Frozen Alive!

Frozen Alive!
Live album by
Albert Collins
Released1981
RecordedMarch 1981
VenueUnion Bar, Minneapolis
GenreBlues
LabelAlligator
ProducerBruce Iglauer, Dick Shurman
Albert Collins chronology
Frostbite
(1980) 		Frozen Alive!
(1981) 		Don't Lose Your Cool
(1983)

Frozen Alive! is a live album by the American musician Albert Collins, released in 1981.[1][2] Collins supported it with a North American tour.[3] Frozen Alive! was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording".[4]

Production

Produced by Bruce Iglauer and Dick Shurman, the album was recorded in March 1981 at the Union Bar in Minneapolis.[5][6] Collins was backed by his band, the Icebreakers: Allen Batts on organ, A.C. Reed on tenor sax, Marvin Jackson on guitar, Casey Jones on drums, and Johnny B. Gayden on bass.[7] "Things I Used to Do" is a cover of the song by Guitar Slim.[8] "Angel of Mercy" was written by Albert King.[9] "Caldonia" is a version of the song made famous by Louis Jordan.[9] "Cold Cuts", an instrumental, features solos by each member of the Icebreakers.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All Music Guide[11]
Robert ChristgauB+[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD[14]
Houston Chronicle[15]
Lincoln Journal Star[16]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[5]
Oakland Tribune[10]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]

The Lincoln Journal Star said that Collins "has an ample supply of wit and chops to burn."[16] The Pittsburgh Press called the album "one of the best club recordings in quite a while."[19] Newsday stated, "Collins often begins with some straight notes before his leads evolve in complexity and intensity."[20] The Courier-News concluded that Collins "is one of the few blues guitarists who remains as consistently appealing on slow blues as he does on faster shuffles and R&B."[21]

The Houston Chronicle praised the "fluid and graceful" playing.[15] Robert Christgau noted that "Frosty" establishes "a bite and authority that are never relinquished."[12] The Philadelphia Daily News stated, "When he plays, the sound is so searing that the strings seem ever on the verge of 'melt down'."[22] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed Frozen Alive! among the best albums of 1981.[23] The Valley Advocate included it among the 12 best blues albums of 1981.[24]

Track listing

Side A

  1. "Frosty"
  2. "Angel of Mercy"
  3. "I Got That Feeling"

Side B

  1. "Caldonia"
  2. "Things I Used to Do"
  3. "Got a Mind to Travel"
  4. "Cold Cuts"

References

  1. ^ Komara, Edward, ed. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Taylor & Francis. p. 218.
  2. ^ Herzhaft, Gérard (1997). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). University of Arkansas Press. p. 42.
  3. ^ "Guitarist, Band to Be at Vogue". The Indianapolis News. September 16, 1981. p. 23.
  4. ^ "Grammy nominations list artists in 61 categories". The Daily Sentinel. Grand Junction. Associated Press. January 15, 1982. p. 16.
  5. ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 93.
  6. ^ Bream, Jon (September 11, 1981). "Critic's Choice". The Minneapolis Star. p. 3C.
  7. ^ Hall, Mike (October 25, 1981). "Time again for good blues music". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 2F.
  8. ^ Cramer, Mai (January 7, 1982). "Records". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 6.
  9. ^ a b Claypool, Bob (October 9, 1981). "Blues". The Houston Post. p. 14E.
  10. ^ a b Kelp, Larry (October 11, 1981). "Records". Oakland Tribune. p. I29.
  11. ^ All Music Guide (4th ed.). Backbeat Books. 2001. p. 515.
  12. ^ a b "Albert Collins". Robert Christgau. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 1174.
  14. ^ Hadley, Frank-John (1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press. p. 48.
  15. ^ a b Racine, Marty (November 1, 1981). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
  16. ^ a b Becker, Bart (October 6, 1981). "Matter of record". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 6.
  17. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 130.
  18. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 152.
  19. ^ White, Jim (September 13, 1981). "Albert Collins' Blues on Traditional Track". The Pittsburgh Press. p. L4.
  20. ^ Robins, Wayne (October 23, 1981). "On Music". Part II. Newsday. p. 27.
  21. ^ Libowitz, Steve (October 24, 1981). "Albert Collins – 'Frozen Alive!'". The Courier-News. p. B4.
  22. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (January 11, 1982). "Pop Faces Who Sound Like Winners in 1982". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 31.
  23. ^ Feldman, Mitchell (December 26, 1981). "The artists with winning ways". Weekend. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 18.
  24. ^ Roberts, Jim (January 20, 1982). "Records". Valley Advocate. Vol. IX, no. 23. p. 10.
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