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Inak presents

Albert Collins in Concert (1988)

"I believe... my baby's got that Blackcat Bone..."- Albert Collins

Stars: Albert Collins, Debbie Davies, Chuck Williams
Other Stars: Sam Franklin, Gabe Flemmons, Johnny B. Gayden, Soko Richardson, Duke Robillard
Manufacturer: Sony DADC
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:04m:17s
Release Date: 2003-07-08
Genre: music

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
A AB+B+ C-

 

DVD Review

On paper, it seemed like the silliest way to incorporate a highly regarded singer/guitarist into a movie: cut to a stressed-out baby sitter and her brood on the run from a group of bad guys. Seeking refuge in the nearest safe place possible, they somehow wind up on a club stage before a packed house of die-hard blues lovers. But wait... there's no getting off gracefully in this circumstance, according to the curly-haired, Telecaster totin' six-string front man. "Nobody leaves this place without singin' the blues," he preaches. Within seconds, a suburban white girl becomes as sassy as Etta James (well, maybe not that sassy) while moaning about those "baby-sittin' blues."

That classic scene from Adventures In Babysitting not only gave Elisabeth Shue life after The Karate Kid, but also served as motivation for budding blues lovers to find out more about that wide-eyed guitar player once the credits rolled. And so began another wave of recognition for the great Albert Collins, the undisputed Master of the Telecaster. Born in Leona, Texas in 1932, Collins had the good fortune to be close to one of the blues greats—his cousin happened to be none other than the legendary Lightnin' Hopkins. For a while, piano was the instrument of choice for the blues hero in training, but continued admiration for the innovative guitar stylings of John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker and Hopkins steered him to turn in his bench for an amplifier and six-string.

In time, Collins flowered as a sideman for the likes of Little Richard, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and 'Big Mama' Thorton, eventually earning the chance to do a recording of his own for a local label in 1958. Although only regional hits, The Freeze, and future follow-ups including Don't Lose Your Cool and the legendary Frosty, became word of mouth wonders in circles that counted. Accolades began pouring in from the likes of soon-to-be guitar god Jimi Hendrix (who reportedly considered Collins as his biggest influence) and Canned Heat lead singer Bob Hite, who decided to take matters in his own hands. Convincing Albert to quit his day job as a paint mixer and move to Los Angeles, the rotund performer's pull at United Artists' subsidiary Imperial landed Collin's his first contract for a major imprint.

Although resulting albums didn't sell well, rave critical notices and admiration from his peers earned him high profile opening act slots for The Allman Brothers, among many others. Yet it was all too much for the transplanted Texan, who stopped recording in the mid-'70s, citing the need for a break. But like most self-imposed retirements for musicians of Collin's caliber, it didn't last. With encouragement from wife Gwen, he decided to strap up his guitar once again. In the years that followed, the Iceman gained a massive cult audience via a series of vibrant albums for Chicago based Alligator Records, culminating in the Grammy winning Showcase, a collaborative effort with good friend Johnny Copeland and rapidly ascending axe-man Robert Cray.

Albert Collins In Concert catches up with the guitarist one year after his high profile Babysitting gig in a performance recorded for the German music program Ohne Filter on October 27th, 1988. Flanked by a smoking 7 piece band that included future blues guitar favorite Debbi Davies and combination alto/tenor saxophone threat Chuck Williams, Collins' set list gathers the best of his then more recent albums (Cold Snap, Ice Pickin') while not forsaking the past with a rousing, show closing Frosty, featuring a guest appearance by yet another latter day guitar slinger, Duke Bulliard. One of the things that struck me while watching the performance for a second time is how Collins was able to get such an amazing tone sans guitar pick, not to mention his command of string bends even with a capo positioned very high on the neck; Collin's showmanship abilities and crowd pleasing nature (including his now infamous and much imitated 'guitar walks' proved so mesmerizing that it was easy to miss what technical gifts he possessed.

Sadly, we lost Albert Collins much too soon. Mere months after his first major label release in nearly 25 years, the master's Telecaster was silenced on November 24th, 1993. Such a premature exit makes In Concert all the more valuable.

Rating for Style: A
Rating for Substance: A

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicno


Image Transfer Review: Aside from occasional light grain, this gig could have been recorded yesterday. The amount of care and quality that the producers of Filter put into their television presentations translates extremely well to DVD, with bright colors and clarity so vivid, you almost want to hand Collins a towel to dry off his sweat.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
Dolby Digital
5.1
Englishyes
PCMEnglishyes


Audio Transfer Review: Like previous releases of Ohne Filter material, the original PCM mix is present, along with an optional 5.1 re-vamp. All I can say is, thank the Lord for the default track spotlighting the former. The Dolby Digital attempt is muddier than Woodstock. While the stereo lacks the enveloping effect of surround, it's extremely warm and well mixed, with solo turns from Collin's support crew nicely isolated with little bleed through, smooth highs and a low bottom end (perhaps a little too low for some systems, as I had to turn down my sub into the minus category rather than create an instant sinkhole). But the Dolby Digital 5.1 track comes off like a recording supplied by a none-too-bright arena bootlegger from seats in the next county; all the subtlety and punch of the original track is non-existant. The final grade is for the PCM track only.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+ 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Music/Song Access with 9 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:
  1. Interview With The Producer
  2. Artist Biography
  3. Sound Tuning
Extras Review: Only bonus of note is a nicely done text overview of Collin's career; Interview With The Producer and Sound Tuning are the same visual pieces that have appeared on previous Ohne Filter sourced releases.

Extras Grade: C-
 

Final Comments

No blues lover's record collection is complete without some Iceman in the mix. For those that have graduated into the high tech era, clear some shelf space for Albert Collins In Concert as a visual reminder of the magic that made him equally beloved in a live setting.

Jeff Rosado 2003-07-30