Pat TRAVERS - Travelin' Blues 2009

Pat TRAVERS - Travelin' Blues 2009

Blues

From a marketing standpoint, Blues Bureau International could have come up with a much better title for this 2009 release than simply Travelin' Blues. Ideally, the title should have been something along the lines of Travelin' Blues: The Best of the Blues Bureau Years, Vol. 1, because this 61-minute CD is, in fact, a best-of collection focusing on hard rock and blues-rock that Pat Travers recorded for Blue Bureau in the 1990s and 2000s. Many of Travers' longtime fans will agree that the Canadian singer/guitarist recorded his most essential work in the 1970s and early '80s, but his Blues Bureau discs are nothing to be ashamed of -- and this collection finds him in fine form on solid originals (including "Time Out," "Too Cool Woman Blues," and the title track) as well as ballsy performances of Willie Dixon's "Built for Comfort" (a Chess Records gem closely identified with Howlin' Wolf), Muddy Waters' "Rock Me, Baby," the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post," and Buddy Miles' "Them Changes." Travers turned 40 in 1994, 50 in 2004, and 55 in 2009, but thankfully, these recordings demonstrate that he hasn't mellowed at all since the 1970s; Travers hasn't lost his grit as a singer, and his guitar playing is as aggressive as ever. Why Blues Bureau simply called this collection Travelin' Blues instead of coming up with a title drawing attention to the fact that it is a best-of collection is anyone's guess, but that doesn't make these 1990s and 2000s performances any less exciting. Travelin' Blues is an appropriate starting point if one is exploring Travers' Blues Bureau output for the first time.
By Alex Henderson. AMG.
**
Pat Travers- Guitar, Vocals, Slide Guitar
Mike Varney- Guitar
Tommy Calton- Guitar
Steve Fister- Slide Guitar
Doug Bare- Keyboards, Vocals
Michael Amico- Bass
Peter Mars Cowling- Bass
Steve Evans- Bass
Tim Franklin- Bass
Larry Jacoby- Bass
Gunter Nezhod- Bass
Kevin Rian- Bass
Brad Russell- Bass
Liberty DeVitto- Drums
Aynsley Dunbar- Drums
Jeff Martin- Drums
Joe Nevolo- Drums
Ernie Peghiny- Drums
Chris Logan- Vocals (Bckgr)
Monica Travers- Vocals (Bckgr)
**
01. Free Man 5:28
02. Too Cool Woman Blues 4:53
03. Rock Me Baby 6:05
04. Travelin' Blues 4:51
05. Inside Looking Out 6:15
06. Time Out 3:53
07. I've Got News For You 3:29
08. Whippin' Post 5:42
09. Them Changes 4:39
10. I'll Love You More Than You'll Ever Know 6:11
11. Green Eyed Lady 6:45
12. Built For Comfort 3:15
**

NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Pat TRAVERS - Best Of The Blues Plus Live! 1997

Pat TRAVERS - Best Of The Blues Plus Live! 1997

Blues

While most bluesy hard rock acts of the '70s and '80s hailed from the United States (the South, to be exact), there were several exceptions to the rule, such as Canadian singer/guitarist Pat Travers. Born in Toronto on April 12, 1954, Travers first picked up the guitar just prior to entering his teens, after witnessing a local performance by the great Jimi Hendrix. It wasn't long before Travers was studying the other top rock guitarists of the day (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, etc.), and paying his dues by playing in bar bands in Quebec. His first true touring gig came his way when he hooked up with '50s rock & roll vet Ronnie Hawkins (best known for performing with a backing cast that would eventually transform into the Band).

But Travers' main love was hard rock, so after a year, he packed up his belongings and headed to London. Shortly after touchdown in the U.K., Travers recorded a demo that would land him a recording deal with Polydor and result in the release of his debut, Pat Travers, during the spring of 1976. A performance at England's annual Reading Festival the same year only piqued further interest, which resulted in two more releases in 1977, Makin' Magic and Putting It Straight (both of which followed a pre-Iron Maiden Nicko McBrain on drums), before Travers returned to North America and set his sights on the U.S. rock market.

Featuring drummer Tommy Aldridge, guitarist Pat Thrall, and bassist Mars Cowling, the new Travers band lineup premiered on 1979's Heat in the Street. This led to Travers' most commercially successful period, resulting in a pair of Top 30 releases, 1979's Live! Go for What You Know (considered by many Travers fans to be his finest hour) and 1980's Crash and Burn. But soon after the dawn of the '80s, bluesy hard rock seemed to quickly fall out of favor among the U.S. record buying public, in favor of slickly produced arena rock, and later, MTV-approved bands.

As a result, each subsequent Travers release sold less, as his last albums to appear on the U.S. album charts included 1981's Radio Active, 1982's Black Pearl, and 1984's Hot Shot. Unhappy with Polydor, Travers opted to take a break from releasing albums for the remainder of the decade, but continued to tour. Travers' 1990 comeback album, School of Hard Knocks, failed to re-spark interest on the charts, although he continued to issue new studio albums (Blues Tracks, Just a Touch, Blues Magnet, etc.) and archival live sets (King Biscuit Flower Hour, BBC Radio One Live in Concert) throughout the decade.

Travers continues to tour and record regularly (playing alongside the likes of Night Ranger's Jeff Watson, Cinderella's Tom Keifer, and Rick Derringer), and in 2001, performed as part of the Voices of Classic Rock tour. Travers emerged from the recording studio once more in 2003, with P.T. Power Trio, a recording that featured covers of songs by the likes of Cream ("White Room"), Robin Trower ("Day of the Eagle"), and ZZ Top ("Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings"), among others.
Greg Prato, All Music Guide.
**
Pat Travers- (Vocals, Guitar);
Kevin Rian- (Vocals, Bass Guitar);
Ernie Peghiny, Aynsley Dunbar, Joe Nevolo, Sean Shannon- (Drums);
+
Michael Lee Firkins- (Guitar);
Michael Amicone, Brad Russell- (Bass Guitar).
**
01. Blues Magnet
02. Statesboro Blues
03. Ice Queen
04. Too Much Is Never Enough
05. Rock Your Blues Away
06. Elaine
07. Dusty Blues
08. Just Enough Money
09. Heat In The Street
10. The Pain
11. Life In London
12. Medley: Makin Magic; Rock 'N' Roll Susie; Gettin' Betta; I La La La Love You
13. Stevie
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*