Getting Ready… (1971)
8
Same Old Blues / Dust My Broom / Worried Life Blues / Five Long Years
/ Key to the Highway / Going Down / Living on the Highway / Walking
by Myself / I’m Tore Down / Palace of the King
Often
dismissed as a sub-par release by nitpicking sticklers from hell, Getting
Ready was King’s first release for Leon Russell’s newly founded
Shelter Records label (it would be followed by Texas Cannonball and
Woman Across the River). Even though King had become quite influential
on a bunch of white blues-rockers, he hadn’t released much interesting
material during the years before, but this release caused a renewed interest,
so that all three Kings reached something of a popularity peak around the
same time. While most of King’s earlier stuff was powerful, yet extremely
melodic and accessible material, the material on this album does come off
as a response to the changed musical landscape: the overall sound is tough
and meaty, both the session musicians and producers (Leon Russell and Don
Nix) had a rock background (nearly all of ‘em appeared on Joe Cocker’s
Mad Dogs & Englishmen a year earlier), while several songs (especially
on the second half) are consciously crafted blues-rock tunes. While there
were a lot of nay-sayers at the time, the album does rock hard and offers
a strong bunch of songs, even though there’s only one song King wrote
(an old one at that): “I’m Tore Down.” Opening song “Same
Old Blues” immediately introduces that new style: it starts off really
bluesy, with prominent piano and a piercing guitar solo, but then there suddenly
are some production touches you’d never find on his earlier recordings:
washes of strings, flute even (ballet alert!), and gospel-pop backing vocals.
It’s probably the result of B.B. King’s genre-bending studio version
of “The Thrill Is Gone,” but the outcome isn’t bad at all:
there’s still some mighty fine soloing and with Freddie, there’s
always gonna be some passionate singing. Eddie Boyd’s slow “Five
Long Years’ is kept more traditional: the drum sound is obviously not
coming from a ‘blues drummer’, but those emotion-laden, high-pitched
notes and laments (“have you ever been mistreated?”) are as ‘blues’
as it gets. The album also contains two acoustic songs, both evergreens in
the genre, the first being Elmore James’s “Dust My Broom,”
the second Jimmy Rogers Chicago blues classic “Walking by Myself.”
While they sound pretty good (though not really exceptional), those strings
in the latter were really uncalled for, making it the only track on the album
I’d rather not hear (or replace by the solo recording of the song on
Live at the Electric Ballroom, 1974). “Worried Life Blues”
is the closest thing to his lauded ‘60’s material: light, bouncy
and swingin’ like hell, it captures the same spirit as many of his instrumental
cuts. Now, apart from the subtle bombast on “Same Old Blues,”
the album’s not that different from the stuff he became known for, but
four songs on the second half of the album are something decidedly
different. The re-recording of “I’m Tore Down” is surprisingly
hard-hitting, with a sturdy, rocking beat backing, “heavy” piano
sound and horn accents. Things get even more explosive, though, as “Going
Down” is a stone-cold beast of a song that fits King’s stature:
with hammering piano parts, two drummers, greasy guitar playing and
roaring vocals, it’s the closest he ever got to hard rock and to white
blues-rock. It is so goddamn powerful, so massive, that I can’t even
imagine anyone denying it’s an album highlight. There’s nothing
that even matches that song’s ferocity, but the remaining tracks –
penned by Russell and Nix – also deviate from the “classic”
blues mould: the danceable “Living on the Highway” with its percussion
flourishes sets a great mood, while album closer “Palace of the King”
seems to merge the blues-rock of “Going Down” with a funkier sound.
Again, there’s that heavy rock-percussion, but the addition of horns
in the climactic chorus also gives the song an extra shot of gritty soul.
At the time, no ‘traditional’ blues musician had even attempted
to deliver something like this and there are few who pulled it off that successfully
afterwards. 33 years later, Getting Ready… still stands as
a successful attempt at uniting two currents and how else could it be, with
Freddie King’s infectious energy being so obvious?
Blues Guitar Hero – The Influential Early Sessions (1993)
9
Hide Away / Lonesome Whistle Blues / San-Ho-Zay / I’m
Tore Down / See See Baby / Christmas Tears / You’ve Got
to Love Her with A Feeling / Have You Ever Loved a Woman / You Know That
You Love Me / I Love the Woman / It’s Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough
/ Sen-Sa-Shun / If You Believe in What You Do / Takin’ Care of Business
/ The Stumble / Sittin’ on the Boat Dock / Side Tracked / What About
Love / Come On / Just Pickin’ / I’m On My Way to Atlanta
/ In the Open / (The Welfare) Turns Its Back on You / She Put the Whammy On
Me
Have
you ever had the blues? While King became somewhat of a hip name around
the late 60’s and subsequently focused more on the new audience that
adored him by merging blues with tough rock, these early recordings for Federal
are probably the ideal starting point if you wanna get an idea and first taste
of the man’s enormous legacy. Like many great stories, also this one
starts with a refusal, as Chess didn’t deem Freddy worthy enough
of a contract, but fortunately Syl Johnson (r&b/soul man who’d later
record the swell Is It Because I’m Black?) introduced him to
A&R man/pianist Sonny Thompson. This guy not only secured King a deal,
but would also accompany him on most of the 70+ recordings he did for Federal
between 1960 and 1966. Even though King was barely a household name at
the time (James Brown was the label’s huge star and wage earner –
they released Live at the Apollo, for instance) and the label only
released a handful of albums while he was on their roster, this compilation
sounds almost bafflingly consistent. Granted, if you’re not into this
kind of blues, you’ll like none of these songs, as they’re stylistically
rather similar. Well, they’re not – you got the light-footed instrumentals,
a few down-and-out blues ballads, shuffles and boogies – but they’re
all tied together by King’s commanding, powerful voice and his singular
guitar style that makes him sound like the no-nonsense missing link between
Magic Sam (I’ll get to his terrific West Side Soul later on)
and B.B. King. On these cuts, not a note is wasted and these short songs (all
between 2:18 and 3:41) contain licks that are tastier than your grandma’s
pecan pie. This first compilation (yes, there’s a second one) mainly
focuses on the earliest recordings (recorded in 1961-’62), which are
arguably the best he cut for Federal. The most famous tracks on here are instrumentals
- both “Hide Away” (actually the B-side to a less-lauded “I
Love the Woman”) and “San-Ho-Zay” reached the pop and r&b-charts,
would reappear on albums by dedicated followers (“Hide Away” on
the classic Clapton/Mayall collaboration and even Jeff Healey’s debut
album, “San-Ho-Zay” was covered by Chicken Shack). It goes to
show that by the mid/late ‘60’s King’s style had also been
embraced by a younger generation of white musicians. It’s also pretty
amazing that the compilation contains so many originals – in a genre
that nearly exists of a majority of re-workings – as 17 of these 24
tracks were written by King and/or Thompson. Seven of the songs are instrumentals
and while “Hide Away” and “San-Ho-Zay” are the closest
King would ever get to reaching a mass audience, the others (often recognizable
because of the crispy titles) are nearly equally enchanting, from the rumbling
exotica of “Sen-Sa-Shun,” “Side Tracked” and “The
Stumble,” which should’ve been a dance craze in an era that saw
loads of those. Even though King cut more than his share of instrumentals
(two of his earliest albums contained no vocals at all, while there are also
several compilations around that focus exclusively on that part of his legacy),
the reason surely wasn’t an average voice- as he roars and sings his
way through these masterful cuts, ranging from the sensual strut of “Lonesome
Whistle Blues,” a hard-swingin’ early version of “I’m
Tore Down,” the boogie stomp of “Takin’ Care of Business”
and the kick-ass r&b of “See See Baby” with its delightfully
honkin’ sax. There are several impressive ballads (“Christmas
Tears,” “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” later also recorded
by Derek & the Dominoes) and songs that contain some of the finest guitar
playing (“You’ve Got to Love Her with a Feeling” - as close
as he ever got to B.B. King) and singing (that falsetto he usually uses!)
in ‘60’s blues. And it just goes on and on, some songs are a bit
derivative of others, but there’s not one throwaway among these 24 tracks
and while there are only so many rhythms and structures in the blues, it means
that this compilation is one hell of a consistent thrill if you’re into
the awe-inspiring style of Mr. Freddy King.
Live at the Electric Ballroom, 1974 (1996)
8.5
Introduction / That’s Alright / Interview / Dust My Broom / Interview
/ Big Legged Woman / Woman Across the River / Key to the Highway
/ Let the Good Times Roll / Ain’t Nobody’s Business / Sweet
Home Chicago / Dust My Broom / Hide Away Medley / Interview
A
giant in every sense of the word, Freddie’s probably my favorite
King. While his stuff (especially the earliest recordings) is frustratingly
hard to get and often released as quite uneven packages at that, his best
work belongs in each beginner’s collection. Even though he initially
became famous as the author of countless spicy instrumentals (“Hide
Away” and “San-Ho-Zay” should be used as national anthems),
his playing became more and more spectacular as he put Texas back on the blues
map. He’s often been criticised by blues purists (yes, that league of
know-it-all gentlemen that’ll tell you that black is better than white,
acoustic better than electric and dying in obscure circumstances at the age
of 25 much more authentic than actually selling some albums) for releasing
a few albums in the early ‘70’s that were quite rock-oriented,
but in my opinion those happen to be raw and powerful albums that showed the
guy absorbed rock culture without losing his unique approach. Also, the first
few Fabulous Thunderbirds albums wouldn’t have been recorded if it weren’t
for this guy and everybody knows the T-birds where one of the best blues units
of the late ‘70’s/early ‘80’s. Sadly, King died of
a heart failure in 1976, but not before having influenced a whole generation
of blues guitarists. Live at the Electric Ballroom, 1974 does a great
job at telling you why. Consisting of a few short interview bits with Dallas
DJ Jon Dillon and a few acoustic cuts (Jimmy Rogers’ “That’s
Alright” and Elmore James’ classic “Dust My Broom), which
are allegedly the only acoustic recordings around. After that, you get 8 songs
taken from a gig in Atlanta, Georgia, that show King and band in great form.
One thing’s for sure: there was no safety pin on King, it was all or
nothing and throughout the performance you can almost hear the sweat dripping
to the floor as the band tears through mostly classic songs in the King catalogue
that are given some extra energy here. “Big Legged Woman” starts
things off on a funky note, with King backed by organ and piano (wouldn’t
have happened ten years earlier). As many other guitar players of his generation,
Freddie was indebted to the Chicago-style of playing as well as B.B., but
whereas the latter never played anything that wasn’t ‘mellow’
in some way, the Texas Cannonball adds a more meaty tone to his playing,
there are more screaming, high pitched notes and a heaviness that nearly matches
Clapton’s in Cream (of course it’s Clapton who was influenced
by this guy’s playing in the first place). The intensity level rarely
diminishes, even during slow songs like “Woman Across the River,”
when that raw foghorn voice of his steals the show. Of course there’s
also a swinging version “Key to the Highway” that also boasts
some nifty organ soloing and some wonderfully sustained guitar screams. Several
of the remaining tracks are short marathon sessions and while some of them
should’ve been a bit shorter, they ooze out a great ambiance. R&b-classic
“Let the Good Times Roll” has a greasy guitar tone, “Ain’t
Nobody’s Business” is a fine showcase for the delicate thunder
of his playing and a laidback, electric version of “Dust My Broom”
is a success, despite the muffled sound. Highlights of the set, however, are
an extended take on Robert Johnson’s classic “Sweet Home Chicago”
that features some barrelhouse piano and guitar playing that’s absolutely
incendiary; and finally the “Hide Away Medley.” On one of
his ‘70’s live albums, John Mayall announces “this is gonna
be so fast that your ass is gonna eat up the seat cover” before launching
into the classic instrumental, and while it’s not that fast on here,
the song sizzles with energy, even though it takes ‘em nearly 8 minutes
to reach a satisfying ending. While it’s a bit regrettable the set didn’t
include more of his short and swift instrumentals, it shows King was one hell
of a performer, a hard-workin’ player, excellent vocalist and extremely
gifted guitarist. So, not a perfect album, but a damn fine introduction
if you’re interested in the explosive side of the legend.
Blues Guitar Hero Volume 2 – More Influential Federal Recordings (2002)
8
Over Drive / Full Time Love / Now I’ve Got a Woman / Onion
Rings / You Can’t Hide / Teardrops on Your Letter / Heads Up / You
Mean Mean Woman (How Can Your Love Be True) / Some Other Day, Some Other
Time / Wash Out / Meet Me at the Station / Someday After Awhile (You’ll
Be Sorry) / Out Front / She’s the One / Look, Ma I’m Cryin’
/ Bossa Nova Blues / I Love You More Everyday / Walk Down That Aisle
(Honey Chile) / High Rise / Double Eyed Wammy / Use What You’ve Got
/ Girl from Kookamunga / You’ve Got Me Licked / Remington Ride
…
and nine years after the first volume, the people at Ace Records come up with
an almost equally impressive sequel of blues cuts that’s a bit more
focused on King’s later output while he was on the Federal/King label.
For a novice, there won’t be that much of a difference between these
cuts and those on Vol. 1, and I bet that even trained ears will have a hard
time telling you from which session or year the separate cuts are. Only towards
the end of his stay at King – when he was joined by the illustrious
Lonnie Mack on rhythm guitar – did King betray a bit more of a tougher
and rock-oriented audience, with “Double Eyed Wammy” and “Use
What You’ve Got” in particular announcing the beefier sound of
the Shelter-albums, when Freddy became Freddie. The quality of these 24 cuts
– basically a bunch of singles with a few album tracks and 4 alternate
takes thrown in to satisfy the hardcore fans – is usually as impressive
as the first volume and therefore it’s quite surprising that none of
these cuts became a hit. That said, there are again a bunch of catchy instrumentals,
again recognizable – with “Bossa Nova Blues,” a reworking
of “Hide Away,” being the only exception – from their crispy
two word-titles (“Over Drive,” “Onion Rings,” “Head
Up,” High Rise,” etc). Some of those are nothing but reinterpretations
of earlier singles – “Over Drive,” for instance, is a very
conventional ditty of the kind he could’ve produced by the dozens –
but fortunately their freshness and King’s commanding guitar playing
is still as intact as ever. As is often said, King managed to combine both
the Chicago and Texas-styles into a style of his own, a style that would influence
not only the heroes of the British Blues Boom of the late ‘60’s,
but also Jimmie Vaughan of The Fabulous Thunderbirds (arguably one of the
most pleasing white blues players of the past few decades and not deserving
to remain in his brother’s shadow) and many more. As it happens, the
Fab T-birds would also record a mighty version of “Full Time Love,”
which is undeniably one of the highlights on this compilation. Pointing out
further highlights is a nasty chore, though, as you’ll feel trampled
by the amount of cool licks, solos, fierce vocals and overall catchiness.
There’s something for the entire family here, whether it’s the
classic “blues” (like in, you know… passionate and elastic
soloing and slow tempos) of “You Mean Mean Woman” and “Someday
After Awhile,” the duet “You Can’t Hide” (with Lula
Reed), and the slightly tougher cuts that close the album, with the extended,
instrumental take on “Remington Ride” being an appropriate closer.
So, even though these 24 cuts might be a bit too much after the two dozen
songs of Volume 1, you don’t really have to be a blues freak
to enjoy most of them – throughout the album it remains obviously there’s
a master at work.
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