B.B. King – United Recorders 1972 – Broadcasting Radio Records BRR6012CD

How I wish I had been at this show!

The audience was anticipatory, comprised, from what I can tell, of lucky radio station listeners who won admission to the show, record company executives from ABC/Dunhill Records, various KMET-FM staffers, among others.  The show’s location was at United Western Recorders on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CA, in October, 1972.  Radio station KMET-FM was presenting and broadcasting the show.  And what a show it was!

There are numerous “live” B.B. King collections out there, including those felt to be the best representations of a B.B. “live” show, mainly Live At The Regal, Live At Cook County Jail, and Blues Is King.  I’ve always been partial to Blues Is King, as it seems the most authentic of all of the collections.  All are fine “live” sets, but from the opening notes of King’s performance here, until the end of the set, this CD’s offerings captured me and enthralled me.  I have not been as thrilled by a B.B. King recording, studio or “live”, in a long time.  And, it now ranks highest to me of all the “live” B.B. King recordings.

On this set, King sounds rested and eager, a man knowing he has a captive audience impatient for his skills.  King is bellowing and roaring his tales of life like a lion, exulting his known place as “The King Of The Blues”.  His guitar playing is rife with both the nuance and power that strikes his blues mood and whim.  Only this combination could so thoroughly convey King’s life stories.

The orchestra, nine members strong, are locked-in on King’s musical vision, providing, when the moments dictate, the subtle volume required to set the mood for a serious tune of melancholy, or unabashedly swinging to a tale in need of greater emphasis.  King leads and his orchestra follows, walking together on this day’s blues journey.

On a number of the tunes, King can be clearly heard urging his guitar solo efforts forward, seemingly lost in the moment, striving for the ideal run, and celebrating it when he makes it happen.  He is highly satisfied with his work, and he seems unashamedly proud to realize his musical vision.

Except for a couple of very brief vocal drop-outs, the sound here is excellent.  Many recordings done for radio broadcast lack decent sound, but overall, this one does not let the listener down.

The 14 song setlist is at once both familiar and fresh, but no matter the song, each is thrust forward by King in a manner of a man who finds himself comfortable, enthusiastic, appreciative, and determined to empty the tank during this performance.  After having played the first 12 songs of the show, King assures the excitable crowd that he has more yet to provide.  In fact, King seems compelled to deliver more!  King then takes his audience and band on an almost eight-minute instrumental blues journey that is nothing short of brilliant.  He ends the performance by seemingly asking for forgiveness for wanting to play a new song for them that he hopes that they will enjoy, and then delivers an impassioned presentation of “Guess Who”, a tune he composed in the year of this performance, 1972.  Often the question is asked, “Can the blues be happy?”  As far as King’s willingness to drive the proceedings here to a jubilant outcome for the audience, the answer is, “Yes!”

Having seen King many times over the years, one particular performance stands out for me as being my perception as the epitome of a B.B. King “live” show.  In May, 1987, King brought his skills and orchestra to the O’Laughlin Auditorium at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN.  The show was opened with a powerful performance by Chicago blues giant Son Seals and his fine band.  When King and his orchestra arrived on-stage and their show began, Seals and his band could be seen in the side shadows of the stage, transfixed by what King and the orchestra were providing.  There was King in all his stately blues nobility, bellowing his blues, regal in his colorful attire, his fine orchestra in their tuxedos, assuring all present that he was indeed in the house!  His orchestra swayed with rocking coolness when required, and brought it way down when such a mood was dictated.  Full songs were sung, King’s vocals evoking the distinct impressions left by life’s circumstances, while his guitar playing cut and seared and tugged at the heart until no patron was unfazed by it.  To me, this show most closely approximates to what this CD offers; King and his orchestra at the pinnacle of their game, confident, seasoned, and continuing to influence blues performers, tock and roll players, jazz artists, and many more, worldwide.

Despite however much B.B. King music you have in your collection, and no doubt there is a lot available, you will want to make room for one more.  After all the years I have been in awe of the blues, I am still occasionally astonished at a collection I had not yet heard that turns out to be so vital in its greatness.  B.B. King’s United Recorders 1972 is another of those recordings that remind me why I stay excited by my music of choice; the blues.  This is blues music at its best.

Highly recommended!