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B.B. KING Blues On The Bayou (Universal) The legendary B.B. (Blues Boy) King has come up with a real winner here with Blues On The Bayou that opens with an instrumental (Blues Boys Tune), that is a reflective tribute to himself. The album is a mixture of old & new tunes by B.B. King, and of the oldies 'Bad Case Of Love' is a classic, that B.B. has beautifully revitalised. Another is 'I'll Survive' that is strongly reminiscent of 'It Hurts Me To'. 'Darlin' What Happened' is similar to 'Send Me Someone To Love'. I could continue to draw comparisons, but it's the feel of this delightful, live-in-the-studio, warm-melancholy album that will convince you that this is one of B.B's finest albums yet. When I first heard Blues On The Bayou I bought it, and then played it five times non-stop. Well worth checking out, just for the ambiance. Gazz Live In Japan (Universal) B.B KIng's Live In Japan (Sankei Hall, Tokyo-1971 )wasn't available in it's entirety as a CD until 1999. This concert was recorded with the same band from Live At Cook County Jail, and is one of the best performances of B.B. King's career. Live In Japan opens with Memphis Slim's (Peter Chapman) 'Every Day I Have The Blues', that has become B.B.'s theme, and a standard show opener. Next up is Leonard Feather's jazzy-blues 'How Blue Can You Get?'. [This is a song you can only find on B.B. King's live albums or studio compilations.] It is Sonny Boy Williamson's 'Eyesight To The Blind' that really gets the crowd clapping. B.B. is a master of uptempo and delivery. 'Niji Baby' is possibly the most intense track on Live In Japan, it starts off with B.B. playing a few clever chords, and the crowd expect the same delivery as 'Eyesight To The Blind'; but B.B. moves into a slower, more intimate groove. This is so sensual and powerful. And he builds the song up in varying intensities, and in doing so blows the audience away. A perfect follow on is King's 'Sweet Sixteen' that is also intense. This gives King room to open up on 'Lucille'. Anybody who has ever been to a King concert knows the tale of 'Lucille' his guitar. Leon Russell's 'Hummingbird' follows, and this was a song that B.B. had only recorded in the studio the year before. This version along with King's 'Chains & Things' have that Southern sound stamped all over them. 'Japanese Boogie' and 'Jamming at Sankei Hall' are both almost ten minute long instrumentals, and this give's the band time to open up and really improvise. Awesome performances! The show closes with 'Hikari #88' which is probably a Japanese reference for the piano? But before the closing song, King belts out his all-time classic 'The Thrill Is Gone', that has to be the hardest version to beat. Both Live At Cook County Jail and Live At The Regal are classics, whereas this is definately now my favourite live B.B King album. Gazz Click on album image to see larger album cover 
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