A 1968 Live Blues Fillmore Classic Gets A Bluesville AAA Reissue
obi finally identifies the back-up band
Albert King teaches a master class in blues guitar soloing on this classic Stax release recorded June,1968 at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium, opening with a funked up version of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" that may not immediately be recognizable to Herbie fans but once you catch the groove, oh wow!
Next up is a scorched earth take on King's "Blues Power", his defining song. King's playing is hard-etched deliberate, with each note counting, rather than going for speed. Very different approach from that of the reigning audio show demo king, SRV—and this is not in the same sonic universe. It's a somewhat mid-hall perspective with lots of room ambience. Siide two's slow cooker opener "Blues At Sunrise", is King at his vocal call, instrumental reply best. If you don't already know, he's a lefty who plays upside down and backwards.
Not much else needs to be said other than this is a blues essential and I'm glad that Bluesville chose to reissue it. What else needs to be said is that if you've never heard a clean original this will sound very good, top to bottom but the tape has clearly lost some of it's top end crystalline clarity--especially the cymbals and then the hall ambience behind it. It's drier and somewhat darker.
On the other hand the bottom end has more weight that sounds as if it's actually on the tape but was attenuated in the original mastering. So the reissue is a mixed sonic bag, but you can be 100% sure that Mr. Lutthans cutting on the restored TML lathe has gotten the most from the tape.
