The mastering doesn't seem too "smashed" for a recent CD.it doesn't really stick out as being headache-inducing like some other recent CDs I've heard. The mics are also vintage, and the entire project was recorded in Nashville. Sure, it has modern engineering, but Setzer used an old Gretsch "duo-jet" guitar played through a small Supro amp, "blew up about 4 echo units" (his words ), and they even used tape delays (no digital here) and an old water cistern out behind the studio as their reverb chamber. Setzer has a lot of respect and admiration for the music and the artists that originally created it!Įven the sound is "authentic" here. So it sounds familiar without being a note-for-note "ripoff" of the original. To a point, maybe.but the intent here was to recreate the rhythmic foundation that made Sun's sound so unique, and yet Setzer's own vocals and guitar playing are a combination of the old ideas and riffs with his own personality coming through. At this point you wonder if they are just doing a note-for-note reproduction of the originals. For some songs, Setzer made use of an acoustic guitar, and also enlisted the help of rockabilly pianist Kevin McKendree to remain true to that original sound. Drummer Bernie Dresel charted out the original drum parts (including all the little fills and nuances) and plays with the same type of kit used back then bassist Mark Winchester also stays true to the originals. Setzer and his band took a different route. Normally a band like this would just take the songs and rip through them in their current style on modern-day instruments. It contains 23 classic Sun tracks, from well-known tunes to some relatively obscure gems. But I’m not losing any sleep over it.I just picked up this CD a couple of weeks ago, and I'll admit I've had a lot of fun listening to it! This is Brian Setzer's latest recording, Rockabilly Riot Vol. My guitar’s in the Smithsonian, but I think Stray Cats should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, yeah. I honestly don’t know how those things work. Is that something you want to see happen? The Stray Cats are not yet in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. … I remember cutting “Runaway Boys” and “Rock This Town,” and when we played them back, we had nailed it. Dave Edmunds wanted to get a clean sound, not too distorted, but not too clean. Lee was a fantastic bass player, but we wanted to get that slap and the volume. People played the standup bass in the Fifties, but it had been neglected for 40 years. And what I remember was really working on getting the bass sound because the bass was such an integral part to rockabilly. It was a studio that is not there anymore. I remember the session because it was in London. Speaking of the Stray Cats, the single release of “Rock This Town” turns 40 years old next year. “Drip Drop” is a bossa nova love song, “Turn You On, Turn Me On” mines a Bo Diddley chunka-chunka beat, and “Rockabilly Banjo” pays tribute to Glen Campbell, whose Seventies variety show Setzer absorbed as a kid. That energy comes across throughout the LP’s 11 tracks, all of them recorded remotely with Nashville producer Julian Raymond. Many of the songs on Gotta Have the Rumble, released in August, were written while Setzer was out on his adrenaline rides. We’ve got beautiful country roads up here in Minnesota, and everybody needs something to kind of clear their head.” “That’s a pretty amazing ride, though.”Īt 62, Setzer remains loyal to muscle cars and rumbling bikes, and both underscore his image as a rockabilly icon. “No, no, no,” Setzer laughs when asked the question. In other words, there’s no Tesla parked in the driveway of his Minnesota home. His latest, Gotta Have the Rumble, is no exception - it opens with the one-two punch of the racer’s taunt “Checkered Flag” and the noir-ish “Smash Up on Highway One.” But the singer, guitarist, and co-founder of rockabilly heroes the Stray Cats favors a particular kind of car. Car songs are a must on any Brian Setzer album.
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