The Iceman At Mount Fuji (Live)

The Iceman at Mount Fuji is a live recording from the 1992 Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival, capturing Albert Collins at the height of his powers in the year before his death. Collins was always an electrifying performer whether at a large festival or a small club, and this recording has his guitar way out front, as it should be. In fact, at many points during the set you can hear the ringing of his guitar on the verge of feedback. And his playing is fantastic; there is no holding back or playing it safe. He hits some clams here and there, but is just ripping through the entire set. The bandmembers are polished and professional (almost too much so), but when it comes time for solos, they acquit themselves admirably. There's just one problem with this album: in presenting both of Collins' sets that day, four songs are given two performances each and two of those songs (four of the 12 tracks total) account for more than half the playing time of the entire album! Both sets are excellent, but hearing virtually the same program twice is a bit much. Although the liner notes give a good history of Collins' career, the packaging really obscures the fact that this is two nearly identical sets, so let the consumer beware. Serious fans of Albert Collins' guitar playing will find a lot to enjoy here: the Iceman was on fire for this performance, but the duplication of tracks may prove to be a disappointment to more casual fans.