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Live set nice showcase for Alligator stable

The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour
The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour
By various artists
Alligator Records: 1993


This review first appeared in the Winter 1994 edition of Blues Revue Quarterly magazine (now Blues Revue).

This two-disc "live" set was recorded last year during the East Coast swing of Alligator Records' 20th Anniversary Tour. It's a celebration of Alligator founder/owner Bruce Iglauer's electric, energetic vision of the blues, and features some of his label's more popular artists.

As fans of Alligator know, the label's slogan is "Genuine Houserockin' Music," and this release exemplifies that theme. The blues found on Alligator tends to be fast-paced, uptempo and, in many instances, very close to rock. This is especially true of most of the artists here: Lonnie Brooks, Elvin Bishop and Koko Taylor in particular.

The recording clarity is studio quality, and the CD booklet contains numerous photos of the bands. The all-star jam to close out the album is particularly good, and very blues-oriented. If you like Alligator Records, you'll like this album a lot. If you're looking for an introduction to Alligator, you might be better off checking out 1992's "20th Anniversary Collection" or one of the releases from the Genuine Houserockin' Music collection.