Terry Reid - Live Life (Live on The Old Grey Whistle Test 1973)

Terry Reid's thunderous performance of Live Life on The Old Grey Whistle Test back in 1973, promoting his latest album at that time, River.
Terry Reid - Vocals, Guitar
Lee Miles - Bass
Soko Richardson - Drums.
Terry Reid is a relatively unsung legend. With his incredible voice (that earned him the nickname “Superlungs”), spot-on songwriting, and underrated guitar skills, Reid invented new sounds and others followed suit. His 1973 LP, River, is an under-the-radar but deeply loved album.
Often described as the 'musician's musician', Terry enjoyed great success right from the get go in his career, opening for The Rolling Stones at 16 years of age for their 23 date UK tour in 1966, even leading to Aretha Franklin infamously saying in 1968;
"There are only three things happening in England: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Terry Reid.”
Not bad praise, eh?
He was the first vocalist that Jimmy Page approached about the possibility of fronting a band he was starting, however, due to touring commitments, had to turn him down and advised him to check out Robert Plant - the rest as they say, is history!
While Terry didn't reach the heights that his talents should have taken him for whatever reason, he still managed to release 6 albums throughout his career - all of which I would say are essential listening.
One of the finest talents to have come out of the UK, by far.

[@Bombed8myelbow]

How solid are Bass and Drums, Cats.

[@ValEdwardsAgnew]

I'm closer to 60 then I am to 50 and I just found these guys. Feels like digging through a good record store.

[@StephenRArchambault]

Same 👍🏻

[@patxilebrancon5393]

happens the same to me

[@ИринаСмирнова-л4в]

Поражена тому, что Рид отказал Пейджу стать вокалистом LZ

[@jeffsanders6335]

Me too!

[@keithplunk6611]

I am 65 years old and am freaking out! There is so much information on lost artists and bands that never were heard globally. Terry was one such person. I rate him high with the likes of Marriot and Rogers. I appreciate his tenacity and spirit. I really love discovering these incredible artist 50+ years later. It helps me to understand who the real talent is even if not in the mainstream of things. Terry Reid was and is once such bloke! You stay cool mate...always!

[@optimystic1282]

I am 65 as well! KZbin has opened up a whole new world to me this year, some being Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Alvin Lee, Tommy Emmanuel, Chris Duarte, Derek Trucks. The list expands every day!

[@ronaldbrands7318]

What you say, almost the same goes for me. Also 65 in March and before the age of 10 (1969) i was allready fascinated with Jimi Hendrix (first singles) and Free (All right now) and all the bands for who you felt the same admiration at that period of time and young age, but Terry Reid strangely (asked f or vocals at the new Yardbirds became Led Zepp.as first choice) i never knew off except for reading his name sometimes in what then was all you could get to learn more about the kind of music you care about It all became a very big part of my life, and i was like you i think, asthonised to hear and see him these days at you tube. Still busy luckely. I am a Dutch guy.

[@keithplunk6611]

Please checkout the band THE MOVE. It was Roy Wood before He was The Wizard. Jeff Lynn had not joined till later. I never knew. Small faces was another gem. Watch the documentary "All or Nothing"...it is fantastic. Keep me posted if you find anything new on the web. Appreciate all of you retro rocker history buffs! ✌

[@ranjitverdi5702]

Snap brother I'm the same age lol😮and still listen and appreciate Terry's music 👍

[@written12]

Definitely has a Marriott -ish grit in his singing

[@BobbyLaneProductions]

I'm lucky enough to have seen him live back in 1968 in Miami area when my Terry Reid fan boy status began.

[@sandman7ac]

Sometimes I feel cheated that I didn’t find these artists back in the day. Thank god for KZbin and the people who get these videos out.

[@sofiatria5169]

Hi. From a different generation. Don't feel bad about it. It's always the case. It's not only what they throw at your face.(And I am not saying it is always bad, not at all) but surely it's way more than that. We just have to dig a little bit more to find great music. Unfortunately music record companies try to promote what they know it sells. It brings money. It is what it is..

[@jailaye6929]

true dat.!.

[@smoovegittar]

Terry's one of the very best. He never got the attention he so deserves.

[@NG-Lespaul]

Monster badass Bass!!!

[@antonymaitlandsmith8758]

Why have I never heard of this guy? What a groove and what a voice. Awesome.

[@Chafflives]

Turned down Led Zeppelin and recommended Plant.

[@susanbradshaw339]

Close friend of Jimi Hendrix when he first started

[@susanbradshaw339]

Check out his documentary...

[@susanbradshaw339]

Terry Reid superlungs documentary can fill in some blanks( as well as his interviews his friend Joe Bonomassa among other youtube interviews

[@purplewoodencustard]

Turned down led Zeppelin and Deep Purple

[@rogeratkinson5252]

I love Terry but that bass

[@paulherbert5548]

before string popping. Wow.

[@shea086]

It's great to see live music on TV. Unfortunately it seems to be a thing of the past.

[@deankinsella8250]

Fantastic groove here. 3 musicians who can really play are listening to eachother and giving it all they got

[@lennarthallberg9918]

Terry Reid at his very best. Big thanks to Dean!

[@Vortigan07]

Crikey! This is bloody brilliant!! I don't understand how I've got to 55 without ever knowing of this man until last night!

[@michelemiletich7540]

my thoughts exactly, except I’m 60

[@bburns]

Same here - this song jams! Especially that bass! 😮

[@SusanArnold-im4fg]

Same here!

[@stuhazle]

Five of the best minutes on KZbin.

[@davidfoxall4322]

Brought the river album back in 74 I was 16 years old it changed my musical life. Where have the years gone.

[@iamozzman990]

Absolutely killing it. The Rythem section on fire. And well, Terry's voice is so cool. Love it.

[@briancobb1304]

Laid back, Groovy & Funky

[@roknrollforever]

Dude the rythem section on this whole album is fucking phenomenal

[@trevorclarey3336]

Got a Steve Marriot vibe.👍 "Great sound live "

[@hekakain4108]

Steve Marriott and indeed Terry Reid were both contenders for vocalist for a new band at the time called Led Zeppelin...both vocalists styles would have really suited Zep.

[@mikepretorius6350]

He flies way UNDER the RADAR 😯

[@KittyGrizGriz]

WHEW!!! Terry’s so dang 🥵!! His voice~mannerisms~Koolness factor are off the charts. He exudes confidence and that’s very sexy. Groovy stuff, here…love the song/band. 😻

[@davidthomas5165]

Good to see whispering Bob again after all this time. What a golden age for music that was.❤

[@timoakes450]

YES MAN AGAIN IT'S NEW LOL!!!

[@MissJensk1]

I just met Bob a couple of months ago. He's at the Stables MK in a couple of weeks if you're interested.

[@KingTrouser]

Bumped into him in a bar at a Robert Plant concert last Nov, I said "are you Whispering Bob?" And he gave me a massive grin and said "yeh". Lovely man.

[@missmessy453]

I am 42 and was born out of time but grew up on lovely frequencies like this ( river is a great album) the vibe between him and the bassist is hot beyond belief. Gimme some of that ol' time religion.....

[@adamdickson1404]

Proof that a great trio can blow most bands out of the park!

[@johnhollis921]

Bassist on fire

[@BonnieRawson]

Was like that w/ Rory Gallagher, too .. 3 of them .. A Trio

[@davesantana7837]

Thanks Rob Zombie for introducing me to one of the most incredible artists I've ever had the pleasure of listening to in my life. Terry's songs are featured on the soundtrack of the movie The Devil's Rejected. Led Zeppelin was the one who lost.

[@taggmanibanez]

This is so God damn good it pisses me off....

[@noohoozfurra]

Bloody magnificent...'73...sigh...

[@jamespatrick3797]

You can drive a semi through that groove.

[@jayturner3397]

Turned a lot of big bands down..still with us im happy to say

[@BonnieRawson]

That’s Right.. Led Zeppelin wanted him ! He told them, “No” !!

[@gregm3406]

⁠@@BonnieRawsonhe actually said yes but had already booked a tour supporting Tge Rolling Stones and Jimmy Page wasnt willing to wait

[@karenhoyles1700]

Great to see a band perform without camera jumping around & weird angles. Fantastic.

[@lindsayheywood7195]

Agreed!!!

[@fredfunf3456]

That bass player is incredible.

[@therespectedlex9794]

No Gail Anne Dorsey is he though.

[@fredfunf3456]

@therespectedlex9794 He's a bonefide in the pocket player, holding down a groove. Not saying he's a virtuoso like Jaco. But comparing bass players is ridiculous. I could say, Gail Anne Dorsey is no Meshell Ndegeocello. If you want to go down that childish, my superhero beats yours, route.

[@therespectedlex9794]

@fredfunf3456 Childish? Thanks. Nice knowledge of curios of music you add into the mix at least.

[@alanoneill3065]

@@fredfunf3456 correct

[@michael5089]

​@@fredfunf3456❤❤😂👍👍🤘🤘🤘🎸🎸

[@CH-jv6ck]

Man that’s a great song

[@DavidZHmar]

Wow ! Love his voice and music

[@alanoneill3065]

Woah...brilliant...what a band THE forgotten genius

[@fullmetta2764]

How great was that.

[@leehenderson8132]

Another great from our past.

[@TheListeningParty_TLP]

Groovy

[@susiesim8299]

Great drummer, brilliant bass player and Terry Reid. Real music.

[@robertcook2572]

Stunning

[@scottmcallister6600]

Absolutely outstanding. One of the top rock voices of all time.

[@robstimson4234]

This guy cooks! What a revelation.

[@jeremytelling830]

Love ‘July’ from ‘Superlungs’ when he was a mere teenager❤️😊👍

[@madebydbm]

I'd heard *of* TR, knew Page wanted him for Zep etc but i think this is the first time I've seen and heard him. Loved it

[@speedyeg-guitars-playlists4800]

Another awesome good one at the end in the 2005 Rob Zombie movie The Devil's Reject. Terry Reid "To Be Treated Rite" and "Seed Of Memory" I'm 68 next week 🤗🙏

[@brentcunliffe745]

The River was,one of the great so called “ lost gems” of the Seventies from which this song comes. Be sure to check out his Seed of Memory also. I met Mr Reid following his show a few years ago at Bury Met venue and what a lovely bloke he was. It’s very rare for the star to offer to buy you a pint !

[@KittyGrizGriz]

That rumbling~crunchy bass sounds GREAT!!! 🎉

[@casaintegralrengo8913]

hay tanto musico excelente desconocido simplemente por el mercado de la musica...

[@geoffnightingale2846]

Good music is like good love. You know when you know.

[@AWilson-wo5kr]

Saw him live in Edinburgh. Brillian

[@SPARTA_EDITS_100]

Incredible looseness yet absolute tightness between the three of them. Its like they were jamming but completely in the vibe. They obviously knew the song but it looks and feels so free flowing.

[@MrMarkar1959]

one of the Good things about technology is finding out what i missed🥲

[@peterharvey4151]

Terry Reid..Jimmy Page asked him to front his new band, Led Zeppelin, but he was booked to support The Stones in the US..nicknamed Superlungs, now I know why..this guy is as good as I ever seen..

[@victorformosa228]

To have been in your young teens and into rock music in the early seventies was an exciting time, just unbelievable when I look back.

[@randykaye5700]

Great playing!!

[@kelvynification]

I saw them live at the Marquee… lucky me!

[@CharlieHoliday369]

A born blues man!

[@daveprostock2622]

Thank you Rob Zombie for introducing me to the music of Terry Reid!

[@TheSonsofHorusx]

That drum shuffle makes it!

[@royphillips7435]

bit of the ol` diddly bop nice n easy ! can`t beat a jam out with a trio

[@jamescox8402]

Been waiting to see something about Terry like this. I saw him at the Forum in LA in '69 on the bill with BB King, Ike and Tina Turner and the Sones. I was on acid and could not believe how soulful his voice was. When we walked out of the Forum the sun was just coming up. Quite a night to be sure.

[@sudanbewaobdedebo]

What an underrated singer and songwriter he was!!!

[@kagie2219]

And still is!

[@ryro1975]

Ive watched this performance many times over the years , ans the energy of this performance begween reid and the bass player and the drummer is unequaled.

[@Stpaulus101]

Up there with Rory Gallagher 😎

[@solitaryman777]

@@Stpaulus101 yeah, that's who I was thinkin' as a comparison. Not really that same, but

[@dizmop]

A beautiful thing to watch, all three of them, what a unit, what a performance

[@carnellzabolocky5528]

He was great. I saw him open for the Rolling fossils ages ago.

[@jimdavis8391]

Back in their pre-cambrian era?

[@andylisle2870]

dang.

[@DerpRulesAll]

From what I'm reading, Reid had the world in the palm of his hand; then the Seventies happened.

[@rosssmith9847]

Hot damn. No one was ever this cool in their socks on live TV.

[@laurahill245]

Best singer we never heard of? How!?! Late to this party at age 61 here.

[@tanzajohnson4618]

Same. I'm 59

[@Luke-fx9gw]

im 32 and i discovered him a ffew years back because of my late and great grandad. turned out my grandad had soul and one hell of a taste in music! rock on, you are never too old to disover more music!

[@andyelliott8027]

He was invited by Jimmy Page to become lead singer with Led Zeppelin, he turned it down. Robert Plant was recruited instead.

[@candelise]

​@@tanzajohnson4618Born yesterday?

[@stevenwilson9865]

What a "Power Trio" I dig it

[@freakzone09]

Fabulous, thanks!

[@RATCLIFFE-LISTENS]

The River Album one the finest Albums Released in that Decade in fact ever. Reid’s Voice best ever. The song on this Video is probably my least favorite on the Lp. But he had just signed with Atlantic in the US and wanted to do something different and he wailed. The Slow Side with River on it is amazing. I know I have worn out an Lp and CD of it . He still rocks in LA and is respected by so many of his fellow Artists. Glad I found this thanks.

[@croiners4166]

I remember in the late 70s , seeing cut out bins in Record World filled with ‘River’😢

[@markstabinski3201]

Loved ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier,Sailor.’ 4:35

[@jcarlosgr47]

Qué talento, realmente increible.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

He must have passed under my radar. Good song, good band.

[@garyproom16]

Terry is and was just fantastic, voice and soul rhythm is just timeless.

[@nettwench]

Ive loved this song since I heard River as a teen in the 1970's

[@frankmessina6132]

This guy is great, I can see where Chris Robinson of the Black crows got some of his influence 🎤 🎸

[@chasongs]

He's still giggin

[@susanbradshaw339]

Got my May5th 2024 tickets

[@solitaryman777]

No kidding? Woah

[@stathiskaripidis4281]

I'm in love with that voice

[@ACraig-og8tn]

great musicians playing with him

[@alext2566]

Just 24 or 25 years old here, and already an accomplished songwriter and seasoned musician. This song has such a strange, jazzy chord structure; yet Terry makes it sound so earthy, natural, funky and fun. Reid was and still is scary talented.

[@mikerundle1773]

River. Probably the most underrated album of all time. Still thrills so many years later.

[@gonzoexpress9885]

​Agreed. Superb album.

[@Waverunner21]

I mean he was opening for the Stones when he was just 15 years old. He was a well seasoned musician by this time.

[@nicok5630]

Great how he locks in with the bass player, eye to eye, and rides the groove.

[@dizmop]

Love that

[@WilliamBomanJr-ng9kx]

When I lived in London '70 - '73 I kept hearing his Name . . . This is a Brilliant clip - his Voice & Guitar with this Rhythm Section is FUNKY!!

[@TR-yi8up]

Between this and the performance of ‘without expression’, this has to be one of the best live performances in the history of television.

[@dang2443]

well that's a stretch

[@TR-yi8up]

@@dang2443 name a couple, and I’ll give you Neil Young on SNL

[@scooterguy8799]

@@TR-yi8up sorry cupcake, not playing your pointless game

[@donkeyshot8472]

@@dang2443 it probably depends a bit on what your definition of "best" or perhaps "the history of television" is... ;-)

[@michaelmarvin2283]

In my opinion not much of a stretch

[@speedyeg-guitars-playlists4800]

I just discovered that he performed Rich Kid Blues already 1969. I knew this great song until now only played by Kin Ping Meh (a German Band with the British Frontman and singer Geff Harrison) the 70s. But their version is remarkable too.

[@AdrianaLaCerva126]

I saw him open for the Stones in 69,I was 12. Loved him since. His “ Stay With Me Baby” is iconic,the best version EVER.

[@FunkATeer-qk7hq]

🎶💜🎵🤘🏾

[@crisprtalk6963]

Not bad, lots of soul. Was missing a killer guitar lead, I kept waiting for it but it never came.

[@goodun2974]

David Lindley played with Reid for a couple years in the early 70's. Perhaps he was or would have been the "missing" lead/slide player? I would love to see video of those shows, if any exists....

[@zenmasterjay1]

I don't know about you but I can't ever listen to this guy without thinking about how he could have been in any band he wanted... Led Zep... Deep Purp... All of em probably

[@goodun2974]

Multi-instrumentalist David Lindley lived in England in the early 70's and played with Reid (after The Kaleidoscope broke up). I would love to see footage of that if any exists!

[@BonnieRawson]

Absolutely ! That’s the Truth ! Undisputed !

[@rodentcafeteria]

Bass player is killing it! Sounds a bit like Chris Whitley.

[@thebenefactor6744]

• first time hearing him. • dig it. • holeeeey f☆☆k! That rhythm section is dowwwn with it!

[@robertbarnhart7791]

Me too, wtf. Insanely good

[@abeach5420]

Fabulous. Been going down the rabbit hole as Mr. Reid turns 74 on Nov 13th this year. Have seen is out touring lots incl in the UK of course.

[@Improveng1]

Superb stuff! 😄😄

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

Very nice 👌🏼

[@Jenisonc]

Simple version to get you started if you wanna rock this at home. Super syncopated ::G, F, C, G:: repeat for a while.

[@missmessy453]

The bassist fikin crazy 🤪

[@corkbour7708]

Thought I was listening to a new Black Crows song, so good!

[@cjnav7832]

They wish

[@J0hnGalt73]

I've played music for many, many years, with good bands and bad and in the end, it didn't matter so long as, at some point while playing with others, you hit that exact impromptu jam at the 3:00 mark. There is no feeling in the world like catching a groove.

[@jimsteele2072]

Reminds me of Steve Marriott. Which is cool, very cool. ✌️

[@PHILGYPSYBLUESCLARK]

Why have I not seen this before??? Absolutely tearing it they were!! What a groove.

[@cjnav7832]

?

[@lynnschnekenburger7270]

Terry Reid does it with such ease. Listening to his music, watching him perform blows my mind . ✌❤

[@patrickmoore5580]

It’s very hard indeed to make it look that easy!

[@mireillelaurys7091]

Wonderful! Thank you!. Yes Terry is superbe! God bless you!

[@leehenderson8132]

He was way ahead of his time.shades of Steve Marriott and interjection of funk!!

[@vmax4steve524]

I think Steve Marriott and funk were around the same time as Terry Reid, sorry that you're late to the party but no one is ahead of their time.