Hey there. Lots of bands cover songs. But how many cover an entire album?
And what if that album is in the Grammy Hall of Fame? And what if they cover it LIVE. And then what if they turn that into their OWN album? Whew … my little Blues brain boggles.
Well, that’s what the Tedeschi Trucks Band did with Derek and the Dominos‘ 1970, Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. TTB’s version is entitled, Layla Revisited (Live At LOCKN’). And sister, they pulled it off!
I love the vocal variety here with multiple lead singers and harmonies. And the arrangements (guitar work in particular) seem too good to be one-take live. These arrangements These songs This whole album is sweet, sweet, sweet.
I don’t think another band could have pulled this off. But Tedeschi Trucks Band did. Grab a listen, because if you liked the original, you’ll love Layla Revisited (Live At LOCKN’).
Online Corner
Scouring the Net to find interesting stuff.
Videos
- Colin Linden : He’s got a slippery new single called, “Blow.” It’s from his upcoming album bLOW. (And yes, I spelled it correctly.)
- Misty Blues : The group has dropped a new video that includes some Joe Louis Walker searing solo work. It’s called, “Take A Long Ride.”
- Tedeschi Trucks Band: Come on. Did you think I could pass up a video of them performing “Layla?” (Get’s the blood flowing every time.)
Articles
- Joe Bonamassa: Joe’s diving head-first into the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) world big time. You can join in too. (Opening bid is $350,000.)
- The Hard Rock Casino: There’s a Hard Rock in Gary, Indiana. And some Blues acts are coming. (Holy home town Batman!)
- Bernie Marsden: Bernie’s been busy. Find out exactly what this Whitesnake founder’s been up to in this great Blues Matters interview
Podcasts/Livestreams
- Shemekia Copeland: Boston’s NPR station (WBUR) has a nice interview with Shemekia, discussing her take on the Chicago Blues.
- J.D. Simo: The man gets to spend some time with his pick of some Gibson Custom Shop guitars. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon aye?
Spotlight: Howlin’ Wolf
When it comes to discussing the big stars of the early Chicago Blues scene, no one was bigger than Howlin’ Wolf.
At 6 foot 3 inches, and over 275 pounds, Wolf was an imposing man. His gravelly growl of a voice only added to his larger-than-life stage presence. But as big as he was physically, he was even bigger musically.
He gave us tunes like “Spoonful,” “Little Red Rooster,” and of course “Smokestack Lightning.” But his relentless touring and performing also helped expand the Blues universe into the mainstream of Rock and Roll.
For a deeper dive, read Who Is Howlin’ Wolf?
Photo by Alamy.com
New Blues Albums
Some thumpingly-good albums came out this week.
Adam Shultz made an impressive debut. Ida Mae really pushed some boundaries. Tedeschi Trucks Band hit the sweet-spot-bullseye. And more.
Not a clinker in the bunch.
Out Now
- Adam Schultz: Soulful Distancing *** My Pick of the Week ***
- Ida Mae: Click Click Domino
- Tedeschi Trucks Band: Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN’)
- Mike Zito: Resurrection
- Mark Cameron: Back From The Edge
- Kevin Thorpe’s Out Of The Blue: Shadowplay
- Eddie Martin: The Birdcage Sessions
- Robb Bland And The Member’s Only Band: A Tribute To Bobby “Blue” Bland (Live)
- Joel Dasilva: Against The Grain
Coming Soon
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram: 662 (Jul 23rd)
- Bernie Marsden: Kings (Jul 23rd)
- Blues Traveler: Traveler’s Blues (Jul 30th)
ATWB: New Blues Playlist
Another set of new Blues tunes added to the ATWB: New Blues Playlist this week. Tomas Doncker, Ida Mae, Adam Schultz (feat. Clarence Spady), Mike Zito and, of course, Tedeschi Trucks Band.
The list is perfect for plugging in those new Air Pods and tuning out the mayhem in the world for a while.
Enjoy them on Spotify — and please Follow or Share.
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
I’ll Leave You With: Some John Lee Hooker (& Friends)
“Let’s do a Boogie.”
The uncontainable John Lee Hooker starts it off, and just like that, everyone else goes along for the ride. The notables being, Carlos Santana, Paul Butterfield, and a smidgen of Elvin Bishop. (Spoiler Alert: No Etta James in this video.)
This is 1986. The Fillmore in San Francisco (still there by the way). Enjoy!
Jon Beres
I’m one part Blues Fan and one part Digital Native (with a dash of Curmudgeon.) I’m also the publisher of AlltheWayBlue.com. If you love the Blues, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine - cheers!
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