Getting Ready...
| Getting Ready... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Studio | Ter-Mar Chess | |||
| Genre | Blues, rock | |||
| Label | Shelter | |||
| Producer | Leon Russell, Don Nix | |||
| Freddie King chronology | ||||
| ||||
Getting Ready... is an album by the American musician Freddie King, released in 1971.[1][2] It was the first of three albums he recorded for Shelter Records.[3] The album contains "Going Down", which became one of King's most popular songs.[4] King supported Getting Ready... with a North American tour.[5]
Production
Recorded at Ter-Mar Chess Studios and mixed at Ardent Studios, the album was produced by label head Leon Russell and Don Nix.[6][7][8] King was backed by Russell on piano, Duck Dunn on bass, Chuck Blackwell on drums, and Don Preston on guitar, among others.[8] King played a Gibson Les Paul; he thought his instrument sounded similar to a violin, as he often bended notes and avoided chords.[9][10] The studio version of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway" was performed in a more casual, groove-oriented style, rather than the rock style of most of King's live versions of the song.[11][12] "Dust My Broom" is a cover of the Elmore James song.[13] "Five Long Years" was written by Eddie Boyd.[14] Jimmy Rogers, who also recorded for Shelter, composed "Walking by Myself".[15]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [17] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [18] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues | [19] |
The News-Chronicle noted that King "is only an average vocalist ... slurring some of the lines to the point of indistinction, but what you are able to hear is good."[20] The Reading Evening Post called the album "good solid blues that pushes along rather than rolls along."[21] The Arizona Republic praised King's vocals on "Key to the Highway".[11]
In 1989, the Los Angeles Times stated that the songs "provide a respectable showcase of King's feel for both rock and blues."[17] In 1997, Guitar Player said that "Freddie is comfortable and in total command".[8] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings opined that the Shelter albums reflect "the awkward phase blues was going through in the early '70s."[22]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Same Old Blues" | Don Nix | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Dust My Broom" | Elmore James | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Worried Life Blues" | Big Maceo | 2:50 |
| 4. | "Five Long Years" | Eddie Boyd | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Key to the Highway" | Charles Seger, William Broonzy | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Going Down" | Don Nix | 3:21 |
| 7. | "Living on the Highway" | Don Nix, Leon Russell | 4:14 |
| 8. | "Walking by Myself" | Lane | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Tore Down" | Freddie King | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Palace of the King" | Don Nix, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Leon Russell | 3:38 |
References
- ^ Komara, Edward, ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis. p. 573.
- ^ O'Neal, Jim; van Singel, Amy (2013). The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from Living Blues Magazine. Taylor & Francis. p. 360.
- ^ Fox, Darrin (August 2004). "Freddie King". Guitar Player. Vol. 38, no. 8. p. 186.
- ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 214.
- ^ "Bluesman to Perform in Concert". The Bradenton Herald. August 3, 1971. p. 9A.
- ^ Rudis, Al (August 14, 1971). "When Freddie King...". Pause. Buffalo Evening News. p. 29.
- ^ Ellis, Bill (July 1, 2000). "Old Folks and Newcomers Give the Past Its Props". The Commercial Appeal. p. F8.
- ^ a b c Forte, Dan (October 1997). "The essential Freddie King collection". Guitar Player. Vol. 31, no. 10. p. 75.
- ^ Thompson, Art (December 1998). "Legends of the Paul". Guitar Player. Vol. 32, no. 12. p. 117.
- ^ McMahon, Peg (August 4, 1971). "Freddie King—Blues from Within". The Kansas City Star. p. 14A.
- ^ a b Price, Hardy (June 13, 1971). "Popular". The Arizona Republic. p. 8N.
- ^ Friedland, Ed (April 2015). "The Eight-Bar Blues". Bass Player. Vol. 26, no. 4. p. 52.
- ^ Bevan, Bev (November 24, 2024). "Albums of the Week". Weekend. Sunday Mercury. p. 3.
- ^ "Special Merit Picks". Billboard. Vol. 83, no. 19. May 8, 1971. p. 42.
- ^ Goins, Wayne Everett (2014). Blues All Day Long: The Jimmy Rogers Story. University of Illinois Press. p. 171.
- ^ "Getting Ready... Review by Richie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (September 15, 1989). "3 Shelter Albums Released in Joint Venture". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 20.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 398.
- ^ The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin Books. 1998. p. 213.
- ^ Bob, Baker (July 2, 1971). "Gimmicks, tricks don't make this King a 'B.B.'". News-Chronicle. p. 9.
- ^ Butterfield, Pete (July 23, 1971). "Pop". Reading Evening Post. p. 10.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 363.