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LOS STRAITJACKETS
Damas y Caballeros: Recorded Live (Yep Roc)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
I'm having a great time at a concert without leaving my office chair, and that almost never happens. Truth be known, live albums aren't usually high on my list, but dear God, the guys in the Mexican wrestling masks just seem to have an energy that transcends the whole "ya had to be there" thing, reaches out through your speakers and pulls you in. Of course part of it is the fact that they are one of the two or three best instrumental (dare I say "surf") bands on the planet, having spent five years touring hard and getting tighter, but the entertainment factor also includes guitarist Danny Amis' powerful voice introducing songs in flawless Spanish.
Well... I THINK it's flawless. I don't speak Spanish. If he's screwing up, he's doing it really well. His words fly at 150 MPH with only a few words recognizable to these ears, and for all I know he could be saying "there's a silver Nova with the headlights on in the parking lot," but dammit, he ROCKS when he says it, and then they launch into something amazing like "Casbah" or "Pacifica" and take my breath away. Okay, I wish "Della Street" had made the track list, but even us egotist critics have to figure the band knows how to set the flow they want, and hey, this show is flowin' just like the lava from an angry volcano.
And me, I'm knocked out here. Knocked out by the ones I knew, by the ones I didn't know, and deeply grateful to these guys for giving me a version of "My Heart Will Go On" that doesn't make me want to smash the jukebox to tiny shards and remnants, pay the five grand and be done with it. Los Straitjackets turn it into a thing of beauty with purpose, not just a puff of perfume. Here I am, looking like an idiot to the neighbor kids who can see me through the windows, standing on my chair, whistling and clapping and hooting before realizing it's a... you know... CD and not a concert.
It's cool, I've got it under control again. I've got about 30 really lousy CDs sitting next to me to bring me back to Earth after I finish this review. Hmmm... "Rawhide," the last song, is ending. By now I figure Amis, guitarist Eddie Angel, drummer Jimmy Lester and bassist (and former Halibuts guitarist) Pete Curry are swimmin' in sweat in those masks, dying to come off stage and dunk their heads in a cold water sink, leaving a rowdy, worked up crowd wanting more and leaving me to these 30 crappy CDs here. Oh well. All good things gotta come to an... OOPS! I must have hit the replay button! DARN!
Track List:
Introduction * Outta Gear * State Fair * Casbah * Calhoun Surf * Itchy Chicken * Last Date * Kawanga! * I'm Branded * My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic) * Squad Car * Rockula * Tempest * Lynxtail * Tailspin * Pacifica * Driving Guitars * Sing Sing Sing * Sleepwalk * Rawhide
© 2001 - DJ Johnson