By: William Clark
Bachman and Turner are back with a new release, Bachman & Turner: Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC, that will only reinforce their rock legacy, as one of the best blue collar rock bands around.
It’s hard to tune to a classic rock radio station without getting to hear one of Bachman Turner Overdrive’s (BTO) many hits. Between their memorable guitar riffs, two versatile lead singers, and a standout rock and roll sound, BTO quickly grew in popularity and fame.
Fame unfortunately can drive a band apart, and when Bachman Turner Overdrive was forced to an untimely halt, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner decided that they would shift into full throttle and continue to rock the world as a team.
This power duo of classic rock shifts into overdrive as they fire through an arsenal of well-known hits, such as “Let It Ride”, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”, and “Roll On Down The Highway”; as well as masterfully inserting a few of their newer classics, “Waiting Game” and “Moonlight Rider”. Randy Bachman (guitar) and Fred Turner (bass) give a muscular performance throughout their 20 song set, with each of the musicians taking turns on lead vocal duty after each couple of the band’s classics.
The backing band members also do a noteworthy job at filling in the lineup, as well as helping provide those signature vocal harmonies that are boasted throughout Bachman Turner Overdrive’s most famous tunes. As if a flawless musical performance wasn’t enough to make this release a must-have, the members of Bachman & Turner do a fantastic job at keeping the concert goer and home viewer engaged with a few surprise performances.
When Randy Bachman first emerged into the music world, he did so fabulously as the guitarist for a now legendary band, The Guess Who, whose hits include their #1 charting “American Woman” and their cover of Johnny Kidd’s “Shakin’ All Over”, which were both instantly and forever entwined with the classic rock radio waves.
Guess Who keyboardist, Paul Shaffer, made a surprise guest appearance during the concert, and magnificently rocked with the band through these two classics, as well as the closing song and fan favorite, “Takin’ Care of Business”. His dominating keyboarding and energy powerfully helped contribute to the unique and fantastic performance the members of Bachman & Turner gave their audience throughout the entire show.
Randy also does a wowing guitar solo filled to the brim with insane guitar harmonics, rampaging Eddie Van Halen-style arpeggios, and is made even more unique by being played with, of all things, a drum stick!
Without a doubt, fans old and new will be able to instantly dig this release. Everything from the surprise performances to the flawless musical execution makes Bachman & Turner: Live at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC, a killer and worthwhile buy.
Tracks:
1) Let It Ride
2) Rock Is My Life
3) Not Fragile
4) Hey You
5) Hold Back The Water
6) Waiting Game
7) Moonlight Rider
8) Lookin’ Out For #1
9) Stayed Awake All Night
10) American Woman
11) Four Wheel Drive
12) Slave To The Rhythm
13) Blue Collar
14) That’s What It Is
15) Sledgehammer
16) Rollin’ Along
17) You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
18) Shakin’ All Over
19) Roll On Down The Highway
20) Takin’ Care Of Business
