The Very Best of Albert King

AMG Review of The Very Best of Albert King

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

There have been many compilations of Albert King's classic Stax recordings over the years, including the wonderful double-disc set The Ultimate Collection, but Rhino's The Very Best of Albert King is perhaps the best for curious listeners, since it offers 16 classics on one disc. There may be a few favorites missing, from "The Hunter" to "The Phone Booth," but the disc does a wonderful job of summarizing the classic Stax years while adding some highlights from his latter-day recordings for Tomato. In the end, what matters is that the bare basics -- "Let's Have a Natural Ball," "C.O.D.," "Laundromat Blues," "Oh Pretty Woman," "Crosscut Saw," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Personal Manager," "Blues Power" -- are all here, making this ideal for neophytes on a tight budget. (Of course, Born Under a Bad Sign remains an excellent introduction on its own terms, as well.)