Los Straitjackets Albums (10)
'The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets'
Release Date 4/28/2009
Tracks 13
Label Yep Roc
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What The Critics Say
It's back to basics as everyone's favorite Mexican wrestling mask-wearing, Chuck Taylor-clad, surf and garage instrumental rock band ditches the guest vocals (in English and Spanish), occasional horns (save for the honking sax on one track), and '60s dance moves to concentrate on what it does best. The baker's dozen songs zip by in a half hour, and while there is little that any Los Straitjackets fan hasn't heard before, the quartet chugs through its paces with requisite retro energy, conjuring up the ghosts of the Ventures, Dick Dale, Link Wray, and -- name your favorite '60s twangy instrumental combo here -- along with writing new wordless classics for its set list. The sound is somewhat rawer and slightly more punk-influenced, especially noticeable on the "Lust for Life" riff powering "Teen Beast." At nearly four minutes, that is the disc's longest track by a wide margin, as most get to the finish line in under three and a handful even make it before the two-minute buzzer. "Sasquatch" injects some patented Who chords before taking off on a boogie train, and "Nocturnal Twist" is more of the same hip-swiveling clean guitar rock the band has trafficked in since its 1995 debut. The thick reverb on "Mercury" could be the shady soundtrack to an old late-'50s black-and-white noir gumshoe flick. A few fuzz lines muss up the finger-snapping vibe on "Blowout!," not to be outdone by "Minority Report"'s guitar that seems like it was recorded underwater, a clever change-of-pace effect that isn't overdone. For the most part, though, these songs would fit just fine on many of the foursome's previous releases, but that doesn't make this any less eye-opening for newbies first getting on board Los Straitjackets' grimy surfboard. Older enthusiastic followers will enjoy the fresh tunes, typically classy delivery, and genre-bending licks, yet moderate fans won't find enough revelatory here to make this release stand out in Los Straitjackets' catalog of similarly rocking fare. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
'Rock en Español, Vol. 1'
Release Date 4/3/2007
Tracks 13
Label Yep Roc
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What The Critics Say
Nashville-based instrumental rock combo Los Straitjackets have been proving for years that rock & roll is a truly universal language by doing away with vocals, but for this album the masked guitar manglers have decided to focus on a more specific tongue -- namely Spanish. For Rock en Español, Vol. 1, Los Straitjackets have recruited three talented friends to perform a set of rock & roll classics in Spanish -- Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, Big Sandy of retro-country kings Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, and Little Willie G., lead singer with legendary East L.A. soul-rockers Thee Midnighters. While most folks will be familiar with these tunes in their English-language originals, many of the versions that appear on this album were taken from Spanish rewrites recorded by in the '60s by Mexican teen groups such as Los Teen Tops, Los Locos del Ritmo and Los Rebeldes del Rock. Sometimes things change a little bit in translation, as "Hang On Sloopy" gets turned into a lover's plea to a gal named Lupe, "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" is transformed into "El Microscopico Bikini" (speaking of another universal language), and "Wild Thing" becomes "Loco Te Patina el Coso." While this all might sound like a goof to some folks, Los Straitjackets play these tunes with their usual mixture of chops, fire and effortless swing (and guitarists Eddie Angel and Danny Amis are in great form on these sessions), while their special guests really deliver the goods. The tough but supple voice Cesar Rosas has been putting to such great use with Los Lobos over the years gets another worthy platform here (he also produced the album), while Big Sandy (who cut a great album of classic Low Rider R&B in 1998 called Dedicated to You) gets to show off the passionate range of his voice on "De Dia y de Nocha" (aka the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night") and "Dame Una Seña" (aka Brenton Woods' "Gimmie Little Sign"), and Little Willie G. steals the show with a heart-tugging version of Arthur Alexander's "Ana." And Los Straitjackets do throw in one token instrumental, a cookin' cover of Thee Midnighters' "Whittier Boulevard." Rock en Español, Vol. 1 is a fine tribute to some of the less commonly explored aspects of rock & roll's Latin roots, and it's great stuff for either listening or dancing. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Supersonic Guitars in 3-D'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 13
Label YepRoc
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What The Critics Say
Following a Christmas album and a standards-laden outing (with some impressively diverse guest vocalists), los Straitjackets return to their hallmark surf-punk instrumental core with Supersonic Guitars in 3-D. Producer Mark Neill coaxes a bit more grit and grime out of the quartet for these sessions, and the band's feet are firmly planted once again in their accustomed roles. Even if the themes and riffs are all but played-out 1960s rock and roll cliches, the band never sounds stiff or bored with themselves. Still, for all the swagger and swing, the funky, 30-second-long, tremolo-laced tag at the end of "Can You Dig It?" is by far the most interesting thing happening here. This group has experimented with interesting rhythms in the past, and it's an avenue that deserves further exploration. Bitchin' idea to include 3-D cover art with glasses inside, though. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
''Tis the Season for los Straitjackets!'
Release Date 10/8/2002
Tracks 13
Label Yep Roc
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What The Critics Say
If you're looking for someone to help you share the joy and magic of the holiday season, who better than the world's leading masked instrumental surf band? Los Straitjackets don't offer up a whole lot of surprises on 'Tis the Season for los Straitjackets!, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; Eddie Angel and Danny Amis serve up lots of tasty guitar work, and Pete Curry and Jimmy Lester are one solid rhythm section, just as they've always been, and on these 13 tunes (11 covers and two originals) the lucha libre-obsessed guitar wranglers show off the smarts, humor, and sterling chops that have become their trademark. The "La Bamba"-accented "Feliz Navidad," a version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" which channels the spirit of the Chantays, and the Ventures tribute of "Sleigh Ride" are highlights, and while this album will go over best with those who thrive on retro cool, this should send your next Christmas party into a state of dance fever with anyone who appreciates the era of enjoyable AM radio. How's the surf at the North Pole these days, anyway? ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Sing Along with los Straitjackets'
Release Date 9/10/2001
Tracks 13
Label Evangeline
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What The Critics Say
A huge departure for this masked, previously all-instrumental surf quartet, their fifth album is, as indicated by its title, augmented by vocals. But not just any vocals. Eleven out of the 13 tracks boast a different singer (Big Sandy, who also toured with the band in 2001, appears twice) adding just the right touch to the disc's eclectic covers of rockin' soul (los Bravos' "Black Is Black" with the Mavericks' Raul Malo), British Invasion-styled pop ("Bumble Bee" with a rare vocal from Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell), good-time roots (Nick Lowe is guest lead bassist on his own "Shake That Rat," one of the disc's two instrumentals), weepy string-laden '60s ballads (Sixpence None the Richer's Leigh Nash gives a perfectly frail reading of Skeeter Davis' "End of the World"), Cramps-style high octane swamp (Reverend Horton Heat toughens up Roy Orbison's "Down the Line"), their usual twisted, twangy, hang-ten surfin' sufari (a husky voiced Dave Alvin sounds perfect on "California Sun"), and Link Wray-styled, reverb-laden scrappy punk (the Trashmen swing through a tight "A Huevo"). At only 34 minutes, it's a little on the short side, but there is a crisp conciseness to the tracks -- the majority of which run less than three minutes -- that harks back to the days when the perfect 45 rpm single packed in everything it needed. It also sounds like the singers were actually in the studio with the band, rather than overdubbed later, as they seem to feed off los Straitjackets' manic energy. A terrific concept that broadens the group's horizons while staying true to their American garage, rockabilly, and wave-riding roots, this is a most welcome addition to los Straitjackets' existing instrumental catalog, and a floorboard-shaking party disc as well. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Welcome to the excitement of one entire los Straitjackets show just the way it happened during the summer of 2000 at The Foothill Tavern in Long Beach, CA. And where better to encounter the surf-riding, mask-wearing, Spanish-speaking garage rockin' of "America's premier instrumentalists" as their pre-recorded introduction claims? It's a wild, wooly 60 minutes of 19 nonstop twang/trash rock tunes delivered with precision and spitfire riffs blazing. While many of these tracks, like the quartet's innovative take on Celine Dion's smarmy "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from Titanic)," have turned up on three previous los Straitjackets albums, the black Converse-shod foursome add six covers of more like-minded classics to their set. Even though their jittery roots originals are well constructed, it's still a kick to hear them slow dance to Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" and Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," as well as gallop through Link Wray's "Rawhide" and smoke into "I'm Branded" along with Louis Prima's "Sing Sing Sing" like they've been playing them all their life, which they probably have. Rather than rip into an obvious Ventures track, they unearth an obscurity with the appropriately titled "Driving Guitars" to pay tribute to their most obvious influence. Sure, it starts to sound a bit samey after a while, but the band's obvious glee in what they're doing and the energy they infuse to these songs, spurred on by a sold-out club crowd, keeps the show lively for its entirety. Not quite as good as being there to experience the band in full regalia with their syncopated stage moves, this hour-long souvenir is the next best thing. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
'Encyclopedia of Sound'
Release Date 1/1/2001
Tracks 22
Label LoveCat Music
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What The Critics Say
Hard to believe, but being America's leading purveyors of hod-rodded vintage-style instrumental rock isn't the most lucrative career one might choose, so the boys in los Straitjackets are always eager to pick up the right kind of side gig, which is where Encyclopedia of Sound comes in. The CD is a collection of 22 short selections in a variety of classic styles -- early instrumental rock, '60s garage rock, blues, country, Tex Mex, and jazz -- which the band wrote and recorded specifically to shop around to television and film producers looking for short bits of incidental music. As a result, most of these pieces sound just a bit generic (that's part of the idea), and 17 out of 22 clock in at under two minutes; los Straitjackets fans looking for a solid chunk of fresh listening or beginners wanting to introduce themselves to the group should certainly look elsewhere. But this set certainly shows off the group's versatility, expert chops, and easy mastery of classic styles, and it makes for pleasant enough background listening. If you dig los Straitjackets, Encyclopedia of Sound is a pleasant but hardly an essential purchase, unless you happen to license music for feature films or television shows, in which case "Switchblade Stroll" or "Onion Dip" would sound pretty cool coming out of the car radio while your characters drive down a rain-slick street late at night. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'The Velvet Touch of los Straitjackets'
Release Date 6/29/1999
Tracks 12
Label Yep Roc
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What The Critics Say
Los Straitjackets' third album, The Velvet Touch of los Straitjackets, contains more witty, knowing guitar instrumentals that appropriate the best of surf, jangly pop, rockabilly, and spaghetti Western soundtracks with aplomb. Driving surf numbers like "Tempest" and "Hornet's Nest" are mixed with sweeter sounds like "Close to Champaign" and a cover of "My Heart Will Go On" that places the song closer to the Pacific shoreline than Atlantic icebergs. Klezmer and Mexican elements flavor songs like "Tabouli" and "Tijuana Boots," and while the group's inherent cleverness and kitsch occasionally veer into self-parody, Velvet Touch is another solid effort from an always entertaining band. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Shadows/Ventures of the '90s arrive as a quarter in Mexican wrestling masks, burgundy turtlenecks, black jeans, black Converse and bedecked in silver sun pendants. Live los Straitjackets effect an inscrutable demeanor and rock from a stage uncluttered with monitors. Because they actually listen to each other, the drummer sits in their midst at the stage's edge. The band is tight, fused and rocking. For me, there is no better guitar-based instrumental rock album of 1997. ~ Tom Schulte, All Music Guide
'The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of los Straitjackets'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 14
Label Upstart
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