BEAR FAMILY PRESSE
BCD 17600 LINK WRAY "Rocks" BAF 11021 LITTLE RICHARD "The BEst of."
LINK WRAY: Rocks Bear Family BCD 17600 (77:19) Link Wray is reputed to be the loudest of rock guitarists but from personal experience I rate him below Dick Dale though the smaller size of Dale's venue may have been a volumetric factor. Nevertheless, Link certainly is very loud, the reason for which may be explained in Bill Dahl's notes when he states that Fred Lincoln Ray Jr's "childhood bout with the measles had robbed him of a good portion of his hearing". These recordings, dated between 1958 and 1966, were mainly released on the Cadence. Cameo, Epic, Mala, Rumble and Swan labels, and include some rare tracks. Predominantly instrumentals of course, Link himself does sing gruffly on 'Ain't That Loving You Baby' and 'Mary Ann', while his brother Vernon Wray (knrwn as Ray Vernon) vocalises on 'I'm Counting On You' and 'Danger One Way Love'. The CD opens with the great 'Raw Hide' and closes with the classic, slow-paced 'Rumble', the two British hits which make outstanding 'bookends' with dynamic and sometimes tremolo guitar that lives long in the memory. Other outstanding tracks include the easily recognised 'Batman Theme' with deep, ominous notes and a guitar-spoken 'Batmanr: the full sound of 'I'm Branded' with shimmering guitar break; the energetic 'Deuces Wild' with drums upfront; the relaxed tempo and mellow tone of 'Radar; a slow track entitled 'Dinosaur' which includes sax inserts; and a radio/television show derivative 'The Shadow Knows'. With all 34 tracks timed between 1:43 and 2:50 there is little time to be bored. The sound quality is great and the 36-page booklet contains some welcome vintage photos. I'm sure that this digipack will be popular with rocking instrumental fans. Paul Harris
Magazin: Blues & Rhythm , UK Ausgabe Feb. 2020
