The Thrill Is Gone

5 July 2010 by Richard Wilson

Forget your Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page or Slash riffs. No guitar solo in history comes close to B.B. King's The Thrill Is Gone. This brooding 1969 hit is unquestionably one of the most recognisable pieces of R&B history -- alongside perhaps a few select numbers by Otis Redding or James Brown -- but it's that searing guitar that truly makes The Thrill Is Gone.

1969 is the year of Woodstock. Jimi Hendrix was at his peak, playing dizzying, flamboyant psychedelic rock and the world was sitting up and taking notice. By contrast The Thrill Is Gone serves not to  wow its audiences through how many notes it packs in but how few. It's those bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs and trademark King vibrato -- and the sheer perfection of the empty voids between notes -- that send shivers down my spine with each and every listen.

B.B. King nears 85 years of age and is still out on the road playing a formidable 100-odd shows each year. The chances of him appearing in Australia (his last tour was 20 years ago) are slim-to-none, reportedly rejecting regular offers from Australian promoters, but one thing is for sure, he's not letting age slow him down.

B.B. King has released countless live and studio versions of The Thrill Is Gone. Few live up to the original 1969 recording, but this collaboration with Pavarotti is worth a look after the jump for the sheer novelty factor.

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