BERNARD ALLISON
Energized:Livein Europe
Ruf 1113
As anyone who has seen Buddy Guy in
concert understands, the live experience
is a very different animal than a studio
recording. Guy starts songs that never fin-
ish, wanders through the crowd, encour-
ages singalongs, and generally doesn't
follow a script, let alone a set list. It makes
for a fun show, but not necessarily one
you'd enjoy hearing at home. In other
words, you had to be there.
Some of those problems plague gui-
tarist Bernard Allison's double live album.
Recorded during a single set on Oct. 20,
2005, in Gottingen, Germany, Energized
is a nearly two-hour warts-and-all affair
with an undeniably energized Allison
fronting a tight three-piece band. Solos
fly, the backing group (including long-
time Allison family keyboardist MikeVla-
hakis) displays ragged power, and everyone
is on top of their game.
But songs are stretched way past their
breaking points. "It's a Man Down There"
works its way though 10 minutes only to
be followed by a 13-minute version of
Luther Allison's signature slow blues, "Bad
Love," featuring an extended organ solo
and an attempted singalong that never
really materializes. A funked-up "Too
Many Women" (watch out for the five-
minute bass solo) and the soulful "The
Way Love Was Meant To Be" - each 10
minutes long - follow. And that's just
the first disc. The second half kicks off
with a 12-minute slide showcase on the
Bo Diddley-inspired romp "The Walk."
Certainly, these were all sweaty, crowd-
pleasing moments, but how many fans
want to hear them again in the more sober
confines of their own homes?
Allison is gruffiy serviceableas a vocal-
ist but far from commanding, and his gui-
tar leads, while tough and raw, don't break
much new ground. His overuse of the
wah-wah pedal and lack of restraint on
seemingly endless solos result in a bloat-
ed two-CD set. Energized would have been
far more listenable as an edited single disc.
The video version of Bernard
Allison's two-CD live set is the pre-
ferred medium to experience the
guitarist's show. The songs in this
two-hour performance still lumber
on too long, but the visuals of the
band - and the audience - obvi-
ously enjoying themselves add
excitement to rather average blues-
rock music. Allison is a gifted gui-
tarist who aims to please, and
along with his well-rehearsed
three-piece band, he thunders through this set - presented here
in roaring surround sound - with sweaty enthusiasm.
HAL HOROWITZ
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