Riding with the King - Eric Clapton & B.B.King

...album:

- Riding With The King
The title track is a great track, and is definitely indicative of the quality to come. It's certainly light-hearted track, and sees to fit in with the cover of Clapton driving a Cadillac with King in the back seat laying back in the sun with Lucille, Clapton's Strat in the passenger seat. It generally seems to be a bit of an 'Ode to B.B.'. Superb guitar work (obviously) with Clapton's Strat going ...
...wonders as always. The hammond organ and piano sounds great, and while the song was written especially for the album, it fits in perfectly. B.B.'s section in the middle is great:

" I stepped out of Mississippi when I was ten years old,
With a suit cut sharp as a razor and a heart made of gold.
I had a guitar hanging just about waist high,
And I'm gonna play this thing until the day I die. "

more

Some artists have to break themselves into the charts. Others have to try and replicate their past glories. Some even have to try and entertain whole new generations of fans. But there are some artists that need do nothing more than sit back and reel out yet another quality record. These are what we can easily refer to as out classic artists – the best of the best.

'Riding With The King' is exactly what a lot of us music fans have been waiting for – a collaboration between blues guitar genius B.B. King, and rock/blues guitar genius Eric Clapton. Is it brilliant? Well a) read the review, and b) you shouldn't need to ask anyway! It's quite impressive to think that while Clapton himself is almost 60, B.B. is over 70! Yet they're still going strong…

- A Potted History Part 1 – B.B. King

B.B. King (née Riley B. King) was born on September 16th 1925 in Indianola, Mississippi. He spent much of his youth working as a sharecropper in the Mississippi Delta – blues country – and singing at the local church. It wasn't until 1946, when King was in his twenties, that he had his first foray into the world of blues, when he looked up his cousin Bukka White in Memphis. This was where King began – he spent 10 months learning the art of blues guitar from his cousin.

He returned to Memphis in 1948 to make his first real break into the industry – he joined a radio station to broadcast his music live, as local club owners preferred acts who did this, because they could plug their performances at the club on air. King's handle became the 'Beale Street Blues Boy', which was later shortened to simply 'Blues Boy', and finally to simply 'B.B.'.

In 1949, B.B. recorded some of his first material, and in 1951 he had his first R&B chart hit with 'Three O'Clock Blues'. Shortly after this success, he went on tour to promote the album, and this is where we encounter on of the most infamous parts of B.B.'s history – the naming of his guitar. His beloved Lucille goes with him everywhere, and while there have been many bearing that name by now (indeed, there's even been a brand of guitar named after it, marketed by Gibson, no less), the original one was given the name for a specific reason. Apparently, while he was playing a gig, a fight broke out between two men over a woman, and in the brawl that ensued, a bin with kerosene in it was knocked over, setting the whole place on fire. After B.B. escaped, he realised he'd left his guitar behind, and rushed back in to fetch it! Lucille was the name of the woman who the men were fighting over. So now you know!

The 1950's were a rich musical time for King, as he reeled off hit after hit, including some of the classics recreated on this album, while the 60s saw King continuing his success, and finally moving from his home 'Kent' label to the more upmarket 'ABC-Paramount' label which was another step on his way to universal stardom. He really broke through in 1969 though, when his cover of Roy Hawkin's 'The Thrill Is Gone' made it well up the pop charts as well as the R&B charts, and he began to become more widely appreciated.

King survived well in the 70s, primarily because he wasn't afraid to experiment with the blues genre, working with smooth rhythm sections and jazzy backing singers to produce completely different sounds.

King continues to surprise, and this collaboration with Clapton see the two geniuses coming together to pool their talents and have a bit of fun at the same time.

- A Potted History Part 2 – Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton (aka Eric Patrick Clapp) was born in Ripley, England in 1945. While he had a hugely successful career with a variety of bands (the Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith), it wasn't until 1970 that he ventured out on his own. And even after the release of his first solo album, he saw fit to disappear back into the relative comfort of a band environment almost immediately, in the form of 'Derek and the Dominos'. It wasn't until 1974 that he returned in a solo form and actually stayed there!

He released a new album, which produced a number 1 single, a cover of the Bob Marley classic 'I Shot The Sheriff'. Since that breakthrough, he's had up and down fortunes, but has remained a guitar hero in the heart of many. His 1977 album 'Slowhand' brought a whole batch of quality songs, and some of my favourites – songs like 'Cocaine' and 'Lay Down Sally'.

The 80s signalled something of lull in Clapton's career, as albums released during that period were something of a letdown, but he made a return to form at the end of the decade with the critically acclaimed Journeyman.

On March 20th, 1991, Clapton's four year old son was killed when he fell from an open window in a skyscraper (about 14 storeys I think), and as a result he didn't go back into the studio for some time. He penned a song for his lost son, the beautiful ballad 'Tears In Heaven', which became a massive hit. He played the song on his return to the scene in 1992 when he played the MTV Unplugged sessions, and the resulting CD became one of his biggest selling albums ever.

Since then, he's played around with a number of projects, including this one, and is generally going as strong as he ever was.

- Hit the tracks, Jack

Well, now we've seen a bit of what the two artists are like, and how they got where they are now, it's time to take a good look at the album. I would say it's roots are firmly in blues, but this isn't to say that B.B takes over the album completely – Clapton still has a large part to play, and on the whole it plays out well. Clapton cites King as one of his heroes, so he's all to willing to play second fiddle to his idol, but not to such an extent that he fades into the background – the fact they they've been friends for a long time probably helped this. The album has less of a feel of a out-and-out straight collaboration, and more of just a fun jamming session between the two, and the album is all the better for it, and it has a fun feel to it.

Anyway, to the album:

- Riding With The King
The title track is a great track, and is definitely indicative of the quality to come. It's certainly light-hearted track, and sees to fit in with the cover of Clapton driving a Cadillac with King in the back seat laying back in the sun with Lucille, Clapton's Strat in the passenger seat. It generally seems to be a bit of an 'Ode to B.B.'. Superb guitar work (obviously) with Clapton's Strat going ten to the dozen, and B.B.'s classic one-string approach working wonders as always. The hammond organ and piano sounds great, and while the song was written especially for the album, it fits in perfectly. B.B.'s section in the middle is great:

" I stepped out of Mississippi when I was ten years old,
With a suit cut sharp as a razor and a heart made of gold.
I had a guitar hanging just about waist high,
And I'm gonna play this thing until the day I die. "

- Ten Long Years
Classic blues here, and one of B.B.'s top tracks from the 50's. It's a sad track about his woman of 10 years leaving him after a happy relationship. All the vocals are taken on by B.B., and the strong baseline emphasises the tragedy in the song, and the backing piano add that little bit of class to the song. This is the first time we really see what I love so much about this album – there's plenty of verse, but it's at least equalled by guitar solo sections, which sound absolutely superb.

- Key To The Highway
A cover this time, of a track penned by old blues star 'Big Bill Broonzy', a slow track that allows Clapton's 'note-heavy' style to shine through, while King's style fits in equally well. It's a slow, 'let's hit the road and drive off into the sunset away from all my troubles' type of track, and it's a nice calm track that probably fits an evening mood best of all. I like it a lot.

- Marry You
This is a lot pacier, and a lot more upbeat too, that the previous two tracks. It also sounds a lot more modern, and I *think* it was written especially for the album, although I could be wrong on that count. It starts off with some nice wah-wah and plucked strings, before Eric's sultry tones break in, deep and calm. B.B.'s rather less subtle vocals break us into the chorus. The guitar sound is very crisp in this track, and the organ is less noticeable as it other tracks. The subject of the song is fairly obvious – a bit of a love song, but not a ballad by any means! Top track.

- Three O'Clock Blues
You couldn't really get through this album without slipping in the track that got B.B. started on his way. Slow, 'smoky blues club'-blues here, and while the piano adds that little something occasionally in the background, and the drums and bass add a bit of beat to work to, this is more about the slow 'caressed' blues guitar feel. The song is a mournful song about B.B.'s woman walking out on him. Classic blues sound, and at over 8 minutes, you'd better like it! Which is good, because I do.

- Help The Poor
This is an absolutely top track, and another old King track. It's got a good blues feel to it, and the military style brushed drums give the song a quiet sense of urgency. The song is all about pleading a woman to give all her loving, and it sounds great, in a smooth, conservative way. Brilliant.

- I Wanna Be
Rushing back into the more modern stuff again, and quite obviously so. This still has a blues feel to it, despite not really being blues at all. It's quite a complex track this, and less is made of the guitars for a change, which makes for a nice break in the album. The soul-style backing singers give a brilliant sound to an already superb track.

- Worried Life Blues
Calming it all back down with a cover of a track by 'Big Maceo Merriweather' (is every classic blues artist 'Big'??). It's a story of getting over the loss of a lover, and moreover, the fact that they will one day. Lots of blues guitar and gentle bass. Slow and sad, but definitely sure of itself.

- Days Of Old
Another B.B. hit, and a great one at that – less of the sorrowful blues, and more big-bandy than anything! This is definitely a party track, you can almost see Clapton and King dancing around their guitars (and I don't doubt that they were!). The piano also plays a big part in this one, and adds to the pace of the track. It's different to most of the tracks, but it sounds brilliant, although you really have to be in the right mood.

- When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer
Back to the classic sorrowful B.B. blues sound, you know the thing – "you've gone and you ain't coming back darlin'" – but it still sounds absolutely superb. Not much for Clapton to here, but you can here him in the background with his classic 'Slowhand' guitar work. Top stuff.

- Hold On I'm Coming
I have to say, I really didn't expect this one! This is a cover of the classic Isaac Hayes/Dave Porter track (which they wrote for Sam & Dave), and starts off not sounding like it at all! More like they're tuning up for a track, and then breaking, and it's really the hammond organ that gives them away. King and Clapton have done a superb job of injecting a bit of blues into what was originally a soully stax classic. Brilliant guitar work, and superb vocals.

- Come Rain Or Come Shine
Finishing the album with a quality balladic track, slow and proclamatory in it's arrangement. It's a cover of course, although I can't for the life of me track down who did it first it's been performed by everyone from Ray Charles to Petula Clark. The gentle strings give a sentimental sound to the proceedings, and the guitars are there, giving a grounding to the whole thing. Great stuff.

- Hold On… Oh, no that's it

There's little I can fault in this album really – it sounds top quality, and it looks the part too. Clapton and King have come together to produce exactly what I wanted – an album that wasn't too serious or have a hard blues core that I couldn't get into, it's just right. It's also nice to see a couple of tracks I knew already covered in superb style, which gives me something to latch on to when I first hear the album.

Overall, this album has a sound all of it's own, and any music lover with even a slight interest in either artist would be well rewarded by adding this to their collection. Rooted in blues, but with other bit and pieces merged seamlessly in, it feels great to listen to, and I've already happily listened to this three times today, so it can't be bad! Absolutely superb album, and fast becoming one of the best of my collection.
 

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