Robben Ford Discussion

bob mc · Member Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 11 Location: boonton,nj

Robben offhandly says that Cool Sounds by Albert Collins is one great CD.
Can anyone else comment on it? I only have one of ACs recordings (two if I also count a John Zorn CD he's on) and never really liked it much.
I always try and follow up on a recommendation like this, but sometimes it doesn't pan out.
Thanks!

Bluelobster · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:56 am Post subject: Albert Collins

Ok i can get your way since i 've been late myself to understand WHY Albert Collins is called ICEMAN & therefore fall in love .
Fender guitars and more particulary Telecaster are hard to handle when you're not that a great guitar player, i speak for me , being a great fan of Hendrix , when i was able to buy me my first "real guitar" i ended up with a SG , with a strat my ears just couldn't stand the truth : i was playing like shit. 'Nuff said ,i simply suggest you to go on YOU TUBE , do the Collins search and just look as much as you can opening your ears as wide as possible , then you can switch on Albert KING , Freddy KING & Mike Bloomfield , Roy Buchanan, searches .......................................
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bob mc · Member Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 11 Location: boonton,nj

It does take a while for sounds to settle in sometimes. I actually am a huge fan of all the Kings ( I was listening to BBs Live in Japan this morning) and am tyring to learn Bloomfield's "Mary Ann". If I had to pick a fave it would be Magic Sam though.
It's not just Collins tone, the CD I had just sounded like it was some poorly written tunes that only existed for him to 'icepick' a solo to.
BTW, I have a love/hate thing when it comes to Teles; I can't make them sound the way they should. I favor P90s and currenly play a Casino.
Bb

Bluelobster · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:03 am Post subject: Tele's tone

Bob i'm glad you agree on the love/hate story with the tele.
Once i was ready to get my first strat , i understood i have made progress. Being able to get rid of the creamy wealthy tones of humbuckers and enjoy the rawness of Fender made me feel like i was a step further. But i was still not ready for a tele. It happened last summer , 24 years after my first black Strat which was a very good first squier.
I met a guy who owns an original 1972 Cream telecaster , now yellow with the outrages of time, which is very light weight, and sounds like robben's one, well i mean 2 wonderful pickups each one fighting in his own league, a "white"Neck which seems to be tailored for a girl or a guy like me, well balanced .........................................NOW this is the one i ought to have............................................................................
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telefunk1 · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:26 am Post subject:

Not sure which one is "Cool Sounds" - Albert C has a lot of cut out LPs and CDs, bogus re-issues, and imports of lesser material out there to choose from. Don't know which disc of his you have, but I would recommend Ice Pickin' as a good start. It was his first LP with Alligator in the late 1070s and sparked his "discovery" by the mainstream music community. He was legendary in Texas for years before that, rivaling Freddie King when it came to hot instrumentals any guitar player had to be able to play (Frosty comes to mind). I have an od LP of mosty instrumentals that is a primer on his style - did not see it on Amazon, though. I will post the info tomorrow if I remember to look for it tonight.

AC can be an acquired taste, though. I know a lot of players who really don't care for him that much. Part of it is because it is difficult to really copy his stuff. He used a different tuning and a capo and used a lot of pull offs to get his sound and tone. Very percussive, but expressive. I was fortunate to see him live once in Austin and he did his thing where he went out in the parking lot with a 100 foot cord (before wireless systems, of course!) and played out there to us drunk, rabid Texas blues fans who would have followed him anywhere.

Agree with you on Magic Sam - another player who does not get near attention he deserves.

bob mc · Member Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 11 Location: boonton,nj

You know folks, I may have held a grudge with Mr. collins for the F#m tuning. I also read that he used Fender Quad Reverb amps live; which is the first piece of equipment I bought myself as a teen.
Everytime I plugged my guitar in, only horrible noises came out Laughing

UncleSalty · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:19 am Post subject:

Albert Collins was one of the first 'real' blues performers I ever saw. What a great show that was! I wish I had 1/100th of the mojo that Mr. Collins possessed. Nobody else sounds like him and nobody else phrases like him. Truly one-of-a-kind. And his tone was HUGE live.

I must admit that he was poorly served by a lot of substandard dates on a variety of labels trying to be 'in' - as were many of the truly great bluesmen (Electric Mud, anyone?) - but his truly great recordings are absolutely essential.

'The Cool Sound of Albert Collins' was actually a collection of his earliest recordings and came out on Blue Thumb in 1969. The same album was re-released as Truckin' with Albert Collins on MCA. I can't recommend it enough! It's almost all instrumental with Frosty - his first & biggest regional hit, as well as his signature tune - and Don't Lose Your Cool particular stand outs. His Alligator recordings are pretty consistent but 'Ice Pickin' & 'Cold Snap' are probably the pick of the bunch. 'Showdown!' with Johnny Copeland & Robert Cray is also excellent.

I saw Albert again several months before he died, although we weren't aware that he was sick at the time. He gave 200% which was impressive at the time and made even moreso in light of his illness.

Albert Collins. His like shall not pass this way again.

Daved · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:42 am Post subject:

FatTeleTom · Senior Member Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 191

"Albert Collins was one of the first 'real' blues performers I ever saw. What a great show that was! I wish I had 1/100th of the mojo that Mr. Collins possessed. Nobody else sounds like him and nobody else phrases like him. Truly one-of-a-kind. And his tone was HUGE live."

Took the words right out of my mouth. I first saw him live playing outdoors at Northwestern University my freshman year--1986. He put on a great show, and the tones that poured out from him were incredible--stinging blues lines that may still be echoing somewhere over Lake Michigan.

I'm not sure I can describe what his guitar sounded like live--bright, yes, and cutting, but not at all ear-piercing. Just...intense, beautiful.

Talk about a "tone is in the fingers" guy ... it was all about how AC attacked every note.

frank0936 · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:03 am Post subject: AC CDs

Amazon has "Truckin' with Albert Collins". They also have a CD called "The Hot Cool Sounds of Albert Collins", but that is not the same CD. The first one, Truckin', shows to be available in both new and used at a very reasonable price.
Frank

Daved · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:25 am Post subject:

Ordered a copy of Electric Mud from Amazon... and for less than $8 !
Thanx again for reminding me about this great album, Uncle Salty.
You made my day.
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( }:-Daved
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UncleSalty · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:28 am Post subject:

Daved · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:05 am Post subject:

edpesco · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:14 pm Post subject:

In my part of the world this album never was available. I had "let's spend the night together" and "all that same thing" on a sampler called "Blues News" (white vinyl) and as a boy of about 14 then I was fascinated by the pure power of the whole thing and I was the first in the world to buy the CD when it was released about 12 years ago. That was the first time I was able to hear the rest of the album. I liked it and I still do. The approach to these songs surely is heavily related to this time. They tried to modernize the blues already back then :-) . Let's spend is still my fav

E
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bob mc · Member Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 11 Location: boonton,nj

I got the "Hot Cool Sounds of..." and "Trucking" as well last night, one used thru Amazon and guy on the Tele board (TDPRI) burned me the other .
The version of HCSOAC I got is a live recording in Canada made in the 70s and so far seems like good, HOT soloing with a decent (if not 'pickup') band behind him.
Recording quality aside, it is an exciting listen, and I'll sit down tonight and try and get and pick a little off it (I have been warned about the tuning). One double or triple stop in particular sounded really interesting.

BTW, was Electric Mud subtitled or advertised as "This is Muddy's new recird, and he doesn't like it"? Not sure where that memory came from,
but then again I'm not sure where my car keys are either.