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Rating: It is truly a delight for the ears to listen to the Stray Cats, this explosive mix of rockabilly, country, and blues played by a trio of pompadoured guys whose singer, Bryan Setzer, performed with a typical '50s electric guitar, bassist Lee Cocker rode the instrument pretending to make love to it, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom played standing on a set consisting of a cymbal, a snare, and a bass drum.
This 1986 album, “Rock Therapy”, is truly what the title suggests, a therapy of simple, straightforward rock’n’roll without unnecessary frills or sophistication. The track that opens the album is also the one that titles it, “Rock Therapy”, an immediate-grasp rockabilly-blues, with Setzer particularly at ease in the central solo. Even “Reckless” which is more rock-inclined, flies by with pleasure. Countrybilly is up-tempo for “Race With The Devil”, enough to tap your foot to the ground, followed by “I’m Lookin’ For Someone To Love”, and the pompadours grow taller.
Then it returns to the festive rock-blues of “I Wanna Cry”, with voice and guitar always prominently featured. “I’m A Rocker” can justly be called one of the group's manifestos, incredibly fast-paced, with double bass, guitar, and drums as if they're racing for speed and precision. The rockabilly party continues with “Beautiful Delilah”, which is a true delight as well. “One Hand Loose” leans more towards country-blues, yet maintains the typical rockabilly style.
Pure country, however, is “Broken Man”, complete with banjo and mandolin, and this fast, fun, and concise record (because that's how rockabilly records should be) wraps up with “Change Of Heart”.
The average duration of the tracks is two and a half minutes, what they had to say, they said it in a simple, straightforward, candid and brief way, without unnecessary frills of embellishment and “gloss”. The Stray Cats were the group that best represented the image of post-50s rockabilly, and Brian Setzer continues to do so to this day with his Brian Setzer Orchestra, where along with the old dear rockabilly, a certain hint of jazz peeks through.
I recently watched a video where Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom were accompanying old Carl Perkins with their instruments in a celebratory concert (it must have been around 1990 or so). Formidable!!
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Race With The Devil (03:00)
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well me and the devil, at a stop light
He started rollin', I was out of sight, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah
Well thought I was smart, the race was won
A-hear come the devil doin' a-hundred and one
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line
Well, goin' pretty fast, looked behind
A-hear come the the devil doin' ninety-nine, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line, oh yeah!
Well I've led an evil life, so they say
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day, I said
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move, hot-rod, move man
Move hot-rod, move me on down the the line.
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