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Burglar
Studio album by
Freddie King
Released1974
Studio
Genre Blues
Length37:38
Label RSO
Producer Mike 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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