Guitarist\/vocalist Brian Setzer, bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom, better known as The Stray Cats, cut a swath through the early 1980s with their reinvention of rockabilly music by adding punk elements to the mix. Songs such as \u201cStray Cat Strut,\u201d \u201c(She\u2019s) Sexy + 17,\u201d and \u201cRock This Town\u201d not only found huge commercial success but introduced a new niche into rock music.<\/p>\n
The band has reunited several times through the years, but it was their first incarnation that set the tone for their career. <\/p>\n
Their newest release is a look back in time to two live performances. Live At Rockpalast <\/i>is a two-CD and one DVD set. There is a CD and DVD of their concert at Open Air Loreley, recorded August 20, 1983. The second CD is a concert recorded July 16, 1981 at Satory-Sale Cologne.<\/p>\n
Their sound always had a primitive feel, but the Loreley concert added sax player Mel Collins to the mix, who filled in a lot of the gaps and gave the band a fuller sound and more flexibility while performing live.<\/p>\n
The two years between concerts also shows a growth in the band\u2019s capabilities as seen through their stage presence and the increasing expansion and sophistication of their set list.<\/p>\n
The early 1981 set find the Stray Cats near the beginning of their career. It is a set of four originals and 10 covers of rockabilly songs. They rip through such classics as \u201cMy One Desire,\u201d \u201cGonna Ball,\u201d \u201cSomethin\u2019 Else,\u201d and \u201cUbangi Stomp,\u201d which are updated into a modern day rockabilly sound. <\/p>\n
By 1983, they were well-established stars on the international scene. Originals such as \u201cBuilt For Speed,\u201d \u201cLook At That Cadillac,\u201d \u201cStray Cat Strut,\u201d and \u201cRock This Town\u201d evoke the loudest audience reaction. The also add such timeless classics as \u201cThe Race Is On,\u201d \u201cTear It Up,\u201d and a brilliant \u201cBanjo Time (Foggy Mountain Breakdown).\u201d<\/p>\n
The sound is excellent for the day. While the DVD has limited angles and the band does look a little lonely playing in front of thousands on the big stage, the audience seems engaged and the band is on fire. <\/p>\n
The Stray Cats has reunited several times since their first dissolution in 1984. Live At Rockpalast <\/i>is a nice look back to a group that not only created good music but also helped bring a forgotten musical style into the modern age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":32452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[9680],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-44211","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-stray-cats","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44211"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=44211"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=44211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}