Customer Reviews

Guitar Slinger [Vinyl]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Guitar Slinger is the second installment from the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and like the previous self-titled album, this one rocks as well. Setzer continues with his sound of rockabilly mixed with big band and intense energy. This album is a tour de force of Setzer's talent, from his writing three-quarters of the songs, arranging the orchestration of all the songs, and incredible guitar work. Setzer is one of the most underrated guitarists around, maybe because he's stuck in the past, but he is definitely a master of his instrument.

This album starts off on the right foot with a cover of the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan's "The House Is Rockin'". I'm sure Stevie smiled on this jazzed up rendition full of horns. Only two more covers appear on this album, "Town Without Pity" and "(Every Time I Hear) That Mellow Saxophone". Both frame Setzer's musical ability and that great big band sound. He rocks out with "Hoodoo Voodoo Doll," "Rumble In Brighton" and "Johnny Kool". This is another album that mixes up-tempo rocking tunes with smooth, mellow songs.

If you've been following Setzer for a while, or just enjoy the BSO's rocking big band sound, this is definitely another album to add to your collection.

This CD has a good selection of Swing and Rockabilly cuts. This album also features more of Brian's superb guitar mastery than the previous album and reminds me more of the Brian's time spent with the Stray Cats. Overall a great album I would recommend to anyone with a taste for the Rockabilly.

Setzer continues to amaze. Really great guitar with a gritty
sound that is NOT irritating or 'too' loud. Wonderful to
travel by, you ain't gonna snooze while this cat is lose!

This cd is not for everyone. If you are one of those trend-followers who only listened to The Dirty Boogie for Jump Jive n' Wail and because of the short-lived swing craze, you might not enjoy this cd. However, if you like good music for what it is, not based on how it sells, give this a listen. I for one (perhaps the only one) first discovered BSO at the time of this release, and was hooked. The blend of big band and rock is just right here; stand-outs include My Baby Only Cares For Me (a cool jazz number), Hey Louis Prima (fast-paced, lots of horns) and That Mellow Saxophone (the sax section alone lends a great sound). Blow Dirty Boogie out of the water. I'm hoping the newest effort will be of this caliber.

This definitely meets my standards for an awesome album. Big band sound with a hint of rockabilly (okay, more than a hint). Lyrics are great (especially in the ballads) and the band is extremely tight. Throw away Dirty Boogie and replace it with Guitar Slinger!

If you love old fashioned rock and roll, and you love big band swing, nobody brings the two together better than Brian Setzer in Guitar Slinger. Setzer is so talented he IS music.

Setzer brought back his version of the 50's sound with the Stray Cat's and he refined it with class in the Brian Setzer Orchestra, he is the king of this sound today(few bands dared go down this road and no band does it better). Brian Setzer easily makes any serious top 100 guitarists of all time list. This album is too cool, it's a keeper and I give it a four out of five. The song, 'Rumble in Brighton' off of this album deserves a ten.

Even when he's swingin' he's rockin' too. This is Brian Setzer Orchestra's second album. The House Is Rockin' is absolutely not a swing title, but it's great rock 'n' roll with horns arrangement and one helluva opening title. There is a cover of Stray Cats' song (Rumble In Brighton) and (Every Time I Hear) That Mellow Saxophone. Gene Pitney's Town Without Pity is great. With a little help from his friend, joe Strummer (ex. The Clash) he wrote Ghost Radio and Sammy Davis City (which is probably the best title on album). My Baby Only Cares for Me and The Man With the Magic Touch are great swingin' titles. Album is produced by Phil Ramone.

Brian Setzer is obviously one of the top creative minds in the music industry. Nobody else could have mastered rockabilly and swing, let alone merge them together into a wonderful new form. If you like old-school rock or if you like swing/big band music...this is definately a "must have". Buy it, listen to it and enjoy!

This album is pure genius. I wake up to this in the morning. I've never heard sound this rich before. Its swingin', its boppin', its cool and jazzy. Brian sings of Towns without pity, fast cars, tatoos, gretsch guitars, legends of guitar slingers called Johnny Kool, and silked-stocking women slinking around in stilleto heels. Everytime I listen, I feel like its a saturday night back in 1956. Check out what 29 years of guitar playing can crank out on the album. The only thing better is being front row at a BSO concert.