Review: Albert King ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ 2023 Reissue
By Mike O’Cull
In honor of blues giant Albert King’s 100th birthday year, Craft Recordings has released special vinyl and hi-res digital reissues of King’s mighty debut album Born Under A Bad Sign and it’s as electric as ever.
Available now and offering King fans the highest-quality listening experience possible, this fresh edition of Born Under a Bad Sign was pressed on 180-gram vinyl with (AAA) lacquers cut from the original stereo tapes by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl. The album will also be available in hi-res digital (192/24 and 96/24) and SACD (mastered from the original stereo tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio), which is exclusive to StaxRecords.com and CraftRecordings.com. It’s an absolutely amazing reissue of one of the most important albums in American music history and a reminder of what made King so special.
Albert King (1923–1992) took himself from his childhood on a Mississippi cotton plantation to his now-eternal status as one of the most influential blues performers to ever take the stage. He played his Gibson Flying V upside-down to suit his left-handed nature, sang in a mellow baritone voice, and helped create contemporary blues in the 1960s on the Stax/Volt imprint. His signature songs like “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Oh, Pretty Woman,” and “Crosscut Saw” have become part of the fabric of American music, covered by every blues band out there at one time or another. He’s considered one of the “three kings” of the blues, along with non-relatives B.B. and Freddie, and helped them teach the world what the blues is all about.
This new transfer of Born Under A Bad Sign is pure ear candy for blues lovers. The audio is crisp and natural and you can tell it was handled with the utmost respect. It’s a true landmark recording that features an all-star line-up of players (including Booker T & The M.G.’s and members of The Memphis Horns) and contains King performing the iconic, original recording of “Born Under a Bad Sign” along with classics like “Laundromat Blues,” “Oh Pretty Woman,” and “Crosscut Saw.” King combined an earthy Delta blues style with the sounds and rhythms of contemporary soul music, which was evolving at the same time he was. He was a true original who made an impact on all who followed him.
The set kicks off with (what else?) “Born Under A Bad Sign” and King’s genius and originality are immediately apparent. No one had ever sounded like this before and the track quickly became a blues standard. Young bands like Cream and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band soon released their own versions. King’s guitar crackles as his vocal speaks heaps of personal truth. The song also contains one of American music’s great bass lines, which only adds to King’s magic.
“Crosscut Saw” finds King laying down some of the guitar licks that launched 1000 imitators. His lines are edgy, spacious, and packed with muscle. The way King bent his strings makes his notes scream and cry, which makes his playing a perfect foil to the song’s bawdy lyrics. His vocal delivery is as cool as it has always been and you can practically hear the gleam in his eyes that must have been there as he sang.
You probably already know all the songs on Born Under A Bad Sign if you’re reading this sentence but that’s ok. The point of a release like this is to restate King’s work, honor it, and gift it to the fans and musicians of the future. If you only own one Albert King record, make it this one. It’s as good as it gets and will keep you inspired forever.
Order link for Albert King Born Under A Bad Sign Here
Albert King Born Under A Bad Sign 2023 Reissue (Official Trailer)
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