Eric Clapton & B.B. King - Riding With The King (2000)

Artist: B.B. King & Eric Clapton
Title Of Album: Riding With The King
Year Of Release: June 13, 2000
Label: Reprise / Wea
Genre, Style: blues, rock
Quality, Bitrate: MP3, 320 (CBR) Kbit
Total Time: 01:01:15
Total Size: 141.53 Mb

Although Eric Clapton and B. B. King had a 30-plus years' friendship originating with a chance meeting and subsequent jam session at New York City's Café Au Go Go in 1967, the idea for a collaborative album only crystallized during the sessions for King's 1997 album Deuces Wild.

B. B. King's extensive catalog provides several tracks, including signature songs such as the smoldering "Three O'Clock Blues", alongside lesser-known numbers like the ribald shuffle "Days Of Old", and the Live at the Regal chestnut "Help The Poor". Elsewhere, King and Clapton look to guitarist Big Bill Broonzy (an acoustic "Key to the Highway") and Chicago pianist Maceo Merriweather (the slow-rolling "Worried Life Blues") for inspiration.

Riding with the King won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
The album was also released on a DVD-Audio in higher resolution.
Ironically, King and Clapton were chosen by Rolling Stone Magazine to be in the third and fourth place of the "100 Best Guitar Players Ever" List. They are the two best live guitarists, since Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman, who were chosen to be in the First and the Second Place but are dead.

Ok, I'm a tad biased as I'm a huge Clapton fan (heck, he's still "god" in my book). The disc shows how to giants in the guitar world can show restraint and taste by sharing guitar and vocals. Clapton's tone is so sweet, pure strat and BB, well, he's the best at those short, jabs and staccoto licks. The playing is never over the top, which is a good thing, but adding the true bite or smooth emotion each song deserves. This album combines old blues gems like "Ten Long Years" & "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer", with Derek and the Dominoes "Key to the Highway" (done acoustic, a real treat) along with a few contemporary R&B covers penned by Doyle Bramhill II "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be" (Doyle also plays rhythm guitar on this disc...he's gotta be smiling !).

Texas blues great Jimmie Vaughan adds a few biting solos to "Help the Poor". The backing band is also very tight and some of the finest around...Andy F. Low (guitars, EC's sideman) Nathan East (bass), Steve Gadd (drums), Joe Sample (piano) and Tim Carmon (B3 Organ.

The overall feel of this is "good time" blues, bouncing rhythms and the two blues guitar masters having fun. It's not the heavy sound of EC's "From the Cradle", but more like BB's "Blues on the Bayou".
A great cd that will no doubt win a Grammy and delight millions of blues fans (not to mention guitar players, like me).
Super summer driving tunes like the title track or "Marry You" will have their melodies locked into you head for days.

Tracklist:
01. Riding With The King
02. Ten Long Years
03. Key To The Highway
04. Marry You
05. Three O'Clock Blues
06. Help The Poor
07. I Wanna Be
08. Worried Life Blues
09. Days Of Old
10. When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer
11. Hold On I'm Coming
12. Come Rain Or Come Shine

Personnel
B. B. King - vocals, guitar
Eric Clapton - vocals, guitar
Doyle Bramhall II - guitar, background vocals
Andy Fairweather-Low, Jimmie Vaughan - guitar
Joe Sample - piano, Wurlitzer piano
Tim Carmon - organ
Nathan East - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
Paul Waller - programming
Susannah Melvoin - background vocals
Wendy Melvoin - background vocals

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Eric Clapton and B.B. King - Riding With The King

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyXPp1P8rBY[/youtube]