Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
Los Cadillaxe - 16 Tons Of Twang!dotdotdotdot
artworkThe Cadillac Angels under a great assumed name play 12 instrumentals that simply rock! Highly recommended! Tony "Tarzan" Balbinot and Micky Rae and Jerome Taylor.

Vocals on this set include the so-Johnny Burnette sounding "Little Girl," "Black Cadillac," Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep," and "Rockin' Little Mama."
Picks: Viva Zapata, Have Cadillac Will Travel, Jack The Ripper, Wray Gunn, So Bo!, Link n' Continental, Peter Gunn, Cadillacs Out West, Hangin' Ten With Tut, Martinez, Caballo Blanco, (Ghost) Riders In The Sky

Track by Track Review


Viva Zapata dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Link Wray's deluxe "Viva Zapata" is ringing with big guitar twang. Gone is the surf reverb and in it's place, spacious roots guitar. The song is well defined and much in the tradition of real rock 'n' roll the wary it was done in small towns all over America. Completely cool!

Have Cadillac Will Travel dotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

"Have Cadillac Will Travel" is a slowish and sultry song with long chords, vibrato, and a moody backtrack. The shimmer of the vibrato is quite haunting in this song. Very nice!

Jack The Ripper dotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Naturally, "Jack The Ripper" rocks. There is no other way. Big vibrato throb, dangerous shimmer, menacing backbeat, grumbling bass. Just like Link Wray intended!

Wray Gunn dotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Dirty distortion, and mere passing references to the menace of "Pedro Pistola" and and the growl of "Link Wray." Big twang. Marring this track is quite a bit of distortion in the cymbals.

So Bo! dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Hoe-down with Link lurking in the amplifier. A great song with raspy vibrato and oh-so cool tribal drums. The double picking is quite intense. Big throb, tribal toms, and gen-u-ine edge!

Link n' Continental dotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Nasty, dirty, wrockin' wray-riffin' with big chords. Distortion in the overheads makes it fuzzy, but otherwise "Link n' Continental" is one tuff cookie!

Peter Gunn dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

With sultry growl, great drums, thunder-bass, and real knife-fight guitar, Los Cadillaxe power through Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn" with finesse and a few borrowed spy riffs. Very big and very cool!

Cadillacs Out West dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Long ringing vibrato chords shimmer in the moonlight before bringing forth a magnificent cowboy song with genuine charm and a great deal of cactus soul. This is a wonderful song that's just right for what ever ails you! Exceptional!

Hangin' Ten With Tut dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

dark, throbbing, moody, dangerous... do you really need to know more? This lumbering monster should have been named after Berkeley's Magnolia Thunderpussy strictly for the sensual power of it all.

Martinez dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

"Martinez" has a great melody and moody edge, while barking with a big bite of danger. So tuff! If Mink DeVille had been Link Wray's cousin, he might have sounded like this.

Caballo Blanco dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

"Caballo Blanco" is a splendid Spanish song with warmth and edge. Too much class and over-adequate charm, some double picked surf lines, and real magnetism. Great!

(Ghost) Riders In The Sky dotdotdotdotdot
Roots Wray (Instrumental)

Stan Jones' glorious "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" rocks hard. This sounds like a post-production take from the KFJC studio sessions. It's hard driving, vibrato throbbed, and intense!