Tag: Live Blues & Blues Rock Albums With Saxophone

Live Blues & Blues Rock Albums With Saxophone

I thought I’d list the live blues & blues rock albums with saxophone.

I love the sound of a well played saxophone and especially when it is used to contrast with an electric guitar or two. I’m not so keen when the sax is used for squawks and squeals rather than flowing, melodic lines.

I feel blues and blues rock are particularly suited to this guitar and sax combination even though I accept the traditionalist will argue that the sax should be replaced by the harmonica.

Many of my favourite artists in other genres also feature prominent saxophones including Bruce Springsteen, Roxy Music and Supertramp.

Live Blues & Blues Rock Albums With Saxophone

Here are the albums I can think of and I’ll add to the list when I remember more. I’m sure I’ll have missed out something really obvious.

On some of these albums, the saxophone is part of a small horn section so the brass is used to add colour to the music. On others, the sax is a lead instrument designed to complement and contrast with the lead guitar.

These are listed in “computer sort” order because it makes it easier for me to check that I’ve updated the list.

Albert Collins & Barrelhouse Live 1978
Albert Collins Frozen Alive 1981
Albert Collins Live 92 – 93
Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1992
Albert Collins Live From Austin TX 1991
Albert Collins Live in Japan 1982
Albert King Blues At Sunrise 1973
Albert King Blues At Sunset Live At Wattstax And Montreux 1972 1973

BB King Live at the Regal 1964

Climax Blues Band Blues From The Attic 1993
Climax Blues Band FM Live 1973
Climax Blues Band Live At Rockpalast 1976
Climax Blues Band Live, Rare & Raw 1973 – 1979
Climax Blues Band World Tour 1976

Delbert McClinton Live From Austin 1989

Gary Moore Blues Alive 1992
Gary Moore Essential Montreux 1990 to 2001

Jess Roden Blowin’ 1976
Jess Roden Hidden Masters 1976
Jess Roden Live At The BBC 1976
John Mayall Jazz Blues Fusion 1971
John Mayall The Turning Point 1969

Luther Allison Live ’89 Let’s Try It Again
Luther Allison Live In Chicago 1995
Luther Allison Where Have You Been Live in Montreux 1976-1994

Otis Rush All Your Love I Miss Loving Live at The Wise Fools Pub Chicago 1976
Otis Rush Live and In Concert from San Francisco 1999
Otis Rush Tops 1985

Robert Cray Live At The BBC 1988 1991

Son Seals Live & Burning 1978
Son Seals Live Spontaneous Combustion 1996
Stevie Ray Vaughan Live At Carnegie Hall 1984

The Blues Project Live At Town Hall 1967
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live 1970
The Rolling Stones Brussels Affair 1973
The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers Live 2015

Van Morrison It’s Too Late To Stop Now 1973
Van Morrison It’s Too Late To Stop Now Volumes 2, 3 & 4 1973

Warren Haynes Live at the Moody Theater 2011

What Are The Best Live Albums?

I don’t intend to create a new poll for the best live blues and blues rock albums but you can see how these albums are rated in the more general polls and, of course, cast your own votes for your favourites.

Please vote in the poll to find the best live blues albums.

What Are The FIVE Best Blues Live Albums? (Click on the links to go to the reviews)

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

Please also vote in the poll to find the best blues rock live albums.

What Are The FIVE Best Blues Rock Live Albums? (Click on the links to go to the reviews)

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

You can see the complete list of readers polls at Live Album Polls.

Climax Blues Band Live, Rare & Raw 1973 – 1979

Live, Rare and Raw is a collection of live recordings by the Climax Blues Band in the 1970s. It was released in October or November 2014 depending on the format and region.

What we have are:

  • Marquee Club London 1973
  • Live in New Jersey 1974
  • Live in Guildford 1976
  • Live from Miami 1979

These are all on separate CDs. When I get it on mp3 I’m planning to store it as four separate concerts.

I’m not exactly sure of the band make-up at these different concerts because CBB made frequent changes. However the main band consisted of:

Colin Cooper – vocals, saxophone, harmonica, guitar
Pete Haycock – vocals, guitar, bass
Derek Holt – bass, guitar, keyboards
John Cuffley – drums

Peter Filleul played keyboard for much of the time but he left in 1973 and returned in 1975. In between Richard Jones, one of the original band members returned to play keyboards and bass. If the recording at the Marquee was very early in 1973, George Newsome may have been the drummer.

Climax Blues Band Live, Rare & Raw 1973 – 1979

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Climax Blues Band World Tour 1976

World Tour 1976 is a live recording of the Climax Blues Band in 1976 while they were promoting the Gold Plated album with their hit single Couldn’t Get It Right.

The Climax Blues band were popular in America in the 1970s but never really received the success they deserved in their home country, England.

Whilst the album has a global title, all the references within the recording are to a concert in Nottingham, England.

Like many blues rock bands, they had a star guitarist. In this case it is Pete Haycock who played with the band between 1968 and 1985. he rejoined the latest incarnation of the Climax Blues Band in 2013 but he died on 30 October 2013.

Climax Blues Band World Tour 1976

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Climax Blues Band Live At Rockpalast 1976

Live At Rockpalast is a live album and /or DVD of the Climax Blues Band performing live in Germany on the 18th January 1976.

This was recorded before the Gold Plated studio album and the hit single Couldn’t Get It Right were released.

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Stevie Ray Vaughan Live At Carnegie Hall 1984

Live At Carnegie Hall is a live album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

It was recorded at the Carnegie Hall in New York on October 4, 1984 and released in July 1997.

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Howlin’ Wolf Live & Cookin’ At Alice’s Revisited 1972

Live & Cookin’ At Alice’s Revisited is a live album by Howlin’ Wolf.

It was recorded at Alice’s Revisited in Chicago on January 26, 1972.

Howlin’ Wolf Live & Cookin’ At Alice’s Revisited

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Jess Roden Blowin’ 1976

Blowin’ is a live album of the Jess Roden Band. It was recorded at the Birmingham Town Hall and Leicester University in November 1976.

Earlier in the year, the Jess Roden band had released a live EP with three songs – Can’t Get Next To You, On A Winner With You & You Can Leave Your Hat On.

I remember hearing this on the John Peel late night show on BBC Radio 1 and my love affair with the music of Jess Roden started. I never tracked down the EP but I bought Blowin’.

Jess Roden Blowin’

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Jess Roden Hidden Masters

One of my very favourite live albums is Live At The BBC by Jess Roden. This man should have been a huge star.

Anyway there is a Jess Roden anthology coming out called Hidden Masters and CD5 is packed with previously unreleased live tracks by Jess Roden from 1966 (with Alan Bown) to the glory days of the mid seventies to his come back in 1996. Continue reading Jess Roden Hidden Masters

Climax Blues Band Blues From The Attic 1993

Blues From The Attic is a live album by the Climax Blues Band released in 1993.

One of the things that made the Climax Blues band popular in the early to mid seventies was the guitar playing of Peter Haycock. He doesn’t feature on this live album but you can hear his playing on FM Live.

Climax Blues Band Blues From The Attic

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Climax Blues Band FM Live 1973

FM Live is a live album by the Climax Blues Band, recorded in 1973.

The group introduced a lot of new songs into the set rather than drawing heavily on earlier albums.

If you know the Climax Blues Band from their funky hit single Couldn’t Get It Right, you should listen to the mp3 samples before buying this live album. That song isn’t typical and if that’s what you want, you may find World Tour 1976 suits you better.

What you have on FM Live is excellent blues rock powered by the guitar of Peter Haycock.

Climax Blues Band FM Live

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Albert Collins Frozen Alive 1981

Frozen Alive is a live recording of an Albert Collins gig from 1981.

According to Wikipedia he was quite a character live:

“…he would frequently come down from the stage, attached to his amplifier with a very long cord, and mingle with the audience whilst still playing.He was known to leave clubs while still playing, and continue to play outside on the sidewalk, even boarding a city bus in Chicago while playing, outside of a club called Biddy Mulligan’s (the bus driver stayed at the bus stop until Collins got off).

He sounds quite a character.

If you like your blues live, you should hear it.

Albert Collins Overall Review rating – 24/30

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