Morning Spin: Live at the Ritz by Ronnie Wood & Bo Diddley

Two gunslingers team up to play rock and roll around the world

Live at the Ritz
Ronnie Wood & Bo Diddley
JVC VILZ-28122
Released 1988

In 1987 and 1988, Ron Wood and Bo Diddley joined forces for The Gunslingers Tour in the US, Europe, and Japan. The show on November 20, 1987, at the Ritz in New York. was recorded by Westwood One and made available to US radio stations. In 1988, a portion of the show was released worldwide. Vinyl LPs were pressed in Japan and Europe to promote the upcoming tours there.The album reached no. 40 on the Japanese charts. The album contains performances of songs previously recorded by Diddley, Wood, Faces, and Rolling Stones. Side one features Diddley singing his classics including “Road Runner” and “Crackin’ Up,” both songs that were mainstays in the earliest Rolling Stones setlists. Side two begins with “Plynth/Water Down the Drain,” a solo guitar piece that Wood played with both Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. “They Don’t Make Outlaws Like They Used To”  (aka “Outlaws) is the best song from Wood’s fourth solo album released in 1981. A rousing “Honky Tonk Women” features Wood and the audience on vocals. Other notable musicians include keyboard player Hal Goldstein who also plays a mean blues harp. Eddie Kendrick and David Ruffin jump on stage to provide backing vocals to “Hey Bo Diddley.” It’s evident that a good time was had by all.