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B.B. King — The Thrill Is Gone (w/ Tracy Chapman)
Album: Deuces Wild
Avg rating:
7.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 815









Released: 0
Length: 4:47
Plays (last 30 days): 0
The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone away
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away
You know you done me wrong baby
And you'll be sorry someday

The thrill is gone
It's gone away from me
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
Although I'll still live on
But so lonely I'll be

The thrill is gone
It's gone away for good
Oh, the thrill is gone baby
Baby its gone away for good
Someday I know I'll be over it all baby
Just like I know a man should

You know I'm free, free now baby
I'm free from your spell
I'm free, free now
I'm free from your spell
And now that it's over
All I can do is wish you well
Comments (129)add comment
Yup - the thrill of hearing (any version) of this song has gone.
Thriller ! Although I still live on while shrill part of chimeric is gone.
RIP Riley!
great man, super musician
Really, a boring song.
 Cyclerider wrote:
I really like B.B. Kind and I like Tracy Chapman but King's version of this is so great I doubt any duet could live up to it.

 
And the drumming is so much better on the original too!
  I was working and suddenly this collab broke through & hmmm, v-e-r-y interesting!  yep, odd couple.
I really like B.B. Kind and I like Tracy Chapman but King's version of this is so great I doubt any duet could live up to it.
I thought I was tired of this, but..ya know...it gets better
 Lrobby99 wrote:

The Odd Couple.



 
You got that right!
Hard to beat combo working the blues for this classic tune here!  Both of their styles are perfectly suitable to do this!  Her voice and his strings sometimes do the same thing, and the combined blues instinct turns this thing nearly purple by the end...  I love it!  Thanks, RP!
Mr. King shouldn't be hitting on Helium while singing this song. Really...
FYI:  This entire album is killer!  Even the cheesy rap tune.  Of course, I love the blues, so my opinion might be a little biased.  (edit:  It was released 15 years ago?  Oh my god.)
I understand!
 kaybee wrote:

I would have preferred Joan Armatrading with him on this.  Her doing a guitar duet with him would have  been interesting to hear as well!  Plus she could have hit some of the lower registers with him too!

 
That's a sweet thought! Where is Joan these days, anyway? Is she still recording?
I think I'm the odd one out here, but Tracy's voice certainly adds to the song for me... I love the distinction in styles.
does anybody think for a second that while they're singing this they give a whitt what anybody else thinks?
 nalle wrote:
She´s a little shaky but the King is doing allright, love the tune!
 
I would have preferred Joan Armatrading with him on this.  Her doing a guitar duet with him would have  been interesting to hear as well!  Plus she could have hit some of the lower registers with him too!

The Odd Couple.


She´s a little shaky but the King is doing allright, love the tune!
 kcar wrote:


Agreed. With this arrangement, she doesn't sound terribly pained or sad. 
 
I think she was just thrilled with performing with the King.  How you gonna feel pained or sad at that??

 FrankMc wrote:
It sounds like a great idea for a duet but Tracy's vocal doesn't really add anything—she doesn't seem to be up to her usual standards and BB's rendition(s) over the years are so fine.
 

Agreed. With this arrangement, she doesn't sound terribly pained or sad. 

Nice idea, but the voices don't meld well.  As stated before meh.


 Inamorato wrote:
A friend pointed out to me that B.B. never plays chords. I guess he doesn't have to.
 
That's what he told Bono in Rattle and Hum......he can play chords....he chooses to play notes(sometimes too many,too fast)

This version... meh. {#Sleep}

Dedicated to BHO.


It sounds like a great idea for a duet but Tracy's vocal doesn't really add anything—she doesn't seem to be up to her usual standards and BB's rendition(s) over the years are so fine.
TC is too trembly.  Scared maybe?  BB is rock steady.
For the first time «The Thrill Is Gone» I heard a performance of Diamanda Galas :)

bb baby by ~DeeBeeCooper
David Cooper   ©2010 ~DeeBeeCooper

brbf peer

Lucille waits



 Jelani wrote:
This might benefit from some crunchy ripping heavy metal guitar work thrown in.
Just for some added texture. 
 
You've been listening to D.J. Schmolli again, haven't you? {#Guitarist}
This might benefit from some crunchy ripping heavy metal guitar work thrown in.
Just for some added texture. 
Been there, done that. No more versions of this, please. I admit, Mr. King, that the thrill HAS gone away from me, too.

Tracy Chapman & BB King - "The Thrill Is Gone" (1997)

"excelent version of this blues-song released and written by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins in 1951; but i confess that only heard it the first time, when this song was popularized in 1969 for B. B. King; also was very well gotten the version of this song in duet for B. B. King & Tracy Chapman: this duet, very well obtained, only test that Mr. B.B. King recognizes the quality and the work already produced by Ms. Tracy Chapman;  and it has reason!"

** 9 **




 daedalus wrote:
Liked it the first time for a few bars but it soon gets tired.
 
Especially after I discovered that B.B. teamed up with T.C. on this.

{#Puke}

Well, the thrill HAS gone for me. Both these artists have made far better music than this.
Liked it the first time for a few bars but it soon gets tired.
It lets RP down churning it out over and over. 
{#Rolleyes} 
Love BB King and like Chapman very much. Maybe they can make good music together, but I think that this cut is lifeless, and that is ia great insult to both the song and to both artists.
 a_genuine_find wrote:
...Tracey Chapman?

 
I totally concur. B.B. must not have had much say in this, else it was some sort of publicity gimmick perpetrated by Tracy's handlers.

As soon as I saw her name alongside B.B.'s, I had to quickly rip off my headphones!
diazo
(high in the northern rockies)
Posted: Apr 28, 2008 - 13:29 < Reply >

Sorry, I'm not convinced that Tracy Chapman has ever been thrilled.

Funny! {#Lol}
Anybody seen a thrill around here—'bout yay high?  B.B. and Tracy are looking for it.

{#Mrgreen}

Like the song, BTW.
...Tracey Chapman?



Hi RP,

What else for B.B KING, My favorite Blues man
Alpine wrote:
Sorry. This just stinks.
It's cool, man, happens to us all. Just open the window and we'll be ok.
jadewahoo wrote:
Tracy opened the song... maybe you confused BB for her, when he came in later? I think a disc compilation of BB singing this song with all the variety of folks he has done so with would be an awesome CD. And this cut would certainly, to my taste, be at the top of the list.
I think it would lose its thrill after awhile.
sounds like BB's taking hits off a helium balloon...
Sorry, but Chapman really does not bring anything to this one. They don't even sound like they're at the same recording session. Better left with BB solo.
WHAT A FANTASTIC COMBINATION
Sorry, I'm not convinced that Tracy Chapman has ever been thrilled.
Inamorato wrote:
A friend pointed out to me that B.B. never plays chords. I guess he doesn't have to.
They are chords, just broken chords.
B.B. King is for when you feel like killing yourself. Tracy Chapman is for when you really will kill yourself. Don't confuse the two.
A friend pointed out to me that B.B. never plays chords. I guess he doesn't have to.
Nice combo, kind of like Branch and Santana.
As long as BB is on any part of the song, all things stop and volume goes up. BB, you're the king.
She does it. She pulls it off. Not what one would think she could produce, but she has it in her. Kudos. And BB could play this as a pre-performance warm up alone in his room and it would still sound regal and brilliant.
Ms. Chapman did a very nice job on this "duet". She's most fortunate having the opportunity to work with a true Blues icon! Sweet....Smooth....
Sorry. This just stinks.
Wish I hadnt missed this one
pannaramma wrote:
Loved it until I heard Tracy.
Tracy opened the song... maybe you confused BB for her, when he came in later? I think a disc compilation of BB singing this song with all the variety of folks he has done so with would be an awesome CD. And this cut would certainly, to my taste, be at the top of the list.
What an interesting duet. The melding of TC & BB is unexpected, heart-rendering, & quite fresh....
I like Tracy Chapman, but I always feel sorry for anyone who find themselves in the same studio with the royally sonorous B.B. King. When Love Comes to Town, anyone? Let's face it, he makes even the otherwise most pleasant vocalist seem like an emotional stick figure by contrast.
Somehow it's seems incongruous to use "Tracy Chapman" and "thrill" in the same sentence.
stevo_b wrote:
No way...
You do sort of have to like Tracy Chapman already to like anything with her in it... but I think this song (although I like BB and Chapman -- separately) is a bit on the average side. I could only bring myself to give it a 6.
sukilau wrote:
the thrill really IS gone... w/TC singing... sorry.
Agree...and I'm sorry too.
pannaramma wrote:
Loved it until I heard Tracy.
Ditto
Perfect duet for this great tune!
mandolin wrote:
...conversely, i think tracy chapman can make anything sound better...
No way...
Not something uplifting like the blues.
...oh, you just gave me a giggling fit!.. ...honestly, while i can totally respect folks' appreciation for the standards, personally i prefer sincere delivery over cliché archetypes... ...to my ears, in this recording, tracy's performance feels more true to the spirit of the song than b.b. king's impeccable form...
I love Tracy Chapman's voice...but its to dark and angsty and tragic for the blues...she sound like she should be soundtrack to some film of human atrocities not something uplifting like the blues.
...conversely, i think tracy chapman can make anything sound better...
the thrill really IS gone... w/TC singing... sorry.
Ugh, Tracy is so out-blues'd here.
A true classic...I'll always love this one.
What's next? A Disco Backbeat Remix? And Tracy ... well, I think she could have done this by herself, but it would still be not too good. Mister King: Ms Chapman:
While it's great to hear this song, I would be nice to hear B.B.'s definitive version on RP sometime.
Loved it until I heard Tracy.
rixtar99 wrote:
B.B. Good Tracy Bad
LOL">
steeler wrote:
Me, too. If you like the blues, make it a point to attend the Chicago BluesFest. It's always in Grant Park, near the beginning of June.
Then head down at night to Ma Bea's on West Madison Avenue to hear the real thing in its real habitat. (Leave all jewelry and valuables at home.)
B.B. Good Tracy Bad
These blues are giving me the blues.
yep, the thrill is gone
Bizzarefall wrote:
needs more cowbell...
hahahaha! Agree!!
Why? May have been OK if it was just Tracy doing a remake of the voice. But a duet? This really isn't a duet song... Bad idea jeans
needs more cowbell...
moomatz wrote:
B. B. King. Cool. This song drags like almost no other.
haha, nice work. you are right on. ?
It's bad enough that the world seems to think B.B. King recorded one song in his lifetime, but now we have to hear remakes of it as well? Please, play something else by BB and play more Tracy, just not this rubbish.
sounds like b.b. just isn't aroused by tracy any longer... THAT'S strange!
Man, that was nice of B.B. Isn't there a "The Thrill is Gone" station on satellite radio that plays nothing but duets with B.B. King playing the exact same guitar every time?
I always like Tracy. Apparently I share the same views with a very prominent blues player, and "Lucille".
Well it was a nice try. On paper this probably looked like a homerun, but Tracy's style just doesn't seem to jell with B.B.'s Still I like it anyway. Frankly, such is the power of this song with B.B. behind it that he could probably do it with Alvin and the Chipmonk's and I'd still like it.
I'm generally skeptical of "duet" albums, but this song is a great pairing. I love Tracy Chapman's voice in any context, but you don't get to hear her singing straight-up blues often and it's a real treat.
How I feel about my JOB, so perfect as I get ready for work-sing those blues honey.....
B. B. King. Cool. This song drags like almost no other.
The music world is a better place with this song. So nice.
nigeltufnel wrote:
what? wait a minute. tracy chapman is bb king's granddaughter?
not according to their bios.
good but the origional was better simple sweet and sad
Two of my favorites, together! Like Fishing AND Catching! Go BB & TC. A 9.
I love TC's emotionally charged quivering voice on this rendition. Waht a positive contribution to BB's classic offering.
k2 wrote:
Sometimes, I really miss Chicago.
Me three.
Both the CD a few days a ago...there are 2 or 3 pearls. One is here.
k2 wrote:
Sometimes, I really miss Chicago.
Me, too. If you like the blues, make it a point to attend the Chicago BluesFest. It's always in Grant Park, near the beginning of June.
splitty67 wrote:
much much much better with just BB.
Agreed w/scottc & splitty67. Winter '87 sober, chillin' by a roaring fire with friends & no one dared make a peep when BB came on the stereo. It was absolutly transcendant! Also cool for me is the Grisman/Garcia v. 8)
much much much better with just BB.
hate to give this a 5, but there are so many renditions, so many great renditions of this, I feel that TCs vocals just detract from it. Liked the comment about BBs guitar licks song to song. But he pulls it off wonderfully.
BB is my god!
Oh my God. The hairs on my forearms are standing up. Tittilatingly sexy.
k2 wrote:
Sometimes, I really miss Chicago.
Would that be the place, or the group?
Regardless of TC's flat intonation and annoying vibrato, THIS is the Blues, imho. In the context of RP (or AAA terrestrial radio), I give this recording a 7 and BBK's work with Bonnie Raitt gets a 9. Now, if I heard John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters, we'd be talkin' "godlike."
BB King is one of the greats (though his guitar picking may as well be the same in all of his songs)... How about some Johnny Lee Hooker? :)
Oh man, this is as good as it gets!
YEAH BABY!
An aptly titled rendition.
If B.B. King isnt the most pimp mother on the planet I dont know who is. (pimp)
Sometimes, I really miss Chicago.
Tracy Chapman should do more of this kind of stuff. If she did, I might start buying her records again.
ahhhhhhhh, now that\'s what i listen to RP for. van morrison, and then THE KING in under 10 minutes. life is good.
Grandpa, singing a song from way back when, with his granddaughter, sitting on his lap, helping him out.
...still have to turn it up!!...
Incredible!! Makes me reach for the \"volume up\" button every time it\'s played!