The other distinguishing aspect of this release is the guest appearance of Eric Clapton and Luther Allison. Clapton apparently played a major role in helping get Rush on the bill in the first place. The moments with both (and later all three) legendary guitarists on stage are what make this set worth hearing and watching. The enthusiasm Luther Allison brings to the stage can be heard and seen. It is these moments that set it apart from Rush's other live albums because unfortunately the rest of the performances are not stellar.
For the Montreux set, he was teamed with Professor Eddie Lusk's band. They are probably an excellent backing band but it was pretty clear they had not rehearsed with him. The pace is at times sluggish and some mistakes can be heard. It would have been better had they had more rehearsal time or if he had been able to play with his regular band.
Aside from the mistakes, there are not many performances on Montreux you would take over those heard on So Many Roads – Live or All Your Love I Miss Loving – Live at Wise Fools Pub. "Gambler's Blues" is a good example. It's a BB King song he first recorded on Mourning and he performed it live nearly every time he played. This rendition is strong but does not best his other live versions. The synth solo on "Natural Ball" is so painfully '80s it mars an otherwise solid performance of a blues standard. The sound quality on Montreux is excellent and the DTS mix on the DVD is outstanding. It is a shame the professional recording job did not capture a greater performance.
Otis Rush fans will probably find something to like about the set and Clapton enthusiasts will likely enjoy seeing their hero jam with one of his.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
So many of his albums are out of print...
vinyl
...but you already knew that.
2 - DJRadiohead
A lot of the albums readily available in vinyl I now have on CD and vinyl is not that much easier to track down than the out of print CDs.
But thanks. Always have to be a wiseguy, don't you?
3 - DJRadiohead
I am hard at work on my next Otis Rush review (now that I finished another Guster review).