Bugs Henderson & The Shuffle Kings - That's The Truth (Live!) (1995) [CD Rip]

Bugs Henderson splashes a warning on the inside sleeve for anyone who might not know the drill: "This is not elevator music. Crank it up!" There are no overdubs, no re-takes, and no fancy tricks on this live recording, captured on five consecutive nights in November 1994 in various clubs in Colorado. If you've never seen Henderson live, this is as close as one will likely come to hearing what he is capable of when he begins playing his trademark red Paul Reed Smith guitar. Accompanied only by his son Buddy Henderson on drums and Keith Jones on bass, the artist gives you fast instrumentals, slow blues, heavy rock, slow rock, boogies, and everything in between. There's amplifier hum and feedback, whistling fans, and songs more than ten minutes long. One of just two covers, "Johnny B. Goode" is unlike any version heard before. It starts out with a bass solo, and then Henderson comes in with flying guitar effects. Three minutes pass before he even begins to sing. On "You Can't Sit Down," Henderson goes all out, demonstrating why he is the guitar hero he has become to followers. The center section of the song, a full three minutes, is all Henderson; a true guitar solo -- he goes it alone, no bass or drums. He throws in more heroics and licks than you can shake a whammy bar at. The Knack's "My Sharona," the Beatles' "I Feel Fine," Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," and "Peter Gunn" all figure into the equation. In his customary audio liner notes, Henderson admits that mistakes were recorded (after one of them he even steps to the mic and says, "Sorry"), but insists that after listening to over 15 hours of tapes, he chose the songs that reflect the feeling, fire, and passion of everyone's playing instead of those on which his own playing comes as close to perfect as possible. Amen. ~Ann Wickstrom