Albert King discography
| Releases | |
|---|---|
| ↙Studio albums | 16 |
| ↙Live albums | 14 |
| ↙Compilation albums | 18+ |
| ↙Singles | 47 |
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer who was active from the late 1940s to 1992. During the earlier part of his career, he recorded several singles for smaller record labels. In 1966, he began an association with Stax Records, where he enjoyed his greatest commercial success with both singles and albums. After Stax's bankruptcy in 1975, King recorded for several smaller labels. Meanwhile, his former record companies issued a number of live recordings, compilations, and re-packaged material. This trend accelerated after King's death in 1992, resulting in some charting releases as well as the inevitable redundancies.
Albums 1962–1992
Studio albums
| Date | Title | Label & Cat. no. | R&B chart no. | Pop chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Big Blues | King 852 | ||
| 1967 | Born Under a Bad Sign | Stax S723 | ||
| 1969 | Years Gone By | Stax STS-2010 | 133 | |
| 1969 | Jammed Together (with Steve Cropper & Pops Staples) | Stax STS-2020 | 171 | |
| 1970 | Blues for Elvis - King Does the King's Things | Stax STS-2015 | ||
| 1971 | Lovejoy | Stax STS-2040 | 29 | 188 |
| 1972 | I'll Play the Blues for You | Stax STS-3009 | 11 | 140 |
| 1974 | I Wanna Get Funky | Stax STS-5505 | 37 | |
| 1976 | Truckload of Lovin' | Utopia BUL 1-1387[1] | 26 | 166 |
| 1976 | Albert | Utopia BUL 1-1731[2] | 54 | |
| 1977 | King Albert | Tomato TOM-6002 | ||
| 1977 | The Pinch,[3]later re-released as The Blues Don't Change[4] | Stax STX-4101 | ||
| 1978 | New Orleans Heat | Tomato TOM-7022 | 74 | |
| 1983 | San Francisco '83[5] | Fantasy F-9627 | ||
| 1984 | I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby | Fantasy F-9633[6] | ||
| 1986 | The Lost Session (archive release) | Stax 8534 |
Live albums
| Date | Title | Label & Cat. no. | R&B chart no. | Pop chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Live Wire/Blues Power | Stax STS-2003 | 40 | 150 |
| 1977 | Live | Utopia CYL2-2205[7] | 182 | |
| 1988[8] | Blues at Sunrise | Stax 8546 | ||
| 1990[9] | Wednesday Night in San Francisco | Stax 8556 | ||
| 1990[10] | Thursday Night in San Francisco | Stax 8557 |
Compilation albums
| Date | Title | Label & Cat. no. | R&B chart no. | Pop chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | King of the Blues Guitar | Atlantic 8213 | 194 | |
| 1972 | Wattstax: The Living Word (also various Stax performers) | Stax STS 2-3010 | ||
| 1974 | Montreux Festival (also Chico Hamilton & Little Milton) | Stax STS-5520 | ||
| 1977 | I'll Play the Blues for You (also John Lee Hooker) | Tomato 2696141 | ||
| 1979 | Chronicle (also Little Milton) | Stax STX-4123 | ||
| 1982 | Masterworks | Atlantic AD 2-4002 | ||
| 1986 | The Best of Albert King | Stax 60-005 | ||
| 1989 | Let's Have a Natural Ball | Modern Blues B0000023JA | ||
| 1990 | Door to Door (also Otis Rush, Otis Spann, B.B. King) | MCA/Chess LP-1538 | ||
| 1992 | Red House | Castle |
Posthumous albums (since 1993)
Live albums
| Date | Title | Label & Cat. no. | Blues chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Blues at Sunset | Stax 8581 | |
| 1994 | Chicago 1978 | Charly 754 | |
| 1998 | Rainin' in California | Wolf 120500 | |
| 1999 | In Session | Stax 7501 | 1 |
| 1999 | Live in Canada | Charly 755 | |
| 2001 | The Godfather of the Blues: His Last European Tour | P-Vine | |
| 2003 | Talkin' Blues | Thirsty Ear | |
| 2003 | Live 69 | Tomato | |
| 2003 | Blues from the Road | Fuel 302 061 318 2 | |
| 2014 | Live in the '70S | Rockbeat ROC-CD-3245 |
Selected compilation albums
Numerous Albert King compilation albums issued by a number of record companies have been released over the years (allmusic shows over 100 compilations).[11] The following lists some of the more notable and current releases:
| Date | Title | Label & Cat. no. | Blues chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Ultimate Collection | Rhino 71268 | |
| 1994 | The Tomato Years | Rhino 71623 | |
| 1994 | Funky London | Stax 8586 | |
| 1996 | Hard Bargain | Stax 8594 | |
| 1999 | The Very Best of Albert King | Rhino 75703 | |
| 2001 | More Big Blues of Albert King | Ace 827 | |
| 2002 | Blue on Blues (also Freddie King) | Fuel 2000 | |
| 2004 | The Complete King & Bobbin Recordings | Collectables 2887 | |
| 2006 | Stax Profiles | Stax 8622 | |
| 2007 | The Very Best of Albert King | Stax 30296 | 13 |
Singles 1953–1992
| Date | Title A-side / B-side | Label & Cat. no. | R&B chart no. | Pop chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | "Bad Luck Blues" / "Be on Your Merry Way" | Parrot 798 | ||
| 1959 | "Why Are You So Mean to Me" / "Ooh-Ee Baby" | Bobbin 114 | ||
| 1960 | "Need You By My Side" / "The Time Has Come" | Bobbin 119 | ||
| 1960 | "Blues at Sunrise" / "Let's Have a Natural Ball" | Bobbin 126 | ||
| 1961 | "I Walked All Night Long" / "I've Made Nights by Myself" | Bobbin 129 | ||
| 1961 | "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong" / "This Morning" | King 5575[12] | 14 | |
| 1961 | "Travelin' to California" / "Dyna-Flow" | King 5588[13] | ||
| 1962 | "I Get Evil" / "What Can I Do to Change Your Mind" | Bobbin 135 | ||
| 1963 | "I'll Do Anything for You" / "Got to Be Some Changes Made" | Bobbin 141 | ||
| 1963 | "How About that Old Blue Ribbon" / "I've Made Nights by Myself" | Bobbin 143 | ||
| 1963 | "This Funny Feeling" / "Had You Told It Like It Was" | King 5751 | ||
| 1965 | "C. O. D." / "Worisome Baby" | Coun-Tree 1006 | ||
| 1965 | "Lonesome" / "You Threw Your Love on Me Too Strong" | Coun-Tree 1007 | ||
| 1966 | "Laundromat Blues" / "Overall Junction" | Stax 190 | 29 | |
| 1966 | "Oh Pretty Woman" / "Funk Shun" - also issued with A side label title "Oh, Pretty Woman (Can't Make You Love Me)(alternate title image) | Stax 197 | ||
| 1967 | "Crosscut Saw" / "Down Don't Bother Me" | Stax 201 | 34 | |
| 1967 | "Born Under a Bad Sign" / "Personal Manager" | Stax 217 | 49 | |
| 1968 | "Cold Feet" / "You Sure Drive a Hard Bargain" | Stax 241 | 20 | 67 |
| 1968 | "(I Love) Lucy" / "You're Gonna Need Me" | Stax 252 | 46 | |
| 1968 | "Blues Power" / "Night Stomp" | Stax 0020 | ||
| 1969 | "The Hunter" / "As the Years Go Passing By" | Atlantic 2604 | ||
| 1969 | "Drowning on Dry Land Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax 0034 | ||
| 1969 | "Tupelo Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax 0047 | ||
| 1969 | "Water" / "Opus De Soul" | Stax 0048 | ||
| 1969 | "Cockroach" / "Wrapped Up in Love Again" | Stax 0058 | ||
| 1970 | "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me" / "Cold Sweat" | Stax 0069 | 50 | 127 |
| 1971 | "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" / "Lovejoy, Ill." | Stax 0101 | 38 | 103 |
| 1972 | "Angel of Mercy" / "Funky London" | Stax 0121 | 42 | |
| 1972 | "I'll Play the Blues for You Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax 0135 | 31 | |
| 1972 | "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" / "Little Brother (Make a Way)" | Stax 0147 | 35 | 91 |
| 1973 | "Playing on Me" / "High Cost of Living" | Stax 0166 | ||
| 1974 | "That's What the Blues Is All About" / "I Wanna Get Funky" | Stax 0189 | 15 | |
| 1974 | "Flat Tire" / "I Can't Hear Nothing but the Blues" | Stax 0217 | ||
| 1974 | "Crosscut Saw" / "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" | Stax 0228 | ||
| 1974 | "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" / "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" | Stax 0234[14] | ||
| 1975 | "I'm Doing Fine" / "Ain't It Beautiful" | Stax 0245 | ||
| 1976 | "Cadillac Assembly Line" / "Nobody Wants a Loser" | Utopia 10544 | 40 | |
| 1976 | "Sensation, Communication Together" / "Gonna Make It Somehow" | Utopia 10682 | 80 | |
| 1976 | "Guitar Man" / "Rub My Back" | Utopia 10770 | 79 | |
| 1977 | "Ain't Nothing You Can Do" /"I Don't Care What My Baby Do" | Utopia 10879 | 95 | |
| 1978 | "Call My Job" / "Love Shock" | Tomato 10001 | 72 | |
| 1978 | "Chump Change" / "Good Time Charlie" | Tomato 10002 | 72 | |
| 1978 | "The Pinch Paid Off Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax 3203 | ||
| 1979 | "The Very Thought of You" / "I Get Evil" | Tomato 10009 | 87 | |
| 1979 | "Born Under a Bad Sign" / "I've Got the Blues" | Tomato 10012 | ||
| 1983 | "Ask Me No Questions" / "Honey Bee" | Fantasy 940 | ||
| 1986 | "Down the Road I Go" / "Money Lovin' Woman" | Stax 1071 |
Notes
- ↑ Also issued as Tomato.
- ↑ Also issused as Tomato TOM-6004.
- ↑ Unterberger, Ritchie. "The Pinch — Album Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ↑ Unterberger, Ritchie. "The Blues Don't Change — Album Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ↑ Also issued as Crosscut Saw: Albert King in San Francisco with two bonus tracks (Stax 8571).
- ↑ Also issued as Stax 8560.
- ↑ Also issued as Tomato TOM-27005.
- ↑ Recorded 1973, Erlewine 1996, p. 148.
- ↑ Recorded 1968, Erlewine 1996, p. 148
- ↑ Recorded 1968, Erlewine 1996, p. 148.
- ↑ "Albert King Discography — compilations". Allmusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ↑ Also issued as Bobbin 131.
- ↑ Also issued as Bobbin 130 and King 6265.
- ↑ Also issued as Stax 3225.
References
- Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Albert King". Encyclopedia of the Blues. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 182–185. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- Erlewine, Daniel (1996). Erlewine, Michael, ed. All Music Guide to the Blues. Miller Freeman Books. pp. 147–149. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Record Research, Inc. p. 238. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
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