums by this artist. Several additional musicians guest on selected tracks. The album presents ten studio tracks, which appeared on the first LP, six live tracks, which appeared on the second LP and one bonus unreleased studio track, altogether seventeen tracks. Most of the music (ten tracks) was written by Muddy Waters (a.k.a. McKinley MorganfieldFind albums by this artist), three by Willie DixonFind albums by this artist and the rest by other songwriters. The “Fathers & Sons” title refers of course to the meeting between the Godfathers of modern electric Blues, like Waters, and the young white American Blues disciples, like Bloomfield and Butterfield, who embraced the Blues tradition and transported into the next level of Blues-Rock. The music is all classic Blues / Blues-Rock at its absolute best, and although it does not introduce anything previously unheard, it remains an icon of the time and the genre, played by the best musicians on the scene at the time. Overall, this is an absolute classic, which lost nothing from its impact and beauty over time. The performances are all stellar and the music is as genuine as it can be. Bloomfield, a Jewish boy from Chicago, became in time the greatest American Blues guitar player and his tragically premature death in 1981 devastated us, the Blues lovers, at the time, as he proved to be irreplaceable. In fact, Waters, Bloomfield, Spann and Butterfield were dead by 1987, so a reunion of “Fathers & Sons” never happened and this is the only document of their work. For electric Blues lovers this album is a timeless icon!

Updated: 11/07/2025Posted: 11/07/2025

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MUDDY WATERS ~ HARD AGAIN (EXPANDED EDITION) EPIC 515161 (Barcode: 5099751516125) ~ USA ~ Blues Recorded: 1976 Released: 2004 By the end of the 1970s Blues Emperor Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist, the man who modernized and reinvented the Blues decades earlier by composing numerous of the genre´s standards performed the world over, decided to revitalize his sound, his band and his career. The meeting between Waters and his admirer, Texan guitar virtuoso Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist, led to a successful cooperation, which lasted for several years. Winter joined the Waters band and became his producer, creating a series of incredible electric Blues albums, which rank among the best material ever recorded, of which this is the first. The cooperation proved extremely fruitful to both Waters and Winter, as both benefited from each other strength: Waters finally had a superb backup band, which was the best vehicle for his incredible compositions and Winter found the ideal setting to play the music he always loved with plenty of space to express his immense talent. Apart from Waters and Winter the band included also the great harmonica player James CottonFind albums by this artist, pianist Pinetop PerkinsFind albums by this artist, second guitarist Bob MargolinFind albums by this artist, bassist Charles CalmeseFind albums by this artist and drummer Willie SmithFind albums by this artist. This is a true classic Blues album by any standard, alive and kicking as if it was recorded yesterday, with everything any lover of the genre should enjoy: great tunes, superb vocals and incredible guitar work – in short a must!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MUDDY WATERS ~ I`M READY (EXPANDED EDITION) EPIC 515162 (Barcode: 5099751516224) ~ USA ~ Blues Recorded: 1977 Released: 2004 By the end of the 1970s Blues Emperor Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist, the man who modernized and reinvented the Blues decades earlier by composing numerous of the genre´s standards performed the world over, decided to revitalize his sound, his band and his career. The meeting between Waters and his admirer, Texan guitar virtuoso Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist, led to a successful cooperation, which lasted for several years. Winter joined the Waters band and became his producer, creating a series of incredible electric Blues albums, which rank among the best material ever recorded, of which this is the second. The cooperation proved extremely fruitful to both Waters and Winter, as both benefited from each other strength: Waters finally had a superb backup band, which was the best vehicle for his incredible compositions and Winter found the ideal setting to play the music he always loved with plenty of space to express his immense talent. Apart from Waters and Winter the band included also harmonica players Jerry PortnoyFind albums by this artist and Big Walter HortonFind albums by this artist, pianist Pinetop PerkinsFind albums by this artist, additional guitarist Jimmy RogersFind albums by this artist, bassist Bob MargolinFind albums by this artist and drummer Willie SmithFind albums by this artist. This is a true classic Blues album by any standard, alive and kicking as if it was recorded yesterday, with everything any lover of the genre should enjoy: great tunes, superb vocals and incredible guitar work – in short a must!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MUDDY WATERS / JOHNNY WINTER / JAMES COTTON ~ BREAKIN` IT UP, BREAKIN` IT DOWN EPIC 07283 (Barcode: 886970728324) ~ USA ~ Blues Recorded: 1977 Released: 2007 This wonderful, never before released live recording documents the tour, which was organized in support of the comeback Grammy Award winning Muddy Waters’ album Hard AgainFind albums with this title. It features the same musicians that participated in the recording of the album and puts the three blues Giants together on one stage. They all do what they know best: Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist plays guitar and sings with a great voice, Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist plays some wonderful solos and sings and James CottonFind albums by this artist plays his harmonica and sings. The vocals are divided more or less equally between the three of them, which of course is great as we get to hear them all, each at his best. The supporting band is also excellent and includes some of the best veteran musicians: Bob MargolinFind albums by this artist (guitar), Pinetop PerkinsFind albums by this artist (piano), Willie SmithFind albums by this artist (drums) and Charles CalmeseFind albums by this artist (bass). This is superb electric blues, as raw, authentic and enjoyable as it ever gets. I can’t think of a blues fan, which would like to miss this album in his collection. Warmly recommended!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend