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In 1982, the unexpected success of the Stray Cats' American debut, Built for Speed, made America aware that rockabilly, previously believed to be extinct, was actually alive and well somewhere in New Jersey (though the evidence had to be taken to England before anyone would notice). Pulling together six songs from the Stray Cats' self-titled debut, five tunes from the follow-up Gonna Ball, and one previously unreleased number (the title song), Built for Speed is song-for-song the group's strongest album, despite the cut-and-paste manner in which it was created. Originality was never this band's strongest suit, and as songwriters the Stray Cats rarely wandered far from the traditional themes of cars, girls, rockin', and their own level of coolness, but Brian Setzer's fleet-fingered guitar work revealed that he'd absorbed the lessons of Cliff Gallup, James Burton, and Scotty Moore and constructed an impressive and colorful style of his own from the parts, while Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom were an admirably potent and appropriately uncluttered rhythm section (the clean, streamlined production, by Dave Edmunds on most cuts, also helped quite a bit). If the group's songs haven't all worn the test of time especially well, the melodies are strong and the playing is tight and enthusiastic throughout. While you're better off with a good collection from Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, or Charlie Feathers, there are a lot worse ways you could learn about rockabilly than to pick up Built for Speed -- which is a good thing, since if you were born after 1965, chances are it was where you learned about rockabilly.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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Dave Edmunds, Producer - Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, MainArtist
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist - Hein Hoven, Producer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Dave Edmunds, Producer - Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, MainArtist
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist - James Mcdonnell, Composer - Hein Hoven, Producer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Dave Edmunds, Producer - Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, MainArtist - James Mcdonnell, Composer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist - Hein Hoven, Producer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Danny Wolfe, ComposerLyricist - Dave Edmunds, Producer - Stray Cats, MainArtist
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian Setzer, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist - Leon Drucker, Composer - James Mcdonnell, Composer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Dave Edmunds, Producer - J. Page, Composer - Stray Cats, MainArtist - G. Motola, Composer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Dorsey Burnette, Composer - Paul Burlison, Composer - Johnny Burnette, Composer - Henry Jerome, Composer - Stray Cats, Producer, MainArtist - Hein Hoven, Producer
℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
Album review
In 1982, the unexpected success of the Stray Cats' American debut, Built for Speed, made America aware that rockabilly, previously believed to be extinct, was actually alive and well somewhere in New Jersey (though the evidence had to be taken to England before anyone would notice). Pulling together six songs from the Stray Cats' self-titled debut, five tunes from the follow-up Gonna Ball, and one previously unreleased number (the title song), Built for Speed is song-for-song the group's strongest album, despite the cut-and-paste manner in which it was created. Originality was never this band's strongest suit, and as songwriters the Stray Cats rarely wandered far from the traditional themes of cars, girls, rockin', and their own level of coolness, but Brian Setzer's fleet-fingered guitar work revealed that he'd absorbed the lessons of Cliff Gallup, James Burton, and Scotty Moore and constructed an impressive and colorful style of his own from the parts, while Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom were an admirably potent and appropriately uncluttered rhythm section (the clean, streamlined production, by Dave Edmunds on most cuts, also helped quite a bit). If the group's songs haven't all worn the test of time especially well, the melodies are strong and the playing is tight and enthusiastic throughout. While you're better off with a good collection from Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, or Charlie Feathers, there are a lot worse ways you could learn about rockabilly than to pick up Built for Speed -- which is a good thing, since if you were born after 1965, chances are it was where you learned about rockabilly.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:35:36
- Main artists: Stray Cats
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Rockabilly
© 1982 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1982 Capitol Records, LLC
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