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ALBERT KING
Born Under A Bad Sign (Stax/Fantasy)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich
Make no mistake. Born Under A Bad Sign is a Blues classic, with every song a winner. Originally released in 1967 and just remastered by Fantasy, it is impossible to downplay the significant impact of this recording. Almost overnight, blues entered the mainstream of modern music, with rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Cray citing this record as a source of inspiration.
Born Under A Bad Sign is the inspired creation of one Albert King, a left-handed blues guitarist who played a right-handed guitar upside down (sounds familiar - does the name Jimi Hendrix come to mind). King's philosophy regarding guitar playing was limited motion with maximum effect, so he focused on mastering a few basic guitar licks. And master them he did. King claimed he simply lost attention when guitar solos rambled on and on. As the liner notes to this release state "Every expressive solo, seemingly the concentrated essence of blues, was succinct for the simple reason that nothing more needed to be said."
Half the songs on Born Under A Bad sign are under three minutes in length and all but one are well under four minutes. But when each note is perfect, who notices? Oh, did I mention King's back-up band? For this record, Albert used one of music's greatest house bands, the legendary Booker T. & The MGs, with Steve Cropper on guitar, Booker T. Jones and Isaac Hayes on pianos, Donald Dunn on bass, Al Jackson on drums, and the Memphis Horns (Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love, and Joe Arnold). It doesn't get any better than this!
From the opening notes of Born Under A Bad Sign the listener is in for a treat. Since the recording was meant to be a collection of hit singles, each song is a self-contained package of pure joy. If you consider yourself a fan of the blues and don't have Born Under A Bad Sign in your collection yet, shame on you! Correct that oversight immediately! If you are a newcomer to the blues genre and are looking for a place to start, look no further than this recording, for Mister Albert King proved he was born under an inspired sign when he created one of the all-time blues classics.
Track List:
Born Under A Bad Sign * Crosscut Saw; Kansas City * Oh, Pretty Woman * Down Don't Bother Me * The Hunter * I Almost Lost My Mind * Personal Manager * Laundromat Blues * As The Years Go By * The Very Thought Of You
© 2002 - Ron Saranich