1988-02-27 (2nd show), NYC, Lone Star Cafe
GimmeMT.com Review by GimmeMTguy
Laundromat Blues
An interesting case study, since Laundromat Blues was played close to the end of the first set, and MT chose it again to open the second set.
The earlier version was absolutely blistering, so this one was played maybe an hour or so later in a more mellow manner, apparently deliberately. A small piece of evidence regarding the intentions of the improvisational soloist -- how much conscious planning goes into any particular song or solo?
Blue Note Shuffle
It's shaping up to be a heck of a Saturday night in New York, this Blue Note Shuffle features a rhythmic middle section and an almost-vocal Mick Taylor guitar solo mixing intentionally struck "slow" notes with arpeggios, resolved with a killer patented MT lick.
Another best song version ever?
Red House
Shane Fontayne and MT team up for solos on an unusually lyrical version of Red House. It just glides by for a delightful quarter-hour.
Giddy Up
Mick's solo at the end goes from dainty walk through the lillies to full cry in a matter of a few seconds, one of my favorite listens.
First he slides mildly up to the climactic note (I think an F#), then the next time he hits it with full-on power. Maybe my favorite single note he ever played, if I had to pick just one (a crazy thought). If I played guitar, I would be closely noting (and aping) this technique of playing the same note differently in close proximity (MT does this a lot).
Goin' South
Down in the Bottom
Mick invited Ricky Byrd, from Joan Jett's band, onstage after Goin' South. It was around the time that MT played on her studio track "I Hate Myself for Loving You." There was some kind of miscommunication or something, which I think results in the mess of Down in the Bottom. I don't hear any MT on it, and someone attending recalls that MT wandered offstage quickly once Byrd started playing.
Blues in the Morning
Blind Willie McTell
It appears that the new rhythm section brought new vitality to the Mick Taylor Band, there is a consistent energy and focus to both shows on this night. The MTB is no longer half of the old and half of the new. Although MT has now moved away from jazz fusion as the band's core identity, the former Jeff Beck players Max Middleton and Wilbur Bascomb bring an experience and gravitas that will define Mick Taylor's bands in the future.
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