140 gram black vinyl reissue of the Grammy-nominated Alligator debut by The Master of the Telecaster, Albert Collins

Wild, unrestrained side of his playing shines through

“The most exciting blues LP of the year” — The Village Voice

It burns like dry ice, like cold fire. A jagged blend of shattering, ringing high notes, icy echo, jarring attack, the blistering power of an arctic storm. The Cool Sound. The creation of a high-energy guitarist who blew out of Texas with a battered Fender Telecaster, an explosive stage show, unlimited energy, and a whole new concept of blues guitar — Albert Collins.

Collins’ live performances are legendary. He stalks the stage like some manic western gunslinger, always in motion, guitar strap slung over his shoulder like an ammunition belt, bashing out spine-chilling barrages of notes, encouraging the band, exhorting the audience. And here we have the great Texas guitarist’s Alligator label debut; a blues classic. Includes “Master Charge,” and “Conversation With Collins.” Ice Pickin’ was his first release for Alligator Records and it set the pace for all the albums that followed.

Even the finest guitarists find it impossible to duplicate Collins’ Cool Sound. Part of his secret is in his unorthodox tuning — he tunes the guitar to an open D-minor chord. Part of it is in Collins’ percussive right hand attack he plays with his bare thumb and index finger, snapping the strings against the fingerboard (“My fingers are just as hard as a pick,” he says). Part of it is what he learned watching his cousin and first teacher, Willow Young, while growing up in Leona, Texas. And part is from watching Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, probably the finest blues-rock guitarist of them all. Part of it is Albert’s vintage Fender guitar, and his special combination of strings, pickups, and amplifier settings. But the Cool Sound is more than just tuning, experience, and technique. It’s Albert’s whole concept of music, a concept that follows no one else’s rules of melody or rhythm, a concept that pits bulldozer attack against unexpected silence, shifting without warning from screaming, twisted high notes to thumping bass figures. Albert is perhaps the most totally unpredictable of blues guitarists.

Musicians:
Albert Collins, guitar & vocals
Larry Burton, guitar
Alan Batts, keyboards
Aron Burton, bass
Casey Jones, drums
A.C. Reed, tenor sax
Chuck Smith, baritone sax