CD Reviews-December 2002

Albert King:Born Under A Bad Sign-Stax

It is hard to believe that December 21st marks the 10th anniversary of Albert King's passing. The left handed King never restrung his guitars which accounts for his difference in tone, since he pulled down on the same strings that most players push up on when bending the blues notes. This made him very unique and impossible to imitate.

It is no secret that Albert King was perhaps the most influential electric blues guitarist ever and Born Under A Bad Sign was perhaps the most significant electric guitar driven blues album ever recorded. Now remastered, this monumental recording sounds as fresh as it did upon its' release in 1967.

At the time of the albums recording, Stax had a house band by the name of Booker T and the MG's which included: Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Alan Jackson, Jr. on drums and Booker T Jones on keyboards, all of who played on Born Under A Bad Sign. With help from Isaac Hayes on piano and the fat sound of the renowned Memphis Horns, Born Under A Bad Sign had a rich and textured atmosphere which had not been heard on a blues album before. The soulful foundation gave King crossover appeal, as evidenced by his R&B chart hits - "Laundromat Blues" (1966) and "Cross Cut Saw" (1967) both went Top 40, while "Born Under a Bad Sign" (1967) charted in the Top 50. Moreover, this was the record that caught the collective consciousness of the rock and roll mainstream and Alberts' sharp-edged style of playing the guitar captured the attention of many up-and-coming pickers, most notably Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton who copied Albert's "Personal Manager" guitar solo on the Cream song, "Strange Brew." The title track has been recorded well over a hundred times by artists ranging from Paul Butterfield, Magic Slim, Pat Travers and even on a musical spin-off cd of the animated television series, The Simpsons.

Even though Albert King continued to record into the 1980's, Born Under A Bad Sign will forever be the groundbreaking guitar players' swan song. Even after his death in 1992, King continues to influence young blues players and will for years to come.

Tony Englehart