Showing posts with label Albert King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Albert King. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Albert King With Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Session (DeLuxe Edition) (2 CD)

Album: In Session (DeLuxe Edition)
Size: 152,1 + 117,1 MB
Time: 65:57 + 50:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999/2024
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

CD 1:
1. Introduction (0:26)
2. Born Under A Bad Sign (8:10)
3. Texas Flood (20:01)
4. Call It Stormy Monday (8:59)
5. Old Times (1:15)
6. Pride And Joy (6:00)
7. Ask Me No Questions (4:54)
8. Pep Talk (0:58)
9. Blues At Sunrise (15:09)

CD 2:
1. Turn It Over (0:50)
2. Overall Junction (8:04)
3. Match Box Blues (7:47)
4. Who Is Stevie? (0:44)
5. Don't Lie To Me (9:13)
6. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town (23:22)
7. Outro (0:44)

Recorded live for television at CHCH-TV studios in Ontario, Canada, in 1983, this historic performance - supported by a world-class band featuring Tony Llorens (piano/organ), Gus Thornton (bass) and Michael Llorens (drums) - is the only known recording of King and Vaughan playing together. The Deluxe reissue includes the debut audio release of three tracks from the show, “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Texas Flood” and “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town.”

When Vaughan and King hit the stage in Ontario on December 6, 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan was a rising star, while Albert King was entering a new phase of his career as a mentor. The duo’s relationship began a decade earlier in Vaughan’s hometown of Austin, TX, where, according to Billboard, King was playing a show and was hesitant about a “skinny white kid” joining him onstage. Vaughan’s brother, Jimmy Vaughan, recalled the fateful event: “When Stevie was 19, we were at Antone’s and Albert King was playing. Club owner Clifford Antone says to Albert, ‘You’ve got to let this kid play, because he’s amazing’.”

Jimmy Vaughan continues: “Now Albert had heard it all, but he got Stevie up there, and Stevie commenced doing Albert King licks. There was silence at first. Everyone stood there with their mouths open. They couldn’t believe it. But Albert loved it. He put his arm around him, and from then on it was Albert and Stevie. Everybody went, ‘Whew, that was scary.’ I would never have tried that, but you’ve got to admire the audacity.”

This kicked off one of the most exciting relationships in music. The concert recording captures a striking musical dialogue between the two, with Vaughan introducing King’s classic licks and expanding them in his one-of-a-kind style. By 1983, Vaughan was on track to become as respected in the blues world as King. In the AllMusic review of the original album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that Vaughan had “become the hot blues guitarist of the year thanks to his debut Texas Flood, as well as his work on David Bowie’s hit ‘Let’s Dance’.”

The Ontario performance has since become one of the most celebrated live shows in blues history. Erlewine continued, “Vaughan may have been the new news, but King was not suffering, either. He had a world-class supporting band and was playing as well as he ever had. In other words, the stage was set for a fiery, exciting concert and that’s exactly what they delivered.” This heralded and exceedingly rare collection is a defining statement that celebrates the prowess of these two blues giants. On In Session, Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan not only redefined the art of improvisational blues but also set a new standard for live music. /Blues Magazine

In Session (DeLuxe Edition) (2 CD) mc
In Session (DeLuxe Edition) (2 CD) gofile

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Albert King & Otis Rush - Door To Door

Album: Door To Door
Size: 92,7 MB
Time: 39:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1969/1990
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Albert King - Searchin' For A Woman (3:03)
2. Albert King - Bad Luck (3:02)
3. Otis Rush - So Close (2:45)
4. Albert King - Howlin' For My Darling (3:04)
5. Otis Rush - I Can't Stop (2:14)
6. Albert King - Won't Be Hangin' Around (2:55)
7. Otis Rush - I'm Satisfied (2:25)
8. Otis Rush - All Your Love (2:54)
9. Otis Rush - You Know My Love (2:41)
10. Albert King - Merry Way (2:52)
11. Albert King - Wild Women (2:38)
12. Albert King - Murder (2:56)
13. Otis Rush - So Many Roads (3:11)
14. Albert King - California (2:46)

Although Albert King is pictured on the front cover and has the lion's share of tracks on this excellent compilation, six of the fourteen tracks come from Rush's shortlived tenure with the label and are some of his very best. Chronologically, these are his next recordings after the Cobra sides and they carry a lot of the emotional wallop of those tracks, albeit with much loftier production values with much of it recorded in early stereo.

Oddly enough, some of the material ("All Your Love", "I'm Satisfied (Keep on Loving Me Baby)") were remakes - albeit great ones - of tunes that Cobra had already released as singles. But Rush's performance of "So Many Roads" (featuring one of the greatest slow blues guitar solos of all time) should not be missed at any cost. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Door To Door mc
Door To Door gofile

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Albert King - Live

Size: 165.5 MB
Time: 71:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1989
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. Watermelon Man ( 3:44)
02. Don't Burn Down The Bridge ( 4:09)
03. Blues At Sunrise (10:45)
04. That's What The Blues Is All About ( 5:10)
05. Stormy Monday ( 7:24)
06. Kansas City ( 7:02)
07. I'm Gonna Call You As Soon As The Sun Goes Down ( 8:38)
08. Matchbox Holds My Cloths ( 8:46)
09. As The Years Go Passing By ( 9:03)
10. I'll Play The Blues For You ( 6:44)

Personnel:
Albert King: Lead Guitar and Vocals
James Washington: Keyboards
Nate Fitzegerald, Steve Wilson, Wayne Preston: Horns
Joe Turner: Drums
Lonnie Turner: Bass
Louisiana Red: Guitar
Rory Gallagher: Guitar (1st solo break on "As The Years Go Passing By")

From the album notes by Robert Palmer: " "I'm gonna hang these young boys by their toes up here tonight", Albert King asserted before kicking off his Montreux performance of "I'm Gonna Call You As Soon As The Sun Goes Down". He was referring to Rory Gallagher and Louisiana Red, two fellow blues guitarists who had joined him earlier in the set but were content to hang back and contribute rhythm chording..." "Gallagher plays the first solo break and plays lead initially on "As The Years Go Passing By"."

Live MP3
Live FLAC

Friday, February 4, 2022

Albert King - Keep On Keepin' On (Live 1971)

Size: 162 MB
Time: 28:46
File: FLAC
Released: 2021
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. Knock On Wood (Instrumental) (Live) (5:15)
02. Blues Power (Live) (9:39)
03. Crosscut Saw (Live) (5:54)
04. Personal Manager (Live) (6:06)
05. Intrumental Jam (Live) (1:49)

Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American blues guitarist and singer whose playing influenced many other blues guitarists. He is perhaps best known for the popular and influential album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) and its title track. He, B.B. King, and Freddie King, all unrelated, were known as the "Kings of the Blues." The left-handed King was known for his "deep, dramatic sound that was widely imitated by both blues and rock guitarists.

He was once nicknamed "The Velvet Bulldozer" because of his smooth singing and large size–he stood taller than average, with sources reporting 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) or 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), and weighed 250 lb (110 kg)–and also because he drove a bulldozer in one of his day jobs early in his career.

King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2011, he was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Keep On Keepin' On (Live 1971)

Friday, April 30, 2021

Albert King - Delta Jet (Live Chicago '88)


Released: 2021
Size: 167.1 MB
Time: 72:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. Intro (Live) [1:11]
2. Band Instrumental (Live) [5:32]
3. Them Changes (Live) [2:09]
4. "Why You So Mean To Me" (Live) [8:16]
5. The Sky Is Crying (Live) [8:09]
6. Matchbox Blues (Live) [8:52]
7. Born Under A Bad Sign (Live) [6:19]
8. Personal Manager (Live) [6:40]
9. Cadillac Assembly Line (Live) [4:05]
10. Found Love In The Food Stamp Line (Live) [8:39]
11. All The Time (Live) [3:57]
12. I'll Play The Blues For You (Live) [6:01]
13. Down The Road I Go (Live) [3:00]

Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American blues guitarist and singer whose playing influenced many other blues guitarists. He is perhaps best known for the popular and influential album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) and its title track. He, B.B. King, and Freddie King, all unrelated, were known as the "Kings of the Blues." The left-handed King was known for his "deep, dramatic sound that was widely imitated by both blues and rock guitarists." He was once nicknamed "The Velvet Bulldozer" because of his smooth singing and large size–he stood taller than average, with sources reporting 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) or 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), and weighed 250 lb (110 kg)–and also because he drove a bulldozer in one of his day jobs early in his career. King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2011, he was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

Delta Jet (Live Chicago '88)

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Albert King - Red House

Size: 105.4 MB
Time: 45:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991
Styles: Blues Soul, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Stop (5:13)
02. Bluesman (4:01)
03. Don't Let Me Be Lonely (4:33)
04. When You Walk Out The Door (6:47)
05. Problems (Feat. Sherlie Matthews) (4:47)
06. Our Love Is Going To Win (6:47)
07. Trouble (4:32)
08. If You Got It (3:07)
09. Red House (5:36)

This is the very last studio album recorded by the late Blues titan. One of my motivations for writing this short review is my annoyance over how woefully inaccurate most info out there is on exactly what this actually is. If it's even listed at all it's usually listed as another live album or a compilation of previously-released tracks rather than the final album from the master. My research suggests it was only officially released in the United Kingdom in 1991 months before his fatal heart attack. It received almost no attention and quickly fell into obscurity.

Recorded both in Memphis, TN (produced by King and Gary Belz) and Los Angeles, CA (produced by Bruce Gary and Alan Douglas) this rare 9 song set includes songs new to the King canon ("Red House", "Bluesman", "If You Got It", "Stop", "When You Walk Out The Door", "Problems", 'Our Love Is Going To Win", "Trouble", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely"). The project was spear-headed by none other than the drummer for the New Wave band The Knack ("My Sharona") Bruce Gary! Finally something good to come out of that musical abomination. Following the disbandment of that (irksome) band Gary became an in demand session drummer and turned his attention to the Blues. In addition to King he (died in 2006) recorded with John Lee Hooker and along with Alan Douglas produced a series of archival releases on Jimi Hendrix, most notably Jimi Hendrix's "Blues" album (highly recommended).

"Red House" suffers overall from shrill synthesizer parts throughout that try and fail to be a proxy for horns. Adding insult to injury there is, in fact, live horns on "Our Love Is Going To Win" and "Trouble". Only budgeted for two tracks? In addition there's a sterile and distant studio sound to these recordings that dull King's normally razor-sharp, piercing guitar licks. Nevertheless this is Albert King and his talent overshadows the misgivings. The highlight by far is the title track, a Hendrix original, a rolling midtempo shuffle with a confident King vocal and his trademark bag of tricks courtesy of his "guit-fiddle" named Lucy. Pity the lame keyboard fills couldn't have been excised. And, unfortunately, the rhythm section is stiff and lazy while the mix is muddy. It also sounds like King's mic was too "hot" and clipping, resulting in some distortion. Ever since I've owned this album I've fantasized of someone taking these sessions, stripping away all accompaniment and re-recording new backing tracks behind King's vocals and guitar.

King gets his croon on for James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely". Those familiar with King know he possessed a husky, soulful voice that shined on slow numbers like "The Very Thought Of You" from years passed. He nails this one. The track also features an uncredited sax solo.

Another highlight is "Bluesman", which no doubt draws it's lyrical inspiration from Willie Dixon/Muddy Waters. "On the night I was born my poor mother cried/She said Lord have mercy on this manchild/The devil screamed and threw up both his hands/And said this boy was born to be a Bluesman". And "When You Walk Out That Door" benefits from one of the better arrangements (and mixes) on the album (unfortunately the liner notes don't tell us which cuts were recorded in Memphis vs. Los Angeles). But elsewhere the rocking rhythm guitars ruin an otherwise effective performance of "Stop" and the mix almost buries the stomping "Trouble", which features King's most powerful and best recorded leads.

Overall you have an album absolutely necessary for King fanatics but perhaps one the casual fan can do without. Like I said earlier I'm still hoping for a re-release with a brand new mix or newly recorded backing tracks. Sadly, as it's been 25+ years without a single reissue I reckon that's just a dream of mine. Nevertheless this is part of the Albert King story and it should be properly credited wherever his discography appears.

Red House MP3
Red House FLAC

Friday, March 5, 2021

Albert King - Blues At Sunrise

Size: 106.7 MB
Time: 46:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1988
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. Don't Burn Down The Bridge ('Cause You Might Wanna Come Back Across) ( 4:30)
02. I Believe To My Soul ( 4:56)
03. For The Love Of A Woman ( 3:48)
04. Blues At Sunrise (10:21)
05. I'll Play The Blues For You ( 6:36)
06. Little Brother (Make A Way) ( 5:45)
07. Roadhouse Blues (10:06)

Recorded at Albert King's appearance at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival, Blues at Sunrise: Live at Montreux is a typically engaging live record from the guitarist. King is in good form and the set list is a little unpredictable, featuring standards like "Blues at Sunrise" and "I'll Play the Blues for You" as well as lesser-known items like "Little Brother (Make a Way)" and "Don't Burn Down the Bridge." ~Thom Owens

Blues At Sunrise MP3
Blues At Sunrise FLAC

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Albert King - Lovejoy

Size: 85,0 MB
Time: 36:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1971
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

1. Honky Tonk Woman (4:00)
2. Bay Area Blues (2:57)
3. Corina Corina (3:46)
4. She Caught The Katy And Left Me A Mule To Ride (3:57)
5. For The Love Of A Woman (4:22)
6. Lovejoy, ILL. (3:48)
7. Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (4:22)
8. Going Back To Iuka (4:00)
9. Like A Road Leading Home (5:23)

This 1970 studio effort teamed up Albert with producer Don Nix, who supplied the majority of the original material here. Kicking off with a typical reading of the Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman" and including Taj Mahal's "She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride," the session is split between a Hollywood date with Jesse Ed Davis, Jim Keltner, and Duck Dunn in the band and one at Muscle Shoals with Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Barry Beckett in the lineup. Although all of this is well-produced, there's hardly any fireworks out of Albert or any of the players aboard, making this an unessential addition for any but Albert King completists. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

Lovejoy mc
Lovejoy zippy

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Albert King - Rainin' In California

Size: 107,8 MB
Time: 46:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. King's Groove (7:15)
02. I Wonder Why (6:10)
03. The Sky Is Crying (8:59)
04. Albert's Stomp (2:02)
05. I'll Play The Blues For You (6:44)
06. Cold Women With Warm Hearts (5:51)
07. Kansas City (3:09)
08. Tighten Up (0:51)
09. Rainin' In California (5:02)

Personnel:
Albert King (vocals, guitar)
Michael Lorenz (drums)
Tony Lorenz (organ)
Leon Blue (piano)
Oliver Jackson (trumpet)

Recordings made 1983, Long Beach, California.

Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American blues guitarist and singer whose playing influenced many other blues guitarists. He is perhaps best known for the popular and influential album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) and its title track. He, B.B. King, and Freddie King, all unrelated, were known as the "Kings of the Blues." The left-handed King was known for his "deep, dramatic sound that was widely imitated by both blues and rock guitarists."

He was once nicknamed "The Velvet Bulldozer" because of his smooth singing and large size–he stood taller than average, with sources reporting 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) or 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), and weighed 250 lb (110 kg)–and also because he drove a bulldozer in one of his day jobs early in his career.

King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2011, he was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Rainin' In California MP3
Rainin' In California FLAC

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Various Artists - Popcorn Blues Party Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: Popcorn Blues Party Vol. 1 (KMCD28)
Size: 137,8 MB
Time: 57:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues, R&B
Art: Front & Back

01 B.B. King - Sixteen Tons (2:34)
02 Johnny Copeland - Just One More Time (2:55)
03 Jody Williams - Lucky Lou (3:48)
04 John Lee Hooker - You Gotta Shake It Up And Go (2:17)
05 Memphis Slim - Steppin' Out (2:00)
06 Bo Diddley - She's Fine, She's Mine (2:42)
07 Roy Gaines - Black Gal (2:22)
08 Tabby Thomas - My Baby Got It (2:33)
09 Dennis Roberts - I Don't Care (2:43)
10 Jerry McCain - Jet Stream (2:30)
11 Sugar Boy Williams - Little Girl (2:33)
12 Jimmie Lee Robinson - Lonely Traveling (2:25)
13 Howlin' Wolf - Going Back Home (2:41)
14 Ricky Allen - Cut You A-Loose (2:48)
15 Johnny Guitar Watson - Wait A Minute Baby (2:06)
16 Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - The Cricket (2:47)
17 Jimmy Rogers - What Have I Done (2:43)
18 Sonny Boy Williamson - Help Me (3:10)
19 Freddie King - The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist (2:53)
20 Rose Mitchell - Baby Please Don't Go (2:25)
21 Otis Rush - Keep On Loving Me Baby (2:23)
22 Shakey Jake - Jake's Cha Cha (2:07)

Album: Popcorn Blues Party Vol. 2 (KMCD29)
Size: 153,1 MB
Time: 64:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Blues, R&B
Art: Front & Back

01 Albert King - Had You Told It Like It Was (3:09)
02 Bobby 'Blue' Bland - 36-22-36 (2:51)
03 Miss Lavelle White - Stop These Teardrops (2:22)
04 Ike Turner & His Orchestra - She Made My Blood Run Cold (2:21)
05 Little Joe Washington - Bossa Nova And Grits (2:12)
06 Sir Arthur Coleman - Stop Cheating On Me (2:52)
07 Albert Collins - Icy Blue (3:02)
08 Big Jack Reynolds - Made It Up In Your Mind (2:26)
09 Piney Brown - Sugar In My Tea (Cream In My Coffee) (2:30)
10 Bo Diddley - Down Home Special (3:12)
11 Louisiana Red - Sugar Hips (4:30)
12 Charles Sheffield - Its Your Voodoo Working (1:47)
13 Charles Clark - Hidden Charms (2:34)
14 Doug Johnson & The Outlaws - Quick Sand (2:40)
15 Blind Johnny Davis - Magic Carpet (2:14)
16 Nappy Brown - My Baby (2:31)
17 Otis Rush & His Band - All Your Love (2:38)
18 Willie Cobbs - You Don't Love Me (6:06)
19 Tommy Brown - Southern Women (2:29)
20 Bo Diddley - I Can Tell (4:34)
21 Peppermint Harris - Need Your Lovin' (2:50)
22 Little Walter (Marion Walter Jacobs) - Up The Line (2:07)

The Popcorn genre is a style of music and dancing first established in Belgium (the Land of Beers) in the late 1960s and it got its name from a discotheque called the Popcorn. This style includes a pretty eclectic and wide range of American R&B and pop songs mostly recorded in the 1950s and mid-1960s in a slow or medium tempo and often in a minor key. Popcorn can be recognized by its tempo just as much as its sound. In an article for The Guardian titled ''Belgium's 'Popcorn: the last underground music scene in Europe'' musician and writer Bob Stanley wrote ''the purity of Belgian Popcorn is its very impurity. R&B, Broadway numbers, tangos, Phil Spector-Esque girl groups, and loungey instrumentals, they are all constituent parts of a rare, and still largely undiscovered scene. It won't stay that way forever.

Popcorn Blues Party Vol. 1
Popcorn Blues Party Vol. 2

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Albert King - Chicago 1978

Size: 151,2 MB
Time: 64:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Full

01. King's Bounce (Live) ( 3:30)
02. Stormy Monday Blues (Live) ( 9:28)
03. Born Under A Bad Sign (Live) ( 5:28)
04. The Very Thought Of You (Live) ( 4:35)
05. You're My Woman (Live) ( 4:24)
06. Tired As A Man Can Be (Live) ( 6:23)
07. Blues At Sunrise (Live) (10:15)
08. Feel Like Breakin' Up Somebody's Home (Live) ( 5:18)
09. Please Come Back To Me (Live) (11:08)
10. I'll Play The Blues For You (Live) ( 4:21)

This is an OUTSTANDING live set which absolutely cooks from beginning to end. Recorded in a real-deal, hardcore Chicago nightclub, the sound is great and Albert plays his butt off at the top of his game. Highly, highly recommended. ~James Coburn

Chicago 1978

Monday, September 2, 2019

Albert King - Live On Memory Lane

Size: 75,1 MB
Time: 32:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front & Back

01. I Walked All Night Long (2:57)
02. This Morning (2:45)
03. Had You Told Me Like It Was (2:04)
04. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong (2:57)
05. Let's Have A Natural Ball (2:52)
06. Travellin' To California (2:43)
07. I've Made Nights By Myself (2:59)
08. Oowee Baby (2:31)
09. Dynaflow (3:46)
10. This Funny Feeling (2:47)
11. Monologue (2:31)
12. I Get Evil (1:08)

The first live recording of Albert King done at a local club St.Louis. Issued under series Monad Classics.

"If you don't dig the blues you got a hole in your soul" sayeth King. Born in Indianola, MS, on April 25 1923. as Albert Nelson. He taught himself how to play guitar when he was a child, building his own instrument out of a cigar box. King moved to Gary, IN, in 1953, where he joined a band that also featured Jimmy Reed but King actually played drums in the group. At this time, he adopted the name Albert King and claimed to be related to B.B. King. Eventually King met Willie Dixon who helped him record for Parrot Records. Five songs were recorded during the session and only one single, "Be On Your Merry Way" / "Bad Luck Blues," was released. In 1956, Albert moved to St. Louis, where he initially sat in with local bands. By 1958, Albert was quite popular in St. Louis, which led to a contract with the fledgling Bobbin Records in the summer of 1959. King's records for Bobbin sold well in the St. Louis area, enough so that King Records leased the "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong" single from the smaller label. When the single was released nationally late in 1961, it became a hit, reaching number 14 on the R&B charts. King Records continued to lease more material from Bobbin -- including a full album, "Big Blues", which was released in 1963 -- but nothing else approached the initial success of "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong." Bobbin also leased material to Chess, which appeared in the late '60s.

Albert King left Bobbin in late 1962 and recorded one session for King Records in the spring of 1963 without a hit. Within a year, he cut four songs for the local St. Louis independent label Coun-Tree. But by 1966 King signed with Stax Records where he finally broke out. With Booker T & The MGs on sessions the soul underpinning gave King crossover appeal, as evidenced by his R&B chart hits -- "Laundromat Blues" (1966) and "Cross Cut Saw" (1967) both went Top 40, while "Born Under a Bad Sign" (1967) charted in the Top 50. Furthermore, King's style was "borrowed" by several rock & roll players, most notably Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, who copied Albert's "Personal Manager" guitar solo on the Cream song, "Strange Brew." Albert King's first album for Stax, 1967's "Born Under A Bad Sign", was a collection of his singles for the label and became one of the most popular and influential blues albums of the late '60s. His star continued to rise with the terrific live record "Live Wire/Blues Power", which remains today one of King's defining moments. "Years Gone By" dropped the following year sounding like every bit the sequel to "Born Under A Bad Sign" it should've been. Yet this was followed by an erratic couple years that included an odd tribute to Elvis Presley ("King Does The King's Things"), a tedious mostly-instrumental collaboration with Pops Staples and Steve Cropper ("Jammed Together") and a stiff LP produced by Don Nix ("Lovejoy"). King rebounded with the masterpiece "I'll Play The Blues For You" featuring members of Booker T & The MGs and the followup "I Wanna Get Funky". R & B chart hits like "I'll Play The Blues For You", "Breaking Up Somebody's Home", "Answer To The Laundromat Blues" & "That's What The Blues Is All About" come from these two records.

King left Stax in 1974 for Tomato Records for the somewhat successful "Truckload Of Lovin", which produced an R & B hit with Sir Mack Rice's "Cadillac Assembly Line". The quality of King's material began declining rapidly during this discofied period and subsequent albums including the Allen Toussaint produced "New Orleans Heat" in 1977 are considered his weakest. Following the 1977 release of "The Pinch", a collection of unreleased material from the Stax vault, King "retired" from the studio for several years, concentrating on his legendary live performances. But the titan was back in the studio in 1983 on the Stax-related label Fantasy for a pair of solid LPs in his classic Soul/Blues style ("San Francisco '83" & "I'm In A Phone Booth Baby") but he seemed to retire from recording again, occasionally guesting on albums like Gary Moore's "Still Called The Blues" before finally getting back in the studio and recording the obscure European effort "Red House" in 1992. King died in that same year. Countless live albums and compilations have naturally appeared since then, further proving he was one of the greatest of the modern electric Blues artists.

Live On Memory Lane

Friday, June 7, 2019

Albert King - The Lost Session

Source: Digital Lossless Copy
Size: 110.0 MB
Time: 47:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front & Back

01. She Won't Gimme No Lovin' (5:56)
02. Cold In Hand (4:45)
03. Stop Lying (3:53)
04. All The Way Down (3:32)
05. Tell Me What True Love Is (4:57)
06. Down The Road I Go (4:38)
07. Money Lovin' Women (5:40)
08. Sun Gone Down (Take 1) (4:42)
09. Brand New Razor (4:33)
10. Sun Gone Down (Take 2) (5:02)

Lost Session is an interesting historical curiosity, but it is rather unsuccessful musically. John Mayall produced the record and he tried to move Albert King toward jazz. First of all, King's style isn't quite suited for jazz -- he's too direct and forceful. Furthermore, the songs are simply skeletons -- their only function is to let the band solo. And there are a couple of good solos, all of them from King. But ultimately, it's a forgettable exercise that should have been left in the vault. ~Thom Owens

The Lost Session

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Albert King - Thursday Night In San Francisco: Recorded Live At The Fillmore Auditorium

Source: Digital Lossless Copy
Size: 121.1 MB
Time: 52:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front & Back

01. San-Ho-Zay (Live) (0:53)
02. You Upset Me, Baby (Live) (4:53)
03. Call It Stormy Monday (Live) (8:37)
04. Everyday I Have The Blues (Live) (4:17)
05. Drifting Blues (Live) (8:05)
06. I've Made Nights By Myself (Live) (6:44)
07. Crosscut Saw (Live) (3:46)
08. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town (Live) (7:41)
09. Ooh-Ee-Baby (Live) (7:40)

Personnel:
Albert King – Electric guitar and vocals
Willie James Exon – Guitar
James Washington – Organ
Roosevelt Pointer – Bass
Theotis Morgan – drums

Thursday Night in San Francisco, recorded live in 1968 at the Fillmore Auditorium. This album, together with Wednesday Night in San Francisco, contains leftovers recorded live on the same dates as Live Wire/Blues Power. Thursday Night in San Francisco, released in 1990, contains material recorded on June 27, 1968.

Thursday Night In San Francisco

Albert King - Wednesday Night In San Francisco: Recorded Live At The Fillmore Auditorium

Source: Digital Lossless Copy
Size: 103.6 MB
Time: 45:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul

01. Watermelon Man (Live) (0:58)
02. Why You So Mean To Me (Live) (8:05)
03. I Get Evil (Live) (5:38)
04. Got To Be Some Changes Made (Live) (9:40)
05. Personal Manager (Live) (7:35)
06. Born Under A Bad Sign (Live) (4:25)
07. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong (Live) (8:37)

Personnel:
Albert King – Electric guitar and vocals
Willie James Exon – Guitar
James Washington – Organ
Roosevelt Pointer – Bass
Theotis Morgan – drums

Wednesday Night in San Francisco, recorded live in 1968 at the Fillmore Auditorium. This album, together with Thursday Night in San Francisco, contains leftovers recorded live on the same dates as Live Wire/Blues Power. Wednesday Night in San Francisco, released in 1990, contains material recorded on June 26, 1968.

Wednesday Night In San Francisco

Friday, April 12, 2019

Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (Mono)

Size: 80,5 MB
Time: 34:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1967/2019
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Born Under A Bad Sign (Mono Mix) (2:50)
02. Crosscut Saw (Mono Mix) (2:36)
03. Kansas City (Mono Mix) (2:34)
04. Oh, Pretty Woman (Mono Mix) (2:48)
05. Down Don't Bother Me (Mono Mix) (2:14)
06. The Hunter (Mono Mix) (2:50)
07. I Almost Lost My Mind (Mono Mix) (3:24)
08. Personal Manager (Mono Mix) (4:30)
09. Laundromat Blues (Mono Mix) (3:08)
10. As The Years Go Passing By (Mono Mix) (3:46)
11. The Very Thought Of You (Mono Mix) (3:46)

Albert King recorded a lot in the early '60s, including some classic sides, but they never quite hit the mark. They never gained a large audience, nor did they really capture the ferocity of his single-string leads. Then he signed with Stax in 1966 and recorded a number of sessions with the house band, Booker T. & the MG's, and everything just clicked. The MG's gave King supple Southern support, providing an excellent contrast to his tightly wound lead guitar, allowing to him to unleash a torrent of blistering guitar runs that were profoundly influential, not just in blues, but in rock & roll (witness Eric Clapton's unabashed copping of King throughout Cream's Disraeli Gears). Initially, these sessions were just released as singles, but they were soon compiled as King's Stax debut, Born Under a Bad Sign. Certainly, the concentration of singles gives the album a consistency -- these were songs devised to get attention -- but, years later, it's astounding how strong this catalog of songs is: "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Crosscut Saw," "Oh Pretty Woman," "The Hunter," "Personal Manager," and "Laundromat Blues" form the very foundation of Albert King's musical identity and legacy. Few blues albums are this on a cut-by-cut level; the songs are exceptional and the performances are rich, from King's dynamic playing to the Southern funk of the MG's. It was immediately influential at the time and, over the years, it has only grown in stature as one of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Born Under A Bad Sign

Monday, March 11, 2019

Albert King - The Purple Carriage, Illinois, 2nd Feb 1974

Year: 2015
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:21
Size: 139,3 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. I Believe (5:12)
2. Don't Burn Down The Bridge (5:59)
3. I Wanna Get Funky (5:26)
4. Crosscut Saw (6:16)
5. Stormy Monday (9:31)
6. Station ID (0:08)
7. I'll Play The Blues For You (6:56)
8. Breaking Up Somebody's Home (5:54)
9. Blues Power (9:13)
10. Born Under A Bad Sign (5:42)

Albert King was one of three kings (B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King) who helped in defining the blues and pronouncing its grip on generations of young musicians. King was also a pioneer in merging blues with the hard-driving funk of his Stax label mates The Bar-Kays and with Isaac Hayes’ Movement. The Memphis sound served King well who wished to stay ahead of the game entertaining rock and soul audiences alike at places such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and in The Fillmore.

Amidst the upsurge in Albert King’s revisited repertoire stands the February 1974 appearance at the Purple Carriage House in Illinois. King’s tightly emotional hold on ‘Lucy’, his beloved Flying V guitar, teased an admiring and intimate crowd who could adjourn only after bearing witness to another of King’s mesmerising performances.

Klondike’s homage to this phenomenal blues legend is represented in this beautifully packaged edition with a rare, re-mastered original WXRT-FM broadcast that can only help in further celebrating the complex depth of a true musical giant.

Live At The Purple Carriage, Illinois, 2nd Feb 1974 mc
Live At The Purple Carriage, Illinois, 2nd Feb 1974 zippy

Sunday, December 16, 2018

V.A. - Blues In The Eisenhower Era

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Time: 52:03
Size: 120.8 MB
Released: 2007/2012
Styles: Acoustic/electric blues
Art: Front

1. John Brim - Tough Times (3:07)
2. Ernest Lewis - West Coast Blues (2:54)
3. J.B. Lenoir - Fine Girls (2:34)
4. Little Papa Joe - Lookin' For My Baby (2:40)
5. Little Sammy Davis - 1958 Blues (2:18)
6. Johnny Lewis - Jealous Man (2:30)
7. Dusty Brown - Yes, She's Gone (2:39)
8. Nature Boy Brown - Blue Blues Boogie (2:57)
9. Baby Boy Warren - Santa Fe (2:27)
10. Willie Egan - Wow Wow (2:14)
11. Ernest Lewis - No More Lovin' (3:05)
12. Eddie Hope & The Mannish Boys - A Fool No More (2:21)
13. Little Willie Foster - Falling Rain Blues (2:40)
14. John Brim - Gary Stomp (2:48)
15. Albert King - (Be On Your) Merrry Merry Way (2:52)
16. Sunnyland Slim - Going Back To Memphis (2:56)
17. Baby Boy Warren - Mattie Mae (2:45)
18. Curtis Jones - Wrong Blues (3:12)
19. J.B. Lenoir - Eisenhower Blues (2:54)

A collection of raw blues from many classic artists that spans the era when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Includes J.B. Lenoir's famous diatribe "Eisenhower Blues" and John Brim's classic "Tough Times." All selections newly remastered.

Blues In The Eisenhower Era

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Albert King - I'm In A Phone Booth, Baby

Year: 1984
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:08
Size: 87,8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Phone Booth (3:55)
2. Dust My Broom (3:57)
3. The Sky Is Crying (5:40)
4. Brother, Go Ahead And Take Her (4:26)
5. Your Bread Ain't Done (3:59)
6. Firing Line (3:28)
7. The Game Goes On (4:00)
8. Truck Load Of Lovin' (4:19)
9. You Gotta Sacrifice (4:21)

This is a great session from one of the most underrated of the bluesmen. Albert King influenced many of the great modern rock/blues guitarists, such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, yet his own legacy remains largely unrecognized. The big man with the Flying V provides a concise, sharply executed set here. The band he fronts is up to the task, contributing nicely done organ, piano, sax, and trumpet fills behind King Albert.

King was a notorious perfectionist in the studio, so he must have been pleased with the efforts from these musicians. Standout tracks include the wonderful title cut, "Firing Line", and "You Gotta Sacrifice". An excellent version of "The Sky is Crying" is probably the strongest piece on this solid set. A must have for blues lovers. /Amazon (customer review)

Personnel: Albert King (vocals, guitar); Steve Douglas (tenor & baritone saxophone); Cal Lewiston (trumpet); Tony Llorens (piano); Gus Thornton (bass); Michael Llorens (drums).

I'm In A Phone Booth, Baby mc
I'm In A Phone Booth, Baby zippy

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Albert King - Blues For Elvis: King Does The King's Things

Year: 1970/1991
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:48
Size: 85,0 MB
Styles: Blues, R&B
Scans: Full

1. Hound Dog (4:03)
2. That's All Right (4:09)
3. All Shook Up (2:29)
4. Jailhouse Rock (3:37)
5. Heartbreak Hotel (6:06)
6. Don't Be Cruel (3:27)
7. One Night (4:17)
8. Blue Suede Shoes (3:16)
9. Love Me Tender (5:20)

Originally titled King Does the King's Things, here's Albert King adding his own touch to a batch of Elvis Presley tunes. Because King's style is so irreducible, the concept actually works, as he fills this album with his traditional, high-voltage guitar work and strong vocals. That isn't surprising, since four of the nine tunes on here originally started as R&B hits covered by Presley, including an instrumental version of Smiley Lewis' "One Night." No matter what the original sources may be, though, this is a strong showing in King's catalog. /Cub Koda, AllMusic

Personnel: Albert King (guitar, vocals); Michael Toles (guitar); Marvell Thomas (piano, organ); Donald "Duck" Dunn, James Alexander (bass); Willie Hall (drums).

Blues For Elvis: King Does The King's Things mc
Blues For Elvis: King Does The King's Things zippy