Conference napalm::guitar

I don't *think* Albert Lee has been in any major bands, but I could be wrong.
I have always come across him as either a session/guest guitarist, or doing solo
stuff. He's good though isn't he.

You may be confusing him, as I often do, as a cross between ALVIN Lee (who was
the man in Ten Years After), and Albert COLLINS (who's an ace bluesman).

Keith

    Albert played in Eric Clapton's band in the early 80's; he's the
    guy who does all the 'other' solos on the Just One Night album.
    I love his style. I'd say appearance-wise he's probably closer to
    Alvin Lee than Albert Collins :-)

< Note 719.2 by SCOMAN::WCLARK "bite the wax tadpole" >

< I'd say appearance-wise he's probably closer >
< to Alvin Lee than Albert Collins :-)         >

Albert Lee is a great guitarist. While he is best known as a country
guitarist, he seems to be used by a lot of rock musicians. His work
with Clapton (especially on 'Just One Night') is exceptional. I also
saw him with the Everly Brothers, and he was great there. 

He has released two solo albums on the MCA Master series (you can tell 
them from the gold album covers). I only have the first one, entitled
"Speechless", which is all intrumental. This is a fabulous record, and 
any guitar player would really enjoy listening to this. There is some 
country on there (which I like even though I'm not a big country fan), 
and also some slow ballads (ala Knofler's soundtrack work).

Definitely one of my favorite guitarists.

Alan S.

    
    Some quick Albert Lee info:
    
    Late 60s, early 70s: played with UK band Heads,Hands and Feet
    recorded as sideman on "The Session" by Jerry Lee Lewis
    
    Mid-70s: moved to US replaced James Burton in Emmylou Harris' band,
    started doing US country sessions, also did some work with Everly
    Bros.
    
    First solo album late 70s on A&M produced by Dave Edmunds, I think
    
    Toured with Clapton on both guitar and keys for awhile, "Just One
    Night" and "Money and Cigarettes" albums
    
    Began recording for MCA about two years ago
    
    

    Well.... what can I say!
    
    All I ever wanted to know about Albert Lee just like that. Thanks
    for all contributions.
    
    Richard
    

    
    	Albert Lee seems to pop up quite a bit in Irish recordings.
    He has guested on albums by Maura O'Connell & Davy Spillane. He
    released an excellent solo album 'Hiding' in the early '80's which
    has some great tracks including 'Country Boy'.

    Country Boy originally featured on Head Hands & Feet album released
    1972/3 (?). Albert indulges in plenty of his unique gobsmacking
    mutated country style pluckin'. What I like about the mans style
    is that he combines speed and fluency with good taste, unlike *Alvin*
    Lee (ref earlier note) who combines speed and fluency with speed
    and fluency. Never confuse the two!
    
    Incedentally, Head Hands & Feet also included a bass player, name
    of Chas Hodges who is now ---- of --- and Dave!! Check out his Johnny
    Cash impersonation on "Ev'rybody's Hustlin'" off the HH&F album
    
    Yeehaw!
    
    Bob

    Albert Lee was also on the cover of Guitar Player a few years back,
    and the subject of a long feature article in that issue.  There
    was also a GP soundpage just recently, in which he plays a dazzling
    country boogie tune and explains some of the techniques he uses
    in it: use of single repeat to create a cascade of notes, use of
    the pull string for pedal steel effects, etc.
    
    I first heard Lee on Emmylou Harris' "Luxury Liner" album, where
    he had just joined the Hot Band.  His solo on the title cut is still
    a favorite of mine!  His legacy in country music still endures,
    too - a lot of his stylings can be heard in Emmylou's current guitarist
    (Frank Reckard) and, surprisingly, in the electric playing of Ricky
    Skaggs. (At the time Lee began with Emmylou, Skaggs joined her band
    as fiddle player, so there must have been some wild stuff traded
    back and forth!)
    
    					--Eric--
    
    P.S. Lee also wrote the tune "Country Boy" which was #1 for Ricky
    Skaggs a few years ago....

    A little late, but what the hell.... :|
    
    A couple months ago, TNN had an American Music Shop show which featured
    Ricky Skaggs; but Ricky used it instead to highlight his special guest
    star - Albert Lee!  Pity the show was so short (1/2 hr.); but in that
    short span of time was some mind-boggling playing!  The tunes played
    were:
    "Lovin' Only Me" from Ricky's "Kentucky Thunder album, which Albert
    played on the original.
    "Are You Wasting My Time", a real sweet acoustic bluegrass waltz, on
    which Albert sang the lead and played mandolin (!).
    "Luxury Liner" (see note -1)
    "Country Boy" (see also note -1) Ricky and Albert traded vocals and
    solos - Ricky with a beat-up Martin, Albert with electric.  Them guys
    are animals!
    
    For the record, Albert was playing what appeared to be a heavily modi-
    fied Telecaster: a two-coil pickup in the rhythm position, an *extra*
    pickup between the standard Tele positions, no name on the headstock,
    and (after watching the strap button!) a pull-string on the B.  The
    only effect I could see was his famous single-note delay stomp box -
    and he used it, too!
    
    This show will probably reappear on TNN in the near future - catch it
    if you want to see Albert in action.  *Whew!*
    
    						--Eric--

    Also for the record,Albert wrote the song "Country Boy" way back in the
    Sixties,when he played with Head,Hands & Feet...it was outstanding
    then,and still is today.Skaggs picked up the song when they were both
    members of Emmylou's Hot Band.Since Skaggs recorded his cover,he never
    seems to credit it to Albert..he even changed the words  "Read the
    Exchange & Mart" (a British Want-ad paper) because it didn't mean
    anything to American listeners.                                   

    Re. "Country Boy"
    
    BTW, on the TNN special, Ricky DID acknowledge Albert's co-author-
    ship of the tune ...
    
    It's pretty obvious that, judging by how well those two play together,
    Ricky Skaggs and Albert Lee have a LOT of respect for each other's
    musicianship.
    
    						--Eric--
    
    P.S.  In the Guitar Player article, Albert tells of the musicians he's
    enjoyed working with - among them is (pedal steel guitarist) Buddy
    Emmons! 

      Albert Lee came on the scene in the mid to late '70's and
    played with alot of different American country players like
    those already mentioned. His super quick chicken pickin' style
    was something alot of country players learned real quick. He's
    been one of my top 5 players to listen to for a long time. There
    was one specific tune he did with Rosanne Cash called, "My Baby
    Thinks He's A Train" that knocks my socks off every time I hear it.
    Fabulous stuff IMO. Ricky Skaggs picked up Albert's style real quick
    so it would be hard for me to say which is better since they have the
    same style but sound different at the same time.
      He also toured with Eric Clapton around the same time, but in an
    interview Albert did for Guitar Player, he said it was a bad move from
    his prospective and it actually held him back for doing his solo stuff
    that he felt he needed to do at that point. He and Clapton had been
    friends for a long time since the Cream days.
    
      I wished I had seen that TNN show with he and Ricky together. Must
    have been a HOT night down south! Maybe they'll repeat it again...
    
    				Rock on,
    					Fred

I've got an old album called "Greenb Bullfrog" that features Albert jamming
with Ritchie Blackmore...interesting mix...hee hee

dbii

    Green Bullfrog!  Yeah I have that one too!  Like you say, an
    interesting mix.
    
    Greg

    Anyone catch the 25th CMA awards show last night?  It opened with Mark 
    O'Connor and the New Nashville Cats doing the Carl Perkins tune "Rest-
    less".  You talk about fireworks!  The tune began with Mark on fiddle,
    Steve Wariner on guitar and Ricky Skaggs on guitar, each taking short
    but smokin'  solos.  And then the *other* musicians begin coming out
    of the woodwork:
    
    Vince Gill on guitar
    Allison (*mumble*) on fiddle
    Jerry "Flux" Douglas on dobro - yow!
    Albert Lee (double yow!) with a weird looking red Music Man...
    Marty Stuart and Bill Monroe (yes, THE Bill Monroe) on mandolins
    Randy Scruggs on guitar and Earl Scruggs on banjo
    
    Good God, if they had had more air time, could you IMAGINE the solos
    we could have heard on that song alone?  In-credible!!!!
    
    						--Eric--
    
    P.S. Hard to say who was the hottest, but Albert was right up
    there.....!

    >Allison (*mumble*) on fiddle
    
    Alison Krauss.
    
    							Brian

    Re. -1
    
    Thank you, Brian.
    						--Eric--

    Krause

    
    Krauss
    

     Old note but...I recently got a copy of Albert Lee's "Speechless"
    and I'd really recommend it. It's not a "guitar" album entirely
    but it's got great music on it and lots of great guitar playing.
    One of the reasons I enjoyed it was because I thought the music
    was so good. Great arrangements of some bluegrass tunes and some
    new-agey sounding originals. There's a pretty piano solo which
    I believe was written and performed by Albert Lee. (The tape
    label is not clear on this)
    
    It definitely has a strong country and bluegrass slant though.
    
    Bob 

    Yep. Albert does the piano solo (my tape label is clear on that....8^) 
    8^))  The title is a good choice, it's what I was after hearing it.
    
    Check yer bargain bins now for this one, I got it for $1.99 or
    thereabouts.  Label is MCA Masters.  I've seen it on CD, too (but not
    as a cutout).
    
    Ernie Ball string fans will get all hot and bothered when they hear
    that Stewart "Biff" Ball is on bass on one cut (I hope he used a Music
    Man!!).
    
    						Brian