Ranking the Albums: Joe Bonamassa

[@markhoyle2275]

I’ve seen Joe live 15+ times. Incredible performer

[@jackbateman6839]

Rick and Pete this is a great show so thanks.

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Joe bona-fuckin-masa, great player. Last two albums are Brilliant.

[@independenceltd.]

1. The Ballad of John Henry 2. Black Rock 3. Dust Bowl 4. Sloe Gin 5. Driving Towards the Daylight 6. Blues Deluxe 7. You & Me 8. Different Shades of Blue 9. Blues of Desperation 10. A New Day Yesterday

[@garyjoyce2160]

Tremendous job by RICK as usual. Great passion. I only own 6 of 15 but loved hearing both PETE and RICKS insight. I’ll definitely play him today. Thx guys 👍💯

[@adam.e.nowakowski]

Brilliant choice for another ranking! This episode can't get here soon enough. I would pick "The Ballad of John Henry" as my No. 1, no questions about it.

[@scottwalker5275]

The dvd of Live @ the Beacon Theatre is fantastic. His guitar playing on Mountain Time is just so SWEET! You can feel every note and it’s just amazing. His playing is just so clean. He can rock out, play some killer blues, and his soft stuff is just so sweet. What a great MUSICIAN! Great show guys

[@jodysigle7894]

Joe is terrific! If you love guitar, horns, keys, great lead vocals and backing vocals you will love everything Joe does. Top 5 for me: 1. John Henry 2. Black Rock 3. Time Clocks 4. A New Day Yesterday 5. Redemption

[@bmboldt]

Back in 2002 I attended the annual Indigenous Jam which was a blues fest headlined by Indigenous. One of the early bands that day was a guy named Joe Bonamassa. So It's Like That had just come out I think. I had never heard of him before. I am standing by the stage while he is setting up. Then he plugs in and starts playing some blazing pentatonic riffs ala Eric Johnson. That got my attention. He played a great set and I have been a fan ever since. Back in those days I would see him play here annually at clubs and blues fests.

[@Dowd34]

It's pretty hard to rank Joe's albums because he's consistent - they're never bad.

[@ricklabonte4144]

I agree. It was the hardest task to rank his albums

[@Dowd34]

@@ricklabonte4144 You guys did a great job, keep up the good work

[@geruto17760]

Royal Tea is an excellent feast of great music. - Great to see Rick again. He's always so well prepared and enthusiastic. Great show!

[@franciskocher200]

😃👍

[@alandonald9008]

Thanks Pete. We need more blues rock on the show. Like everyone has said, it's so hard picking between them because he's so consistent. That said, I was stunned that you had Slow Gin so low. It's definitely my favourite. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion

[@eldorado4303]

I love Rick. What an always smiling sweetheart.

[@tomastextor]

Redemption is No. 1 for me. Self-Inflicted Wounds perhaps my favorite Bonamassa song.

[@Lucasaraujo56749]

Great album,my favorite song is Evil Mama

[@deepzepp4176]

Dust Bowl is my favourite. For me, Joe’s best playing and tones. And I just love Joe’s version of Tim Curry’s No Love On The Street. I haven’t enjoyed his last two records as much, but I love most of his stuff, studio and live.

[@ijeff2005]

One of the most impressive thing about Joe is with all the albums he's done you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that could agree on his best five. I actually like "Redemption" and "Time Clocks" more than his earlier albums. My reasons come down primarily to his improved singing and songwriting. On the other hand, the raw blues/rock guitar attack on the earlier albums is incredibly impressive and enjoyable.

[@kevinturchin]

Great. Now another catalog I have to take a deep dive into. Thanks Pete and Rick.

[@jydymyyyr9630]

Wow... can't wait! Joe B. always puts on a nice show and has tons of albums; should be interesting to compare your choices with mine.

[@lening9]

1) The Ballad of John Henry 2) Blues of Desperation 3) Redemption 4) Black Rock 5) A New Day Yesterday 6) Dust Bowl 7) Different Shades of Blue 8) So, It’s Like That 9) Blues Deluxe 10) Royal Tea 11) You & Me 12) Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 13) Sloe Gin 14) Hard to Cry Today 15) Driving Towards the Daylight 16) Time Clocks

[@dtltmtgt]

Been waiting a while for this ranking 👍. I did my list with the Beth Hart albums and I also including my vote for a stand out track on each one! 1 Blues of Desperation | 2016 | "No Good Place for the Lonely" 2 Redemption | 2018 | "Stronger in Broken Places" 3 A New Day Yesterday | 2000 | "If Heartaches Were Nickels" 4 Time Clocks | 2022 | "Curtain Call" 5 Black Coffee (with Beth Hart) | 2018 | "Damn Your Eyes" 6 Sloe Gin | 2007 | "Ball Peen Hammer" 7 Blues Deluxe | 2003 | "Blues Deluxe" 8 Royal Tea | 2020 | "When One Door Opens" 9 So It's Like That | 2002 | "Pain and Sorrow" 10 Don't Explain (with Beth Hart) | 2011 | "I'd Rather Go Blind" 11 The Ballad of John Henry | 2009 | "Story of a Quarryman" 12 You & Me | 2006 | "So Many Roads" 13 Had to Cry Today | 2004 | "The River" 14 Dust Bowl | 2011 | "The Meaning of the Blues" 15 Black Rock | 2010 | "Blue and Evil" 16 Seesaw (with Beth Hart) | 2013 | "Strange Fruit" 17 Driving Towards the Daylight | 2012 | "Dislocated Day" 18 Different Shades of Blue | 2014 | "Never Give All Your Heart"

[@ricklabonte4144]

very cool

[@reol5880]

Great list! Love all Joe's albums, but my favorite is Royal Tea. Every song is a masterpiece.

[@chrisheise2912]

I love all of Joe’s albums, not a bad one in the bunch. My favourite is actually a live album, A New Day Yesterday Live. Relentless guitar! I love it! 1. A New Day Yesterday 2. Blues Of Desperation 3. So It’s Like That 4. The Ballad Of John Henry 5. Had To Cry Today 6. Blues Deluxe 7, Different Shades Of Blue 8. Redemption 9. Black Rock 10. Driving Towards The Daylight 11. Sloe Gin 12. You & Me 13. Dust Bowl 14. Time Clocks 15, Royal Tea

[@simpwood4973]

joe recorded a version of lazy with jimmy barnes. That was great

[@dtltmtgt]

Great ranking guys! Definitely hard to rank his albums for me too.

[@markusseiter3034]

Thank you...at last🙏

[@jonathancilley9450]

I would love to see a ranking the albums of Bachman-Turner Overdrive with Martin Popoff. Keep up the great work. Glad to see Rick LaBonte back in the fold!

[@seaoftranquilityprog]

I've already done a BTO ranking.

[@captainbeyond7469]

Love B.T.O. Not Fragile is 70’s hard rock at it’s finest. Cheers

[@jonathancilley9450]

@@seaoftranquilityprog I am aware of that, but you have redone some with others! It would be cool to have someone else's take. Maybe you changed your mind as well.

[@seaoftranquilityprog]

@@jonathancilley9450 no, I have never done full discographies/ranking shows twice.

[@daviddwyer5568]

Wow! Haven't seen Rick on here for a while. Good stuff.

[@chrisharper6088]

Excellent video, my favourite was my first being Dust Bowl which contains Joe's best cover, right at the end of the album being Prisoner. Joe even beats Barbra Streisand version, the song written by Karen Lawrence, who released a couple of great albums under the monkier 1994. Other best being Black Rock and the Ballad Of John Henry

[@denisespainhower2153]

I definitely agree with the fact all of JBs albums are good. Here is my top 5: 1 Dust Bowl 2 Blues Of Desperation 3 Ballad Of John Henry 4 Slo Gin 5 Different Shades Of Blue

[@davidrowe1712]

My introduction to Joe was through Black Country Communion. Became a fan instantly and love all his music. Couldn't possibly rank his music as I enjoy all his albums so much. Joe is so talented and his music gives me so much pleasure.

[@OlegRyzhikov]

Thanks for this show! Love Joe, love your choices!

[@boulderbug]

...I started with Bloodline and Holy Christ ! ....I never drew a Breath ...We set up outside Venue in Stockton California right next to the Water ....Been a Life long Fan ever since ....Love his BCC projects and Solos ...Joe and Warren Haynes keep that Mad Tour Badassary going strong with Epic Shows always Fresh Material with lace of old !

[@toddstone4678]

That was fantastic list of Joe Bonamassa music i totally agree with your ranking of the albums. Would you please rank the albums for Blackmore's Night and Beth Hart. I would to hear those two artist. Have have done Deep Purple & Rainbow already we need the other big one by Richie Blackmore. Thank You Pete for all that you do on this channel. Love it!

[@thomasbeck2934]

Off stage Joe is a self proclaimed nerd. When he puts on the suit and shades then hits the stage, he adopts a different persona.

[@patriotpizzaman]

This is a difficult catalog to rank because Joe's albums cover such a broad range of musical paletes. My favorites really do depend on my frame of mind from day to day. Some of them rank more consistantly higher than others and some are more consistantly in the bottom half of my ranking but, I'm all over the place on these albums. My list is fluid but, I'll finish a realtime momentary ranking that will be final upon posting but, will have already changed by the time you guys read it. The list is as follows: 15) Redemption 14) A New Day Yesterday 13) So It's Like That 12) Different Shades Of Blue 11) Time Clocks 10) Royal Tea 09) You And Me 08) Blues Deluxe 07) Had To Cry Today 06) Black Rock 05) Driving Towards Daylight 04) Blues Of Desperation 03) The Ballad Of John Henry 02) Dust Bowl 01) Slo Gin

[@patriotpizzaman]

Slo Gin is my number one Bonamassa album and has been since it's release based on the strength of the scorching solos on Black Night and the title track Slo Gin! I know Joe has scorching solos all over the place but, this was my introduction to Joe's music and his firey trademark soloing left an indelible mark on my mind from the first listen! What a player! Danny Gatton saw it in him at age 12 and he's still got it all these years later. I really love watching Joe "chop heads" with other greats improvising on stage and driving each other to new heights. Check out his epic duels with Eric Gales if you want some stellar examples of this action! Eric Gales is another "MONSTER" player! We could use an Eric Gales album ranking as well.

[@peterm.fitzpatrick7735]

Thanks. I had never heard about this musician before.

[@seaoftranquilityprog]

Really?

[@peterm.fitzpatrick7735]

@@seaoftranquilityprog really and truly. I may have heard him on the radio without realizing it, but no, I can honestly say that your discussion was absolutely the first time I have ever heard of Joe Bonamassa, at least, that's my story and I am sticking to it.

[@jimave]

Glad that you did this. I’m a big JB fan. It would be difficult to rank his catalog! I do prefer his stuff from blues of desperation and older. I haven’t liked some of his newer releases.

[@franciskocher200]

Nice and interesting video...I didn't listen too much Joe Bonamassa until now but he is a great guitarist.👍

[@mordrid11man15]

Hi Pete, thanks for this as a result I have been listening to TBOJH again as have not listened to it for a while and had quite forgotten how good it is, my other favs are Sole Gin, Dust Bowl and Blues for Desperation but they are all great and picking a top one is really difficult especially if you leave out live albums

[@thomasbeck2934]

Dream collaborations with Joe: Anna Popovic Eric Gales Samantha Fish Buddy Guy Jimmy Page

[@garyeggleton1142]

lol, I love the guitar oriented albums the best because I absolutely love Joes blues phrasing, and I want to phrase that well.....but I agree that the overall songs are better on the more recent albums...Redemption to today are better overall vocal songs, but I love the solo oriented albums and live stuff so much

[@sjwill1956]

Great ranking....seen Joe several times live and always get your money"s worth...... I saw an interview with him , where he said early on the song was an excuse to get to the solo, but he grew into the importance of the song as a total as you guys noted .. one of his back ground singers is Mahalia Barnes...Jimmy Barnes' daughter .. she has her own band called The Soul Mates .. personally , I have no idea which one is my favorite...although I do like his more recent output because of the variety, song dynamics ,production and the quality of supporting cast .. including Anton Fig, Reese Wynans and Michael Rhodes

[@dargbarnett]

Rick was the perfect co-host for this, so positive and informative. I actually really like Time Clocks but as was said any of these would be a good starting point and he puts on a fantastic show.

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Wow look at this going to rank the albums of Joey B nice 👍🏻😎

[@aeromurph]

I’d say Blues of Desperation is my favorite.

[@qualityinnsuites3198]

For me it's Blues Of Desperation and then Redemption but I haven't heard them all.

[@markhoyle2275]

First time seeing him live. Small club. Maybe 300 people

[@ijeff2005]

I read that for the New Day Now (20th Anniversary Edition) Joe re-did all the vocals. I haven't had a chance to do a comparative listen, but I would expect the vocals to be much better based on his most recent albums. His voice has matured nicely compared to his earlier style that seemed to be trying too hard to sound like everyone else instead of himself! Update: Just compared the versions of the "A New Day Yesterday" song and the vocal difference is very noticeable. It definitely shows the vocal maturity and him finding his own voice.

[@purpletemple1]

I think my favs are You & Me and The Ballad of John Henry. You & Me is probably his most rockin' album having Jason Bonham on drums. Great catalogue but there isn't a masterpiece either in his discography imo. Cheers.

[@musclecarfan74]

I have heard every album at least once, but nothing makes me want to listen to any album again. He was just a young guy like Kenny Wayne Shepherd or Johnny Lang.

[@jydymyyyr9630]

Now that you've done the studio albums, how about covering his live albums? Also, if you get a chance watch some of the KZbin shows with Joe and Eric Gales... they feed off each other so well.

[@eltronics]

Rick, you're the best. You quite the music illustrator. Very bombastic in the way you describe your love for music. Pete, I'm surprised you have such a love for Joe when many of his selections are covers. But to speak to that, he is a phenomenal artist.

[@markhoyle2275]

Anything Reese plays on kicks ass

[@johnp8688]

Nice as a DP fan I had the BCC stuff, and I just started collected pretty much all Joe B solo, still cant find Bloodline cheap

[@stephenbrown4211]

Different Shades of Blue Sloe Gin

[@captainbeyond7469]

I only have the Ballad of John Henry which came out around the Black County Communion debut which I like. I’m from the camp about his lack of originality. He’s great at mimicking the legendary guitar gods but is he one himself? That’s debatable. All the legends had a unique quality that for me Joe lacks. That said his recent stuff I’ve heard sounds like he’s moving to acquire his own voice. So when all is said and done he might just be a guitar god after all. Cheers from the Captain!

[@lahloonatic]

I find Joe Bonamassa frustrating. It’s all very safe and totally predictable with him. He plays great, solid leads but I can’t sit through a whole album. His stuff with Black Communion is good. His solo work is good. But it always fails to captivate my imagination, and I hate that because whenever I hear him talk, I like him. I just wish his music was more inspiring to me…

[@independenceltd.]

I would say to go see him live, but now he plays it safe there too. Used to be a four-piece band with one guy oscillating between rhythm and keys. But now he has backup singers and horns, etc. etc. Not that I mind it, but I prefer my blues stripped down. And the more people he added on stage the higher the already-high ticket prices went.

[@garyh.238]

Agreed. I hear it the same way.

[@jeffplus6652]

I prefer Joe's bands, Black Country Communion and Rock Candy Funk Party, over his solo albums.

[@independenceltd.]

the BCC debut is one of the best in the last 20yr

[@bernardmaasdijk734]

Great video. Now, as the man has close to 20 live albums I guess a ranking of those would be in order. Please.

[@IRONHORSE_666]

Once all the horns, backup singers, guess artist ect..started showing up he just became another lame boring corporate rock artist and its ashamed because he's a really talented musician and so much better than that...but he's raking in the money.

[@andyambrose4517]

Saw Joe 4 times up to 2012...until he got too pricey...

[@jydymyyyr9630]

Kevin Shirley was a nice influence for Joe, both musically and financially; however, I think it's time for him to move on. To me his albums are all sounding the same, I feel he needs a change to draw out more inspiration. I own all his albums, but I'd really like to hear something fresh. Still not convinced Joe has a style of his own, but he can sound like other gr8 guitarists with ease. Hope he finds something to shift into another gear.

[@peterberg8417]

I wish I could like Joe, really do, he's just so boring and derivative. Really glad other people like him but hopefully one day he releases something that will be more original and exciting. Same issue i have with greta van fleet. Cheers! :)

[@ijeff2005]

I've heard that criticism many times and there is some merit to it. He wears his influences very prominently. Still, I think his playing on the earlier albums really stands out and on the most recent albums, his songwriting has improved dramatically.

[@garyh.238]

Agreed.

[@curtbradley549]

Just Curious?. WHO do you like ,list your favorite artist ?Cheers.

[@peterberg8417]

@@curtbradley549 Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, red hot chili peppers, Sara Bareilles, Jeff beck, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, John Lee hooker, Muddy Waters, Paramore, Allman Brothers Band, to name a few

[@tommartling2473]

Great show guys. I love Joe, seen him 5 times. I know lots will disagree, but I hate the Kevin Shirley productions. It's like a compression sheen over all of it. It should sound much more raw. 1st album still my favorite. I have 8 of them. Even his live band is generic. When he played with Eric Czar, that was the shyt. I'm sure they probably didn't get along but maybe another young non studio guy replacement for drums and bass. Just my opinion