Albert King - The Definitive Albert King (2011)

Tracklist

CD1
01. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong
02. Laundromat Blues
03. Oh, Pretty Woman
04. Crosscut Saw
05. Born Under a Bad Sign
06. Cold Feet
07. (I Love) Lucy
08. Blues Power
09. Killing Floor
10. The Sky Is Crying
11. Drowning On Dry Land
12. Tupelo, Pt. 1
13. Water
14. Wrapped Up In Love Again
15. Hound Dog
16. Can't You See What You're Doing to Me
17. Honky Tonk Woman

CD2
01. Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
02. She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride
03. Tell Me What True Love Is
04. Angel of Mercy
05. I'll Play the Blues for You, Pt. 1
06. Breaking Up Somebody's Home
07. Answer to the Laundromat Blues
08. Match Box Blues (Wattstax) [Live]
09. I Wanna Get Funky
10. Playing On Me
11. That's What the Blues Is All About
12. Flat Tire
13. Crosscut Saw (1974 Version)
14. Santa Claus Wants Some Loving
15. Drivin' Wheel
16. I'm Doing Fine
17. Dust My Broom


Blues guitarist Albert King was in his prime when he signed with Stax Records in 1966, and he stayed with the label through 1975, turning out his most memorable performances in that time, from his signature “Born Under a Bad Sign” to his blazing take on “Cross Cut Saw.” Working with the Stax house band that just happened to be Booker T. & the MG’s gave his recordings a full, soulful blues sound, and his distinctive and mannered guitar playing style (a left-hander, he kept his guitar in an E-minor tuning and played it upside down without reversing the strings, which meant when he bent a note, it bent the opposite way than most guitar players would bend it) influenced everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton. This fine two-disc set collects the best tracks from King's time with Stax, and includes “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Cross Cut Saw” (there’s also a 1974 remake of this one collected here), and striking, interesting versions of Elmore James' “The Sky Is Crying” and the iconic “Hound Dog,” among other sides. It all adds up to a fine portrait of a great guitarist in his prime.

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