Where Have You Been: Live in Montreux 1976-1994 [Live]

Luther Allison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 11, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Ruf
• ASIN: B000003QYS
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #74 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Chicago Blues
  • #96 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Electric Blues Guitar

Track Listings

1. Introduction

2. Gambler's Blues

3. Sweet Home Chicago

4. Same Thing

5. Little Red Rooster

6. Sky Is Crying

7. Back Down South

8. Memories

9. Spontaneous Improvisation

10. Bad News Is Coming

11. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

12. Bad Love

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This 78-minute collection from four appearances at the famed Swiss blues festival displays the varied strengths of Luther Allison's music. The tensile, screaming guitar work and squawling vocal attack Allison is known for are here, of course, but there's another layer at work. A 1984 set with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, for instance, offers the Muddy Waters-like "Back Down South" (on which Allison lays down his ax in favor of a harp), as well as the Otis Redding-style shouts of "Memories." The most intense moments come on "Bad News Is Coming" and "Bad Love" (with the Memphis Horns backing him up), when Allison pushes through to the pulse of his muse with a six-string expression of confusion and grit. They make his death in the late '90s poignant and that much more palpable. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Live In Montreux 1976-1994 by Luther Allison

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "CHICAGO NATIVE FLEES TO SWITZERLAND WITH THE BLUES!", January 22, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Where Have You Been: Live in Montreux 1976-1994 (Audio CD)

Due to the fact that Chicago blues great, Luther Allison, had to flee Chicago to earn a living playing da blues, (See earlier Shaq Review!) the famed Montreux Jazz festival became his stage. Included on this CD are nothing but "live" performances from this venue covering the years 1976-1994. Every cut is great, so you can't miss with this selection, but let me point out a few extra ordinary highlights! I have heard many performances of "Little Red Rooster", and this performance by Luther is the absolute best. It is 11 minutes and 30 seconds long, and every second, is a gift. No one has ever performed "The Sky Is Crying" live, better than Stevie Ray Vaughn, and in Shaq's opinion, Albert King is second. But, this performance by Luther, highlighted with a slide guitar, is a different approach, and interestingly, enjoyable. And how "bitter sweet", must it have been, for Luther, under self-exile, in Europe, to earn a decent living, singing, "Sweet Home Chicago!" This CD is a must, for any true electric blues enthusiast!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luther at his best live, March 20, 2006

By 

K. Cooper (Phila. area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where Have You Been: Live in Montreux 1976-1994 (Audio CD)

Luther Allison was one of those artists that seemed to play better live than in the studio. This CD is compiled with performances over almost 20 years. Even though some of the material is very familiar, Luther has a fresh take on the songs and he delivers all of them with a lot of energy. There's really not a weak cut on the disc and for those of us who never saw Luther in concert, this is a great memento. Many of the cuts feature some fine jams and the disc is a very generous length also.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A searing live performance from one of the best ever, February 9, 2001

By 

jeff zentner (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Have You Been: Live in Montreux 1976-1994 (Audio CD)

The day I saw Luther Allison play live changed me forever. For months after that I practiced the guitar for hours every day, hoping one day to approach his skill level. This is the kind of performer Luther Allison is. This album comes in a close second to his stunning "Live in Chicago". Fans of blues standards may even prefer this one, because it contains his takes on "Sweet Home Chicago", "Little Red Rooster", and "The Sky is Crying", just to name a few. I'll miss Luther to the day I die. He was one of the greatest bluesmen ever. Check out his son, Bernard Allison. His style is different, more Stevie Ray/Jimi influenced, but every bit as exciting and dynamic as his father's.