Live

B.B. King | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 19, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B0010M6HE0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,502 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

B.B. King is hailed as the reigning king of the blues. The Mississippi-born King notched an incredible 74 entries on Billboard's R&B charts between 1951 and 1985, and he was one of the few full-fledged blues artists to score a major pop hit when his 1970 record The Thrill Is Gone crossed over to mainstream success.

Starting out with a radio appearance on Sonny Boy Williamson's King Biscuit Time, it is now more than 45 years since Bill Graham introduced him on the stage of the Fillmore West in San Francisco
where he got a standing ovation before he'd played a single note. It has been said B.B.'s penetration of blues into the musical mainstream can be compared to the contributions of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong in their spheres.

B.B. King And His Orchestra Live includes the hit track The Thrill Is Gone and B.B. stalwarts Why I Sing The Blues and Darling, You Know I Love You. It captures King accompanied by one of the best bands of his entire career in 1983 when this performance was taped in Cannes, France during the annual Midem Festival. Under the leadership of trumpeter Calvin Owens, his band's tight, concise playing supports B.B.'s stinging guitar and vocals to exceptional effect. These workouts on many of his greatest hits are the perfect introduction to the King of the Blues.

Highly regarded UK label Acrobat Music is launching its US operations with this as well as other re-issues that offer high quality and excellent value on October 21st 2008. All of the Premier Collection titles are showcased in deluxe packages with unique, consistent packaging, which include o-cards, extensive liner notes and either a large number of tracks or lengthy play time. Acrobat will be establishing its presence as the premier independent re-issue label in the US through its distribution deal with TVT Distribution. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "B.B.'s LATEST LIVE PERFORMANCE DEFINES CLASS & SMOOTH PROFESSIONAL BLUES!", February 21, 2008

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Live (Audio CD)

This CD is B.B. Kings most recent live recorded performance. It was recorded at B.B's Memphis and Nashville clubs. At eighty-one years old Mr. King is a musical marvel. He doesn't miss a beat and seamlessly integrates his music, his band, and his amazing voice. And by virtue of this stalwart fusion, he literally holds the enthusiastic live crowd in the palm of his hand. The selections on this CD combine songs from both sides of B.B.'s menu of blues. The tunes range from soothing mellow blues to rocking blues. Just when you think B.B. can only relax you, a rumbling blue thunder that starts deep inside his chest culminates in a growling rocking blues eruption. There are also some nice horn solos by his band and B.B. shows he can still bend those strings the way electric blues strings were meant to be bent. I saw B.B. interviewed on CNN last night (2/18/08) and the reporter asked him; out of all his songs in his long career which song did he feel he was most identified with? B.B. said: "I'll tell you a secret, just between you and me, if you don't tell anyone. (Remember this is on national TV.) It's "THE THRILL IS GONE". But the secret is that I play it different every time I play it!"

Included on this release along with "THE THRILL IS GONE" are other old favorites such as "WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN" with B.B. sharing with the audience some inside info about the creation of that song. He also records "YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE" and "WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN" for the first time ever. I recommend this CD to people of all age groups and all types of music lovers. B.B.'s talent and performance on this CD bridges all generations and genres. I truly believe Mr. King has found the "BLUES-FOUNTAIN-OF-YOUTH" and when the last song on the CD "WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN" plays you're ready to jump in line and follow his parade wherever it may lead!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Punchy 1983 live set from blues legend, November 9, 2008

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Live (Audio CD)

This 1983 live set showcases B.B. King in Cannes, France, backed by a tight, powerful band led by trumpeter Calvin Jones. Fitting their set into a jazz festival program that included Pat Metheny and Dave Brubeck, King's orchestra, with a full horn section and a diesel-powered rhythm section (uncredited in the liner notes), took the opportunity to stretch their arrangements. The eleven minute opener, "B.B.'s Theme," is a testament to the band's muscular precision, and it's only a warm-up for the introduction of the star himself. King's guitar is an ample match for the band's horn-lined kick, starting with the instrumental "Why I Sing the Blues" on which King trades solos with a funked-up bass before jokily segueing into a blue funk riff borrowed from "Dueling Banjos." Even when taken down-tempo for "Darling You Know I Love You," the band's horns provide plenty of punch and Jones' trumpet serves as a soulful foil to King's guitar. The set features several King favorites, including "Sweet Little Angel" and the 1970 crossover hit "The Thrill is Gone," played and sung with plenty of verve. Additional highlights include a moody and pained take of King's original "All Over Again" and an instrumental arrangement of Jesse Belvin's "Guess Who?" that includes Stax-like horn accompaniment and a searing muted trumpet solo. The disc closes with a brash take on Louis Jordan's "Caldonia" and the original "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss." Acrobat's release, with a new cover photo and liner notes, plus an "O-card" surrounding a standard jewel box, is a straight-up reissue of Fabulous' like-titled (and now out-of-print) 2003 import. Between song banter is omitted by fading tracks just before or after the audience applause begins, but any sense of stitching is completely overpowered by the set's energy. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars the king is tired, May 4, 2008

By 

massimo pulleghini (curtatone(eremo), mantova Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Live (Audio CD)

the king is old and tired. when i saw b.b.king live in concert a couple of years ago for the last time (i had seen him several times since the early nineties) in my hometown mantova (italy), i went home very disappointed, because i witnessed more at a conversation with the audience, instead of a blues concert. b.b. apologied for being more than eighty, but really the concert was a very sad one. well, this cd is more or less like that concert. the songs are the same, played mostly by the band. the king plays a little, sings a little more and talks most of all. unfortunately, i bought the dvd, too. if you want to understand what b.b.king has been, buy the records published before the year 2000. much better is, for example, the live at BBC cd.