Customer Reviews

Live

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Almost all tunes are classics of the blues repertoire, or even jazz revisited such as "Watermelon Man". I have really enjoyed listening these pieces, the crispy riffs in the masterpiece "Kansas City" as well as the slow bars in "Blues at Sunrise", and foremost his duet with Rory Gallagher in "As the years go passing by". Don't miss it.

I could bore you with compiling a list of the musicians in the rock, blues, jazz, and new age field who were influenced by this master of electric blues but I will refrain from doing so. Albert King was one of those whose playing inspired me to learn guitar. I thought "heck, it sounds easy enough for me to play". Aah the naive thoughts of youth! Truth be told often the easiest sounding parts are the hardest to play and play with authority. Albert plays a lot of the same licks but inflects them differently in delivery - a talent that is in and of itself notable. He finds ways to transcend the patterns that all - himself included - fall into when playing. To quote Robert Palmer, his solos combine both "torrential power and striking freshness" and his style works not only in traditional shuffle style blues but also with r & b, funk, soul, jazz, and rock stylings backing him up.

No offense intended to BB King partisans with the title of this review (or to BB himself), but the truth is the truth. BB is (and has been) a wonderful ambassador for the blues. However, if we are talking about whose stylings have been most influential, Albert comes out ahead. No one has ever played the guitar with more authority for one thing. Also, Albert combined an impeccable sense of timing, the ability to utilize dynamics effectively, a penchant for economy of notes, and the ability to subtly inflect the notes he played with an individuality that few have ever approached. His style was akin to a wrecking ball slamming into a building but also encompassed the delicate touch of a feather: one reason he was given the well-deserved nickname "The Velvet Bulldozer.". Many have sought - and still seek to - emulate these elements in their playing. As Robert Palmer astutely pointed out in the liner notes, Albert's playing is never cluttered. On this album he plays uptempo jazzier tunes, scorching slower blues, and songs where he combines his approach with music stylings then current (circa 1978).

More could be stated but perhaps the best tribute to Albert King was from Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh (who also eulogized him at his funeral in December 1992). Joe Walsh stated quite bluntly that "Albert King could blow away Eddie Van Halen with his amp on standby". Obtain this CD and listen to King live employing the various elements of his unique style. If you are infected with "MTV-itis" be warned: the songs on this disk average about 8 minutes per with some surpassing 10 minutes long. But then if you enjoy good music and biting soulful playing, you will not be disappointed.

This is a very solid cd! Albert King is as close to musical perfection as there will be, this is a GREAT example of why. He puts everything he has in each song, each note, each word... This cd takes you into the crowd for that concert, no matter where you listen to this cd you gain a sense of feeling for King's onstage presence; in word--captivating. Each track on here is clearly recorded and very well presented. This cd is NO gamble--you will enjoy it for many, many years.

Absolument indispensable. Grandiose. Peut-être même supérieur (sans doute) aux "Thursday night" ou "Wednesday night" ou "Blues power". Tout est absolument fantastique dans cet album.
Il existe sous 2 pochettes - au moins - , et sous une version ''double cd'' avec 1 ou 2 titres en plus. Toujours le même scandaleux manque de respect, pour ne pas dire foutoir ...
Celui dont je parle, c'est celui ci-dessus avec une pochette noir et blanc, et donc 10 titres pour 67 minutes. Curieusement Albert ne mentionne pas Rory Gallagher (curieux ! ), et ne présente pas son groupe (dont, crois-je, Louisana Red à la 2ème guitare). Des « edit » ?
Inutile d'en tartiner des lignes : cette aeuvre est à écouter, pour le moins, et à acquérir - pour pas bien cher en téléchargement - d'urgence. C'est un disque clé, une aeuvre majeure du blues. Honte sur moi qui le découvre si tard. Dommage qu'on ne puisse attribuer 6 *.
Ah la délicatesse de certains passages : combinaison guitare et basse, ou guitare basse orgue sur le fabuleux « As the tears...» ! Le velours des cuivres, souvent ...
Mes préférés : « As the tears ... » bien sûr, « Don't burn the bridge » c'est évident, « I'll play the blues... » ça va sans dire et « Stormy Monday » évidemment.
Le mixage n'est pas toujours parfait (ou l'enregistrement ?) : trompette ... surprenante parfois.
Dommage qu'Amazon n'envoie pas, avec le téléchargement, un minimum d'informations : musiciens auteurs - compositeurs, voire notes de pochette du Cd ... Autrement dit un livret numérique généralisé.

Track Listings
1. Watermelon Man
2. Don't Burn Down The Bridge
3. Blues At Sunrise
4. That's What The Blues Is All About
5. Stormy Monday
6. Kansas City
7. I'm Gonna Call You As Soon As The Sun Goes Down
8. Matchbox Holds My Clothes
9. As The Years Go Passing By
10.I'll Play The Blues For You

All tracks from this album plus "Overall Junction" and "Jam in A Flat" are on 'Blues from the Road' (Fuel 2000/Varese Sarabande), which also has informative liner notes by Bill Dahl.

The material on both albums is from King's 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival appearance. While his Tomato studio albums from the '70s seem contrived and less satisfying than his King/Bobbin ('50s), Stax ('60s), and Fantasy ('80s) albums, I prefer his live albums from this period to those before and after. King seemed to have found his musical home with the horns on the road, after having been juxtaposed to them and female choruses in the studio. Compared to the '50s and '60s live albums, the sound is fuller, the solos even more focused and meaningful, and the vocal presence even more centered and commanding. There are precious few live albums from the '80s. I have 'Live in Canada' (Charly Blues Legends 'Live' Vol. 6): no date is given, but the Elmore James number "The Sky Is Crying" and the "Texas Flood"-rewrite "Rainin' in California" put it in the mid-'80s. It's a fine CD, but the recording quality is lacking (excellent for an audie) and King didn't seem to be reaching anymore or feeling he had something to prove or reveal.

'Live' (Tomato/Rhino/Wea) is my favorite blues album. 'Blues from the Road' may be more complete, but I prefer the single disc format of 'Live' with its "Watermelon Man" opener--a perfect combination of convenience and musical sense. I enjoy having both, frankly, since the extra tracks are well worthwhile.