With the sun coming up over my left shoulder those last few miles and Albert King blazing away on the truck's stereo, the morning twilight felt like frigging poetry. I was into my third time through the disc. It had taken me a bit by pleasant surprise on the first pass. I had to let it play through again (and then some)almost to reassure myself that it was as strong an outing as it is. When I'd first come across it a couple years back, I recall being underwhelmed by it. This morning's dawnlit miles have got me reevaluating my standing position.Albert King was recorded prolifically, both live and in the studio, and while some releases are certainly superior to others, King didn't release many dogs. When he was on his game, which he appear to be through most of his live releases, he was a fearsome force with that guitar, cutting loose note after note that could lacerate and soothe with a single deft stroke. With such a broad discography, it is only expected that some releases will be superior to others. And such is the case here. His hippie ballroom-era releases, Live Wire/Blues Power and the Wednesday & Thursday Nights in San Francisco releases have long been regarded as undisputed classics. Further, the Blues at Sunrise and Sunset albums I featured here last Monday are essential live King releases.
Which leaves us with (among others) Charly's 1994 issue of King's Chicago, 1978. As I griped about in my recent Luther Alison post, Charly Records comes up hopelessly light on providing the facts surrounding this recording. Its title tells it all, apparently. As for when in '78 or its venue, much less the bevy of solid musicians backing Albert on this outing, not a syllable is provided. With the last track, the anthem-like I'll Play the Blues For You fading out as it does, this recording was almost certainly a bootleg before Charly ever got hold of it. As an album, does it live up to its fabled predecessors? To be fair, it doesn't.
While this critter may land south of greatness, it remains a good, at times very good, live outing. King's guitar work is superlative, rife with his trademark razor's edge style, all Memphis grease and whoop-ass. His vocals on numbers like The Very Thought of You are so deeply soulful they give me pause. Among this album's stand-out moments are the at-times blistering Born Under a Bad Sign, Please Come Back to Me, and Blues at Sunrise, which King prefaces with a warm remembrance of the Haight-Ashbury scene.
Released in the early '90's, in itself an odd time for blues releases, Chicago, 1978 never did attract much notice. And its obscurity does do it an ill service. It is a thoroughly pleasing live outing from one of the idiom's true masters.
Peace, Mudcatz
Albert King
Chicago, 1978
Charly, 1994
1. King's Bounce (instrumental)
2. Stormy Monday
3. Born Under a Bad Sign
4. The Very Thought of You
5. You're My Woman, I'm Your Mate
6. Tired As a Man Can Be
7. Blues at Sunrise
8. Breaking Up Somebody's Home
9. Please Come Back To Me
10. I'll Play the Blues For You
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I got this many, many years ago in a cdr trade (remember those?) before Charly issued it on cd, and always liked it--heard it might have been an FM radio broadcast? Either way, it's a good set with good sound quality, and yeah too bad that I'll Play The Blues For You just fades out at the end! Thanks for the other Albert discs too!!
ReplyDeleteI do indeed remember CD/R trading--and still manage to keep an iron or two in the fire with it. There are still "old school" trading communities around (Deadhook's Trees & Vines Form is still very active...) The old (& still current) way of doing things always felt more like a community than much of what we find these days; just felt more like flesh & blood, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteYours is the first confirmation I've ever gotten regarding this disc's pedigree (that it had been a boot before it managed to get "officially released." I think you're right about it being an FM broadcast. The sound does have that feel, doesn't it?
You're more than welcome about the King discs...and stay tuned 'cuz there's still some great shit coming up!
Thanks for the comment!