La Telecaster è una chitarra leggendaria, il suo suono tagliente è unico ed inconfondibile ed ha attraversato 60 anni di musica senza mostrare i segni del tempo, diventando parte integrante dell'iconografia legata in particolare al blues e al rock.

In questi 60 anni innumerevoli artisti hanno legato la propria immagine alla Telecaster, basti pensare a Muddy Waters, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, io, veri e propri miti della musica, ma solo uno si è guadagnato il titolo di "Master of Telecaster": Albert Collins.

Per comprendere il motivo di tale soprannome bastano le 8 tracce contenute in questo "Ice Pickin'", in cui Albert Collins dimostra a tutti come non si diventa "The Master of Telecaster" per caso...  

Il suo è uno stile personalissimo, non fa uso del plettro, ma aggredisce la chitarra in maniera tale da tirarne fuori un suono affilato, che ti investe come una scarica elettrica, quando esegue i suoi bending infiniti pare volerti prendere per il collo e soffocarti... Viene da sè che la chitarra più adatta per un sound simile non possa che essere la Telecaster...

Il disco in questione, uscito nel 1978, è quello della sua definitiva consacrazione, da qui in poi Albert Collins diventerà, insieme a Stevie Ray Vaughan, il più grande interprete del blues revival degli anni '80 e si guadagnerà un posto nell'olimpo del blues, insieme ai più grandi.

Pezzi come "Honey, Hush!", "Ice Pick", "Too Tired" trasudano un groove contagioso, caratteristica fondamentale nel sound del nostro, e quando la tensione si allenta vengono fuori "Cold, Cold Feeling", uno slow da pelle d'oca, e "Conversation With Collins", un talking in cui Collins dialoga alternativamente usando la propria voce e la propria chitarra... E quest'ultima è ovviamente la protagonista assoluta del disco, ogni assolo che Collins ne tira fuori è un godimento per chi ascolta, il connubio fra strumento e musicista è perfetto, quasi fossero uno il prolungamento dell'altro.

Un disco prodotto in maniera tale da catturare la straordinaria carica che Albert Collins era capace di trasmettere quando suonava dal vivo, da sempre la dimensione più consona per il blues, e farla assaporare all'ascoltatore.

Un disco che ogni amante del blues (e non solo) che si rispetti e, dirò di più, ogni chitarrista degno di tal nome dovrebbero avere, senza mezzi termini.

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   Honey, Hush! (04:28)

02   When the Welfare Turns Its Back on You (05:26)

03   Ice Pick (03:08)

04   Cold, Cold Feeling (05:19)

05   Too Tired (03:01)

I layed down last night, too tired to wait
I had a chill this mornin', too tired to shake
I got a good poker hand, too tired to win
I could hear my baby knockin', too tired to let her in

I'm tired, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm tired
Too tired, too tired for anything

Too tired to walk, too tired to run
I can hear my baby callin', too tired, too tired

Too tired, yes I'm tired


I'm tired, too tired for anything

I'm tired of prosperity, tired of luck
Sittin' on a pin, I'm too tired to get up

I'm tired, I declare, I declare, I'm tired
Too tired, tired, too tired for anything

I'm tired, baby!

Hey!

06   Master Charge (05:11)

My wife has a charge card
That I got her the other day,
I owe five hundred dollars
that's just for yesterday.

I said,
"Honey, here's a present go out and shop around.
Get a couple of dresses and browse around
downtown."
She did just what I told her,
Bought one, two or three
Then came home looking silly
Making goo-goo eyes at me.

Chorus: (3X)
Master Charge
Master Charge
A Bank of America Card

I said, "Did you get your dresses?"
She said, "Yes, one or two,
but I had to get me some shoes and I needed
some jewelry too."

She had $200 dresses
That I could have made and I can't sowe!
Fifty Dollars pair of shoes
And I thought you so and so.

I said, "What about the jewelry?"
As calmly as I could.
She said, "Honey, you'll love them. They're pure African wood."

(Chorus) 3X
Let's charge it!
Let's charge it!

She said, "They were $200 and I paid
one and a half!"
I just didn't believe it,
I was so mad I had to laugh.

I could see it in my mind
On a horse like Paul Revere
I check my mail box
'cause these bills keep coming here.

(Chorus) 3X
Charge it!
Let's charge it!
Let's charge it!

07   Conversation With Collins (08:51)

[Instrumental & guitar background during conversation]

You take like, me an' my wife
We got about four kids

Found the next door neighbor, an' she says,
"Look-a-here, let's get together one night,
An' go out an' have a ball, let the husbands baby-sit,
How 'bout that?"

Can ya dig it fellas?

She come after me, she says, "Honey, we wanna go out tonight, and have a ball"
I said, "Sure, it's alright, just as long as you be home by two"

I let's her go ahead on out, an' I'm baby sittin',
Kids hollerin' an' cryin',
I had to put diapers, change diapers

Two o'clock come, no wife

I said well, that's alright she probably went 'bout four or five miles out-a the city limit
I give her about thirty minutes to get home

Can ya dig it fellas?

Three o'clock come, still no wife


Four o'clock, sure was mad, now
Here she come, draggin' in

Now can ya dig this fellas?

Now here the way she talk to me, real sweet

She sounded good, ya know

Kissin' me all on the neck an' goin' on
Felt good, but I'm still mad!

Now after she done all that sweet talk,
You know what I told her, fellas?
You know what I told her?
You don't know what I told her?

An' I fool around an' made her mad, you know what would happen?
You know what she told me, fellas?

Now I told her the same thing

[Let's ride this thing outta trouble] (yeah)
Well this woman is puttin' me out
How 'bout that?

08   Avalanche (02:39)

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