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B. B. King: Live at the Apollo

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: B. B. King
Title: Live at the Apollo
Released: 1997
Label: MCA Records
Time: 76:49
Producer(s): Carl Griffin
Appears with:
Category: Blues
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2007.06.12
Price in €: 4,99
Web address: www.bbking.com

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] When Love Comes to Town (Bono/U2) - 4:40
[2] Sweet Sixteen (Josea/King) - 7:20
[3] The Thrill Is Gone (Darnell/Hawkins) - 3:30
[4] Ain't Nobody's Business (Grainger/Robbins) - 2:40
[5] Paying the Cost to Be the Boss (King) - 2:20
[6] All over Again (Adams/King) - 7:28
[7] ight Life (Breeland/Buskirk/Nelson) - 3:56
[8] Since I Met You Baby (Hunter) - 3:50
[9] Guess Who? (Belvin/Belvin) - 4:57
[10] Peace to the World (Martin) - 2:53

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l

B.B. King - Guitar, Vocals

George Bohannon - Trombone
Ray Brown - Bass
Kenny Burrell - Guitar
Jeff Clayton - Alto Saxophone
Glen Drews - Trumpet
Harry "Sweets" Edison - Trumpet
Robin Eubanks - Trombone
Paul Faulise - Trombone
Urbie Green - Trombone
Gene Harris - Piano, Conductor
Plas Johnson - Tenor Saxophone
Harold Jones - Drums
Ralph Moore - Tenor Saxophone
James Morrison - Trumpet
Joe Mossello - Trumpet
Gary Smulyan - Tenor Saxophone


Sidney Seidenberg - Producer, Executive Producer
Josiah Gluck - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Carl Griffin - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Dave Grusin - Executive Producer
Andy Baltimore - Creative Director
John McClure - Engineer
Larry Rosen - Executive Producer
Ted Jensen - Mastering
Anthony Benjamin - Assistant Engineer
Ron Bowen - Assistant Engineer
J.B. Chupick - Mixing Assistant
Joseph Doughney - Post Production
David Gibb - Design
Scott Johnson - Design
Morris Lane - Photography
Michelle Lewis - Production Coordination
Michael Landy - Post Production
Sonny Mediana - Design
Andy Ruggirello - Design
Dan Serrano - Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1990 CD GRP GRD-9637
1991 LP GRP 9637
1990 CS GRP GRC-9637
1992 CD GRP 9637


There are both good and bad points to this CD. Of the latter, the Phillip Morris "Super Band" is confined to background work with -- other than a few spots for Plas Johnson's tenor -- no soloists being heard from. As an ensemble, the all-star orchestra performs well, but is essentially anonymous. Also, despite the backing, B.B. King does not attempt to play jazz, a wasted opportunity. But, switching to the good points, Live at the Apollo is an excellent example of a strong B.B. King live performance. Somehow he always makes his combination of blues and familiar hits sound fresh. With a liberal amount of space set aside for his guitar solos, B.B. is in top form throughout the well-paced set, which is far superior to most of his overproduced studio sessions for MCA. Even if the big band is mostly irrelevant, this CD is recommended for B.B. King's singing and playing.

Scott Yanow - All Music Guide



It's not that there's anything wrong with this 1990 recording: King's expressive guitar work and vibrant vocals rarely disappoint in a live setting, and this release here he has a top-notch big band behind him. In addition to U2's "When Love Comes to Town," King rolls through nine staples, including "Sweet Sixteen," "Thrill is Gone," and "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss." On the other hand, King has produced a number of absolutely riveting live albums, including Live at the Regal, Blues Is King, and Live in Cook County Jail. They remain high points of blues history, relegating this solid release to the second tier.

Marc Greilsamer - Amazon.com



One night in the winter of 1990 the SRO audience in Harlem's Apollo Theatre rocked in ecstasy to the blessed tones offered them by the master musician and the swinging eighteen-piece Philip Morris Superband, conducted by pianist Gene Harris. Salutes to Percy Mayfield, Ivory Joe Hunter, and Jesse Belvin (along with repertoire staples and the wondrous slow blues "All Over Again") have no problem at all going over with the demanding African-American audience.

© Frank John Hadley 1993 - From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD



Gitarren-Altmeister King Präsentiert sich bei seinem Gig in Harlems Apollo Theatre als wahrer König. Liegt's am legendären Publikum oder liegt's an der Spitzenband, die ihn begleitet? Immerhin mischen in Gene Harris' Truppe Ray Brown und Harry "Sweets" Edison mit. Jedenfalls gibt's keine Spur von der etwas seelenlosen Professionalität, die den Spaß an vielen King-Platten trübt. Da auch der Toningenieur die kritische Balance von Kings Stimme und Gitarre mit den Bläsern hervorragend im Griff hat, bleibt kein Wunsch offen.

© Audio



If you've seen B.B. King in concert, you know that his sense of showmanship in virtually unmatched. LIVE AT THE APOLLO captures every ounce of the distinct flair and finesse that the world has come to expect from this constantly-touring blues legend. With the Philip Morris Superband as his swingingsidekicks, B.B. sinks his tight, string-bending bite into ten immaculately arranged tracks, including such classics as "The Thrill Is Gone", "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss", and "Ain't Nobody's Bizness". And while recent times have seen B.B. do more singing than string-bending, this set showcases him in top form with plenty of his signature vibrato-laden, jazz-blues leads.
Other notable cuts include B.B.'s remake of "When Love Comes To Town", which he performed with U2 on their 1988 RATTLE AND HUM album. Here, B.B. takes the songto another level. It's the album's opening track, and within forty-five seconds of its brassy Chicago-style intro, B.B.already has the audience in the palm of his hand, doing "yeah-yeah-yeah" call and responses. And once the tune gets going with full-on horn arrangements, barrelhouse piano, dizzying trumpets flying overhead and killer tenor sax and guitar solos, you just might say "U who?"

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