By Cornbread

Albert Collins/Live At Montreux 1992/DVD & CD

This is two separate releases a CD and a DVD from the 61 year old blues giant that was recorded in 1992. This show was one of “The Iceman’s” last, as he would be diagnosed with lung cancer within a year. Collins was far from old and crusty, as he played with a surge of electricity through his fingers on these seven tracks. Did you miss the Montreux Jazz Festival (an annual tradition since 1967 in the municipality of Vevey in canton of Vaud in Switzerland)? Me too, no worries Eagle Vision relives the magic for us on these CD & DVD releases.

Albert Collins, 1932-1993, was a blues-howlin’ guitarist extraordinaire whose soulful vocals and flamboyant performance style thrilled audiences in six different decades. “The Master Of The Telecaster” was born in Texas, a relative of rural bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins. Performing in the Mississippi Delta and soaking up its historical blues vibe, he honed his craft while living in Chicago, Kansas City and California, with an up-and-down career until moving back to Texas and releasing Ice Pickin’ on Alligator Records in 1978. During his career he recorded with John Lee Hooker, Jack Bruce, B.B. King, John Mayall, and Robert Cray. Collins won the W.C. Handy Award in 1983 for his album “Don’t Lose Your Cool”, which won the award for best blues album of the year and then a Grammy for Showdown! (Collins with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland) in 1985.

1. Iceman
2. Honey Hush
3. Lights Are On (But Nobody’s Home)
4. If You Love Me Like You Say
5. Too Many Dirty Dishes
6. Put The Shoe On The Other Foot
7. Frosty (from the acclaimed Grammy-winning album Showdown!)

If you don’t like in your face, intense, smoking-hot electric blues then pass on this, if you do – buy the CD and DVD, you won’t be disappointed! I’ve been a fan of Collins for sometime, this just reminded what an incredible guitar player he was. There’s not a bad track here. This recording left me drooling for more. Like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie and Albert King, Albert Collins left this world a better place and electric blues forever changed, unfortunately for all these greats died too soon.

For those newbie’s, Eagle Vision/Eagle Records releases of Live at Montreux are phenomenal and cover all genres of music highlighting many artists at their best.