Blue Murder Billy on the Big AL Show

[@BenEller]

Good lord!!!! Absolutely on FIRE!

[@umyes5246]

Incredible, seemingly effortlessly. Have watched this so many times.

[@rjmcmooseknuckle]

I came here after your Best riffs video with Nick lol Glad i did \m/

[@frannyp46]

Uncle Ben knows who the daddy is.

[@mickchilly1112]

Can not believe that BASS player man that's just so full on unbelievable

[@mumu5013]

Tony Franklin, also the firm and whitesnake tour

[@devinw5150]

Saw these guys open for Bon Jovi in the late 80s and the 3 of them put out more sound than 5 members of Bon Jovi. Sykes did an incredible job with his vocals and his guitar playing is from another planet! I still have the T-shirt I bought that night. I had never even heard of them before that concert and I walked out with their album and a shirt. That’s how much they blew me away.

[@stephaniemariemcdonald9096]

I was to young for it , I remember every single older kid running 💨 off, I was with my mom's boyfriend, He wasn't cool, I took a job as a nanny , paid for the babies food,not my birth 🙄 Los Angeles California StillCA but I am an adult now , So over being told no ever.

[@SuperPapa44]

I'm fixing to BUY IT.

[@madden7732]

That explains why Jon mentioned him when giving credits on the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame.

[@umyes5246]

Amazing, very jealous

[@JaRule6]

John Sykes is sooo freaking talented! ❤❤❤

[@emersonmayeaux2482]

How the hell Sykes can wail on the guitar and sing so fluidly is beyond belief. John is a guitar and vocal god !! Blue Murder was awesome !!

[@ACCH-cm9ou]

and to think they even search for a lead singer in the beginning ....no one could match Johns style

[@slowemm]

Tony Franklin nailed that bass line despite the wardrobe malfunction. Absolute savage.

[@MarcOlivermusic]

That was a good one 😂😂😂😂

[@scarem84604]

The coordination to be able to sing like that and play complicated off-time riffs and licks is just mindblowing. For me, it is so tough to separate my hands and head when playing. John has always been one of my very favorite guitar players. That pentatonic run he ends the solo with is just dope as hell! Gotta love Tony Franklin's awkward style but every element is perfect for this band.

[@user-ig4ej3bb5p]

Пожалуй как Вы ,считаете,неуклюжесть Тони Франклина создает его одежда.Особенно брюки.Но такова была сценическая мода тех времен. Тони просто чудо,играет великолепно!

[@submersed2]

No auto tune , pure talent , one awesome live performance love to have a copy of this show episode

[@deepzepp4176]

It’s not a live performance. Vocals are live, but that is it.

[@stickaman]

one of my top albums, way underrated

[@electrician1974]

OMG you are so Damn right, entire thing is amazing, "out of love" is probably the best ballad of all time

[@redlabel69]

Named my cat after this song. He lived and full life, and passed at the age of 18. Blue Murder RULES!!! And it's pretty damn badass that Weird Al had them on this show!!!

[@bassthis]

Yeah so did I his name is --- Billy The Kitty.

[@BassGod1225]

Tony Franklin and that fretless ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

[@ristyblackmore508]

Guitar, vocal, fretless bass, all backing vocals, drums,, just perfect & unique

[@mozartsmate6358]

I love Jane Sykes, she must be one of the best female guitarists out there.....

[@rubengarzajr7825]

This album was better than the Whitesnake album he played on! I still listen to this album

[@superbatfirenze]

+Ruben Garza Jr i don't know if you re right or not...all i know is that i fucking love this man, john sykes, his way of playing that guitar just drives me crazy!!!!

[@AnabolicFarmer]

NO WAY 1987 was one of the best album ever.

[@bobgnarly2827]

Ruben Garza Jr I don't know if I agree with better, but it was a damn good album. I bought the cassette when it came out. Thought of buying again. Really loved the album.

[@electrician1974]

Damn right, "Out of love" is probably one of the best ballads ever.

[@gamecock1972]

I've heard that the Blue Murder album was essentially the follow-up to the 1987 album, but after DC and Sykes parted ways plans changed.

[@nunofernandes4501]

3:43 Tony Franklin manually detuning the E string to change the key while playing the song. EPIC!!!

[@poppycock6572]

Amazing power trio... other bands with 5 guys don't have the explosive power of these guys. Outstanding... of course major props to the great Carmine Appice.

[@michaelschmidt9708]

Their keyboard player Nik Green (R.I.P.) can be seen off to the side on John's side. Blue Murder were always a 4-piece really.

[@alexhicks5889]

Kinda. An enhanced three piece.

[@Warthogfan]

Tony must be the best fretless rock bass player ever

[@cozycooke2040]

Haha Jack Bruce

[@NikkieRoxxx]

Marco Mendoza, Matt Bissonnette

[@FrankCastlesConscience]

The POWER of that trio is incredible, so explosive so natural, perfect. My favourite Blue Murder tune and one of my favourites by anyone!

[@drkaplin98]

Quartet.

[@strivingx67]

J Sykes, one of the most under-rated guitarists in modern history imo. And a hell of a songwriter/vocalist to boot!

[@thegozzy]

I don't think he's underrated. Maybe not as well-known as he should be, but everyone who knows Sykes agrees he's an undisputed guitar god.

[@strivingx67]

@@thegozzy Great distinction. You are correct!

[@sspbrazil]

His songwriting is dreadful. lol.

[@thegozzy]

@@sspbrazil yeah sure.. he only wrote the music for 1987, which sold 10mio copies. Co-wrote "thunder and lightning", Thin Lizzy's best known album. Maybe you should look for another hobby bro lol

[@sspbrazil]

Dimitris Gozgos who cares? This music is very dated and doesn’t hold up at all. Where is he now? Just a speck in the universe. Without Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy was nothing. Thin Lizzy’s best selling album was “Jailbreak”, he had nothing to do with that album. Thank god this awful cheesy genre disappeared.

[@FleetAdmiral215]

One of the Best Rock Bands Ever , What a lineup Tony Franklin, Carmine Appice, & John Sykes, wish they'd do one last album & tour !!!!

[@ChucksterOLove]

I love Blue Murder and especially John Sykes! He will always be one of my favorite guitar players... 🤘

[@keith-kessinger]

The chemistry and energy of this line up is unmatched.

[@mozartsmate6358]

You obviously haven't seen Lieutenant Pigeon then...

[@jpaas123]

There are four incredible talents on this stage, the musicians and their hairdresser!

[@jonrizzle87]

John Sykes is a badass!!! One of the greats as a guitar player/frontman. So much emotion 🤘

[@vickvalkyrie]

jesus christ, i've never been happier to find a band like this. will treasure them forever. John sounded incredibly better here than in Whitesnake! is that a fretless bass that Tony is using? good lord. and Carmine keeps the tempo and holds the band so incredibly perfectly. these guys are beasts. thank you so much for uploading.

[@mumu5013]

fretless bass rule 😁

[@Asphaltheizer]

Unfortunately not live, except his voice...i read, that they prerecorded this piece. You can see it at 1:53 , theres a drumfill but he´s not playing it :-)

[@lucst.martin2112]

Tony has played a lot of fretless in his carrier. Listen to The Firm. He was outstanding with that unit.

[@DougWebbguitar]

Every time I watch this it blows me away one of the greatest bands ever

[@walter_smith8669]

Great song by the awesome Blue Murder. The Blue Murder album is my favourite album, and I have listened to loads of other bands and guitarists in the shred, progressive and melodic rock/metal style. It's a shame Sykes waits so long to put out something like this again, but maybe he can't top this, and that's fine. Because he, Nick, Carmine and Tony already delivered the best album. Buy it if you haven't already. Sykes can certainly do it all. Amazing talent, can you think of any other rock guitarist who can play these fast riffs and sing an entirely other melody at the same time? Some guitarists can play lot's of fast stuff and maybe came close to the feeling and wide vibrato of Sykes, but to sing at the same time and to write such great songs and solo's too? That really takes a lot of talent and passion. Sykes is the reason Whitesnake made their best selling album, it was his talent, most songs were co-written by him and almost all the guitar solo's were his. You can't help but feel nothing but admiration for the guy. Furthermore: I would not go to main street if I was Billy, 'cause theres been a riot down on Main Street tonight' ;-)

[@julianostillalive]

I think that Dave Mustaine get closer, of course he's from other style, but play fast and can sing at the same time

[@mmmcosta]

Kotzen is a really good musician, seen him live last year, but he really can't get even close to Sykes.

[@tremontifan3947]

couldn't have said it better myself Walter .. LOVE JOHN SYKES !!! doesn't get any better.. I could watch him all day every day doing what he does best. KILLING IT!!!🎸🎶👌😁

[@fabianespejonunez2286]

totally agree

[@mozartsmate6358]

Nearly everything that you have said there is untrue..

[@danfromgeorgia580]

Love Blue Murder! Man crush on Sykes and his monster playing. Love The Fretless Monster Tony Franklin and that killer fretless bass! And I will never tire of seeing drummer extraordinaire Carmine do that twirl with the drumstick! Tons of swagger with Blue Murder!

[@ChrizRockster]

You just know that Sykes could have carried Whitesnake in the event of an issue, Crying in the Rain, Still of the Night and Bad Boys are super strong songs from Sykes and he can nail the singing as he has proved many times when he has performed them on his own tours and the live album. Love what he produced in Blue Murder.

[@NotadeRedaccion]

And your performance Rock in rio 85: the best of all.

[@racerdeth]

I expect that might have been what threatened Coverdale so much, having such a strong identity in *his* band. Which makes it even more baffling that he replaced John with Steve Vai of all people!

[@SouthpawSatch]

Very underrated band that deserved more success. Would have been nice to see them reunite

[@nicholastotoro7721]

When Sykes was doing his intro, I was thinking "We are Spinal Tap from the U.K... you must be the USA!!!" Tony Franklin: Greatest. Mullet. Ever. In all seriousness, I think I played this cassette at least once every day in '89.

[@richarde5718]

Micheal Anthony vibe

[@dougvolinski5824]

Tony the Fretless Wonder!

[@bathtubgeorge]

I play the Blue Murder album more these days then I did when it came out powerful album, stands up well, very well.

[@dextershumba7262]

John Sykes!!! Vibrato Master Class!!

[@user-ml7tp4ur9l]

This is a totally awesome gig. I come here to see their fantastic play every year. Can 't be any better than this. Wish the sound quality would be better. TOP!!!

[@hydorah]

Hell of a drum set Carmine's beating back there. Love That Jay Dee bass too... Tony Franklin fretless monster. Class stuff

[@lesliemierow5819]

Love this live performance of John...

[@mozartsmate6358]

not live..

[@drjay73]

Such an incredible yet underrated band.....all three of these guys are supremely talented

[@dougvolinski5824]

Three great, again great musicians. Wow

[@MrJerramie]

Franklin and sykes. absolute fav

[@nightranger3430]

My favorite song from 80’s... Whitesnake was never the same without JS...brilliant from every aspect & had some fabulous band mates here...would love to see reunion with new music! C’mon John...Carmine & Tony say that they are ready bro!

[@ChrizRockster]

I think the only time I thought Whitesnake had got anywhere near the Sykes years was with Doug Aldrich as he has a similar attack in his playing to Sykes in that its full commitment to the note. I saw Whitesnake back in 2009 with Doug and they were amazing, and saw them for the last tour this year which was late due to Cov19 and Coverdale as well overdue for a rest, and he knew it. But the performance was still fantastic.

[@mreoski]

My absolute favorite song by Blue Murder. John Sykes was always the stronger of the ever-changing Whitesnake guitarist lineup. Really enjoy seeing him put all of his talents to work. Such a powerful lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, and all-around solid musician!

[@mozartsmate6358]

Off key, guitar out of tune, terrible song, just one big heap of nonsense..

[@evhfan5150]

@@mozartsmate6358 wrong..not autotuned, its raw and live (nothing redone in the studio), great song (listen to the studio version if you dislike this live version), just one big heap of awesomeness!!

[@mozartsmate6358]

@@evhfan5150 I didn't say autotune, I said out of tune, which it most definitely is.

[@felipevsw]

@@mozartsmate6358 John Sykes is never on tune, nor out of tune, the tune is precisely where he means it to. Yes, he's that great, Gandalf-great. Respect your superiors.

[@mozartsmate6358]

@@felipevsw he's definitely not been out of tune for the past 20 years..........ahmen.

[@gbarrancos1]

Man, Sykes == Badass. To sing and play along with the main riff. Awesome!

[@mozartsmate6358]

Wow, how unique,.. . not.

[@scottydog62]

​@@mozartsmate6358Put your video out there let's see you

[@mozartsmate6358]

@@scottydog62 been there, done that..

[@joshuahutchison3657]

this is cool, so rare. these guys were rockin

[@erichaheidrich4593]

+ Carmine and Tony made this super tight groovy kind of sound possible for Sykes’s thunder riffs. Super grup very underrated.

[@mozartsmate6358]

Hey Erich,... what's the opposite of underrated.?

[@onetymebigtyme]

2:46 such power tone, that FAT Crunch coming from the Les paul Jeezuz

[@jpaas123]

Fretless base players are so underrated in music history. Tony Franklin is one of the few bass players which I dare to mention in one sentence with Jaco

[@jktipan87]

Don't forget Sean Malone

[@mozartsmate6358]

@@jktipan87 ...and Barry from Showaddywaddy....

[@GeorgeHyland]

Michael Manring too….

[@DetVen]

Tony Franklin's mullet is fucking killer...circa 1987

[@cghghgm]

Tony Franklin stole my pajamas :D

[@rscotta831]

Don't forget the bare feet

[@mozartsmate6358]

@@rscotta831 they probably won't fit you now. . . .

[@archipelagohopper]

totally mind-blowing and giving me goose bumps on every level. haha, could not avoid the cliches, but blue murder (and their first album) is that good.

[@TheInimitableMissP]

Tony is like a pocket rocket! Great showman, great stage presence which is needed beside someone like John who just has an *incredible* aura on stage.

[@peterask2575]

This song makes me happy and this performance make me want to cry cause I want to see this again.

[@ACCH-cm9ou]

Amazing ,3 people sounding HUGE !!! exceptional Talents here folks

[@MnRProdMariolaur]

This band has been always so underrated but not for me because I have listen to this album over a million times, it never gets old on me!!!

[@hazzpolo]

Hot damn, just saw this, one of the best live performances I've seen..hidden gem

[@mozartsmate6358]

not live.

[@kenyankee4118]

TOTALLY awesome!! The talent and guitars!! Anyone that can pull that off live!! SUPER!!

[@mozartsmate6358]

Not live.

[@twikirobot6897]

04:28 ....the bow part riff from Still of the Night.

[@cherylmaloney7751]

Incredible guitar player and love his voice ...gorgeous is just the cherry on the cake.

[@mozartsmate6358]

You know Rosie.?

[@brentalanadamlandgrave7635]

Everyone in Blue Murder is absolutely fantastic, but I think Sykes' problem is that he just had too much talent and swagger for his own good. He was the complete package, brimming with ability. That led him to get used and almost achieve the level in his career he should've had, only to be denied. A Goddamn shame. That first Blue Murder album was amazing.

[@graag49]

"Too much talent & swagger" was exactly what Coverdale's ego quickly found out.

[@brentalanadamlandgrave7635]

@@graag49 yeah. I agree. That anecdote about John chasing David's car through the streets of LA is funny as fuck And hey, I ain't sayin' anything negative about Sykes. I totally support the guy's efforts. He's a legend and should be regarded accordingly.

[@stevengoodman3498]

Incredible! Thanks for posting. All rock Gods!

[@ruthbernard5495]

Hello awesome cool 🆒️😎 I am a 74 year old lady rockin' Out to.BLUE MURDER.

AMAZING!!!!! I just discovered their album and it's simply insane!!!!

[@srobert1838]

A True Rock legend. He was a master guitarist and song writer. Truly an original Artist in every way. Incredible

[@mozartsmate6358]

Reminds me of ..Billy don't be a hero by Paper Lace. Guitar solo very similar, can see where John got his sound from....luv u John..wake up soon sweetie pie....

[@psychodad13]

MY GOD look at ALL THAT HAIR!!!!! Love these guys!!!

[@mozartsmate6358]

Poodle Pop...

[@bluegroove536]

Cream of the Crop for Heavy Rock! John Sykes wields a mighty axe regardless whether this is live or taped.

[@lauremehrkens5891]

Blue Groove It’s live.

[@toddlangworthy1361]

It's a recorded live track they're just playing along with. The vocals are live though. Easy to see the track has a few things on it they are not doing when you watch them play. Still a great performance, despite being a little bit of karaoke:). But most did this back then.

[@andre.1984]

@@toddlangworthy1361 Sykes is hitting all the right notes. Maybe they are following a click track and adding some things, but to me all 3 players are playing live.

[@toddlangworthy1361]

@@andre.1984 watch Carmine, there are drum fills you hear that he is definitely not playing. Sykes is not hitting all the notes either, watch his hands. I play myself, it's pretty easy to see they are not playing the music live. The drums are the easiest to see for most people....if the drums are a recorded track it's usually going to be the whole music track not just the drums.

[@andre.1984]

@@toddlangworthy1361 After watching again more carefully, I have to agree with you. I take back what I said.

[@lippomclippo]

What a performance. Absolutely rocked. Happy memories.

[@lifeisnice23]

Awesome awesome awesome live performance!! John is a hell of an artist!!!

[@mozartsmate6358]

not live..

[@mozartsmate6358]

Didn't know he painted as well.... what a talented fellow he is...

[@crazeyjoe]

John, Tony and Carmine kicking ass and taking names!

[@JacksonRedRum]

This blows away 95% of the cats out there! Killer! Guitar / Bass / Drums / vocals & songwriting!

[@mozartsmate6358]

Wrong... the cats are still around, I hear them at night.....

[@mmmcosta]

Tony Franklin! WOW!!!

[@irenawegielski3471]

John Sykes is outstanding

[@usaslakt]

I want the mullet and the yellow pants! Now!

[@usaslakt]

metalheart80s me too 👍🤘

[@schnauzerears912]

And there you have it, now you know where the white snake vibe and sound comes from. Genius.

[@cowboyimmortal]

miss this stuff, sykes... one of the best

[@jackiedaytona7681]

This album WAS the summer of '89 for me.

[@kennylee9959]

Actually I shocked When I heard their 1st album at that time. Their play is still amazing in 2016.

[@billloughner9398]

These guys are bad ass!!

[@buttkrusher]

Wow, these guys were fantastic! All three could sing and play their asses off! I forgot how good a front man Sykes was, and how hard they could rock out. They should have been around for decades, putting out classic album after classic album.

[@EVEROSFP1]

Even the Big Al 's stache looked satisfied after this performance!

[@seankramer1270]

Fantastic. Great group. Underrated

[@mozartsmate6358]

Hey Sean, what's the opposite of underrated.?

[@stephaniemariemcdonald9096]

The whole band Blue 💙 Murder was well knit 🧶 tight ,Members they know each other the best ,Great Music 🎼🎶🎼🥰

[@mercierjanice]

They should've gotten WAY more recognition, they KICKED ASS

[@mozartsmate6358]

Poodle pop...

[@brianbare2166]

I come back to this video about every 6 months. It never gets old. I wish I could have seen these three live. Furthermore, since all three are still alive, I wish they would do new music.

[@kellybrincks]

Mr. Franklin on the fretless. shit yes

[@mozartsmate6358]

@@19211265 shoeless and shit,...what a stink...

[@humanalsowritterstephanie2195]

2020 still loving 🥰

[@mozartsmate6358]

that's all there is....

[@jasonsetters2813]

everyone SHOULD KNOW this is greatest 3pc ever

[@tonypowell250]

Jason Setters Winery Dogs and Rush are better.

[@nigelfarage4119]

Rush?

[@crazeyjoe]

@@tonypowell250 Imo, BM, Rush and Winery Dogs are all top notch. I would have to add King's X to this list!

[@mozartsmate6358]

Cream.

[@CthulhuForCocoaPuffs]

Wow, hell yeah! I forgot Weird Al had that show on MTV but I remember this performance very well. At that time I didn't really know who Sykes was. But this performance sold me on the band and I went out and got the album after seeing this. Just plain killer, thanks so much for putting it up.

[@schnugelischnugg]

like that album sooo much, i still listen to it again and again. John sykes rules!

[@mastorey1]

Tony carrying the rhythm of the song on fretless. Only way to put out all that sound.. power trio Legend. Keys helped but the 3 were ridiculous

[@michaelsoluri2961]

I was just murdered by that incredible bassist

[@mozartsmate6358]

Call the police....

[@RobertBentleydragon66]

Absolutely awesome!!!!!

[@starblaster77]

amazing band

[@jeffgoings3239]

My first concert ever Blue Murder and King's X

[@user-eu5zo9pw9w]

豪華なメンバーですね。ジョン・サイクス、トニー・フランクリン、カーマイン・アピス、ジョンはギターだけでなく歌も上手い。ゲーリー・ムーアやスティーブ・ルカサーもですね。 トニーの跳ねるようなベースもいい！ このアルバムを聴くと、ホワイトスネイクの白蛇の紋章アルバムの功績は9割方ジョンのおかげですね。

[@badmotorscooter1000]

Carmine is so slick. always confident and in total control.

[@CopperSound]

That bass sound. Wow!

[@thefonzkiss]

He channels Phil Lynott when he sings it’s quite noticeable.

[@todddesmarais601]

This band and this line up was one of the best bands around. Tony Franklin is bad @$$ on that fretless !!

[@jmgmarcus808]

This was a really great band, had they come along a few years earlier they would have been much bigger I think. Insane live, undeniable.

[@guitar_player_bernie]

That CUSTOM, LP Custom is incredible

[@moonwork4378]

Love this song. Great video. Just happened on this today because another poster shared a link to the song after this one.

[@francescozappacosta9153]

These guys are from another planet. Speechless

[@mozartsmate6358]

Speechless indeed..

[@BronzeRivet]

Sooo good. So good. Amazing.