The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of los Straitjackets

Los Straitjackets | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Upstart / Umgd
• ASIN: B000003NP3
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,273 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #49 in Music > Rock > Rock Guitarists > Surf Guitar

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 21-MAR-1995

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My #1 Instrumental Surf Album!!!, August 25, 2001

By 

Henry R. Kujawa ("The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of los Straitjackets (Audio CD)

Mention "surfing music" to most and they'll think you mean The Beach Boys. So did I, until a friend introduced me to these guys at Philly's Khyber Pass. WHOA!!! I had my mind completely blown that night. It's LOUD! It's EXCITING! It's MOODY! It's MELODIC as all get-out. And most importantly-- it's FUN! When you have 4 guys onstage playing entirely instrumental guitar music while wearing Mexican wrestling masks, how could it NOT be? Starting out with the explosive "Fury", the power and quality of this debut CD never lets up. Through slow & mysterious ("G-Man"), quirky ("Straitjacket"), cool ("Jetty Motel"), powerful & awesome ("Caveman"-- this contains the only lyric-- yes, singular-- on the disc, a much-improved remake of an Eddie Angel song from '93) you're taken on a wild roller-coaster ride you don't want to end. High-speed powerhouses like "Tailspin" (a single in Finland!) are breathtaking and hypnotic at the same time. The outrageous fun of "Itchy Chicken" shows a sense of humor all too lacking in most of today's so-called "popular" artists! And listen to the sheer clarity and beauty of "Calhoun Surf"-- can 95% of the rock guitarists out there play anywhere NEAR this good? LOS STRAITJACKETS quickly became my #1 album of 1995, and led me to discover several hundred other bands playing variations of the surf / instro genre. But-- incredibly-- NOBODY's topped them yet! With Danny Amis & Eddie Angel, LS boasts my picks for the 2 most EXCITING guitarists anywhere, and I rank drummer Jimmy Lester (who's always UP FRONT onstage!) as THE #1 most exciting drummer I've ever seen! These guys are SO GOOD onstage and off I sometimes wonder if producer Ben Vaughn has nothing more to do when he works with them than point a microphone and roll tape. (Hey-- they're HIS #1 fave surf band, too!)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loco!, March 31, 2005

By 

Stanley Runk "Runkdapunk" (Camp North Pines) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of los Straitjackets (Audio CD)

Los Straitjackets is one of the top dogs in the surf rock scene, and if you pop this disc into your cd player, you'll see why. This is some top notch surf/instrumental rock done by folks who obviously love this kind of music. It's very apparent that these guys are having alot of fun playing this music. Fun is something missing from alot of groups anymore. When I wanna take a break from my progressive rock snobbery and just have fun, these guys are great way to do it. If you ask me, you really can't go wrong with any Los Straitjackets material, but their debut is hard to top, and I would suggest it as your first one if you decide to get any. Slipknot can stick it where the sun don't shine.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review from France, December 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of los Straitjackets (Audio CD)

Three years years ago I had hit a musical brick wall. After previously listening to everything and being stuck in the midst of the grundge years I was forced to listen to National Public Radio. During an intermissions they played Los Straightjackets "Calhoun Surf". I immediately drove to Garage d'Or in Minneapolis and bought the first CD. Surf may not be everybody. But I love !!! this album. I have since seen the band on three occasions prior to moving to France and talked to Danny Amis a couple of times. You can keep Alanis Morrisette and the rest of the overproduced poser crap that comes from industry music. I'll stick with the music that makes you happy to be alive. Buy this album it's the greatest!!! And to be produced by Ben Vaughn, well that in itself should be enough to at least try this album.