Don't Lose Your Cool

Albert Collins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Alligator Records
• ASIN: B0000009XW
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,986 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #64 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Texas Blues
  • #91 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Electric Blues Guitar

Editorial Reviews

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD

Collins is never far in spirit from the 1940s and 1950s gin mills of his youth, where he soaked up blues, R&B, country and western, jazz, and all their various amalgams. On this 1983 date he impressively revitalizes his old Texas hit "Don't Lose Your Cool," turns the heat up on Guitar Slim's "Quicksand," and adds newfangled vocal and guitar insinuations to Big Walter Price's "Get to Gettin'." -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The least of Collins' Alligator discs, April 3, 2004

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Lose Your Cool (Audio CD)

The least of Albert Collins' four Alligator albums, 1983's "Don't Lose Your Cool" is a solid effort, but it lacks the overall high quality of "Ice Pickin'", and it can't quite match its predecessor "Frostbite" either.

Both of those produced lasting Collins classics ("When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You", "If You Love Me Like You Say" etc), but there is really nothing remarkably great here, except perhaps the slow grind of "When A Guitar Plays The Blues".

But that's not to say that "Don't Lose Your Cool" is a waste of time. Collins' icey guitar playing is excellent as always, and he delivers some great solos and a couple of good instrumentals, and a fine take on Guitar Slim's "Quicksand".

I'm not too fond of that organ which keeps interfering, but otherwise the band is good and sympathetic, particular saxist A.C. Reed and drummer Casey Jones.

This is not a necessary purchase for casual Albert Collins fans, but it's a solid collection of songs which is buoyed up by Collins' pinched yet muscular solos and a really good band.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ice Man Grooveth !, March 5, 2009

By 

Eddie Landsberg "My 10th year as a reviewer !... (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Don't Lose Your Cool (Audio CD)

Like another reviewer, this album was the first Albert Collins album... actually, first BLUES album I ever got... and boy did I play the heck out of it... and considering that the screaming sound of the B-3 on it had such an impact on me and years later I did become a B-3 player, it must have been a lot more influential than I realized at the time.

The interesting thing about the album is that a lot of it seems to border on "soul Jazz" - - Collins never departs from his Chicago Blues roots (*well, for the record he was a Texan, still...), however, the trademark Collins "cool tightness" is there... For some blues fans, this might come across as sounding a bit subdued, however, for me, who like Collins also is a big Jimmy McGriff fan - - I can dig it. The key note, however, is that although Collins guitar playing is GREAT as all his albums were, the strong point of the album is not his guitar, but the overall band/tunes and arrangements (of course, capped by the presence of the great Albert Collins.)... Another strong point is Chris Foreman's great and juicy sounding organ/organ playing and accompanying - - he even gets some nice action on the ballad MY MIND IS TRYING TO LEAVE ME.

All in all, I first heard this album about 25 years ago... and its still sounding good to me... passes the test of time - - dat for sho'!

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get to Gettin', February 29, 2000

By 

blender - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Lose Your Cool (Audio CD)

One of the very first Collins' discs I ever owned, and worth every penny, too. After seeing him live in Century City, CA, I was an instant fan. This man rocked the blues world with his blonde Tele and 100+ foot guitar cord struts through the crowd...

Sure wish he was still here recording.

Great tunes, great vocals, great licks. Definitely a keeper, and a joy to listen to.

Peace Out.