"Born Under A Bad Sign" by ALBERT KING - August 1967 US LP on Stax Records in Stereo (June 2013 USA/UK/EU Concord Music Group 'Stax Remasters' Expanded Edition CD Reissue - Joe Tarantino Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Hard Luck And Trouble…"

I’ve been collecting and reviewing this “Stax Remasters” series since they first started to appear in May 2011 - and this is only release number 9 – but what a belter it is.

USA released June 2013 - "Born Under A Bad Sign" by ALBERT KING on Stax/Concord Music Group STCX-34334-02 (Barcode 888072343344) offers his 1967 Stax LP Remastered onto CD plus Five Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks and is part of their "Stax Remasters" Series (see list below, all reviewed). 

With the same release date and pictured above - the UK/EU released CD variant for "Born Under A Bad Sign" by Albert King is on Stax/Concord Music Group/Universal Music Group International 0888072343344 (Barcode 888072343344) and it breaks down as follows (47:00 minutes):

1. Born Under A Bad Sign [Side 1]

2. Crosscut Saw

3. Kansas City

4. Oh, Pretty Woman

5. Down Don't Bother Me

6. The Hunter

7. I Almost Lost My Mind [Side 2]

8. Personal Manager

9. Laundromat Blues

10. As The Years Go Passing By

11. The Very Thought Of You

Tracks 1 to 11 are the album "Born Under A Bad Sign" – released August 1967 in the USA on Stax Records S-723 (no UK release)

BONUS TRACKS (All Previously Unreleased):

12. Born Under A Bad Sign (Take 1 – Alternate)

13. Crosscut Saw (Take 1 – Alternate)

14. The Hunter (Take 1 – Alternate)

15. Personal Manager (Take 15 – Alternate)

16. Untitled Instrumental

The 16-page booklet has typically insightful and fun liner notes from Chicago's resident Blues and R 'n' B writing genius BILL DAHL – a man whose talent and passion for the music has graced literally hundreds of reissues and major Box Sets. The pages that follow Dahl reproduce Michael Point's observations from the 2002 CD reissue – then the original liner notes on the back of the 1967 LP - and finally musician and reissue credits. JOE TARANTINO has handled the remaster (as he has for the whole "Stax Remasters" series) and it's superb – full of life and clarity. There's hiss (as there always is on Stax sessions) – but it doesn't detract from the listen – if anything – it feels more live-in-your-living-room for it.

"Born Under A Bad Sign" opens with that title track winner (surely his signature tune) and follows it with another – "Crosscut Saw". Real fast you notice the tight and uber cool band – Stax House players BOOKER T & THE M.G.'s (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Al Jackson, Jr and Booker T. Jones) themselves backed up by the fabulous MEMPHIS HORNS (Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love and Joe Arnold). It's as classic Stax Blues as you can get (Soul too). "Kansas City" still sounds slightly out of place but "The Hunter" turned FREE on and "Personal Manager" is just genius. Unappreciated gems include his cover of Fenton Robinson's "As The Years Go Passing By" and his barroom bluesy take on the crooner classic "The Very Thought Of You" (a 1934 classic).

With the CD having only 47:00 minutes playing time – the 7" single edit of "Personal Manager" (which excludes Albert's guitar solo) could easily have been tagged on – especially as it's actually one of the best tracks on here. But what we do get is a genuine thrill for King fans – a unreleased take. You can see why it was canned though – it runs a tad too fast and looses that fabulous Bluesy feel the master take has. And I love the song’s slyly salacious lyrics "...I want to be your milk man every morning…and your ice-cream man when the day is through…" In fact the other Take 1 Alternates are brilliantly recorded – really clear – you can hear he's getting a feel for the songs but the power on each is there – right from the start. Even the short but untitled 'instrumental' is a winner.

Great stuff – and a must buy…

CD Titles in the "STAX REMASTERS" series are (all reviewed):

1. Green Onions - BOOKER T. & THE M.G.s (1962) 
3 September 2012 UK CD on Barcode 888072339606

2. McLemore Avenue - BOOKER T. & THE M.G.s (1970)
10 May 2011 UK CD on Barcode 888072328747

3. Woman To Woman - SHIRLEY BROWN (1975)
13 September 2011 UK CD on Barcode 888072331778 

4. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - THE DRAMATICS (1972)
13 September 2011 UK CD on Barcode 888072331761

5. Born Under A Bad Sign – ALBERT KING (1967)
June 2013 UK CD on Barcode 888072343344

6. I'll Play The Blues For You - ALBERT KING (1972)
22 May 2012 UK CD on Barcode 888072337169 

7. Be Altitude: Respect Yourself - THE STAPLE SINGERS (1972)
10 May 2011 UK CD on Barcode 888072328761

8. Taylored In Silk - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1973)
10 May 2011 UK CD on Barcode 888072328754

9. Do The Funky Chicken - RUFUS THOMAS (1970)
13 September 2011 UK CD on Barcode 888072331785

PPS: For those who want to delve deeper into 60ts and 70ts Soul on both Stax and Atlantic Records and are perhaps willing to flash the cash - check out my in-depth review for the October 2012 "Atlantic Soul Legends" set. It's a European made Mini Box Set on WEA Music/Warner Music France/Rhino 8122797264 (Barcode 0081227972646) that contains '20 Original Albums' in Mini LP Card Sleeves and Remasters. "Green Onions" is entry number two amongst them (after Ray Charles and before Solomon Burke). Also including cool types like Donny Hathaway, Sam Dees and Howard Tate - "Atlantic Soul Legends" sells for under £35 and is a stunning little beast most haven't noticed...