Earlier this week I strolled into my local record store (not actually mine but I like to think it is). The Record Exchange as its called is a seond home to me. The guys are great!! Everytime I walk in it feels like I'm Norm from Cheers and everybody knows my name. Its a great feeling. Skip is the owner and he's the type of guy that just makes you feel at home as soon as you walk in, if theres anything your looking for this guy can find it. Paul is an encyclopedia of music, absolutely love talking to him about what's new and old. Barance is the king of funk, a great performer that also loves the blues. Jimmy is soft spoken but is an all around great guy.
So anyways, I walk in the other day and as usual as soon as I walk in and do all the usual greetings to the group, I tilt my head to the wall of fame to see what's new and if there's something I truely can't leave the store without. Today I really didnt know if I was going to get anything because it was about 10 mins before closeing time. I carry myself to the blues section of the store that I love flipping through to see what's new that I haven't seen 2 days prior. One album stuck out in my mind: Albert King, not only Albert King but Albert King Live. I have his sessions album with the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan and absolutely love it. The sessions album seems never to get old.
At the beginning of the album as with a lot of live albums its starts off an introduction. I'm sure the crowd had no idea what they were in for. Albert makes his way to the stage, in person this mammoth of a man has a sense of softness to him with a kind face. But as soon as he starts hammering those strings you can hear some cunning brilliance. The album was recorded live at the Fillmore. With a strange array of hippies that had no idea what blues was. But Albert didnt mind showing them with full force and they didnt mind taking it all in.
The album starts off with Why You So Mean To Me. Albert has a way with his solos. He has impressed and blown away the legends of the guitar away, including Vaughan. The man can twist those notes so smooth and crisp. Its a typical blues song about a man and his mean girl, its not the lyrics that impress the locals but the guitar work. It can't be explained in words, only in hearing it can you truely appriciate it.
After the 8 min Why You So Mean To Me Albert follows up with I Get Evil. A reworking of Tampa Reds Dont You Lie To Me, it wasn't rare to see blues artists to take other artists songs and tweek them a little to make it their own. The solos are impressive on this song, when he gets into them its just a tangled web of notes that string so well together.
The last song on side one is Got To Be Some Changes Made. You can hear Alberts influence on Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray more so on this song than any others. Its raw. Raw blues at its best. If there's a song that can introduce you to Albert King I would suggest listening to this song more so than ones before it. It showcases Kings guitar greatness and influence. He's a real powerhouse of a guitarist and you can really tell on this track. For you first time King fans I suggest skipping the first two first and going back to them after listening to this one, its nice to have your mind blown at first listen.
On to side two. Starting off the list is one of Kings slower songs. Its a slow blues ballad with a lot of picked up solos thrown in there. Personal Manager sounds a lot like something that Buddy Guy would have written one night while hanging out with Hendrix at a bar at 2 am. A beautiful song but at over 17 mins long Albert should have picked up the pace, it can get a little dragged out.
Born Under A Bad Sign is one of Alberts more famous songs. Covered by artists such as Cream, Hendrix, Booker T, Smashing Pumpkins, MC5, BB King, Blue Cheer, Tommy Bolin to just name a few. The lyric "if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all" is one of the greatest blues lyrics of all time that has been reused over and over again. Great song live or in the studio. It can never get old. It's a shame that his most famous song is the shortest song on the whole album.
To close the album and the live set King fought tooth and nail through Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong. Brilliant twisting of chords on this tune. King glides from note to note like a songbird, his fingers do the talking through most of the song with an occasional "Wooooooo" heard in the background. Albert King is a legend's legend. You can hear why on this album.
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