ALBERT COLLINS: Blues Guitar Masters Vol. 5
A la fin des années 50, Albert Collins enregistre pour de petits labels locaux comme Hall-Way ou Kangaroo une série de pièces instrumentales qui ont un certain succès local: Freeze, Defrost, Frosty..., succession de riffs aux notes précises et tendues qui créent une atmosphère élégante et "glacée" qui restera la marque d'Albert Collins. Ces disques deviennent dans les années 60 de petits classiques, révérés des amateurs. La revue britannique Blues Unlimited publie plusieurs articles sur Albert, attirant l'attention du nouveau public international du blues. Entre temps et grâce à Bob Hite, le leader des Canned Heat, Collins a émigré autour de San Francisco à Palo Alto et Bob le présente au Fillmore West et lui fait enregistrer une série d'albums essentiellement instrumentaux pour le major Imperial/ Liberty.
Ajoutant la souplesse de son style texan à la solidité du Chicago blues, Collins enregistre pour Alligator une série d'albums remarquables tels Ice pickin', Frostbite, Don't lose your cool, Cold snap, Frozen alive . Ils permettent enfin à Albert une carrière internationale. Son dynamisme, sa verve et son sens de la scène lui valent une forte réputation dans le monde entier, du Japon à Montreux où il enflamme le festival de jazz. Il signe pour Pointblank, un label tourné vers le public du rock, une série de disques qui connaissent un grand succès commercial.
Hélas, atteint d'un cancer du poumon, il décède à Las Vegas le 24 novembre 1993
Gérard HERZHAFT
Born in a poor farming family at Leona (Tx), 1st October 1932, Albert Collins starts at a very young age to play guitar under the influence of several bluesmen he had the opportunity to watch, mainly Frankie Lee Sims and Guitar Slim from whom he will borrow his flamboyant showmanship. After moving in Houston's Third Ward, Albert will cut his teethes in small clubs and private parties, building a very personal guitar style: short, precise, clear and high musical notes emerging generally from a background of heavy basses, his capo fixed very high on the fretboard with a frequent use of minor scales. One can anyway find on this very original style (more and more on a Telecaster guitar) some borrowings to the old traditional Central Texas blues guitar playing, parsimonious but scathing and very expressive. Later on Albert will add many other influences from Gatemouth Brown, Fulson or B.B. King.
Unfortunately, those LPs don't sell too well and are not even very well received by the new international blues audience. The 1970's are very harsh for Albert who drifts from small label to another, playing in Houston and San Francisco clubs. Until he meets Alligator's wise producer Bruce Iglauer who brings Albert in Chicago and records him backed by some of the best Chicago sidemen (A.C. Reed, Aron Burton, Casey Jones), issuing several first rate albums on Bruce's label Alligator. This time - and despite being reluctant to do it - Collins sings or talks on several tracks and even he his certainly not Bobby Bland, his whispering nasal singing style has much effect. Ice Pickin', Frostbite, Don't lose your cool, Cold snap or Frozen alive are great albums, mixing Texas and Chicago blues styles for the better.
Albert then starts to tour around the USA, Japan and particularly Europe where his constantly great shows win him a strong following among blues and rock fans. His last records for the Pointblank label are much more turned towards the rock audience and bring him an important success.
Unfortunately, suffering from lung cancer, Albert Collins dies in Las Vegas on 24 December 1993.
Gérard HERZHAFT
ALBERT COLLINS/ Early discography
CD1
Albert Collins, vcl/g; Frank Mitchell, tpt; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Herman Hopkins, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 1958
01. Freeze
02. Collins' shuffle
Albert Collins, vcl/g; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Walter Mc Neil, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 5 December 1962
03. Albert's alley
04. Defrost
05. Homesick
06. Sippin' soda
Albert Collins, vcl/g; Frank Mitchell, a-sax; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Walter Mc Neil, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 22 July 1963
07. Frosty
08. Tremble
09. Thaw out
10. Backstroke
Albert Collins, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. 1965
11. Sno Cone I & II
12. Dyin' flu
13. Hot n' cold
14. Don't lose your cool
15. Frost bite
16. Cool aide
17. Shiver and shake
18. Icy blue
19. I don't know
Albert Collins, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. février 1968
20. Taking my time
21. Cooking Catfish
22. Soulroad
Albert Collins, vcl/g; Mike Rosso, og; Sonny Boyan, t-sax; Bill Johnson, bs; Larry Daniels, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. May 1968
23. Do the Sissy
24. Collins mix
25. Let's get it together I & II
26. Got a good thing going on
27. Leftovers
28. Doin' my thing
29. Ain't got time
30. Turnin' on
31. Whatcha say
32. Puchin'
33. Stump poker
Albert Collins, vcl/g; Harmonica Fats, hca; horns; James Hooker Brown, og/pno; Charles Freeman, g; Tommy McClure, bs; Robert Tarrant, dms. Nashville, Tn. July 1969
34. Harris County lineup
35. Conversation with Collins
36. Jawing
37. Grapeland gossip
38. Chaterbox
39. Trash talkin'
40. Baby what you want me to do?
41. Lip service
42. Talking Slim blues
43. Back yard back talk
44. Tongue lashing
45. And then it started raining
Albert Collins, vcl/g; Bobby Alexis, og; band. Nashville, Tn. 1970
46. Soul food
47. Jam it up
48. Do what you want to do
49. Black bottom bayou
50. Junkey monkey
51. 69 Underpass Roadside Inn
52. I need you so
53. Bitsy
54. Cool and collards
55. Blend down and jam
56. Sweet'n'sour
57. Swamp sauce
