Customer Reviews

Live at the Hollywood Palladium

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dubbed "the Human Riff" and widely hailed as perhaps the greatest rhythm guitarist in the history of rock n' roll, Keith Richards often plays in open-chord blues tunings, frustrating those who try to copying him with his unique five-string setup.

On this raw, ragged live album, he is backed by his session drummer Steve Jordan, who keeps a good groove going but apparently has all the imagination of a turnip. He is Richards' songwriting partner, though, and that must count for something.
Excellent second guitarist Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is here as well, as is bassist Charley Drayton, keyboardist Ivan Neville (who plays some great blues-and-boogie piano), and a long-time Stones-ally, saxist Bobby Keys.

Keith Richards and the Winos tear through nine songs from Keith's first solo album, "Talk Is Cheap", as well as a few Stones-songs, including a harder-rocking rendition of "Connection" from "Between The Buttons". Richards' guitar playing is smouldering, he lays down a superb groove all along, and his rough, hoarse vocals are pure rock n' roll!
Highlights include a swinging, sax-enhanced "Too Rude", the #3 single off "Talk Is Cheap", "Take It So Hard", the magnificent, down and dirty blues, "Make No Mistake", Richards' signature tune "Happy", the smoky slow "Locked Away", and the tough, muscular riff-rockers "I Could Have Stood You Up" and "How I Wish". Everything is played with grit and determination, and "Live at the Hollywood Palladium" has that organic feel which the Rolling Stones have had trouble capturing since the mid-70s.

Keith Richards has the ability to rock like very few others, and he shows that on this fine live album. It's not excactly polished, but what do you expect from a live recording of Keith Richards and a band dubbed "the X-Pensive Winos"?

Regardless of what the critics might think, for fans of the Rolling Stones early, more blues-influenced days, this albums brings home the goods. From the first notes played by Keith's Stereocaster on "Take It So Hard" to the Raggae-inspired grooves of "Too Rude" to the straight-up Rock 'N' Roll of "Whip It Up," this CD showcases Richards' versatility and strength. His rough and edgy voice pull the listener into the smoke-filled clubs and juke joints that inspired Keith to pick up his guitar in the first place. This Glimmer Twin certainly knows how to sparkle on his own.

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This live CD, recorded during the FABULOUS "Talk is Cheap" tour, primarily represents a second recording of the studio album (and a few great extras) with very appreciative crowd noise sandwiched between the songs. Nothing wrong with that, because these are songs that are MEANT to be played live - but the energy and production values of the original studio "Talk is Cheap" album is so extraordinary, this live album primarily speaks to Keith completists. I once read Keith questioned releasing this live album, but there were sooooooooo many bootlegs out of the winos live preformances, he felt his fans deserved a definitive version.

The only more joyful noise I know than this is the DVD version of the same show. Keith is the living soul of rock & roll, and that night at the Hollywood Palladium he and his X-Pensive Winos had all the power and glory rampaging real good. As my friend put it: You'd have to be dead not to respond to that!

A great time capsule of an album of Keith's tour with his other band The XPensive Winos. This album has a great live ambience of Keith in his element , on stage doing what he wants. Namely, that is making music with ace musicians. Some nods to the Stones of course, & bringing back CONNECTION is a perfect choice for Keith, as well as HAPPY of course. Biggest surprise here is the amazing live version of TIME IS ON MY SIDE with lead vocals by SARAH DASH, formerly of Labelle. Keith called it the best version he ever heard. Ms. Dash's soaring sweet voice is a perfect companion to Keith's gnarly gruffness on MAKE NO MISTAKE as well. Captures the essence of the solo Keith period perfectly.

This is my favorite CD these days. "How I Wish" just rocks. I want my next band to sound like this. What more can I say? I'm thankful Keith lived to make his music.

After reading Keith's book, I had to find this CD. Listening to it helped me understand the understated driving force Keith was behind the Rolling Stones. His music is pure, to the point, unadulterated and fun - those same ingredients that provided so many years of success for the Rolling Stones. Buy the CD and if you've not read it yet, buy Keith's book and enjoy them simultaneously. You will not regret a moment.......

Keith captures a great live groove in his only official live release. I really love Talk is Cheap and I'm very glad to have live versions of some of these songs. He seems like he's having fun throughout the concert and I can only assume the audience is having a blast too.

This is a good album though because it's live it is a little muddy. The songs are all played at a high energy level, the band is bluesy and good, and Sarah Dash, the female backup, is excellent. Richards strains a little on some of the numbers vocally, but his virtuoso guitar playing more than makes up for it. Richards' solo efforts are superior to those of the other Stones members. He has stayed truer to the roots of the jazz and blues that made the Stones such an outstanding band. Listening to this album makes me feel like I'm in a smokey bar listening to a blistering live performance. The sound will not stack up well against a studio recorded album, but what do you expect? Probably the closest most of us will ever get to hearing a solo Keith Richards live.
Four and a half stars.

Once again, the "critical" press has skewered an outstanding piece of work for little other than their own petty enjoyment, to wit... "Keef's Track" [limited pun intent] on the last number of Glimmer Twin releases have often been the subject of derision and subdued delight in the heart of True Rolling Stones fans. To provide a gross over simplification: the stones are basically an electric blues band who have been blessed with some outstanding talent and a whole host of asundry backing musicians - but Richards has the blues voice (and frankly the blues life) which their music cries and often screams for excluding the unpleasant commercially driven records, i.e. "Some Girls". Jagger is the more appealing voice commercially but nothing can get ANYWHERE near the stone cuts stone grit which Mr. Richards lays over the tracks offered on this tasty Xmass show powered by the ex-pensive (NOT expensive... think about it) winos. Only the cool and stratospheric tones of Ms. Sara Dash could cool the flames of blue heat which seethe through the opening track and flares into brilliance on Connection.... supposedly a literal stones throw away. The ex-pensive winos themselves are the usual top of the shelf players which one would expect a talent like Mr. Richards to recruit for a tour / gig / recording [Waddy Wachtel, Steve Jordan, Ivan Neville - yes of the Neville Bros., Charley Drayton, Sarah Dash and Bobby Keys] Reading of the fine print will confirm that drummer Steve Jordan produced or co-produced a majority of the traks from Talk is Cheap as well as Main Offender and there is a recurrent drum line and start up theme in the tracks found here and on Talk is Cheap. The next CD offered by Keef "Main Offender" is highly recommended and still available @ amazon... more difficult to find but HIGHLY desirable is the "Eileen" CD short which contains THE most intense version of Gimme Shelter which this reviewer has ever witnessed or heard plus several live tracks from Offender. Keef is the man... Mick's just a mouth... and Mr. Watts says he still likes playing with big bands better than the Stones???? Go figure, but order this CD now.