88 Elmira Street

Danny Gatton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 19, 1991)
• Original Release Date: March 19, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• ASIN: B000002H8T
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,684 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: GATTON,DANNY
Title: 88 ELMIRA ST.
Street Release Date: 03/19/1991
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE GREATEST UNKNOWN GUITAR PLAYER, February 21, 2001

By 

Patrick Earley (Edmond, Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 88 Elmira Street (Audio CD)

Congratulations,you've just stumbled upon the web page of the most gifted guitar player to ever walk the earth. Browse Amazon all you want, you won't find anybody better than Danny Gatton. Quick, name a guitar player who is equally adept at rock, pop, jazz, blues, country, rockabilly, and swing. Any style of music that can be done on guitar, Danny Gatton could do it better, faster, with more feeling, and just plain cooler than anybody else. Here's a guy who paid his dues in the music business. He was a musical prodigy who started playing guitar at age 9. He formed his first band at 12. As a young man he learned the finer points of guitar playing from the late great Roy Buchanan. He was one of the most sought after session men in Nashville. In 1989 Guitar World Magazine named Gatton the "Worlds Greatest Unknown Guitarist". That led to a 2 record deal with Elektra Records. His first major record contract at the age of 44. That brings us to this first record for Elektra, "88 Elmira St." This is the one I still consider his best overall album. A few of the outstanding songs on here: "Elmira St.Boogie", which has some rockabilly licks that sound like Eddie Cochran on speed. Gatton overdubs his guitar here to make 2 leads going full throttle at the same time. I've never heard anything quite like this one, especially on a rockabilly song. Fantastic. He gets into some blues on "Blues Newburg", a slow meandering song that's contrasted by some of the fastest guitar licks Gatton ever burned onto aluminum. He changes pace on here with the Lex Baxter standard "Quiet Village", a jumpy little number that's got some fast, yet very beautiful guitar work. Outside of Les Paul, Danny Gatton is the only one I think who could pull this off effectivly. And finally, the gorgeous cover of Brian Wilson's "In My Room", that's got the most beautiful guitar work on the album. The arrangments on this song are sheer heaven. Just put the headphones on and listen to Danny trading note for note with himself while going from one speaker to the next. If you don't like this one, you don't like guitar, period. It's too bad Elektra dropped Gatton after his 2 records failed to make enough money to put their kids through college. It goes to show ya talent means absolutley nothing in the music business. And I think after all his dues paying, that letdown is what help contribute to Gatton's suicide. But Gatton still lives on through his diverse catalog of music. And Elmira St. is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best album by the best guitar player ever, June 12, 2002

By 

Mark Albert (Herndon, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 88 Elmira Street (Audio CD)

The first rule of reviewing is to avoid superlatives, but when the subject is Danny Gatton, anything less is understatement.
I had the privilege of seeing Danny Gatton live on a number of occasions, mostly in bars, and most of the time I was able to get to within a few feet of the master. I listened and stared, but I never could figure out how he did it. Watching his fingers on the fretboard was like watching a magician do sleight of hand tricks. Somehow his fingers could do more than my eye could begin to follow.
He was a master of many styles. In a just universe, this would be a good thing, but the music industry markets by segment. Since he was hard to pigeonhole, Danny Gatton remained almost as unknown as he was talented.
He could play faster than any other guitarist I have ever heard, but it wasn't just mechanics that made him great. Lots of guitarists can play hard and fast, but Danny could play fast with such a light touch that the overall effect could be gentle and lilting when he wanted it to be. In "Quiet Village" he plays a half a dozen notes in the space of a single beat, but he does it so smoothly that the effect is gentle and pretty. He was a man and an artist of great paradox. If only some marketing genius could have figured out how to bring him to the audience he so richly deserved. . .

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Neglected Genius, April 17, 2001

By 

B. J Robbins (La Quinta, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 88 Elmira Street (Audio CD)

I have most of Danny's available work. This is not my favorite CD, but I have given it five stars because everything Danny played was superb ... the guy couldn't play a bad note if he tried. He was a true genius in every respect, the most amazing musician ( I will not limit it to guitarists) in the past 10 years. My main reservation about the CD is that I feel it is overproduced. I know Danny loved to work in the studio ... but I prefer to hear him live, no overdubs, no speeding up, just pure unadulterated genius. Still, this CD is worth owning just for "in My Room", "Fandigus", and "Elmira St. Boogie". "Blues Newburg is great, but listen to Danny play it on his double neck Fender live on his last CD. Unbelievable!!!!!