Roy Buchanan-American Axe Live in 1974 EAC FLAC

Recorded at least partly at a Denver nightclub that no longer exists called Ebbets Field in 1974, Roy felt more at ease playing to small crowds which he could interact with and feel a part of. You can really feel the fun and the joy he was feeling by listening to him play on this cd. He was probably at his peak of "popularity" at around this time and the kinetic energy between audience and performer is apparent, driven by a spirited, rousing performance by Roy and his band. However, I have to dock it a point for sound quality. The constant buzzing from an amplifier throughout the recording, especially during the quieter moments, mars an otherwise brilliant recording of a sterling performance by the Telecaster Master. With that in mind, I'd have to recommend "Live Stock" over this which was recorded around the same time, although I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying this as the sound is clear - if you can ignore the amp buzz and just enjoy it for RB's guitar work (like I have)then there should be no problem.
On the other hand, you get more bang for your buck with "American Axe: Live in 1974" (as opposed to "Live Stock") as this is much longer and includes the Buchanan staples "The Messiah" & "Sweet Dreams" that are not on "Live Stock". The highlights here for me are the incendiary "Roy's Blues" (sounds almost entirely different from the "Live Stock" version), the moody "Hey Joe" (Roy's deadpan southern drawl on this is effectively menacing), the r&b cover "Get Out of My Life Woman", a stirring performance of "The Messiah" and the closer "Sweet Dreams" played as sweetly & melliflously as he ever could, as the great one quietly took his exit and left the crowd stunned and begging for more.
The band here is the same as on "Live Stock" and provide perfect support for RB, in particular Malcolm Lukens on the Hammond B3 who provides the perfect enhancement to the master's soulful performance. Unfortunately, Billy Price is not on hand for lead vocals, so the band members trade off with uneven results. So even though the sound quality is not comparable to "Live Stock" I would recommend this for the performance alone, especially to Roy Buchanan fans. I'd also recommend the Roy Buchanan biography "American Axe" written by Phil Carson. It is a brilliant piece of work.(Amazon Review)