Songs From the Road (Bonus Dvd)

Luther Allison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 9, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Ruf
• ASIN: B002TQ3O38
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,304 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #41 in Music > Blues > Vocal Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bluesman In Heaven, February 9, 2010

By 

Gary T. "Gary" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From the Road (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)

I had the privilege of seeing Luther Allison back in 1972 at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin. Believe it or not, he opened up for two greaser bands, Bill Haley & The Comets and a band called Sha Na Na. There was some motorcycle gang up front harassing Mr. Allison while he was playing. I was kind of amazed that he didn't walk off stage but apparently the band wasn't entirely intimidated by those clowns. I had never seen anyone play the blues like THAT and needless to say, we split the coliseum right after Luther left the stage. I saw Luther Allison twice after that, both time on the East Coast. The last time I saw him was on 6/12/1997. He died on 8/12/1997 from lung cancer and brain tumors. There's no way that he knew he had cancer on that warm June night because he played like a man possessed for more than 3 hours. I've seen lots of great guitarists but Luther Allison was a pure joy to watch. The guy was drenched with soul and he always played his heart out. So many fantastic musicians (Jimi Hendrix, Hound Dog Taylor, SRV, Jim Morrison, Duane Allman, Barry Oakley, Toy Caldwell, Tommy Caldwell, John Lennon, George Harrison, Richard Wright) have passed away over the years and I miss them all, but I miss Luther Allison the most. I highly recommend that you buy Soul Fixin' Man, Blue Streak, Reckless, and Live in Chicago. If you listen close enough, you'll see why I believe that Luther Allison was the true king of the blues.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Previously Unissued Live Recordings From the Soul Fixin' Man, March 21, 2010

By 

R. Weinstock (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Songs From the Road (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)

There were few performers in any genre as riveting as the late Luther Allison. having been a fan since his debut Delmark recordings, I remember going to catch him at Oberlin College in 1970 and almost tore off the roof of the Chapel he was playing at. From playing an one-string guitar in Mississippi to taking over Freddie King's gig and band in Chicago he brought a hold no prisoners approach to his performances, throwing everything into his singing and his guitar playing. One can point to B.B. King as a primary inspiration, but Elmore James and Freddie King seem even most important influences in Allison's music. He struck me in his earlier days as a cross of the two Kings instrumentally with james' impassioned vocals. I was privileged to see Luther a number of times in the last decade of his life including when he performed for a DC Blues Society show for the "Soul Fixing Man" tour. I am not sure if the last time I saw him was at Wolf Trap when they still put on a Jazz and Blues Festival, and I remember this gentleman who had seen James Brown, Otis Redding, Miles Davis and others stating that Luther was as great a live performer as anyone he ever witnessed.

"Songs From the Road" (Ruf Records) presents on disc and DVD one of Luther's last performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on July 4, 1997. Shortly after this performance, he would be diagnosed with the disease that in August 2007 would take this wonderful person away from the world. This was a representative performance with his great band of James Sjoberg, rhythm guitar; Ken Faltinson, bass guitar; Mike Vlahakis, keyboards; and Rob Stupka, drums. It was a band that played hundreds of gigs together, toured globally for several years and played with a tightness that reflected this experience.

Luther, of course, held nothing back this night from the opening moments of "Cancel My Check," to his brief encore on "Serious." There are several extended performances that never falter unlike most of his contemporaries (Otis Rush being one of the few exceptions) who could neither sustain such inspired playing and vocals that Luther could, and Sjoberg's solos add another exciting voice while maintaining the fervor of the performances. Much of this are his originals including the rocking B.B. King styled shuffle "Will It Ever Change," where he tells his woman to listen to him (with Sjoberg taking the opening B.B. King styled solo while Allison takes the longer break later), while he takes a Magic Sam recording,"What Have I Done Wrong," and places his own stamp on it.

"(Watching You) Cherry Red Wine," was always one of the climatic parts of any Allison performance as he sings about this woman destroying herself drinking herself into oblivion, while "There Comes a Time," is a soulful number as Luther confesses to be a good man who went astray and begging to be taken back by his woman, with another killer solo here. His vocal here is a standout here. Luther takes out the slide for "It Hurts Me Too" (as well as Bernard Allison's "Low Down and Dirty"), doing Elmore James memory proud with his fervent rendition of the classic.

The DVD contains 7 of the songs from the CD ("Will It Ever Change" is not listed but present) and adds "Move From the Hood." The 59 minutes of the performances on the DVD video are electrifying with great camera work catching all sweat and passion that he put in his performances. The Montreal Jazz Festival has recorded and filmed records many if not all of the performances in the past couple decades and generally do excellent work. The DVD also includes a 23 minute interview and a ten minute excerpt "Tribute to Luther Allison," from a documentary. This writer understands that a 50 minute CBC broadcast was compiled from this performance This CD/DVD makes all of the music from that day available.

What a joy to listen and watch previously unissued performances by Luther Allison after all these years. It doesn't get much better than this release which is quite reasonably priced.

This review was written originally for Jazz & Blues Report (where it will hopefully appear) and has been posted on my blog, [...].

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Double your pleasure, July 9, 2010

By 

OffBeat Magazine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From the Road (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)

As great as the music is in New Orleans, and as lucky as we are that this city serves as a magnet for out-of-town music of all genres, it's a shame Chicago's Luther Allison never performed in New Orleans. Allison was a blues guitarist and singer of the highest order, and this live set from 1997 recorded in La Belle Province testifes to that fact. Allison certainly does his share of testifying here, beginning with the frantic opening shuffle "Cancel My Check," where he really takes the bull by the horn. A well-paced set, he follows with a down-in-the-alley slow burner, "I Can't Live in the House of the Blues." Allison doesn't hog all the solos as there's a very attractive organ present here very reminiscent of the small combo sound on B.B. King's mid-'60s classic Blues is Boss album. A crowd favorite in Montreal, Allison cleverly attracts audience participation in a couple of songs, in particular on "There Comes a Time." There's a great cover of Magic Sam's "You Belong to Me," and Elmore James gets sampled on "It Hurts Me Too." A fine DVD from this show accompanies this CD, so you can double your pleasure here.--OffBeat Magazine, April 2010 issue