Roy Buchanan
The Atlantic Sessions - Guitar On Fire

Roy Buchanan a guitarist endowed with remarkable technique and brilliant phrasing, was born in 1939 in the USA. The son of a preacher, he grew up in Pixley, California, listening to Gospel and Folk. He released his first album in 1972. His superior expressive abilities allow him to enhance Blues but not only that, as he also moves easily into other musical genres.

This compilation (excellent) consists of sixteen tracks, all successful both artistically and compositionally. I will briefly describe the tracks that particularly thrilled me, even though they are all of excellent quality. Surely some of you might think that a compilation is not the best way to present a guitarist of such stature, but I can guarantee that in this case it's really worth it. Additionally, I add "playfully" that this is what we have to offer. The first six tracks are taken from "Loading Zone" of '77. The next four are from "You're Not Alone" of '78. Finally, the last six are from "A Street Called Straight" of '76. It already starts strong with "Ramon's Blues" featuring stunning solo guitar pieces by Roy and S.Cropper. In "The Heat Of The Battle", an extraordinary Narada Michael Walden appears on drums. "Hidden" is an extremely sweet ballad with J.Hammer on acoustic piano and a great S.Clarke on bass. In "Judy", N.M.Walden appears again on drums and also on piano. Again, we are faced with another excellent ballad.

In the surprising "Adventures Of Brer Rabbit And Tar Baby", Roy and Clarke delight us with a sparkling guitar and bass duet. "Turn To Stone" is a Rock-Blues instrumental. The guitar start is simply explosive. "Flight Night Bird" is yet another instrumental with a slightly "Floydian" setup. Buchanan's guitar is rather deep and insinuating. Undoubtedly a small masterpiece. "Down By The River" is a convincing cover of N. Young. Another effective cover is of J. Hendrix's "If Six Was Nine". The album closes with another small masterpiece, namely "The Messiah Will Come Again", featuring an unforgettable "tear-jerking" guitar. The cover is also noteworthy, highlighting Roy and his guitar, rated at 3.5 (recurring) out of 5.

In conclusion, an instrumental album of rare beauty, by a guitarist unjustly forgotten but clearly superior (in many respects) to many others who are much more acclaimed.

PS: "I dedicate this review to R. Buchanan, who died in Faifax prison (Virginia) in 1988, where he was detained for drunkenness".