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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2021 22:41:25 GMT
About two years ago I started a Bonamassa thread over at EH and it died instantly. I'm going to give it a shot here, skipping my intro of how I first learned about this amazing Blues guy (in short, a former fellow employee and my late former girlfriend conspired to make me a diehard fan!)
To say that Joe is an incredible guitarist is a bit of an understatement. He can riff through Eddie Van Halen-type solos with ease, but in an old school blues style. His vocals are very powerful also. So far, he has released 13 studio albums, numerous live albums, and several concert DVDs. He has been touring virtually non-stop, and I can tell you first hand his shows are amazing!
Believe it or not, with that many studio albums, his music is anything but repetitious. Each album has its own flavor. His album Redemption has a sort of Gospel theme going, and it is one of his most energetic set of songs. The album before that, 2016's Blues of Desperation is more of a rootsy early American styled outing. I highly recommend that one for someone new to his music because it represents his style in a very relatable way. Plus the CD is paired with a DVD of his live Radio City Music Hall performance, which is among his best videos. And it can be had at a good price.
I'd rather not take up a lot of space giving a rundown on each album, but I would like to give a general overview. His first few albums are just a bit rough sounding, which is perfectly ok in blues music. His first album, cut in 2000, features a cover of Jethro Tull's "A New Day Yesterday" (which is also the title of the album). 2006's You and Me is one of my personal favorites with a killer cover of Led Zeppelin's "Tea For One". "So Many Roads" off the same album is a true classic blues tune in the same mold. The next album Sloe Gin features an excellent cover of Bad Company's "Seagull". The title song is a standout power ballad with some serious soul. The next album, The Ballad of John Henry contains a hard hitting song called "Story of a Quarryman" with a growling guitar riff throughout. That album also features my all time favorite Bonamassa song, "Happier Times".
Another song that hits close to home for me is "The Meaning of the Blues" from a few albums later, Dust Bowl. This song has to have one of the wickedest guitar solos of all time!
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 2, 2021 23:11:05 GMT
I have to plead ignorance (and might have said that back on the EH thread years ago!) but really will give him a shot. I know he's known as a great guitarist, and so I ought to at least learn a little. Can't promise it will be immediately, but I WILL do it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2021 23:41:21 GMT
I have to plead ignorance (and might have said that back on the EH thread years ago!) but really will give him a shot. I know he's known as a great guitarist, and so I ought to at least learn a little. Can't promise it will be immediately, but I WILL do it. I honestly don't know where to tell you to start. He has sooooo much material out. And not every single one of his songs blows my mind. There are quite a few I feel are....ok. The ones I linked above, as I stated, are my favorites. Here's a fairly recent one that on the first few listens, I thought it was pretty good, but now.....the song is haunting me and I can't get enough of it! "Molly O".
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 2, 2021 23:53:06 GMT
I saw Joe on PBS a few years ago. I'm not sure where or when the show was, but Eric Clapton made a guest appearance. It was a very impressive performance.
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Post by kds on Jul 3, 2021 0:43:11 GMT
I know him mostly from Black Country Communion, a supergroup with him, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bohnam, and Derek Sherinian.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2021 1:05:44 GMT
I know him mostly from Black Country Communion, a supergroup with him, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bohnam, and Derek Sherinian. Actually, that's where the whole chapter started for me. One day at work a fellow employee and I were talking about classic rock, and specifically Deep Purple, and my friend mentioned that Glenn Hughes was teamed up with this guy named Joe Bonamassa in this group called Black Country Communion. I was oblivious to all of it, so the next day my friend gave me a CD-r of the recently released BCC s/t. He also burned me a copy of Dust Bowl, and told me that if I was such a blues man, I might really like Joe's stuff. I thought the BCC album was ok, although the songs just didn't quite stick with me. However, the Dust Bowl album blew my mind. And it just so happened I was starting to date a woman who was a serious Bonamassa fan. So next thing I knew I was collecting all his albums and going to his concerts.
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Post by jk on Jul 3, 2021 7:49:40 GMT
About two years ago I started a Bonamassa thread over at EH and it died instantly. I'm going to give it a shot here, skipping my intro of how I first learned about this amazing Blues guy (in short, a former fellow employee and my late former girlfriend conspired to make me a diehard fan!) I just revisited your thread at EH, sockit , intro and all. As you must know by now, almost all my threads in that section of EH (bookmarked for direct access) are populated solely by their OP! I come at it from the other side, so to speak. I start by assuming I'll be on my own and if anyone else does happen to join in, such as your good self in the "Louie Louie" topic and right now in the "1966" topic, great! The thing is not to give up. My philosophy is that if just one person somewhere in cyberspace gets something out of reading any one of my threads, it will all have been worthwhile. Anyway, I see this thread of yours is doing well already! The lead guitarist in my former band was a big JB fan and pointed me at several videos of him in action. Joe's musicianship is staggering but like a lot of metal and hard rock it's not an area of music that grabs me. That said, I shall be keeping an eye on this topic and hope to respond to it from time to time.
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Post by jk on Jul 3, 2021 11:08:13 GMT
Well how about this? Here's Joe with Beth Hart live in Amsterdam backed by a super band including Blondie Chaplin on rhythm guitar (and fellow South African Anton Fig on drums) performing "I'd Rather Go Blind", a song I already know and love from the 1969 UK hit version by Chicken Shack featuring Christine Perfect (later Christine McVie): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Amsterdam_(Beth_Hart_and_Joe_Bonamassa_album)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2021 14:52:53 GMT
Well how about this? Here's Joe with Beth Hart live in Amsterdam backed by a super band including Blondie Chaplin on rhythm guitar (and fellow South African Anton Fig on drums) performing "I'd Rather Go Blind", a song I already know and love from the 1969 UK hit version by Chicken Shack featuring Christine Perfect (later Christine McVie): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Amsterdam_(Beth_Hart_and_Joe_Bonamassa_album)Oh, that's a great one! I failed to mention his many collaborations. I believe he cut 2 studio albums with Beth Hart. And of course, he's up to four albums with Black Country Communion. Does the guy ever sleep? Also, I've got to give a shout out to his core band. They are amazing musicians in their own right. And being a bass player myself, I particularly keep an eye on Michael Rhodes, who really nails it as Joe's main bassist.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 3, 2021 15:52:38 GMT
And being a bass player myself, I particularly keep an eye on Michael Rhodes, who really nails it as Joe's main bassist. And who has some BBs-related credits, including Imagination, Gettin In Over My Head, That's Why God Made the Radio, and No Pier Pressure.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 3, 2021 16:28:57 GMT
If nothing else, I like his attitude.
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Post by jk on Jul 6, 2021 18:48:30 GMT
I'm beginning to really like this Joe person. Here he is with one of his idols Paul Rodgers performing Free's "Walk In My Shadow" at New York's Beacon Theatre. Commenter jchessermusic nails it: "You can tell that Joe was heavily influenced by [Free guitarist Paul] Kossoff. I know he's said it in interviews over the years, but even if he hadn't, it's evident based on the phrasing and vibrato alone on this song. Even Paul had a look on his face when Joe kicked off that riff that said it all. Stellar performance!!" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_Theatre:_Live_from_New_York
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2021 0:43:23 GMT
I'm beginning to really like this Joe person. Here he is with one of his idols Paul Rodgers performing Free's "Walk In My Shadow" at New York's Beacon Theatre. Commenter jchessermusic nails it: "You can tell that Joe was heavily influenced by [Free guitarist Paul] Kossoff. I know he's said it in interviews over the years, but even if he hadn't, it's evident based on the phrasing and vibrato alone on this song. Even Paul had a look on his face when Joe kicked off that riff that said it all. Stellar performance!!" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_Theatre:_Live_from_New_YorkExcellent! Thanks for sharing that one! I haven't seen all the Beacon Theater videos, so this one's new to me. Paul still sounds good after all these years. I think it's safe to say that Joe can effectively share the stage with just about anyone. He's a great vocalist in his own right, but he doesn't mind stepping back and letting someone else have the spotlight. And his guitar playing always complements whoever is doing the singing.
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Post by jk on Jul 7, 2021 10:24:02 GMT
Excellent! Thanks for sharing that one! I haven't seen all the Beacon Theater videos, so this one's new to me. Paul still sounds good after all these years. I think it's safe to say that Joe can effectively share the stage with just about anyone. He's a great vocalist in his own right, but he doesn't mind stepping back and letting someone else have the spotlight. And his guitar playing always complements whoever is doing the singing. I was lucky enough to catch Free at their farewell concert in London's Albert Hall. It's not often one finds oneself actually standing on a seat at that hallowed establishment (during "All Right Now")!
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Post by jk on Jul 19, 2021 20:23:46 GMT
It's an unlikely combination on the face of it. Actually I had no idea Dion (who did the original of "The Wanderer") sang the blues! On "Blues Comin' On" he's helped out by "Smokin' Joe" on slide guitar. Very tasty! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dion_DiMucci
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