Blues

Julian Sas - Feelin' Alive (2017)

2017-03-16T16:19:03Z

Julian Sas - Feelin' Alive (2017)


1. Jump For Joy (4:48)
2. High And Low (6:26)
3. Did You Ever Wonder (4:04)
4. Fear Of Falling (8:00)
5. Mercy (5:27)
6. Coming Home (4:31)
7. Helping Hand (8:18)
8. Highway 61 Revisited (4:45)
9. Bullfrog Blues (4:49)

Here in Bonn we are fortunate to have had Julian Sas return to our local live venue regularly over the last decade. In that time the said concert hall has got more crowded each year until it is a regular sell-out event. The reasons for that are excellently captured on this disc.

Like the Man he gets his inspiration from, Rory Gallagher, Julian Sas is at his best with guitar in hand and live audience to feed energy off. This disc is an enjoyable mix of thoughtful Sas originals rounded off by a couple of Rock classics with nods to Johnny Winter on ‘Highway 61’ and of course Mr Gallagher himself on the Mississippi classic ‘Bullfrog Blues’.

What do we have then from last years excellent tour? ‘Jump for Joy’ is pure Sas Blues Rock with a scuddering Hammond from Bakker and a driving hook from the guitarman. The interplay between the two instruments was a highlight of last years live appearances and it’s well represented here. ‘High and Low’ is a trek into Hendrix ‘Foxy Lady’ country with a meaty riff to back it up. “Don’t need no romance. Just shake your tail!” Yep, pure Rock n Roll bravado.

‘Did you ever Wonder’ is a typical soul searching number from Holland’s finest, with a scorching burbling guitar solo to top it off. It’s stop/start beat shows how well the band gel together – particularly the timing of Rob ‘Animal’ Heijne is a highlight. concise, controlled and on the button as always. The big man is one of my favourite Rock drummers for his meaty but measured style.

‘Fear of Falling’ is the discs big ballad (every great Rock album has one!) The lyrics are typically wordy and thoughtful but it’s Sas’ Peter Green style solo that makes the track.

In ‘Mercy’ we’re back to the choppy, American Indian wardance rhythm evidenced on ‘High and Low’ earlier. Sas on the warpath “Screaming for a preacher” with the Devil at the door. Instead of Robert Johnson’s hellhounds he’s chased by Bakker in fine Jon Lord style on the Hammond. I almost expect to hear Ian Gillan come back on vocals afterwards. ‘Coming Home’ drops the momentum a little with an earnestness that doesn’t seem to quite convince. A solo that is good but good isn’t good enough for me when a great guitarman like Julian Sas is bending the strings.

With ‘Helping Hand’ we’re back to what Julian Sas does best though – strident BluesRock in the Gallagher mould. There’s an obvious touch of the G man’s ‘I take what I want’ in the riff here and it’s a good number, but that riff should lead into a frantic guitar solo rather than a Hammond sound and whilst Sas hits back with a strong solo later on the track, the blue touch-paper that the ferocious riff lit doesn’t quite get the fireworks it deserves. All is far from lost however as Sas and Bakker begin trading licks for a high-point of the live disc and indeed the live shows themselves.

Switching to a Firebird (I can see him plugging it in with my minds eye) we’re off and positively rampant with ‘Highway 61’ and Sas’ vocals are almost as super here as his slide soloing on that Firebird. I can see the audience jumping up and down to this one as clearly as I saw that Thunderbird.

“Well did you ever?…” If the back rows weren’t up and boogying to the last one they will be here. No one will ever replace Rory of course for pure and passionate attack but Julian Sas does one heck of a fine job attempting the impossible. “Did you ever wake up with that bullfrog on your mind?” Well you will go to sleep with that Bullfrog on your mind for nights afterwards with a riff that doesn’t quit for days (believe me I know this from Rory at Southampton Gaumont and Julian Sas some forty years later at Bonn Harmonie). When Julian asks if everybody is having a good time we don’t need to hear the cheer to know they must be. Rock then; played by a band at the top of it’s game. The extra breadth afforded by relative newcomer, keyboardman Roland Bakker made last years show the best I’ve witnessed by Julian Sas in Bonn which makes this live release the best from Julian thus far.

Is it perfect? Well, if you love the music of Julian Sas it very probably is, but a minor criticism for me is that in trying (and succeeding) in capturing the atmosphere of the Julian Sas Band live the disc seems to have lost sight of the atmosphere of the Julian Sas fans who make the gigs a party occasion. I can see Julian having a good time (that minds eye again) but I can’t see all those smiling, predominantly Dutch, faces in front of him. Indeed there isn’t even a hint of where the tracks were recorded. A shame Julian didn’t record the Harmonie show and have the producer give the audience a share of the mix.

A live show is still better then, but in between give this a spin as loud as the neighbours will allow! --- 3songsbonn.com

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Julian Sas - Delivered [2002]

2016-06-08T11:34:22Z

Julian Sas - Delivered [2002]


01. Sugarcup Boogie
02. Spellbound Woman
03. Home Feeling
04. Driftin' Boogie
05. Mother Earth
06. I Believe To My Soul
07. A Light In The Dark
08. Blues Lessons
09. Make My Water
10. Roll On
11. When I Boogie
12. Am I Loosing My Way
13. Ragin' River
14. Mean Old City
15. I Wonder Who
16. Hey Joe
17. Blues For The Lost And Found
18. Traveling Home
19. Bullfrog Blues
20. Boogie Jam 

Julian Sas - Vocals and Guitars
Pierre de Haard - Drums
Tenny Tahamata – Bass

This album is what the thousands of Julian Sas fans at his gigs have been asking for. It is 100% live and the track list includes all the Julian Sas classics and favourites from his catalogue of studio albums plus an exciting version of Jimi Hendrix' Hey Joe.

Although only 31 years old, Julian Sas has already been favourably compared to such blues luminaries and guitar giants like Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher and Jimi Hendrix.

Over the last couple of years Julian Sas and his band have become a very popular live act, especially in the Benelux and Germany. Every show is the most important, almost a matter of life and death. Two hours of Rock, Blues and Boogie, commitment and dedication. No holding back. This DVD set capture that essence of Julian Sas. Two hours of rock, boogie, blues, emotion, excitement and above all good, honest music played with verve. --- torrenthugs.com

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Julian Sas - Spirits On The Rise (2000)

2016-03-24T16:57:07Z

Julian Sas - Spirits On The Rise (2000)


01. Mean Streets (3:22)
02. Morning Rain (5:26)
03. Right Thing (3:24)
04. Hear My Call (3:38)
05. I Believe To My Soul (4:54)
06. If I Had Wings (3:12)
07. Losing Ground (6:23)
08. Roll On (4:03)
09. Loneliness (3:35)
10. Tale Spreader (3:48)
11. A Light In The Dark (5:27)
12. State Of Mind (2:59)

Julian Sas - Guitar, Vocals
Tenny Tahamata - Bass
Rob Heijne – Drums

At the age of 13 somebody gave me Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" album and from then on I was a Blues devotee tells Julian Sas. One of my father's friends had a huge collection of blues albums. Through him I got to know other guitarists like Rory Gallagher, Alvin Lee, Freddy King, Elmore James and Peter Green. I was totally impressed and as soon as I could afford it, got myself an electric guitar. Three months later I started my first band. Playing guitar enriched my life. At last I was able to express my feelings. ---JULIAN

Asked about influences, Sas replies; when I hear Jeff Beck play it starts to itch. He plays with such simplicity and at the same time with such fanaticism. Unbelieveable. I am a real Jimi Hendrix fan too. He has not yet been surpassed. Stevie Ray Vaughan I think is fantastic, but the difference between him and Jimi is that if you were to hear him every night you will notice there are only minor differences in his playing. Whilst Jimi could be stumbling over his strings one night and the next night be so brilliant that you would seriously consider selling all your gear. Jimi knew no boundaries. When he was doing Hey Joe, his mind was already busy with totally different things. What he wanted to do with Miles Davis I think is fascinating. I am a real Miles Davis fan. He is the Jimi of the Jazz world. When I was just 16 I saw Buddy Guy. He played with great dynamics. Dynamics, in my opinion, are one of the most important tools in music; a quiet song with a strong bridge or a loud song with a very quiet bridge. And of course Rory Gallagher, my greatest hero. I had the privilege and honour of playing with his band 3 times. The Allman Brothers Band is fantastic too. Once they get started, there is no stopping them. Just like us. ---cdbaby.com

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Julian Sas – Bound To Roll (2012)

2012-02-04T13:01:41Z

Julian Sas – Bound To Roll (2012)


01 – Life On The Line
02 – Mercy
03 – Bound To Roll		play
04 – How Could I’ve Been So Blind
05 – Shadow Play
06 – Swamplands
07 – 30 Days In The Hole
08 – The Blues Won’t Stay
09 – Tear It Up		play
10 – Burning Bridges
11 – Ain’t Backing Down
12 – Highway 61 Revisited
13 – Life On The Line (Radio Edit)

Julian Sas - Guitar, Vocals and Bluesharp
Tenny Tahamata - Bassguitar
Rob Heijne - Drums
(Guest) Willem v/d Schoof - Hammond Organ

Bound to Roll , Julian Sas’ eight studio album, is a record that took time to make. More than two-and-a-half years, tells the Dutch blues man, I had tons of ideas and was writing constantly but a lot of that went straight into the bin. ‘Bound to Roll’ is a very personal record. This album is about pleasure, enjoyment, love, loss, pain and sadness. About real life, about the blues, about experiences that, I hope, made me stronger and a better human being. For me making this album was a way of dealing with my emotions.

Besides 9 new Sas originals, Bound to Roll also features three covers; Rory Gallagher’s Shadow Play, Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited and Humble Pie’s 30 Days In The Hole (their seventh single and also included on their Smokin’ album) About the choice of these songs Julian explains: ‘Shadow Play’ totally reflects my feelings about the recent period of my life. Especially the text. The song fits perfectly with my own songs. Dylan’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited’, is just a killer song, the groove, the lyric – everybody needs to get rid of something on Highway 61, personal or other. This is also the track that made me fall in love with playing slide. ‘30 Days In The Hole’; Steve Marriott is one of my favourite singers and writers. This song I wanted to record because of the aggression of the riff, a lot of anger, one of the greatest rock-riffs ever. All great songs to play! --- cavalier-musicmanagement.com

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Julian Sas - Where Will It End!? (2007)

2010-02-14T13:47:57Z

Julian Sas - Where Will It End!? (2007)


1. Julian Sas - Turpentine Moan (3:07)
2. Julian Sas - Honey Babe (4:16)
3. Julian Sas - Make Up Your Mind (7:54)
4. Julian Sas - Goin ' Down (5:04)
5. Julian Sas - Tryin ' To Do Right (3:04)
6. Julian Sas - Travelling Home (3:19)
7. Julian Sas - Home Feeling (3:44)
8. Julian Sas - Voodoo Love (4:57)
9. Julian Sas - I Don't Know (3:44)
10. Julian Sas - Stranger Blues (4:56)
11. Julian Sas - Serves Me Right To Suffer (7:16)

Julian Sas - Vocals, all guitars, national duolian, bluesharp
Pierre 'Boogiemachine' de Haard - Drums
Phil Poffé – Bassguitar

Early Julian Sas, 1996. From the time they rehearsed little, but played a lot. Julian slowely became appreciated as the Dutch equivalent of Johnny Winter and Rory Gallagher. The first album was financed in a swap deal for studio time in Germany. Unfortunately nobody properly instructed the studio and the band had to improvise with engineer Tommy Korge as the designated producer went home. Manager Ed Bos made sure the tapoes turned out OK and started shopping the next day, thus laying a solid foundation for the reputation of the Dutch boogie king... ---cdbaby.com

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Julian Sas - A Smile to My Soul

2010-02-14T13:21:07Z

Julian Sas - Smile to My Soul (1997)


1. Sugarcup Boogie 
2. Is This What They Call the Blues 
3. Horror Tone Groove 
4. Last Man in, First Man Out 
5. My Love Is Tumblin' Down 
6. Crossroad Call 
7. I Want Your Love 
8. Never Gettin' Tired 
9. Stone Desert 
10. My Life Is Gonna Be All Mine 
11. Boot Hill 
12. Where Will It End?! 
13. Makin' My Return (Back Up from Where I've Been)/Hey Joe/Makin' My ... 

Julian Sas - Vocals, all guitars, national duolian, bluesharp
Pierre 'Boogiemachine' de Haard - Drums 
Phil Poffé - Bass guitar 
+
Willem v/d Schoof - Hammond, A 100

Julian Sas has already been favourably compared to such blues luminaries and guitar giants like Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix and Gary Moore.

'A Smile to My Soul', the second Julian Sas album was released in 1997. All songs were written during the 'Boogie-Down-The-Road' tour of 1996. The band had grown tighter and better. Most of these songs were the result of jamming along live on stage.

The Julian Sas Band is one of the leading blues rock bands in The Netherlands.

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