Stray Cats-- CLASSIC or Dud? Hint: It starts with C...

I can't remember "Blank Generation" off the top of my head, but I made out with hot people during "Stray Cat Strut" AND at least three Adam (and the) Ant(s) records. If these hideous ripoffs be, then Hideous Ripoffs Rule My Soul Et Cetera. I'm starting to worry about that castle in my mind called "Originality" Is Important; its foundation is crack'd, and the walls crumbled long ago.

I loved the Stray Cats once. I was shocked that they made it so big. I remember when they used to be called the Top Cats and Brian Setzer's little brother was the drummer. And Jayne County was all over him.

Everyone should download "5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days" off the Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special album.

Classic-lite regardless of the numerous acts they ripped off with their stray cat paws. And the original poster must've blown his top when he finally heard Runaway Boys.

I loved "Ubangi Stomp" way back when.

Cud

Band with the worst fans in history.

They were pretty damn good at what they did. I'd have been up for the reunion tour, had anyone actively tried to talk me into it. Kind of spoiled for rockabilly round here, though.

STORM THE IRANIAN EMBASSY

Didn't like em at the time, but felt warmer towards it recently when a pub had on a greatest hits package at lunchtime. was surprised by how many tunes I remembered.

Boy, do I despise their biggest hit.

Around the time Stray Cats went platinum Marshall Crenshaw and his own Stratocaster could barely scrape a top forty entry out of “Someday, Someway”

Because Marshall Crenshaw fucking sucked. (Insert a rewrite of David Lee Roth's joke about Elvis Costello here.) Robert Gordon did a good version of that song, though. Robert Gordon was better than the Stray Cats, but the Cats had a few decent songs.

While Setzer’s Stratocaster was born to twang through rockabilly clichés

I'll allow it for stylistic/alliterative reasons, but our Mr. Seltzer was always a Gretsch guy.

Crenshaw's songs moved and had sinews. Stray Cats were....air.

Crenshaw's songs moved and had sinews.

Power pop is neither powerful nor popular. Discuss!

yeah but it's good

Al is otm about Crenshaw, but when I hear "power-pop," I don't really think Crenshaw; I think more of early Who (Townshend coined the term), Kinks, '63-'66 Beatles, Small Faces, the Raspberries, Big Star, Badfinger, and midwestern powerhouses like Cheap Trick and Green.

Also, fun fact: Crenshaw is currently working on a documentary about legendary producer Tom Wilson.

It's going to be titled "I Should Have Hired You To Produce 'Field Day'"

Stray Cats were a novelty act. I saw them open for Squeeze on Thanksgiving 1982!

field day is a really good album

Setzer tried to shake off the novelty tag by trying his hand as an Earnest Heartland Rocker around '85-'86 ("The Knife Feels Like Justice"). It sucked/didn't work, and he went back to faux-rockabilly.

xp It is a good album, that sounds awful!

Setzer's second solo album, Live Nude Guitars, was a little better; it was a big, loud cross between rockabilly and bloozy hair metal (Junkyard, Little Caesar).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdcKyaVAYzo

Robert Gordon was better than the Stray Cats, but the Cats had a few decent songs

ta for the nudge.
years ago I got sent a Robert Gordon cd that I had never given any time for.
a quick dive in the attic and I found it.
turns out it was this release with chris spedding/jordanaires :
and very enjoyable in a retro groove it is.

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0002/482/MI0002482656.jpg

I

It seems they had two trajectories; they had been huge, peaked and been forgotten about in Europe before they even made a dent in the US.

They get classic for Runaway Boys alone. As a 12 year old listening to MOR R&R revival dross that was huge in the UK circa 1980 (such as Darts and Showaddywaddy) it was infinitely more authentic, rowdy and exciting.