Customer Reviews

88 Elmira Street

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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. . .

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!!!!!

Danny Gatton was a master of his art and his instrument. He took the Telecaster guitar places it had never been before, as even the casual listener to his music and witness to his stage antics can attest. "Newbourg Blues" on "88 Elmira Street" shows Gatton in excellent form. I'll never forget the first time I heard that rippling 4-note Hammond riff descend into a Pollock canvas of distorted chromatic banjo virtuosity, or that firework of an ascending diminshed run... This solo alone is worth the price of admission - for playing with such grace and meaningful art Gatton deserves to sleep among the angels, now that he is no longer with us.

I'm a big fan of guitar-based music, and I've written several reviews on Amazon including guitarists, this is one review that I felt long overdue, and in total praise to the late, great Danny Gatton, and his music.

88 Elmira St. is one of those albums that would be instantly liked by anyone who enjoys good instrumental music, regardless of age. It nods in so many musical directions that it's hard to single one particular strand out. There's blues, jazz, funk, country, bluegrass, swing, '50's-style rock and roll, and all these styles could be found in one song!!

As for the tunes themselves, there is a longevity that will have many returning for a second listen. The toe-tapping rock'n'roll showcase of "Elmira St. Boogie" (complete with a 'rock around the clock' cameo appearance), the sleazy jazz of "Harlem Nocturne", and the muted, and ever-so-catchy "Quiet Village" are a few personal favourites.

88 Elmira Street is a must-buy for any muso!!!!

One of the great driving records of all time, and a great party record too, this CD is one of the cornerstones of my collection. After almost five years, it still sounds as fresh as the first day I heard it. Wherever you are, Danny, God bless you buddy.

As reviewer Patrick Early clearly stated, this talent is possibly the greatest axe-grinder I've ever heard, and I've heard live most of the greats of the 60's, 70's and 80's. He was all the things stated in previous reviews and the excellent book about his life, Unfinished Business The Life & Times Of Danny Gatton. by Ralph Heibutzki. When you watch the videos on youtube, even the worst quality ones, his playing shines through, brilliantly. The thing about Danny Gatton's untouchable playing was just that. He was so good at whatever genre he played in, few would agree to get on stage with him. He didn't try to show them up, or even compete. He was just so far ahead of them.

Now, you might say that there are other seminal players, and there assuredly are. What sets any master above a journeyman is his sound. Gatton's is infused with an unmistakable tone. If you hear five bars of Hendrix, Tal Farlow, Santana, Eric Johnson, Charlie Christian, Tommy Emmanuel or Wes Montgomery, and you just KNOW who is playing, no mistake. Surely each of the afore-named gents are singular players. What sets them, and Gatton, above the other so-called 'geniuses' is WHAT he had to say. And HOW he said it, so eloquently, so elegantly. All said without swiveling hips encased in sprayed-on vinyl pants or pyrotechnic staging, lest you count what actually happened on the strings of Gatton's guitar. No other player in my experience, at least, played with such blistering dexterity. No other player, except possibly Tommy Emmanuel, made each and every note speak to the whole. In Gatton's playing, there are NO superfluous licks, aggrandizing flourishes, extraneous notes. None that I've ever heard, at any rate.

If you love guitar you can listen to whenever, for whatever mood, gathering or state of mind, get this CD. You won't be disappointed that there's no singing, though he was a masterful accompanist. It's just that most singers smartly realized that such brilliant talent would overshadow, or at the very least, DISTRACT, from their warblings! BTW, when he does have singers to play for, he in no way tries to overshadow or steal the limelight. But he never played less than his best, and his best was pure platinum.

I knew nothing about Danny Gatton other than reading an article about him after his death way back when in Guitar Player Magazine. When I saw 88 Elmira St. in a used CD shop I figured I'd see what the hype was about. Since that day the CD has been one of my mainstays for years. It was recently ripped off when my truck got busted into and will probably just end up in the trash by some idiot. Luckily there are enough idiots out there that have no clue and I can pick it up here on Amazon for under $3 used.

The only thing I do not like about the CD is that mix is a bit harsh.

One of my favorite instrumental pop albums. The man paid his dues for many years, finally got a major label deal, and was dropped after two albums. It was apparently enough for him to take his own life. This man could play a mean Fender Telecaster! His take on Brian Wilson's "In My Room" and the theme from The Simpsons are worth the price of admission, though Les Baxter's Hawaiian-tinged tune "Quiet Village" and Gatton's own "Red Label" are other personal favorites here.

I've just played this morning as I was getting ready for work. I got in a bit late as I played 'In my room' for a third time. Id have to say Danny Gatton is the most rounded and versatile guitarist Ive ever heard, although '88..' leans more towards the rockabilly side of things. Still, it's a master class in how to play with speed, feeling and musicality. Metal shredders would do well to listen to any of his albums to hear how it should be done. That Danny Gatton never received the acclaim he deserved is a sad indictment of the shallowness of the music industry and the tastes of the general public. He certainly deserves a posthumous reappraisal.