Label: Real Gone Music
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Recording Time: 158 minutes
Styles: Electric Texas Blues, Modern Electric Blues, Regional Blues, Texas Blues, Electric Blues, Modern Electric Texas Blues
Of the three blues Kings, Freddie King often gets overshadowed by B.B. and Albert, so he's in need of a collection like Real Gone's 2013 The Complete King & Federal Singles, a two-disc set that rounds up all his greatest work. Sitting alongside these classics, songs so firmly embedded in our consciousness he sometimes doesn't get the credit he deserves -- songs like "Have You Ever Loved a Woman," "Hideaway," "San-Ho-Zay!," "The Stumble," "I'm Tore Down" -- there are singles where Freddie rode the wave of what was popular. He tried to dance "The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist," he flirted with a bit of funk, he got slick and greasy toward the end of the '60s, never winding up with chart success but never embarrassing himself. All this is documented on The Complete King & Federal Singles, a set that digs deeper than any collection outside of the comprehensive Bear Family boxes, but it's easier to digest and, for many, it will be preferable for that very reason. Also, it's not only easy to hear the arc of King's career; it's also easier to appreciate his brilliant highs, his stinging yet robust leads, and his full-throated vocals. All the major hits are here, of course, the songs that such guitarists as Eric Clapton copied, but what makes this so absorbing is hearing how King remained a forceful, compelling presence even when he was attempting to cash-in on trends. That's not so evident on either the early single-disc Rhino collection or the Bear Family set. By distilling King to his '60s singles, it's possible to hear all of his dimensions -- his influence, his force, his versatility -- and realize that he is every bit the titan that B.B. and Albert are.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Credits: Gordon Anderson - producer; Hank Ballard - composer; Kay Bennett - composer; Beverly Bridge - composer; Zella Bridge - composer; Jürgen Crasser - engineer; Bill Dahl - a&r, liner notes; Robert Davis - composer; Arthur Dellerson - composer; Ray Fierlage - photo courtesy; Bill Greensmith - photo courtesy; Jerry Harris - composer; Alvin Johnson - composer; Edwin Johnson - composer; Freddie King - composer, primary artist; Windsor King - composer; Tom D. Kline - design; Jimmy McCracklin - composer; Billy Myles - composer; Nunzie Nardo - composer; Nathaniel Nathan - composer; Earline Phillips - composer; Gene Redd - composer; Lula Reed - primary artist; Thomas Rizby - composer; Dennis Roberts - composer; Sue Sandler - composer; John Stephens - composer; Fred Stryker - composer; Sonny Taylor - composer; E.M. Teat - composer; Elson Teat - composer; Sonny Thompson - composer; Roscoe Thorne - composer; Rudy Toombs - composer; Billy Washington - composer; Ralph Watkins - composer; Lucious Weaver - composer; Robert Wilson - composer.
Tracks Disc 1: 1) You've Got To Love Her With A Feeling; 2) Have You Ever Loved A Woman; 3) Hideaway; 4) I Love The Woman; 5) Lonesome Whistle Blues; 6) It's Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough; 7) San-Ho-Zay!; 8) See See Baby; 9) I'm Tore Down; 10) Sen-Sa-Shun; 11) Christmas Tears; 12) I Hear Jingle Bells; 13) If You Believe (In What I Do); 14) Heads Up; 15) Takin' Care Of Business; 16) The Stumble; 17) Side Tracked; 18) Sittin' On The Boat Dock; 19) Do The President Twist; 20) What About Love; 21) Texas Oil; 22) Come On; 23) Just Pickin'; 24) (Let Your Love) Watch Over Me (feat. Lula Reed); 25) You Can't Hide (feat. Lula Reed); 26) In The Open; 27) I'm On My Way To Atlanta.
Tracks Disc 2: 1) It's Easy, Child (feat. Lula Reed); 2) The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist; 3) Look Ma, I'm Cryin'; 4) (I'd Love To) Make Love To You; 5) One Hundred Years; 6) (The Welfare) Turns Its Back On You; 7) You're Barkin' Up The Wrong Tree; 8) Surf Monkey; 9) Monkey Donkey; 10) Meet Me At The Sun; 11) Jug-A-Ling; 12) Driving Sideways; 13) Someday, After A While (You'll Be Sorry); 14) She Put The Whammy On Me; 15) High Rise; 16) How I've Got A Woman; 17) Onion Rings; 18) Some Other Day, Some Other Time; 19) Manhole; 20) If You Have It; 21) I Love You More Every Day; 22) Full Time Love; 23) She's The One; 24) Use What You've Got; 25) Double Eyed Whammy; 26) You've Got Me Licked; 27) Girl From Kookamunga.