King of the Blues Guitar (CD - 1969)

Backed by Booker T & the MGs and the Memphis Horns, Albert King (confusingly, no relation to Freddie or BB--though he named himself after the latter) shows off his spare, elastic, fluid guitar style on this definitive compilation. Songs such as "Laundromat Blues", "Oh, Pretty Woman," and the immortal "Crosscut Saw" with its sinuous, interweaving rhythms are blues classics, while "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "The Hunter" were later covered by Cream and Bad Company respectively. The combination of King and the Memphis musicians makes for some thrilling moments--particularly the guitar's entry under the horns on "Sign" and the interplay between King's guitar and Al Jackson's samba-style drums in "Crosscut Saw." Though King never achieved the fame of the man whose name he took, he created his fair share of great blues recordings, and KING OF THE BLUES GUITAR is an excellent primer to his unique style. minimize