Some Thoughts On Albert King

The only time I saw Albert King was at the Fox Theater in St. Louis sometime in the ’80s. It was a three-way show with Bobby “Blue” Bland and B.B. King. Pretty good lineup there.

Albert went on first. His band went out and played a couple of instrumental things without him and then, during a long vamp, Albert came strolling on stage wearing a snow white, three piece suit, a wide brimmed, white hat, shiny white shoes, toting a white, Gibson Flying V and smoking a white pipe. He had a little pepper in his strut as he made a show of putting the pipe out and laying it gently in an ashtray that was beside a Fender Twin amp on top of a road case. Then, he shuffled up to the mic., reared back and played one of the patented, three note licks with the big bend. It was a loud thing of beauty. I was sitting next to my guitar guru, Ron Roskowske, and we both just smiled. At that point, Albert looked over at his rhythm guitarist and nodded. This guy goes over to Albert’s amp and turned it up, cranked it. Now, I got to tell you, I’ve heard some loud guitars, believe me. That was one of the loudest. Albert was getting his touch and, he played great that night.

Obviously, Albert King had a little flair for showbiz, a knack for it because, the whole walk on bit was a presentation. And, like I say, he played great. His tone, even as loud as it was, was dead on. On a lot of live recordings, Albert used some kind of phase shifter or something. I don’t recall hearing it that night, possibly because he was hearing his guitar well and was getting his touch. Guys will sometimes rely on effects when circumstances on stage are less than ideal.

Albert was using some pick up musicians that night and even mentioned it a couple of times. So, the endings were all the same and, there were some blown chord changes going on; things that took away from glory. Maybe, this was brought home when B.B. came out and killed with his tighter than hard times road band.

You hear most any big time blues guitar player like, Stevie Ray, Jimmy Vaughan, Eric Clapton talking about about Albert and it’s always with reverence. Yet, a lot of players I meet, especially ones that are younger tell me they, “don’t quite get Albert”. I think part of it has to do with the fact that Albert’s recording history was spotty. It’s kind of like opening for B.B. with a pick up band, I think he approached a lot of the records the same way. It’s not a knock. I think he was concerned with getting to the next show, getting paid proper and paying the bills. So, he probably cut some corners.

Anyway, I think guys a lot of times are hearing the stuff that wasn’t maybe recorded right, or live stuff where he wasn’t hearing right or, a thrown together session that has been released, re-released to capitalize.

If you want to get Albert King go and get this record.

This is the Stax stuff. This is the real deal.

Albert had a St. Louis connection. He lived on the east side for a time. When I was growing up in the St. Louis area, most bands would pull out a version of “Born Under A Bad Sign” from time to time. It was one of those local things. Even country bands would do it.

The song that hit me hard though, was actually the flip side “Personal Manager”. You got to hear “Personal Manager”, it is one of the best blues records of all time. Great record.

The intro is the wake up call, short and sweet, four bar turnaround that starts with King’s staccato chords synced with Al Jackson’s exploding snare. The first verse…

I want to be your personal manager baby, I want to do everything I can for you…

Subtle piano fills (Booker or Isaac Hayes?) alternating with Albert’s guitar in between the vocals. Al Jackson is playing cat and mouse with King’s voice, dragging the snare on two or four to spike Albert’s vocal with the proper punctuation. Slightly time shifting the snare each time but never losing time. The whole song, by the way, is a master performance by Al Jackson, the kind of thing that will never be quantized, the reason to blow up your drum machine.

Verse two, there’s a slow burn going on…

If you sign my contract baby (the horns enter, “dat, daa, da daa”), you know all your worries is over for you

…intensity builds as Albert is doing each fill by himself now, filling the spaces in the simple horn line but, Jackson isn’t manipulating the snare timing as much-straighter, still the blues but with a soul band. On the turnaround, Albert talks, “I want to be with you baby”, backs of the mic. and shouts Hah!now. You know it’s coming.

The horns are louder, “Dat!, Daa, Da Daa”, throughout one chorus of solo. It’s call and response; all of King’s classic bends answering the horn line, counter punching, hooting and hollering off the mic. a couple of times and the momentum builds.
He’s going to take two, you know it all along because, even though it’s getting more intense, you can tell he’s holding back.

The second chorus of the solo is the main event. It is cathartic and a lesson in how to up the ante. Duck Dunn starts walking like a man, pushing the beat a little, playing a little harder, Jackson starts throwing some substantial fills, rat-a-tats in there. King is up the neck, not playing a bunch of notes, he never did, but each phrase is an edge of the seater. Jackson pulls off a brilliant move on the V to IV change, playing the snare on beats 2, 3 and 4 of the V chord and all four beats of the IV chord. It’s so simple but, it is the climax and there is nothing any drummer ever played that was more effective. All this time, the piano is playing nothing but the triplets. It’s a watershed moment, this second chorus and, there is a secret trick. While they are building the house, taking you higher by degrees, there is the ultimate example of the “less is more” theory; the horns have totally dropped out. No horns. Everybody else is taking slightly more, building excitement through twelve bars. The horns would either constrict that or, muck it up. It is a tremendous execution of restraint.

One more verse as the horns return and, at the end, Albert does a few vocal ad libs and starts to solo again, this time with the horns and Jackson starting to swing like a jazz man but, it’s a quick fade that leaves you wanting more, leaves you with the impression that the party continues, makes you want to put the needle back at the start.

It’s a tour de force, a blues masterpiece. If Albert King made just this one record, that would have been enough. The Stax section was way more than a one trick outfit. More than a funky, hot oil soul band, this is a blues band as good as there ever was for this 4:30.

If you are one of those people who doesn’t get Albert King, go listen to “Personal Manager” and, if you still don’t get it, I don’t reckon you will.