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.
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Sunday, 11 January 2009 21:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Boy, do I despise their biggest hit.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 01:45 (five years ago) link
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.
― grawlix (unperson), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 02:31 (five years ago) link
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.
― Eliza D., Tuesday, 12 June 2018 13:20 (five years ago) link
Crenshaw's songs moved and had sinews. Stray Cats were....air.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 13:23 (five years ago) link
Crenshaw's songs moved and had sinews.
Power pop is neither powerful nor popular. Discuss!
― grawlix (unperson), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 13:52 (five years ago) link
yeah but it's good
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 14:38 (five years ago) link
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.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 14:43 (five years ago) link
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'"
― Eliza D., Tuesday, 12 June 2018 14:59 (five years ago) link
Stray Cats were a novelty act. I saw them open for Squeeze on Thanksgiving 1982!
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 15:01 (five years ago) link
field day is a really good album
― brimstead, Tuesday, 12 June 2018 15:36 (five years ago) link
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.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 15:41 (five years ago) link
xp It is a good album, that sounds awful!
― Eliza D., Tuesday, 12 June 2018 15:42 (five years ago) link
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
― grawlix (unperson), Tuesday, 12 June 2018 15:47 (five years ago) link
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
― mark e, Thursday, 14 June 2018 21:11 (five years ago) link
I
― stirmonster, Thursday, 14 June 2018 23:12 (five years ago) link
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.
― stirmonster, Thursday, 14 June 2018 23:19 (five years ago) link