BOBBY BLAND & B. B. KING: TOGETHER AGAIN...
LIVE (1976)
1) Let The Good Times Roll; 2)
Stormy Monday Blues / Strange Things Happen; 3) Feel So Bad; 4) Mother-In-Law
Blues / Mean Old World; 5) Everyday (I Have The Blues); 6) The Thrill Is Gone /
I Ain't Gonna Be The First One To Cry.
With the unexpected commercial success of Bobby
and B.B.'s benefit, it was only a matter of time before we would see the
formula repeated, and here we are: recorded at the Coconut Grove in L.A. on an
unspecified date in 1976, this time, before a larger audience, in a less
intimate fashion, and in a shortened format: only a single LP that focuses on
lengthy, semi-improvised workouts and medleys rather than a representative
selection from the catalog.
The problem is that the setting has irrevocably
changed. First Time was, indeed, the
first time, an unpredictable attempt at getting themselves captured in a
natural, loose, relaxed environment. Two years later, what we have is a firmly
established, commercially-footed «star duet» that behaves appropriately: the friendly
stage banter is cut short and, where it is still preserved, feels more
theatrical and forced, the performed songs include big hits (they did not see
it fit to perform ʽThe Thrill Is Goneʼ on their first record, but they almost feel
obliged to do it now), and, worst of all, both the playing and the singing (particularly
the playing) feel even lazier than before — as if the stars were confident now
that the people in the audience are there to just look at them sharing the
stage together. Well, they do make an impressive pair, sight-wise, that has to
be admitted.
Arguably, the major highlight is Chuck Willis'
ʽFeel So Badʼ, derailing the proceedings from the restrictive blues patterns in
favor of a little spirited syncopation and allowing Bobby to whip himself up
into his trademark frenzy — because, frankly speaking, stuff like ʽLet The Good
Times Rollʼ is far better suited to B.B.'s self-contented, round-bellied mode
of bellowing than Bobby's subtler-soulful style. This is eight minutes of
first-rate hot groovin', and I sure wish the entire record would be like that
instead of giving us yet another version of ʽStormy Monday Bluesʼ (what could they possibly do with it that
we do not know by heart already?) or ʽEveryday I Have The Bluesʼ, which usually
works well as a brief show opener to give the audience a quick initial workover,
but here is made into a completely autonomous and overlong performance.
Admittedly, ʽThe Thrill Is Goneʼ gets an inventive
bit of reworking: first, they play out a «shyness» scene, with B. B.
expressing «doubts» about whether they should be cutting the song, then, once
the band is in full swing, Bobby starts wooing the audience, getting a «Viola
Jackson» lady to take over the lead on one verse — talk about a master class in
simulating spontaneity. But in any case, the song never works well with a host
of cooks minding the broth — it is essentially a very intimate chamber piece,
and switching vocals between B. B., Bobby, and an out-of-the-blue guest
vocalist, no matter how gifted, is a corny idea in the first place.
Little surprise, in the end, that the record
generally gets much more of a critical thrashing than its predecessor, and, as
far as I know, did not at all sell comparably well — bringing an understandable
halt to the franchise. It may still be worth a listen (I do not see how a
well-recorded live album by B. B. and Bobby could even theoretically be a
«total catastrophe» — unless they permanently switch to hip-hop duets or
something), but, er, well, «the thrill is gone», I guess.
Check "Together Again... Live" (MP3) on Amazon
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