Hi guys,
I'm on a blues learning mission at the moment, and mainly focussing on Albert and Freddie King.
This thread is for listing blues tracks that you think are really awesome and worthwhile to learn in order to develop vocabulary and better vibrato, bending and expression.
This is for Blues rather than blues/rock, but the border is a bit murky here, so feel free to chip in with some that nudge towards rock also.
I'll get the ball rolling with 'Same old Blues' and "five long years' by Freddie king and 'Blues Power' by Albert King from Live Wire/Blue Power.
GO!
*EDIT* I forgot to say, I'm talking electric blues here specifically - I know there are loads of other awesome types, delta/slide finger style etc.
Comments
It's interesting to compare versions by various guitarists that have covered it. Peter Green's version is one of my favourites.
But you really need to cover BB King if you're looking at blues guitarists called King! Sweet Sixteen, Sweet Little Angel etc. buy Live at the Regal!
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Born Under A Bad Sign is one of the greatest albums ever! You can't beat Albert King with the MG's!
Elmore James
Howlin Wolf
Muddy Walters
Lowell Fulson
Willie Dixon (wrote most of the best tunes)
Obviously the 3 Kings
I've done a few arrangements of the songs for voice and guitar- so much of what we draw on as electric blues players comes from those songs, as well as Johnson of course.
The biggest problem I have with playing them out is avoiding the N word, or the word 'coloured'- which I just don't feel comfortable singing.
A song like 'Bourgeois Blues' has to be significantly re-written- the Pete Seeger and Ry Cooder version skip over those words as well.
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Have you seen this @mgaw ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeKq03-5aXo
great!
Magic Sam gets overlooked sometimes but he made a couple of blues standards including this, which has the same name as the Rush track but is a different song (!). The way the guitar is almost orchestrated on this as bounces between chords, double stops and single note runs is like a bridge between the rootsier styles of say Lightnin Hopkins and the hybrid approach of Hendrix. Sometimes blues guitar parts can sound a bit random taken out of context of the song but here it carries everything:
@EricTheWeary will check those out for sure, thanks.
I'll also add 'Love That Burns' from Fleetwood Mac's Mr Wonderful album.
And don't be afraid to tweak it to suit.
Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker is another must have.
shake your money maker - Elmore or Fleetwood mac
dust my broom - Elmore
hoochie coochie man - muddy
Manish boy - muddy
Let the Good times roll - bb King
need your love so bad - Fleetwood mac
black magic woman - Fleetwood mac (maybe)
messin with the kid, bullfrog blues - Rory gallagher
i'm ready - wille dixon, Freddie kind etc
crossroads - any version
born under a bad sign - albert king
crosscut saw - albert king (version off I wanna get funky)
before you accuse me - ccr
red house - Hendrix
I ain't drunk - albert collins
one bourbon, one scotch, one beer - john lee hooker (prefer it to boom boom).
boom boom - john lee hooker
why I play the blues bb King
how blue can you get - bb king
too tired - Gary Moore & albert king
riot cell block 9 - dr feelgood
gangster of love - johnny winter
killing floor - howlin wolf
T Bone Shuffle - T bone walker (in fact anything by T Bone)
goin down - Freddie king
pride & joy - stevie ray Vaughan
damn right I got the blues - buddy guy
slippin out slippin in - buddy guy
Stepped in what? - Johnny Johnson
johnny b Goode - chuck, johnny winter etc
sweet home Chicago - any
hideaway - Freddie king
just a little bit - Freddie king
roadhouse blues
dark end of the street - Ry cooder
will think of others as soon as hit post but that's no a bad wee list . I know some are really not bending as you requested but I reckon the songs and styles outwith all add in to tour brains Interpretation of blues and what notes work and when so feel they are good to add here and there.
for me bending if you took Freddie king, bb king, peter green and t bone walker and concentrated on their stuff you'd have a wealth of superb material for bending type blues. Maybe even add some clapton (though his bending stuff is very Freddie king)
and Lonnie Mack as well
with shorter list above and these two you get a variety of styles of blues with bending