Riding with the King

Amazon.co.uk Eric Clapton and B.B. King first recorded together for one track on King's 1997 album Deuces Wild, an experience so satisfying that they decided they'd better do it again. Before long, Clapton announced on US television that one of his remaining ambitions was to make an entire album with King. Roping in producer Simon Climie, who had been such an integral part of Clapton's hugely successful Pilgrim album, the pair hunkered down in Los Angeles and set to work rejuvenating and re-interpreting a bunch of King's classics including "Ten Long Years", "Three O'Clock Blues", "Help The Poor" and "Days Of Old". They also take on a bunch of other goodies including a slow, bluesey reading of Sam & Dave's "Hold On I'm Coming" and, appropriately enough, a witty take on John Hiatt's "Riding With The King". They reach back to 1946 for the Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen standard "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and even dip into the 1930s to resurrect Big Bill Broonzy's "Keys To The Highway", where their trading of tasty acoustic licks is a particular joy. Throughout Riding With The King, Climie has kept the production admirably simple, with King's voice and guitar in one stereo channel while Clapton's is in the other, helping create a vital intimacy, as if they're playing across a small room to each other. --Johnny Black Product Description When it comes to the greatest rockin' bluesmen in history, at the top of the electrified traditional list is B.B. King; at the top of the contemporary list is Eric Clapton. Riding with The King brings the two living legends together for an entire album for the first time. When it comes to rockin' blues, Riding With The King is as great as it will ever get. Certified Multi-Platinum (2 times)by the RIAA. (2/01)