Burglar (album)

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Burglar
Studio album by
Freddie King
Released1974
Studio
  • Oxfordshire, England
  • Miami, Florida
    ("Sugar Sweet")
GenreBlues
Length37:38
LabelRSO
ProducerMike Vernon
Freddie King chronology
Woman Across the River
(1973) 		Burglar
(1974) 		Larger Than Life
(1975)

Burglar is an album by the American musician Freddie King, released in 1974.[1][2] King signed with RSO Records on the advice of Eric Clapton.[3] King supported the album with a North American tour than included shows with Rush, among others.[4] Burglar charted on Billboard's Soul LPs chart.[5] In 2023, Lurrie Bell recorded an interpretation of the complete album.[6]

Production

The album was produced primarily by Mike Vernon, with Tom Dowd doing some work at Criteria Studios.[7][8] Clapton played guitar on "Sugar Sweet"; he and his band recorded three other songs with King during the session, which were released later.[8][9][10] Bobby Tench also contributed on guitar.[11] King, who wrote two of the songs, added elements of pop and funk to his Texas blues sound.[12][13] "Pack It Up" is a cover of the Gonzalez song.[14] "She's a Burglar" was written by Jerry Ragovoy.[15] "Pulp Wood" is an instrumental.[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[17]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues[18]

Billboard wrote that "King sings in his usual rough vocals but continues to let his fluid and graceful guitar do most of the talking."[19] The Bracknell and Ascot Times praised King's "incomparable wailing, bending and soaring electric guitar and superb voice."[20] The Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush Gazette deemed the album "an exciting mixture of the traditional slow blues and the wilder, more extroverted rhythm 'n' blues."[21] The Lincoln Journal Star stated that "King can fool you because he plays with such a big beat, but he is a sensitive guitar player when he gets down."[22]

AllMusic wrote that "Burglar is one of those gems that journeymen can put together in their sleep."[8] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings noted that King's "guitar solos rarely descend below the eighth fret."[17] The Plain Dealer included the album on its list of the "100 greatest guitar albums from Rock & Roll Hall of Famers", concluding that "King puts it all together as artist, creating a mix of blues and funk with his guitar and voice."[23]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Pack It Up"4:09
2."My Credit Didn't Go Through"4:09
3."I Got the Same Old Blues"3:23
4."Only Getting Second Best"3:48
5."Texas Flyer"3:45
6."Pulp Wood"3:11
7."She's a Burglar"3:51
8."Sugar Sweet"2:51
9."I Had a Dream"4:59
10."Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)"3:32
Total length:37:38

References

  1. ^ "Freddie King Biography by Cub Koda". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  2. ^ Fox, Darrin (Aug 2004). "Freddie King". Guitar Player. Vol. 38, no. 8. p. 186.
  3. ^ Gregory, Hugh (2003). Roadhouse Blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Texas R&B. Backbeat. p. 27.
  4. ^ Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth. Insight Editions. 2019. p. 50.
  5. ^ "Soul LPs". Billboard. Vol. 87, no. 3. Jan 18, 1975. p. 49.
  6. ^ Shanen Jr., Jim (January 26, 2023). "Blues is the rock that keeps guitarist Lurrie Bell from his demons". Times Union. Albany. p. D1.
  7. ^ Cromer, Ben (Jun 14, 1997). "Vernon's Blues Horizons expand with new label, Code Blue". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 24. p. 41.
  8. ^ a b c d "Burglar Review by Joe Viglione". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  9. ^ McCoy, Heath Jon (10 Mar 2001). "Kubek's still standing, and still Smokin'". Calgary Herald. p. ES4.
  10. ^ Thompson, Dave (Oct 1, 2004). "1974: Eric Clapton Finds a New Direction". Goldmine. Vol. 30, no. 20. pp. 14–17.
  11. ^ Gaar, Gillian G. (Spring 2012). "Freddie King". Goldmine. Vol. 38, no. 5. p. 66.
  12. ^ Gerds, Warren (22 Dec 1974). "Freddie King—Burglar". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 11.
  13. ^ Komara, Edward M. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Routledge. p. 573.
  14. ^ Rubin, Dave (2016). Play Like Freddie King. Hal Leonard.
  15. ^ Sculatti, Gene (28 Dec 1974). "Music". The Sacramento Bee. p. A6.
  16. ^ Von Malder, Tom (27 Dec 1974). "Playback". The Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 2:3.
  17. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. pp. 363, 364.
  18. ^ Larkin, Colin (2013). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Random House.
  19. ^ "Top Album Picks". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 46. Nov 16, 1974. p. 52.
  20. ^ "Sounds of the Times". Bracknell and Ascot Times. 12 Dec 1974. p. 9.
  21. ^ "Albums". Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush Gazette. 23 Jan 1975. p. 8.
  22. ^ Becker, Bart (5 Feb 1975). "Freddie's Blues". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 18.
  23. ^ Smith, Troy L. (August 23, 2019). "100 greatest guitar albums from Rock & Roll Hall of Famers". Expo. The Plain Dealer.
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