#antone's

"The great guitarist Eddie Taylor, who taught Jimmy Reed how to play, and also backed John Lee Hooker circa 1959, would've been 102 today. Shown here in this Nic Russell photo with the Fab T-Birds, Taylor died in 1985 at age 62. Antone's Records put out "Still Not Ready for Eddie" two years later. T-Birds l-r are Jimmie Vaughan, Keith Ferguson, Otis Lewis, Kim Wilson. Photo from AusPop archives." (via Michael Corcoran)

Albert Collins: Truckin’ with Albert Collins (1969)

What’s cooler than being cool? ICE COLD!!!

I spied and then snagged this copy of Truckin’ with Albert Collins at Antone’s Record Shop in Austin, TX, and yes, it’s affiliated with the famous blues club by the same name, where not only Collins, but one of his best known disciples, Stevie Ray Vaughan, played many times.

I love when history and music intertwine like that ...

Now, I thought I’d found a primer for the Master of the Telecaster, including signature songs like “Frosty,” “Thaw-Out” and “Don’t Lose Your Cool,” but then I spun the record and asked, “Hey, where are all the vocals”?

Turns out these recordings from 1962 and ‘63 are all instrumental predecessors to some of the latter-day re-recordings I already knew (presumably cut after Albert had honed his vocal chops), and Truckin’... was actually a ‘69 reissue of his ‘65 debut album, The Cool Sounds of Albert Collins.

No matter: the album is indeed frozen solid with chilly titular wordplay (e.g. “Frostbite,” “Tremble,” “Kool Aide,” etc.), Collins’ icy leads often sting even harder without singing distractions, and he does belt out a fine vocal for the excellent “Dyin’ Flu.”

The infectious “Icy Blue” also boasts some latin horns, and on several organ-filled R&B workouts like “Hot ‘n Cold,” “Backstroke” and “Sno-Cone II,” Albert and his band could pass for Booker T. & the M.G.’s!

So while I’m not sure I’d recommend this platter to casual blues fans, interested only in the style’s condensed, essential discography, it’s well worth investigating for more curious, serious music lovers.

But I swam across the ocean to find your memory A trace of all you've left behind And the auld wives swore that you were born to die Without a child for to call out your name -Auld Wives

Bear’s Den - Antone’s 2/11/2017

My decision to go to this show was a last-minute, impulsive decision - and I don’t regret it. This band exudes a feeling of closeness and charm. Each of their songs is very personal to the band and to the fans. Although their music is not the most upbeat, or easy to dance to music to see live, the band made the crown feel included and the concert was incredible. 

I could tell the members of this band were more than just bandmates, they were friends. They danced around the stage at played their instruments in sync during the high points of a song and they rallied around each other during each other’s solos. 

The two highlights of this show were when the band decided to sing without the help of amps or speakers. They went completely acoustic for two songs. The first, “Don’t Let The Sun Steal You Away” was a tribute to who the band used to be. This song was one of their first, and only the original three members performed it on stage while the other, newer members respectfully listened. For the second, “Gabriel” (one of my favorites), the band performed from within the crowd. They got on the same level as us, and again, performed an emotional song directly to us; no amps, no microphone. I value these moments to highly because they create an atmosphere which is very inclusive of the people at a show. These moments, when a band performs purely like this, are not possible with bigger bands at bigger venues. I appreciate these moments because I know they can’t last forever in a band’s career.