Customer Reviews

Wray's Three Track Shack

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How I've sweated on the re-release of the epigymous, Link Wray album, one of the early 70s masterpieces of Americana, rich and raw in a way 'The Band's' lauded albums could only simulate. Like liner notesman, John Collins, I picked up Wray's early music in remainder bins. John Fogerty, even Lonnie Mack, were better received, striking similar grooves. But Link was right out there, quiveringly, his own man.'Fire & Brimstone', an enduring favourite, has the power of an incantation; stupendous vocals from a one-lunged man!. Collins notes 'in the late 60s there was a studied attempt by such musicians as The Band,Neil Young, Guy Clark and David Ackles, all in their own way, to evoke a rock'n'roll vision of Americana, of white clapboard chapels, dungareed farmers, dusty drifters and outlaws.' But Wray and his two brothers weren't aping any mystical, mythical rural past...from the outside looking in. They weren't even speaking for the white-man poor. They were by his own admission,'Shawnee poor'. His vernacular is, up and down, the rockin' truth, no prisoners taken. The menacing throb he pulls from Willie Dixon's,'Tail Dragger' exemplifies his own take on the Blues. This dizziness subsides with the lovely mandolin interlude of,'Beans and Fatbatback' before the full-on rocker,'I'm So Glad' is unleashed. Neighbours beware. You wouldn't want to be duelling with these dudes.'Shawnee tribe' is simply magnificent, ripping into the heart of a remembered past, a wordless humming, intermittently augmented with some barking acoustics. This is everything that Robbie Robertson's explorations of his indigenous roots lacks. I wonder what they played at Link's funeral? May he rest in peace.

Maybe if the Rolling Stones had been Americans or Captain Beefheart had been a country boy they could have cut a piece of raw Americana like this. It is unlike anything you have ever heard before but yet it is strangly familiar. You already know Link Wray's reputation on the guitar but this album takes it a step further. His guitar sound is more raw and gnarly than ever before. His voice is rough and pure. Discover yourself, rock-n-roll, and save your soul all at the same time.

There is really nothing else like these recordings. A can of nails and whatever else is laying around gets used to flesh out these heartfelt,soulful tunes. Non-repeatable--unbeatable acoustic homemade music---don't miss it.

Bewarned, "Take my hand precious Lord" which I think is the standout track on "Beans and fatback" has been replaced by "Backwoods preacher man".

This CD is somewhat of a puzzlement. Those who expect the raving Link of old will find little to please them here. HOWEVER, this is an exceptional collection nonetheless. As stated in the item description, this 2 CD set is comprised of three LPs. The Link Wray LPs focus on much more of a rootsy country-folk sound, showcasing how much can be done with so little. The "Mordacai Jones" LP brings up memories of some of the steel guitar tracks on George Harrison's ALL THINGS MUST PASS, while Jones' voice is an entrancing cross between a twenty-something Willie Nelson and Grand Funk's Mark Farner. Link plays all kinds of stuff on all three LPs, including bass, dobro, steel guitar (showing off all kinds of sides of Link not usually in the limelight), and a precious amount of the trademark Linkified down and dirty electric guitar. Not for everyone, but still great. It's sort of in a class by itself.

I remember listening to and being haunted by Link Wray's 'Falling Rain' on the radio one summer's day in 1971. I never forgot it, but never knew who it was nor heard it again until almost 10 years later, when a friend showed me this album (actually just the first of the three LP's contained on this CD) which he had found in a remainder bin. Again, the song stayed with me for years, even though I had still heard it only that first time, then once again on my friend's stereo. Then, about ten years ago the Neville Brothers recorded a cover of it, and I was transported back again to that hot August afternoon in '71 (their version is ok, but the fact that it exists at all is what blew me away). Never has any other song stayed with me like that. When I bought this CD, I didn't expect the other songs to live up to the transcendant effect that Falling Rain had on me, but I was wrong. This is an astonishing work of art. At once rough, honest, and beautiful. Link Wray was known for his blistering guitar work and he deserves praise as an original rock n roller. But he also deserves to be recognized for having producted this gorgeous work of American art.

Simply stated, this is one of my all time favorite CD's (actually 2 CDs representing 3 albums). Link is the real deal....this is real roots music, not suburban kids studying the genre in music school and imitating it. Link plays from the heart. Supposedly when Link moved from Maryland to Arizona he bulldozed a lot of recordings made in the three track shack....what a loss!

I tend to think of Link Wray as being part of the instrumental guitar movement of the early 60s, along with the Ventures, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, the Shadows and various others. After all, his most memorable moment was Rumble, and I cannot remember ever hearing vocals on his records. But, these albums are very different in style from the early instrumental stuff. Some folks have referred to them as "roots rock" and maybe that is a good description, but to me what they really sound like is the Rolling Stones of the Exile on Main Street era. There is an element of the Faces in these tracks too, but without the standout lead vocals. They have the same kind of riffy, loose-but-tight feel and live sound that Exile has. If you like that sound, you will love these albums. The vocals are not brilliant, but they are competent, again like the shouting Stones style of the Exile sessions. Somehow its all in tune, but it sounds like folks are just sort of joining in when they feel like it. I love this CD!

I seriously doubt many folks will find their way to this record set (it's basically 3 albums in one). The ones that do will be blown away and questions, again, why music like this never saw popularity originally. This record fits perfectly alongside recent trends of unearthing late 60's and 70's underground music like Rodriguez, Dennis Wilson, etc. The standouts here are the down home funk of Jukebox Mama, the apocalyptic rock of Fire and Brimstone, and the road burning blues of Tail Dragger. Link Wray proved his might with Rumble and showed on these albums that he never really lost that well referenced originality.

Hey Reviewers, I totally agree with y'all that this music is not like anything else...in our timeline of music history. However, if you can imagine what the Rolling Stones would have sounded like before they got famous had they grown up in the USA, then they might have sounded something like lots of the music on these CD's. These two songs have the same groove and sound like early Stones: Georgia Pines : In the Pines. Others that sound like Old Stones; I'm So Glad I'm So Proud, Hobo Man, Fire And Brimstone, Juke Box Mama. Also, I really like: All Because Of A Woman & On The Run. BTW, I found this while looking for CDs to replace my old Link Ray LPs. The other great reviews of this music convinced me to buy this set of CD's. I'm really glad I did. Thanks Reviewers.