Customer Reviews

Loading Zone

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

 

 

This album introduced me to Roy Buchanan, and I've heard it many times over (and over). It might seem a real mixture of hard core blues instrumental and country - there are better albums - but the two outstanding tracks "Green onions" and "Ramon's Blues" are perhaps two of the most popular of Roys tunes and two of the best (Roy shares Ramons Blues with Steve Cropper in one of the best 1,2,3,4 blues guitar solo instrumentals ever). Ok, the other songs don't quite fit but are good by themselves. Get "the best of" if you're new to Roy Buchanan, but this album is still good for fans.

I think Roy Buchanan was one of the True Greats, In Loading Zone Roy gets some production and songs from Return to Forever Bassist Stanley Clarke as well as Mahavishnu's Narada Micheal Walden and even Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn From Booker T and The MG's on Green Onions, My Favorite Song Is probably Hidden, but the whole album is pretty decent, My favorite Roy Outting Is Live Stock but just down to tunes and personnel Roy has some phenomenal players but you never lose sight of Roy's stellar playing

I got this when it came out in 1977. It is awesome as Roy screams on his Tele and has a first class band behind him. I first saw Roy on "In Concert" where he blew me away. The way he looked and just was talking......then he started to play. He is one of the best ever and this is my favorite album. Check out The Heat of the Battle, or Green Onions with Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn. I am a bass player, so having Stanley Clarke on it is just cream...

When this disc originally came out, it was the first time Roy had really gotten any kind of label support. The production values here are much higher than on his previous releases and the supporting players are top notch. The only issue I have with this album is the quality of the material and its unevenness. The disc starts with what is probably my all time favorite Roy track, Heat of the Battle, just blistering playing that builds and builds. Roys duet with Stanley Clarke is a brilliant piece of chickin pickin, Ramons Blues is standard Roy fare. Green Onions was a surprise for me due to Steve Croppers lead playing, which you never hear, but its a standard cover otherwise. The vocal tracks with Roy are the weakest and for me hard to listen to. If Heat of the Battle were not on this disc I would probably only give one star, so that should give you some idea of the strength of the track and the weakness of the album. If you are looking for a good Roy disc to try out for the first time try Live In Osaka or one of the greatest hits. the Atlantic Years collection includes Heat of the Battle and the other best cuts here without the filler.

I am replacing my Roy collection on vinyl with CD's - and glad to see I can! "I was there" back when and saw them all, Mr. B was a rare treat in the age of banker guitarists. What that man could do on a Telecaster and little (twin reverb?) amp still defies belief, partly because of his r/h style, part because his l/h style. The fact that he did it standing there not breaking a sweat, a cig stuck up near the nut... smokin'... This is an American Master, and deserves to be heard by anyone wanting to understand the 'top shelf' technique scene at the time, or any other time. If you just love amazing guitar work => that too. This album showcases the incredible depth of Roy's technique - from "The Adventures of"... to "Heat of the Battle"... the "Hidden" to ... 'Blues'. Never one to shine the light on himself, and nealry obscure becaues of it - this particluar album is a great introduction to the most talented Amercan guitarist you never heard of. Maybe a bit "commersh" compared to other of his albums but the Telecaster axework as always is unparalleled and original.

This cd is awesome a must have for any Roy fan!This cd ranks up there with Roy;s first and second albums.The Heat of theBattle starts off the cd great! The other 8 tracks are really good too.Ramon's Blues is a typical Roy Blues song he just wails on his telecaster.Green Onions is a classic roy song and he often performed it live.I own 8 Roy cds and of the 8 this one is my fourth best.If i owned all roy's cds it probabaly would rank in the top 5!Really great guitar work again by Roy!I gave this cd 5 stars some of Roy's best work!

...it hurts. The good: "Ramon's Blues" and "Green Onions", both of which the guitar solos alternate between Buchanan and Steve Cropper as well as the cute "Adventures of Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby", "Done Your Daddy Dirty" which has a good guitar riff, and the powerful leadoff track "The Heat of the Battle". OK: "Hidden" which has strings and flutes as well as an acoustic piano; "The Circle" which (thankfully) is a rare vocal; the singing is marginal. Bad: "Judy", a would-be mellow New-Age piece that doesn't really mesh well with the frenetic guitar. Really Bad: "Your Love"; a ballad and misplaced to say the least. One of the worst tracks I have on CD. Can't imagine what he was thinking on that one. At least it's the last track on the CD, so whan that comes on you know it's time to change disks. This CD is probably better for Buchanan fans; others start somewhere else.