Riding

The potential for a collaboration between B.B. King and Eric Clapton is enormous, of course, and the real questions concern how it is organized and executed. This first recorded pairing between the 74-year-old King and the 55-year-old Clapton was put together in the most obvious way: Clapton arranged the session using many of his regular musicians, picked the songs, and co-produced with his partner Simon Climie. That ought to mean that King would be a virtual guest star rather than earning a co-billing, but because of Clapton's respect for his elder, it nearly works the other way around. The set list includes lots of King specialties - "Ten Long Years," "Three O'Clock Blues," "Days of Old," "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer" - as well as standards like "Hold on I'm Coming" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," with some specially written and appropriate recent material thrown in, so King has reason to be comfortable without being complacent…

An absolutely stunning German symphonic one-off, this is the work of an accomplished band in every sense, from the well developed melodies to the rich organ/bass interplays to the solid English vocals mixed at precisely the right level. While the keys and rhythym section are to the fore, and no better illustrated than in the brilliant "Walking through the Woods" with its fluid synths that shift into turbo about halfway through, some fine guitar parts appear in such tracks as the bonus closer, "Back Home". This is not a particularly German sounding album although some characteristic spaciness creeps in as well as spoken parts, occasional distorted vocals and rants, but they are so adeptly integrated and understated as to remain eminently listenable at all times. In particular "Requiem Part 2" could lay claim to being Zomby Woof's take on "Solar Music" as immortalized by Grobschnitt. Riding on a Tear is a 70s gem of German symphonic progressive rock that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Clinton Anderson’s Downunder Horsemanship Method is respected around the world for its focus on safety and the confidence it instills in horse owners. Riding With Confidence Series I is your introduction to Clinton’s acclaimed method and your key to becoming the best horseman you be and training the horse you’ve always dreamed of, whether for trail or national competition.