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This album is one of the best live Blues recordings of all time. Today, it's the bubble envelope. Too bad the bubble envelope it was shipped in didn't protect the crystal case. I can remember when Amazon would pack CD's in boxes filled with packing peanuts. Forewarned. I buy lots of CD's from Amazon so I'm entitled to a little rant.
There are other live BB tracks out there, but this is definitely the one to have. This is a truly fantastic live album. A lot of artists just can't cut it live, but BB King is truly in his element when he's in front of an audience. He does a lot of his most popular tracks, and he does them very well. Nothing much else to say really.
I agree with everything in the other positive reviews about what a great album this is, but would like to add something for anyone wanting to learn blues guitar.This CD is a goldmine of great riffs and a great way to learn blues phrasing from a master. A few of the riffs are well worn cliche's at this point, but many are surprising and BB's not afraid to go out of the standard pentatonic box at times. The phrasing and dynamics are sweeter than sweet. You could not do ANY better in my opinion than to start with, or add to your repetoire from, this album.
Sadly, while the audio was being cleaned up, no one bothered to clean up the very, very sloppy edits (especially in the second half), such as when the second intro of B.B. Not here. So they finally went back and remastered the muddy audio on this classic album. If you're going to do a live album, the tracks should at least create the illusion of a live show, especially in this digital era when fade-outs and fade-ins are no longer used, and audience applause can be smoothly edited in to create seamless transitions.The performance is powerful and this is definitely a 5-star recording that has been royally botched by sloppy and oh-so-obvious edits. What we get is clearer audio, and nothing else. (why two separate intros, anyway). If no original source material survives (which may be the case 42 years after this performance)., then something from the era is added as a bonus and the CD is fleshed out to anywhere from 60 to 79 minutes long.
No more. The new sound is fantastic -- clear as a bell. You get the original 35 minutes. gets abruptly chopped off and goes right into a song that from the background crowd noise came at some other point in the show. In addition, many remasters go back and add in some bonus tracks. No less.Anyone who's seen what Legacy is doing with classic LPs (adding more to the original CD, plus a second CD of extra material) by Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, The Who, etc., surely have some idea how this great LP could have been updated for the 21st century. What a disappointment.
Pure bliss.This performance is pure electric. 'Every Day I Have The Blues' and 'Its My Own Fault' are among some of the most inspired performances ever caught on tape.
King-Live At The Regal *****Recorded live at the Regal in Chicago in 1964 this went on to become what is now widely considered the all time greatest live blues album. This is rightly deserved as this is in fact the greatest live blues album of all time.King's single note guitar lines are crisp as ever, and his vocals are beyond comparison.
B.B. The essential version is more correct.
Aside from being obviously his best live recording, Live At The Regal is the best recording of King period. This is with out a doubt the best version of 'Sweet Little Angel' ever released.
The albums closer 'Help The Poor' is just gut-wrenching. With every passing listen to Live At The Regal I still get chills all down my spine, and if you ask me that is the mark of a fantastic album after all these years and listens.
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