 
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Guitar Ace - Link Wray Tribute (MuSick)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Leave it to MuSick Recordings to put together a proper tribute to the man who gave us the D chord that shook the world. This tribute is far more powerful, stunning and entertaining than the same label's own An Evening in Nivram, their tribute to The Shadows, and that's saying a lot. Nivram is considered a landmark recording by many, including me. Guitar Ace is headed for the same distinction.
The outstanding MuSick stable turns out for hard rocking fun and it's obvious they all have a great deal of affection for Link Wray's music. Guitarist's secret: Almost anyone who has played garage rock, hard rock, or plain ol'... rock started with the D chord, strumming it and hearing it ring out in all its glory. Then somewhere along the way they heard Link Wray use that same chord as a freakin' wrecking ball. Amazing, shattering, life-affirming and energizing all at once. None of it seems lost on these bands. I refuse to pick out favorites on something that plays so well as a long playing document. Yes, some of the players are more skilled than the others, but that's part of the what one learns when confronted with that big sound. It doesn't matter. It's about spirit and energy. Some bands take easier songs but beat strings and drum heads bloody, while some of the more technically proficient bands handle more intricate songs, most of them still finding a stick or two of dynamite to toss in.
Guitar Ace doesn't really have "a little bit of everything." It's a tighter pattern than that. What it does have is character, raw power, occasional beauty, frequent mystery and genuine love for the music of a rock and roll original who is mentioned far too infrequently in documentaries and books. Put this on, catch the bug, go discover The Man, then start checking out these artists for the music they've created on their own. The ones I'm familiar with are all worth hearing.
Track List:
Raw-Hide - (Mystery Action) * Ain't That Loving You, Babe - (Bleed) * The Shadow Knows - (Spy-Fi) * The Outlaw - (The Hellbenders) * I'm So Glad I'm So Proud - (Throw Rag) * Friday Night Dance Party - (The Ledgers) * Soul Train - (The Fleshtones) * Mustang - (The Space Cossacks) * Ace Of Spades - (Dave Wronski) * Slinky - (Fifty Foot Combo) * Rumble Mambo - (Hypnomen) * Deacon Jones - (The Woggles) * Fire And Brimstone - (Boss Martians) * Fallin' Rain - (Calexico) * Genocide - (The Downers) * I'm Branded - (Southern Culture On The Skids) * Baby Doll - (Gore Gore Girls) * The Girl Can't Dance - (Evan Foster) * Jack The Ripper - (Pollo Del Mar) * Comanche - (The Volcanos) * Run Chicken Run - (Jackie & The Cedrics) * Run Boy Run - (Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics) * Rumble - (The Bambi Molesters) * Roughshod - (Four Piece Suit)
© 2003 - DJ Johnson