| · Recorded in February 1978, this live recording shows that King's got the "no one's got the blues" blues.
In an era when the blues had been abandoned in favour of disco, there were still true believers sluggin' it out on the circuit. Relaxed and strong, this snapshot of Albert King – taken years after the success of his work on the Stax/Volt label – shows a man who is still in the prime of his career.
Never straying from the template King established in his work with Booker T & the MG's, the smooth, stripped-down sound on Talkin’ Blues remains timeless. Ripe with hiss, static and tape defects, this particular recording is raw almost to a fault, but even the flaws can't dampen the incredible guitar tone, which can switch from late-night smooth to a searing wail in the snap of a snare drum. The bonus interview material on the disc offers some interesting sound-bites (including the title track), but the mid-song banter gives almost as much insight – the man wanted to play, and he did.
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