Albert King • Born Under a Bad Sign
King’s legacy is full of contradictions and struggles, and recordings that fell considerably short of his prodigious talent. Depending upon whom you believe, he was born Albert Nelson in either Indianola or Aberdeen, Mississippi, in 1923 or 1924 and reached a standing height somewhere between 6’4’’ and 6’7". But let there be no mistake about the man’s musical stature; it would be difficult to understate King’s influence on electric guitarists and singers. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn both cited Born Under a Bad Sign as a watershed album that modernized the blues and widened the genre’s influence. Eric Clapton has said that hearing the album prompted him to quit the supergroup Cream and attempt to push past his own musical boundaries. Tracks like "Crosscut Saw," with its not-a-note-out-of-place lead licks and gripping vocal delivery, help explain why Clapton was never quite satisfied with his own performances. Born Under a Bad Sign was originally released as singles in 1966 and 1967, and a great deal of its magic can be attributed to the powerful combination of King’s abilities and the tremendous talent of the Stax label house musicians who played on these sessions. The polished arrangements of keyboardist Booker T. Jones and relaxed production of Jim Stewart are given a stunning force and propulsion by the bass work of Donald "Duck" Dunn and the drum kit of Al Jackson, Jr. The grace notes of the legendary Memphis Horns supply the special sauce that completes a magical recipe that future musicians would struggle to match. The influence of the subtle, boiling-just-beneath-the-surface churn and searing solos of songs like "Personal Manager" can be heard on any number of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s best recordings. Speakers Corner’s uncompromising commitment to the
complete preservation of the analog recording chain captures the mood of Born Under a
Bad Sign unlike any other version I’ve heard. The company’s decision to use
the Pallas pressing plant yields grave-yard-quiet, jet-black backgrounds. The results of
this attention to every detail are musical dynamics and holography that make the album
sound like the musicians are performing right in the room. If you like your blues to sound
live and real, I can’t recommend an LP more highly than this one. |
lbert King’s
family was so poor that his first instrument was made from a cigar box, a piece of
brushwood and some string. Being a left-hander, when King finally bought his first real
guitar, for $1.25, he taught himself to play it upside down. This, along with some
alternate tunings, caused him to pull strings in unexpected directions, imbuing his style
with a piercing, wailing signature. Early in his career, King was nicknamed "the
Velvet Bulldozer," partly because his smooth and melodic vocal style served as a
counterpoint to that more aggressive instrumental attack.