VARIOUS ARTISTS
Guitar Ace - Link Wray Tribute (MuSick)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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To get just the right kinda sound, Link Wray used pencils to punch holes in his amplifiers. Of course that sound was deemed "dad blasted noise" by most upstanding citizens who, in the late fifties, were not ready for the thunder of real guitar rock. Link Wray started it all with "Rumble" back in '58. That single sold a million copies, despite a ban due to the racy title (gang warfare was considered taboo). Kids love to break the rules, and Wray was breaking them left and right. A half century later he's still at it, cranking his poor old amp to eleven, mercilessly attacking his guitar, and leaving a plethora of classic cuts in his dust. Paying tribute to Link Wray, someone who actually deserves some attention, is handled with great aplomb on this comp. Sure there are several of the "hits" ("Jack the Ripper," "Raw-Hide," "Run Chicken Run") but it's the reworking of his lesser known gems that make this a worthy project. A testament to his wide ranging influence comes with the fact that bands as diverse as the Gore Gore Girls, The Bambi Molesters and Calexico join in on the action. No going wrong with this one.

© 2003 - John Sekerka