Track Listing

1. Introduction
2. Gambler's Blues
3. Sweet Home Chicago
4. Same Thing
5. Little Red Rooster
6. Sky Is Crying
7. Back Down South
8. Memories
9. Spontaneous Improvisation
10. Bad News Is Coming
11. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
12. Bad Love
13. Audience

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56571 in Music
• Released on: 1997-11-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
This 78-minute collection from four appearances at the famed Swiss blues festival displays the varied strengths of Luther Allison's music. The tensile, screaming guitar work and squawling vocal attack Allison is known for are here, of course, but there's another layer at work. A 1984 set with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, for instance, offers the Muddy Waters-like "Back Down South" (on which Allison lays down his ax in favor of a harp), as well as the Otis Redding-style shouts of "Memories." The most intense moments come on "Bad News Is Coming" and "Bad Love" (with the Memphis Horns backing him up), when Allison pushes through to the pulse of his muse with a six-string expression of confusion and grit. They make his death in the late '90s poignant and that much more palpable. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Luther at his best live
Luther Allison was one of those artists that seemed to play better live than in the studio. This CD is compiled with performances over almost 20 years. Even though some of the material is very familiar, Luther has a fresh take on the songs and he delivers all of them with a lot of energy. There's really not a weak cut on the disc and for those of us who never saw Luther in concert, this is a great memento. Many of the cuts feature some fine jams and the disc is a very generous length also.

A searing live performance from one of the best ever
The day I saw Luther Allison play live changed me forever. For months after that I practiced the guitar for hours every day, hoping one day to approach his skill level. This is the kind of performer Luther Allison is. This album comes in a close second to his stunning "Live in Chicago". Fans of blues standards may even prefer this one, because it contains his takes on "Sweet Home Chicago", "Little Red Rooster", and "The Sky is Crying", just to name a few. I'll miss Luther to the day I die. He was one of the greatest bluesmen ever. Check out his son, Bernard Allison. His style is different, more Stevie Ray/Jimi influenced, but every bit as exciting and dynamic as his father's.

Red Hot Live Chicago Blues from Switzerland
Fans of the blues have always been blessed to have the Montreux Jazz Festival since it has produced a huge number of classic performances with just about every great blues artist. When comparing Luther to his fellow Chicago bluesmen, his sound is more similar to Buddy Guy than Muddy Waters due to his raw, energetic, & frenzied guitar solos. Just about everybody has recorded Willie Dixon's 'Gambler's Blues,' but Luther's version recorded at Montreux back in '76 absolutely smokes. His extended version of 'Little Red Rooster' heats things up with the same intensity. 'Bad News is Coming' recorded in '84 & 'Bad Love' recorded in '94 are two other fiery tracks. I also highly recommend Luther's 'Live in Chicago' CD (recorded in '97). Between the two live CD's, they encompass the majority of Luther's best work.