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If it wasn’t for certain British musicians of the early 1960s, the Blues may very well never have exploded into Rock music as we know it today, and indeed may have passed into history.” His love and admiration of the legendary British blues players from this era has fuelled him for decades, and if you have ever witnessed one of his live shows, you know to expect a choice cover or two. The recent BBC documentary on Jeff Beck, ‘Still On The Run’, highlighted exactly how much of a trailblazer Beck was and how highly regarded he still is. Here, Bonamassa dedicates an entire live recording to the work of Jeff Beck, as well as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. This multi format release was recorded at The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich in front of a seated crowd, who were either that mesmorized by the fireworks coming from the stage that they couldn’t move, or they were instructed to stay still… or they were just cold. They also seem very far away from the stage. Either way, seating at a gig just doesn’t work for me. During Bonamassa’s stunning version of Beck’s ‘Plynth (Water Down The Drain), I actually got annoyed with the inactivity from the crowd and switched the blu-ray off. It’s the little things that are sent to test you after all, and tested I was. This set, in a sweaty club, might have been a logistical nightmare, but the end result would have been golden. Opting instead for the audio version proved to be a wise decision, as it meant the crowd didn’t distract the work from Bonamassa and his incredible band; Michael Rhodes (Bass), Reese Wynans (Keyboards), Anton Fig (Drums), and Russ Irwin (Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocals). Nice to actually see Russ Irwin out front and centre, rather than being hidden in the darkness like he usually was when he was out with Aerosmith. It’s a lengthy set, beginning with the familiar intro of ‘Beck’s Bolero’ (the greatest rock instrumental ever?), recorded by The Jeff Beck Group in 1967, composed by, and featuring, Jimmy Page. It finishes some time later with more Page, this time a fifteen minute jam on ‘How Many More Times’ (the greatest swagger within a song ever?). There is always going to be a blues purist somewhere bitching about cover versions of some of these tracks, but the high standard of playing from this band, and the sheer joy that Bonamassa plays with, surely means that he is exempt from such flak? Favourite moments? Apart from the aforementioned Beck and Page moments, ‘Mainline Florida’ features Reese Wynans at his best, and his Hammond sound is a stand out feature on the Clapton cover. Wynans played with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble remember. Music royalty is an overused phrase, but this time it’s well deserved. The work of Clapton provides another few stand out moments, both very contrasting. ‘Pretending’ comes from the period when Clapton and artists such as Steve Winwood were considered mainstream. Highly commercial with a fantastic guitar hook, Bonamassa nails it. ‘SWLABR’ is anything but mainstream. The psychedelic beauty, taken from the classic Cream album ‘Disraeli Gears’, is so of the period that it is still coming down from the ultimate trip, “The rainbow has a beard… the picture has a moustache…”. Here, Bonamassa stretches it out with an incredible extended jam where Rhodes and Fig play the parts of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker admirably. As another Joe Bonamassa live project, ‘British Blues Explosion Live’ ranks alongside the stunning ‘Three Kings – Live At The Great Theatre’. Check out the crowd though, they will wind you up no end. Available now on Mascot Label Group. Review: Dave ]]>
