Completely Well was B.B. King's breakthrough album in 1969, which finally got him the long-deserved acclaim that was no less than his due. It contained his signature number, "The Thrill Is Gone," and eight other tunes, six of them emanating from King's pen, usually in a co-writing situation. Hardliners point to the horn charts and the overdubbed strings as the beginning of the end of King's old style that so identifiably earmarked his early sides for the Bihari Brothers and his later tracks for ABC, but this is truly the album that made the world sit up and take notice of B.B. King.
The plus points include loose arrangements and a small combo behind him that never dwarfs the proceedings or gets in the way. King, for his part, sounds like he's having a ball, playing and singing at peak power. This is certainly not the place to start your B.B. King collection, but it's a nice stop along the way before you finish it.
by Cub Koda
1. So Excited (B.B. King, Gerald Jemmott) - 5:35
2. No Good (Ferdinand Washington, B.B. King) - 4:37
3. You're Losin' Me (Ferdinand Washington, B.B. King) - 4:55
4. What Happened (B.B. King) - 4:43
5. Confessin' The Blues (Jay Mcshann, Walter Brown) - 4:57
6. Key To My Kingdom (Maxwell Davis, Joe Josea, Claude Baum) - 3:20
7. Cryin' Won't Help You Now (Sam Ling, Jules Taub, B.B. King) - 6:25
8. You're Mean (B.B. King, Gerald Jemmott, Hugh Mccracken, Paul Harris, Herbie Lovelle) - 10:01
9. The Thrill Is Gone (Rick Darnell, Roy Hawkins, Arthur H ."Art" Benson, Dale Pettite) - 5:27
10.Fools Get Wise (Live 1969 NYC) (B.B.King) - 2:40
Personnel
*B. B. King - Guitar, Vocals
*Hugh McCracken - Guitar
*Paul Harris - Piano, Electric Piano, Organ
*Gerald "Fingers" Jemmott - Bass
*Herbie Lovelle - Drums
*Bill Szymczyk - Producer
*Bert "Super Charts" Decoteaux - String And Horn Arrangements
1967 B.B. King - Lucille (MFSL ultra disc)
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