Stray Cats Albums (9)
What The Critics Say
Featuring a set of pleasant, but unexciting, songs, Blast Off indicated that The Stray Cats' revved-up rockabilly ran out of gas quickly. ~ David Jehnzen, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This rather short double-disc package documents the British dates of the re-formed 2004 Stray Cats, specifically one show in Brixton. The 22-song set includes all of their big hits, a handful of logical if intriguing covers ("Ubangi Stomp," "My Baby Left Me," "That's All Right," "Good Rockin' Tonight," and "Twenty Flight Rock"), and even a new studio track, the trio's first original composition in a decade. Although the band hadn't played together in a while, all of the members have stayed busy and their chops are as sharp -- if not sharper -- than in the old days. Additionally, England is where they first made a popular splash, so they are obviously thrilled to be back on their old stomping grounds, adding to the edgy sense of excitement in the performance. Most of these concert renditions are hotter and hence arguably better than the previously recorded counterparts, and the Cats' manic enthusiasm bursts out of the speakers, even without the accompanying DVD visuals. As the only member who went on to a formidable solo career, guitarist/singer/frontman Brian Setzer sounds particularly inspired as he tears into these nuggets, most of which, like the trusty vamp "Stray Cat Strut," are over two decades old. Setzer even occasionally relinquishes the vocal spotlight to bassist Lee Rocker, who is a more than adequate and underappreciated singer. The intense energy level never lets up as the bandmembers charge through the set with a sweaty fire it's doubtful they could have mustered even in their prime. The new studio song tacked on as the last cut, "Mystery Train Kept A Rollin'," is a rockabilly tribute to Elvis and his Sun Records contemporaries that won't set new standards for the Cats, but is an indication that there is still plenty of gas in the group's tank. Editing out a track or two would have allowed the entire gig to fit on a single disc instead of expanding it to two short ones, but otherwise the Stray Cats' first official live album is worth the extended wait. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Rock Therapy wasn't as consistently engaging as Built for Speed and Rant n' Rave, but it was a spirited, inspired effort that continued their trademark sound to a fine effect. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Something Else (Live)'
Release Date 12/15/1994
Tracks 15
Label Receiver
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Rant n' Rave with the Stray Cats'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 12
Label EMI America
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Rant n' Rave, the Stray Cats' follow up to Built For Speed, sounded identical to Built for Speed, and -- thanks to the hits "(She's) Sexy + 17" and the ballad "I Won't Stand in Your Way" -- it was equally as strong. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1982, the unexpected success of the Stray Cats' American debut, Built for Speed, made America aware that rockabilly, previously believed to be extinct, was actually alive and well somewhere in New Jersey (though the evidence had to be taken to England before anyone would notice). Pulling together six songs from the Stray Cats' self-titled debut, five tunes from the follow-up Gonna Ball, and one previously unreleased number (the title song), Built for Speed is song-for-song the group's strongest album, despite the cut-and-paste manner in which it was created. Originality was never this band's strongest suit, and as songwriters the Stray Cats rarely wandered far from the traditional themes of cars, girls, rockin', and their own level of coolness, but Brian Setzer's fleet-fingered guitar work revealed that he'd absorbed the lessons of Cliff Gallup, James Burton, and Scotty Moore and constructed an impressive and colorful style of his own from the parts, while Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom were an admirably potent and appropriately uncluttered rhythm section (the clean, streamlined production, by Dave Edmunds on most cuts, also helped quite a bit). If the group's songs haven't all worn the test of time especially well, the melodies are strong and the playing is tight and enthusiastic throughout. While you're better off with a good collection from Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, or Charlie Feathers, there are a lot worse ways you could learn about rockabilly than to pick up Built for Speed -- which is a good thing, since if you were born after 1965, chances are it was where you learned about rockabilly. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Stray Cats debut album came hot on the heels of the two hit singles "Runaway Boys" and "Rock This Town," both energy filled rockabilly songs that hearkened back to the 1950s era of pure rock & roll with an updated, clean '80s sound highlighted by the prominent double bass playing of Lee Rocker and drumming of Slim Jim Phantom. The Stray Cats had more depth than pure rockabilly, as shown on the out and out rock & roll tracks "Fishnet Stockings," "Double Talkin Baby," and "Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie" (a facsimile of "Summertime Blues"), and the sleazy third single "Stray Cat Strut," perfectly evocative of a night out on the tiles. "Storm the Embassy," a song about the Iranian hostage situation than ran throughout 1980, would not have sounded out of place performed by the Clash, and "Ubangi Stomp" bore more than a passing resemblance to another musical craze of the early '80s: ska as performed by Madness or any of the 2 Tone stable of acts. This album was by far their most successful, hitting number six in the charts and their only entry into the Top 40. It was never released in the U.S., but five tracks, the three singles, plus "Rumble in Brighton" and "Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie" were amalgamated with tracks from the follow-up, Gonna Ball and appeared on the U.S. compilation Built for Speed. ~ Sharon Mawer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Stray Cats' second album, Gonna Ball, was considered something of a disappointment when it was released in 1981; back then, it had the disadvantage of competing with the expectations raised by its immediate predecessor, a miraculous debut produced under the guidance of Dave Edmunds. When they pulled up stakes in England and returned to the U.S.A., they signed with EMI-America (now BMG) and built their American debut around what the band considered the best songs off of their first two records -- as a result, neither U.K. album was widely heard intact on American shores. Heard on its own terms 23 years later, Gonna Ball seems like a minor masterpiece, capturing the group going deep into early rock & roll and even pre-rock & roll roots music and far beyond the boundaries of rockabilly, supported by various players, including Rolling Stones alumnus Ian Stewart. Their rendition of Johnny Burnette's "Baby Blue Eyes" was a bracing opener (later moved to the closing spot on their third album). Brian Setzer's "Cryin' Shame" included a killer extended jam and harmonica showcase, and the Lee Rocker/Slim Jim Phantom-authored "(She'll Stay Just) One More Day" was a sophisticated piece of jump blues with a beautiful sax solo at its center and powerful central riff; Setzer's "What's Goin' Down (Cross That Bridge)," in turn, was as fine a Bo Diddley tribute as had been done by any white artist since the 1960s -- and none of those three made it on to their American debut LP. Setzer's "You Don't Believe Me" oozed the spirit of Elmore James out of every guitar note, while "Gonna Ball" and "Wicked Whisky" were exercises in rockabilly primitivism. "Rev It Up and Go" -- which made it to the third album -- was an impassioned Chuck Berry homage that also obliquely acknowledged the Beach Boys' service in making his riffs work in a uniquely white suburban context. "Lonely Summer Nights" -- also on the third album -- proved that this band could handle the ballad side of '50s music with the best of them when they wanted to. And "Crazy Mixed Up Kids" (which didn't make the cut to album number three) was a psychobilly instrumental workout par excellence. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
