Link Wray is most famous for being the guy that nobody realized was playing the really good song in the background during the scene in pulp fiction where Mia went to the bathroom and Travolta proceeded to look cool. Props to the always musically tasteful Tarantino for including that song (Rumble) in his classic film. Had he not done so, it's likely that today nobody other than Greg Cartwright would even know who Link Wray was.
I don't need to get into his life story, we got wikipedia for that. The important points are these: he was a really groovy dude who knew how to get the jammin'est sound ever from a guitar, he had some sort of debilitating disease at some point which he recovered from, he once covered the Batman song with his band The Wraymen (these folks may be explored in this web log at a later date...), and his career goes much deeper than Rumble.
In 1971 Wray recorded this album, which is a departure from the groovy surf style sounds from his early days. It reminds me of what it might sound like if Reigning Sound had a baby with the Velvet Underground. The songs are just plain great, and sound phenomenal coming out of some good speakers. Rootsy as all hell, with Wray's voice the most beautiful example of "grit." I'll save you the literate "review." That shit's played out anyway. I just recommend you listen to the record and jump to your own conclusions mats.
Thank you so much! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this!
ReplyDelete