One of the hottest and most influential blues albums of all time, Live At The Regal finds B. B. King, the most visible and commercially successful blues
artist the world has known, at the absolute top of his game. That's saying something, because over the years King has recorded many amazing albums, and even a few live sets, that are nearly the equal of this one. But one of the elements that makes Live At The Regal so special the fact that in 1964, King's career was somewhat in eclipse, thanks to the dominance of rock 'n' roll and the inroads made by early soul music. Who had time for the blues
anymore? Well, the audience at the Regal did, and their explosive enthusiasm spurred King and his big band on to a performance that is thunder and
lightning in a bottle. King's passionate singing on the medley "Sweet Little Angel/It's My Own Fault/How Blue Can You Get" and his extraordinary falsetto
on "Worry, Worry" are the very essence of the blues, from low-down to ecstatic. And his guitar playing, using his trademark ringing, vocal-like
phrasing, is economical, but each solo somehow throws a knockout punch. When it was first released, Live At The Regal was seen as something of a comeback album for King, but now it seems more like one of the peaks -- perhaps the highest one -- in a career that has seen many of them.
