Tom A. (CTA4him) from ANDERSON, SC Reviewed on 8/28/2014...
One of three really good live albums from B.B. Tom A.
CD Reviews
King of the Blues
MarvelousMarla | Way down in Dixie | 08/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Prison performances are sort of a standard for blues singers, and it just doesn't get any better than this -- B.B. King playing his classics live at the San Quentin Correctional facility. I used to have this cassette, but I played it so much that it popped! Here King is playing to a truly captive audience offering up such classics as "The Thrill is Gone," "Sweet 16," "In the Heat of the Night," and my personal favorite "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother." In the intro to that last selection King explains to the inmates that while the blues was not just about hard times, some of the tunes could be pretty depressing. "Some of it can be pretty down alley. Like I'm fixing to do right now. I'm going all the way down to the bottom." Yet he also encourages the audience to go on and boogie off some of the uptempo tracks. This is music from the heart, and you can just feel the soul of the artist. This is the blues -- unvarnished, straight up and raw -- served up by a master of the genre.King broke a few strings on his faithful Lucille during this performance, but he never misses a note. His voice is still clear after all these years and he still knows how to spin a tale through song. He does a few audience participation numbers and banters smoothly with the crowd and the band. This is a fundamental recording, and an important part of my collection."
What Live Albums Are All About
MarvelousMarla | 08/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I concur with the first reviewer. This is a great album. I used to like the Cook County Jail album a lot (and it's good), but this one has it beat. B.B. sounds so fresh, yet totally in control. It's really a classic album"
The next best thing
Ei | Seekonk, Massachusetts | 10/16/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have seen B.B. King live, and he was just amazing - A brilliant musician, a crowd pleaser, and a bundle of energy. He is an amazing performer, and this live c.d. is awesome!! Worthy of any Blues fans collection, "Live at San Quentin" had me wishing I was a fly on the wall at that show. What a performance! Every song here is great, and King doesn't slow down for a minute. Like he says in the album, the blues doesn't mean "blue" as in depressing all the time. I actually listened to the entire c.d. while i was on the treadmill at the gym. It was very upbeat for the most part.
A sensational record that is worth buying. Rather than have his whole catalog, I prefer this! It is just masterful!
Highly recommended!!"