Blues

Albert King - Years Gone By (1969)

2018-09-26T14:57:29Z

Albert King - Years Gone By (1969)


A1 	Wrapped Up In Love Again 	2:18
A2 	You Don't Love Me (Instrumental) 	2:26
A3 	Cockroach 	3:18
A4 	Killing Floor 	3:05
A5 	Lonely Man 	2:39
A6 	If The Washing Don't Get You The Rinsing Will 	2:12
B1 	Drowning On Dry Land 	3:54
B2 	Drowning On Dry Land (Instrumental) 	2:38
B3 	Heart Fixing Business 	2:41
B4 	You Threw Your Love On Me Too Strong 	3:14
B5 	Sky Is Crying 	4:09

Albert King – electric guitar, vocals
Booker T. Jones – piano, organ
Steve Cropper – guitar
Donald Duck Dunn – bass
Al Jackson, Jr. – drums

King cranked out this solid, if typical, album for the Stax label after the success of Born Under a Bad Sign. With Booker T. drummer Al Jackson producing, the set includes such staples as "You Threw Your Love on Me Too Strong," "Wrapped up in Love Again," and a powerful version of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor." For fans of King's guitar work, the inclusion of the instrumental workouts on "You Don't Love Me" and "Drowning on Dry Land" are a special bonus. Not an essential Albert King album, but one of his good ones. ---Cub Koda, AllMusic Review

In early 1969, the 45-year-old Albert King was back in Stax Records Studios, located in an old movie theatre at 926 East McLemore Avenue in South Memphis. He was there along with Booker T Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Al Jackson Jr to record what would become his third album, and his first LP proper, Years Gone By.

The four-man backing group are, of course, better known as Booker T & The MG’s, and their cohesion and natural affinity underpins this easy rolling blues album, providing the perfect musical bed over which Albert projects his fabulous guitar and voice.

Stax_Museum_Memphis_TN_02_Marker-Thomas-R-MachnitzkiStax released just one single from the album, the laidback and sultry ‘Drowning On Dry Land’, and while it works really well in the context of the album, it was not destined to pick up enough radio plays to drive it into the bestseller list. A far better choice of single would have been the Homer Banks, Allen Jones and James Cross-penned ‘If The Washing Don’t Get You, The Rinsing Will’. The songwriters turned out a number of hits for Stax, and this could have been another.

Another Banks/Jones composition is ‘Heart Fixing Business’, and it too is a strong song, as is the excellent ‘Cockroach’. Years Gone By also includes two King originals, ‘Wrapped Up In Love Again’ and ‘You Threw Your Love On Me Too Strong’, with the former opening the album with a flourish.

There are also two outstanding covers on the album: a take on Chester Burnett’s (aka Howlin’ Wolf’s) ‘Killing Floor’ alongside one of the blues’ great lyrical numbers, Elmore James’ ‘The Sky Is Crying’.

Years Gone By made the Billboard Album chart on 24 May 1969 and peaked at No.133. In so doing, it became Albert King’s best-ever performing album, in terms of chart position. With all its Albert King hallmarks, any connoisseur of the blues will love this record – in particular the raw power of his guitar.

As Joe Walsh once said: “Albert King could blow Eddie Van Halen clean off stage with his amp just on Standby!” Who are we to disagree…? ---Richard Havers, udiscovermusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto

back

Albert King - New Orleans Heat (1978)

2012-08-09T16:31:10Z

Albert King - New Orleans Heat (1978)


1. Get Out Of My Life Woman
2. Born Under A Bad Sign
3. The Feeling
4. We All Wanna Boogie
5. The Very Thought Of You
6. I Got The Blues
7. I Get Evil
8. Angel Of Mercy
9. Flat Tyre

Albert King - Guitar, Vocals
Leo Nocentelli – Guitar
George Porter, Jr.  – Bass
Wardell Quezergue - Piano (Electric)
Robert Dabon -	Piano (Electric)
Allen Toussaint – piano
Charles "Hungry" Williams – Drums
Kenneth Williams – Percussion
Leroy Breaux – Drums

New Orlean Heat, an Albert King collaboration with Allen Toussaint, is, in many ways, a step back in time, or an homage to the fifties and early sixties, when blues and r&b artists flocked to Cosmo's to cut records with the funk talent of the crescent city. Albert is his usual smooth, velvet bulldozer on vocals, and arrangements are good, if not cutting edge. A lot less of the NO style funk than one might expect. The guitar work is subdued, so if you are expecting a lot of heat in New Orleans Heat. prepare to be underwhelmed. Not a lot of "talking wire" here. Perhaps the song choices and arrangements tended to muzzle Albert's well-known guitar excitement, the be a team player approach. Surprisingly, the liner notes give no mention of the backup female vocalists, and perhaps a few other members of the team. The foregoing disparagements aside, this is a fine album and one any AK fan needs in his collection to represent his Tomato years, in much the same way a Freddie King fan needs Texas Cannonball to represent his Shelter years. Just don't expect Born Under a Bad Sign meets the Meters. ---Leo H. Stakemiller, amazon.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global.files workupload

back

Albert King – King Albert (1977)

2011-10-10T11:35:25Z

Albert King – King Albert (1977)


1.Love Shock
2.You Upset Me Baby
3.Chump Change
4.Let Me Rock You Easy
5.Boot Lace
6.Love Mechanic					play
7.Call My Job
8.Good Time Charlie

Johnny Badanjek - Drums
Brandye - Backing Vocals
John Fraga - Bass
Lawrence Fratangelo - Percussion
Glen Goins - Guitar
Barbara Huby - Percussion
Albert King – Guitar, Vocals
Dwayne Lomax - Drums
Jim McCarty - Guitar
Dennis Robbins - Guitar
Rudy Robinson - Keyboards
Ray Tini Jr - Guitar
Fred Wesley - Horn
Anthony Willis - Bass
Aaron G Willis Jr - Guitar
Eddie Willis - Guitar
Ronald Wright – Drums
The Horny Horns

Albert King. Singer, guitarist and songwriter, born 25 April 1923 in Indianola, Mississippi, died 21 December 1992 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Like his peers B.B. King and Freddie King -both unrelated-, Albert King is one of the most influential blues guitarists of the 1950s and 1960s. A recording artist since the late 1940s, he enjoyed his biggest commercial successes while signed to the Stax label from 1966 until 1974.

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles workupload

back

Albert King – Hard Bargain (1996)

2011-10-08T08:35:37Z

Albert King – Hard Bargain (1996)


1.   "Overall Junction" (King) – 2:19
2.    "Funk-Shun" (King) – 3:43
3.    "You Sure Drive a Hard Bargain" (Crutcher/Jones) – 3:17
4.    "You're Gonna Need Me" (King) – 2:48
5.    "As the Years Go Passing By" (Malone) – 2:49	play
6.    "Drownin' on Dry Land" (Gregory/Jones) – 4:23
7.    "Heart Fixing Business" (Banks/Jones) – 3:26
8.    "The Sky Is Crying" (James) – 5:29
9.    "I Get Evil" (King) – 3:29
10.    "Shake 'Em Down" (Nix) – 3:09			play
11.    "I Believe to My Soul" (Charles) – 4:36
12.    "Got to Be Some Changes Made" (King) – 4:29
13.    "Albert's Groove, No. 2" (King) – 2:32

    Albert King – Electric guitar and vocals
    Steve Cropper – Guitar
    Booker T. Jones – Piano and Organ
    Isaac Hayes – Piano
    Donald "Duck" Dunn – Bass
    Al Jackson, Jr. – drums

A collection of B-sides, alternate takes, and previously unissued outtakes from King's Stax prime (1966-1972), some instrumental. It's not as good as King's best Stax material, but it's not far behind, often benefiting from house players like Booker T. & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, and the Bar-Kays. --- Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global.files workupload

back

Albert King - Blues For Elvis (1970)

2011-02-19T10:08:26Z

Albert King - Blues For Elvis 1968 (2006)


1-Hound Dog
2-That's All Right
3-All Shook Up
4-Jailhouse Rock             play
5-Hearbraek Hotel            play
6-Don't Be Cruel
7-One Night
8-Blue Suede Shoes
9-Love Me Tender


* Albert King – Electric guitar and vocals
* Michael Toles – Guitar
* Marvell Thomas – Piano and organ
* Donald "Duck" Dunn – Bass guitar
* James Alexander – Bass guitar
* Willie Hall – Drums

Originally titled King Does the King's Thing, 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.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global.files workupload

back

Albert King - Funky London (1994)

2010-06-13T22:27:57Z

Albert King - Funky London (1994)


1.Cold Sweat 
2.Can't You See What You're Doing To Me 
3.Funky London 
4.Lonesome 
5.Bad Luck 
6.Sweet Fingers 
7.Finger On The Trigger 
8.Drivin' Wheel 
9.Lovingest Woman In Town

Bass – Donald "Duck" Dunn, Errol Thomas, James Alexander
Drums – Al Jackson Jr., Willie Hall
Guitar – Albert King, Michael Toles
Keyboards – Lester Snell, Winston Stewart
Keyboards, Guitar – Bobby Manuel
Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Henderson
Trumpet – Ben Cauley

Albert King cut his teeth on the blues circuits of Arkansas and St. Louis, developing his style in a number of electric outfits. His recording career was, at least initially, erratic, though the quality of the sides he cut for the Parrot, King, and Coun-Tree imprints certainly was not. It wasn't until King signed to Stax in 1966, however, and the guitarist's electric blues fused with the muscular bass, funky guitars, and sparkling horns of the label's outstanding session players, that he found his first home. King stayed with the label for eight years, leaving only when Stax was entering its financial decline. Funky London manages to dig up a few from the period that nearly got away, compiling three 45 sides and six unreleased tracks. The singles include a pair of instrumentals (a cover of James Brown's "Cold Sweat" and "Funky London," a dispensable, up-tempo 12-bar workout) and one vocal ("Can't You See What You're Doing to Me"). By the nature of the material, those songs and the six that follow lack the cohesiveness of an album, though the quality of the music ultimately prevails. Downshifting for "Lonesome," the combo is steeped in the blues. After a false start ("What's the matter with y'all!?" asks King), the band begins again, King's crying guitar lines joined by keyboard commentary, smoky threads of wah-wah guitar and an exquisite horn arrangement. "Sweet Fingers" is an excellent example of funky blues ensemble playing and "Driving Wheel" a fine interpretation of the Roosevelt Sykes tune. Perhaps most important is the fact that the majority of the music here maintains the standards established on King's official Stax releases, making this a desirable set. ---Nathan Bush, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles workupload

back

Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (1967)

2010-05-20T11:40:28Z

Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (1967)


01. Born Under A Bad Sign
02. Change of pace.
03. Get out of my life woman
04. Gonna make it somehow
05. Goodtime charlie
06. Guitar Man
07. I got the blues
08. Watermelon blues
09. Don't burn down the bridge.
10. Stormy monday
11. Kansas City
12. You upset me baby
13. Love shock


- Albert King - electric guitar and vocals
- Steve Cropper - electric guitar
- Booker T.Jones - piano
- Isaac Hayes - piano
- Donald "Duck" Dunn - bass
- Al Jackson Jr. - drums
- The Memphis Horns (Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love, Joe Arnold) – horns

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. 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, All Music Guide

download (mp3 @192 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global.files workupload

back

Albert King - Blues At Sunrise (1973)

2010-05-20T10:41:29Z

Albert King - Blues At Sunrise (1973)


01. Don't Burn Down The Bridge ('Cause You Might Wanna Come Back Across) (Jones/Wells) – 4:31
02. I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles) – 4:56
03. For The Love Of A Woman (Don Nix) – 3:47
04. Blues At Sunrise (Albert King) – 10:18
05. I'll Play The Blues For You (Jerry Beach) – 6:36
06. Little Brother (Make A Way) (Bush/Jones/Smith) – 5:45
07. Roadhouse Blues (Albert King) – 10:05


- Albert King - electric guitar and vocals
- Norville Hodges - trumpet
- Wilbur Tompson - trumpet
- Rick Watson - tenor saxophone
- James Washington - organ
- Donald Kinsey - electric guitar
- Bill Rennie - bass
- Sam King – drums

This concert was released after the return of Stax Records in the 1980s as a part of Fantasy Records. The initial release was the lost tape of Albert recording with John Mayall and his Jazz-Fusion band in California. This was put out as the "Lost Session". After another look in the newly recovered Stax vault (no pun intended!)tapes this concert was found. Two tracks had been previously released on vinyl as "Live at Montreux". This CD has most of the remaining part of this July 1, 1973 Montreux concert. The balance of this set can be found on the follow up release "Blues At Sunset" (1993).

This set is really different. Albert has a great band (with a subdued horn section). He also has Donald Kinsey (of the Kinsey Report) on guitar, who like Jimmy King, he calls his "grandson" (he liked to do that). Albert's playing is heavy, full and forceful. He obviously plays the entire set on his neck pickup and produced a fat sound unlike that on any other King recording. This is very similar to the sound he gets on the 2004 DVD release "Albert King: Live in Sweden". The title track "Blues at Sunrise" is a reworking of one of his very first King Records recordings. He has done this tune many times but this version is really different sounding. It also shows King at the beginning of the 1970s until the 1990s when he got the reputation of being difficult to work with. He typically berates the sound man in the middle of the tune.

I saw him in Australia in 1990 and he stopped the concert in the middle of "Kansas City", only his second tune, and rearranged the speakers on stage while the audience waited twenty minutes. He continued to play until he felt the Bass player wasn't holding up his end and PULLED OUT HIS LEAD IN MID-SONG! Oh Albert!

The tunes are on this recording are great, as they always are at Montreux. The production is well done and edited. Highlights of the performance are the Ray Charles (RIP) tune "I Believe To My Soul". His solos in this tune are awesome, what phrasing! "Roadhouse Blues" is a great extended tune that really gives the feel of an Albert King concert. This tune was released as a self-titled cassette tape in the 1990s, now very rare. "Little Brother, Make A Way" is the most unique cut on this CD. It features the only other and only ever live version of this track from "I'll Play the Blues For You" which was his current LP available when this concert was recorded. It has Albert singing soulfully without the second voice track of the LP and doing a great guitar solo as well. --- Perry Celestino (Tahmoor, NSW Australia)

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global.files workupload

back

Albert King - Lovejoy (1971)

2010-05-20T09:58:03Z

Albert King - Lovejoy (1971)


01. Honky Tonk Woman (Jagger/Richards) – 3:59
02. Bay Area Blues (Donald "Duck" Dunn, Don Nix) – 2:55
03. Corrina, Corrina (Don Nix) – 3:45
04. She Caught The Katy (And Left Me A Mule To Ride) (Taj Mahal, Rachel) – 3:56
05. For The Love Of A Woman (Don Nix) – 4:20
06. Lovejoy, Ill. (Don Nix) – 3:46
07. Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (Don Nix) – 4:18
08. Going Back To Iuka (Don Nix) – 3:57
09. Like A Road Leading Home (Don Nix, Dan Penn) – 5:20


- Albert King – Electric guitar and vocals
- Jesse Edwin Davis – Guitar
- Tippy Armstrong – Guitar
- Wayne Perkins – Guitar
- John Gallie – Keyboards
- Barry Beckett – Keyboards
- Donald "Duck" Dunn – Bass
- David Hood – Bass
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Roger Hawkins – drums
- Sandy Konikoff – Percussion
- Jeanne Green – Background vocals
- The Mt. Zion Singers – Background vocals

download (mp3 @128 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles workupload

back

Albert King - King of the Blues Guitar (1969)

2010-04-04T22:32:43Z

Albert King - King of the Blues Guitar (1969)


01. Laundromat Blues
02. Overall Junction
03. Oh, Pretty Woman
04. Funk-Shun
05. Crosscut Saw
06. Down Don’t Bother Me
07. Born Under A Bad Sign
08. Personal Manager
09. Kansas City
10. The Very Thought Of You
11. The Hunter
12. I Almost Lost My Mind
13. As The Years Go Passing By
14. Cold Feet
15. You Sure Drive A Hard Bargin
16. I Love Lucy
17. You’re Gonna Need Me

Personnel:
Albert King (guitar, vocals)
Steve Cropper (guitar)
Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass)
Al Jackson, Jr. (drums)
Wayne Jackson (trumpet)
Booker T. Jones (keyboard)
Andrew Love (tenor sax)
The Memphis Horns

Backed by Booker T & the MGs and the Memphis Horns, Albert King (confusingly, no relation to Freddie or BB--though he named himself after the latter) shows off his spare, elastic, fluid guitar style on this definitive compilation. Songs such as "Laundromat Blues", "Oh, Pretty Woman," and the immortal "Crosscut Saw" with its sinuous, interweaving rhythms are blues classics, while "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "The Hunter" were later covered by Cream and Bad Company respectively. The combination of King and the Memphis musicians makes for some thrilling moments--particularly the guitar's entry under the horns on "Sign" and the interplay between King's guitar and Al Jackson's samba-style drums in "Crosscut Saw." Though King never achieved the fame of the man whose name he took, he created his fair share of great blues recordings, and KING OF THE BLUES GUITAR is an excellent primer to his unique style. --- cduniverse.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto gett bayfiles

back