Customer Reviews

Live Trout Vol. 1

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like blistering, jaw dropping, legendary blues Guitar, then you will LOVE this guy! I first heard Walter Trout as a single cut on a blues radio show while driving my car. I went to the music store and bought my first Trout CD - Walter Trout. I have not been able to get enough since. Having eagerly awaited the release of Live Trout, I was not disappointed. How I envy the crowd at the Tampa Bay Blues Fest in March 2000! Next time, they will envy me because I will NOT miss any performance Walter Trout plays within 500 miles. If you like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, or Kenny Wayne Sheppard, then CHECK THIS GUY OUT! I can guarantee you will be a "Trout Head" too!

After witnessing a Walter Trout performance at the Street-Scene festival in San Diego, I was in total shock at the way his axe talks and screams blues, either dirty or clean. I could hear the Hendrix influence after about 25 seconds, and he sure loved the man. I never heard of him before the festival and was also shocked he was from S. Jersey, as I am a native philadelphian living in San Diego, and could never dream some one from the area could play and sing the blues with the best of them, that's right. He played a lot of songs from his live cd from the Tampa blues festival and he was the best group of the whole festival, and thats no crap either. If you love Blues guitar, Walter Trout is your man for sure.

This CD recorded at the Tampa Blues Fest is a real treat for anyone who likes the blues. Story has it that Susan Tedeschi was the headliner who had to follow Trout and the Free Radicals. Sorry Susan, but the only thing that could follow Trout that night was World War III!

This CD is a great way to meet your neighbors. Just go out on the sundeck, crank this bad boy up, and everyone in your neighborhood will show up quickly...

This is the best live blues/rock set since Rory Gallagher's Irish Tour '74. I was at the show and Walter was SMOKIN'! Great mix of slow blues tunes and up-tempo blues rockers! Solid energy throughout. Walter is one of the most talented (and under-appreciated) guitarists on the planet. If you like crankin' blues and blues/rock, BUY THIS CD! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! A guitar lover's dream!

I ditto all the other five star review writers for Walter Trout's "Live Trout". Not as technical as other godz, but I'd say he does the best job of letting the sound toys work for him since Hendrix himself. This was my first Trout, played outdoors on a 200W stereo at full blast! - unforgettable. These reviews are written largely to help people decide wether or not they'd like a particular cd, hence the "Was This Review Helpful" button right over there. What you want to know now is "what compares to this" i.e. where can I get some mo'outrageous blues guitar jams from folks I've never heard of? Try Roy Buchanan (Guitar On Fire or Greatest Unknown Guitarist), Jay Gordon (Rings Around The Sun Vol.I), Luther Allison (Live In Chicago), Greg Koch (Double The Gristle), Blues Fuze (Self Titled), James Solberg (L.A. Blues), Todd Wolfe (Live At Manny's Car Wash),Jack Falk Project(Blues Evolution),Joe Kubek (Cryin For The Moon)AND....the one person I'd want openning the show for Walter is a total unknown, but has four discs distributed thru Amazon. From Phoenix, Arizona....Carvin Jones (!)(Live At Joe's Grotto). Carvin is unbelievable too, I have all four of his releases - not the greatest vocals, but MAYBE the greatest guitar.
AFTER hearing this double live Trout, I immediately proceeded to very painfully get all the rest of his releases, twelve I believe and all are excellent - the latest release being the weakest. Trout's "Telling Stories" is in my opinion, the best studio blues cd possibly ever. No B.S., just pure power blues!!!

It is a great relief and satisfaction when a artist you have loved for years and is intertwined with some of your best memories comes back with such a roar . one of my greatest memories is 3 in the morning in the middle of nowhere listening to Walter trouts guitar cutting the night air at a friends 40th birthday with tracks from the live "no more fish jokes" After a couple of american c.ds that i felt were a notch below his previous this double set reaffirms his place in my heart . I feel jealous of the crowd at the tampa bay blues festival to have experienced this live and feel lucky at the same time there is a record of such a magical moment I can share the other side of the world Now if I win the lottery saturday night reserve a seat in the front row for some forty something New zealanders next time

In an experimental gamble, and on the recommendation from a friend who had heard a cut off this CD on the radio, I went ahead and bought it. Walter Trout literally burns the fretboards off his guitar. His licks are fast and full of energy. It has a slight rock edge, but he doesn't stray too far from his blues root. It is just energized music, full of life and emotion. I highly respect what he is doing for the instrument and for the style. Sometimes I have gambled on an unknown title CD and came up with blah-zay mush. This time, I found an energetic experience loaded with versatility and wizardry on the instrument. 5 stars for creativity and excellance on the instrument. He also presents plenty of emotion on some slow songs. A double CD well worth your money. Contemporary blues at it's finest.

As one of the privileged crowd in attendance at Tampa Bay for the recording of this CD, I can honestly say that it captures the show perfectly. From intro to encore, Walter and his band let rip with blistering blues and power rock. Walter Trout really does have a unique mastery of his guitar and delivers the most incredible sounds without any effects pedals or electronic trickery. A man, his guitar, and his sheer brilliance. The Free Radicals are the perfect compliment to this maestro. Superbly tight and solid. Each band member contributing to the whole, but letting the star shine so brightly. The sleeve notes tell how Walter nearly didn't make the show and how he was close to a total breakdown. Well, in true Guitar hero style, Walter never let the awestruck crowd know it. I couldn't help feeling sorry for Susan Tedeschi, the shows headliner, who had to follow this act. No band could've (or should've) done that. If there is any justice in this world, Walter will be as popular in the USA as he is in Europe . Buy this CD and experience one of the blues and rock world's living legends. You'll not be disappointed. PS. PLAY IT LOUD!

I first discovered Walter Trout on the Ruf Recording Sampler where his cut "Gotta Broken Heart" appeared. I like the version of this song enough to go ahead and get one of his albums. I purchased "Live Trout" for its price and because live albums are usually full of raw energy which you cannot find on a studio album. I was right about the raw energy. Trout abounds with energy, power, and sheer presence. He's so fast I'm amazed that his strings don't get tangled.

Unfortunately, he bores me. It's great that he can shred with the best of them, but you don't have to fill each second of a song with notes. The times I got into Trout were when he was playing with volume swells and slowing down. Also he does a good cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released." Even the beginning of "Serve Me Right to Suffer" is good, but he jumps in with his speed. I believe anyone can play with speed, but speed doesn't say much. Music should be felt, not forced.

I like it when guitarists rock out, but I tend to tread the line a little on the purist side. Trout has a great following and loyal fans and he really can connect to them. I think of him as Blues Heavy Metal, and those who lean more to the King's (B.B., Albert, and Freddie), SRV, Buddy Guy and even Hendrix may find this too heavy to palate.

LIVE TROUT delivers. It comes in full-blast and never lets up. The guitar is beautiful throughout. It goes from fierce to subtle--but it constantly explores. Every song features enough solo work that it boggles the mind. If you want to immerse yourself into the blues-rock world of Walter--sit back and try to comprehend all that his beat-up strat is doing. There is a joy that is evident in this live CD that shines through. If you are to start with one CD from this man--this is the one. He is a road warrior who just keeps getting better. The guitar work is exquisite and the concert is a blast. This double Cd is a steal.