I am so impressed with your treatment of Wray here. Appreciated your understanding of context (both general culture and relevant specific guitarists), of the dynamics in each song, and especially the *meanings* of distortion, 50's style. So cool! And I definitely buy your assessment of him as not avant-garde, although I guess there's room for an aesthetics argument here that distinguishes between an experimental attitude and a rebellious attitude. Anyway thank you! This summer has found me diving deep into a lot of the early rock guitarists, and your insights really helped me to understand Wray.
While I had been vaguely familiar with Wray since I first heard “Rumble” on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack as a callow youth, I didn’t full-on listen to one of his albums until a few years ago, and it was his self-titled one from 1971, the first of his ‘Three Track Shack’ recordings. Let me tell you, Link Wray’s natural habitat was in the roughest of rough-hewn roots rock, and the Shack albums still rank as some of my favorite roots rock ever. Criminally underrated by just about everyone.
Informative writ as always, Link Wray being another hole in my rock education. Knew the name (specially from Jimmy Page and such) but never heard from him.. except Rumble, which I didn't know was his. That's a power chord that you can't ever forget, the menace. Two minutes well used. And the rest of the album is interesting too. A keeper. PS: Oh wait Rumble was in Pulp Fiction of course! (but apparently not in my CD, hence the ignorance)
Well, have to confess, I bought a Ventures album in the ealry 60's but I don't think I was even aware of a Link Wray doing anything avant-garde. Such was the short-term success of his guitar distortion instrumentals, I would venture (haha). Even now it sounds heavily foreboding, not likely to seduce a 12 year-old just returned from 5 years in Europe. Now, as a 72 year-old, I can say the same for the Heavy Metal music I studiously avoided during my formative years and beyond.
But then it may well have inspired Jeff Beck (R.I.P.), for which I owe him my endless gratitude!
Yes, America does have an odd way of treating its heroes, from Link Wray to Hendrix to Lou Reed, who tend to get better recognized across the Atlantic before ricocheting back to their own country.
My favourite Link Wray song is Fallin' Rain, though I first heard a cover version from a more recent musician Karl Blau. It's a mere 33 million listens behind Rumble on Spotify. Depth, texture, expansive....
I am so impressed with your treatment of Wray here. Appreciated your understanding of context (both general culture and relevant specific guitarists), of the dynamics in each song, and especially the *meanings* of distortion, 50's style. So cool! And I definitely buy your assessment of him as not avant-garde, although I guess there's room for an aesthetics argument here that distinguishes between an experimental attitude and a rebellious attitude. Anyway thank you! This summer has found me diving deep into a lot of the early rock guitarists, and your insights really helped me to understand Wray.
While I had been vaguely familiar with Wray since I first heard “Rumble” on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack as a callow youth, I didn’t full-on listen to one of his albums until a few years ago, and it was his self-titled one from 1971, the first of his ‘Three Track Shack’ recordings. Let me tell you, Link Wray’s natural habitat was in the roughest of rough-hewn roots rock, and the Shack albums still rank as some of my favorite roots rock ever. Criminally underrated by just about everyone.
https://youtu.be/nsG4nv_a5-8
Informative writ as always, Link Wray being another hole in my rock education. Knew the name (specially from Jimmy Page and such) but never heard from him.. except Rumble, which I didn't know was his. That's a power chord that you can't ever forget, the menace. Two minutes well used. And the rest of the album is interesting too. A keeper. PS: Oh wait Rumble was in Pulp Fiction of course! (but apparently not in my CD, hence the ignorance)
Well, have to confess, I bought a Ventures album in the ealry 60's but I don't think I was even aware of a Link Wray doing anything avant-garde. Such was the short-term success of his guitar distortion instrumentals, I would venture (haha). Even now it sounds heavily foreboding, not likely to seduce a 12 year-old just returned from 5 years in Europe. Now, as a 72 year-old, I can say the same for the Heavy Metal music I studiously avoided during my formative years and beyond.
But then it may well have inspired Jeff Beck (R.I.P.), for which I owe him my endless gratitude!
Yes, America does have an odd way of treating its heroes, from Link Wray to Hendrix to Lou Reed, who tend to get better recognized across the Atlantic before ricocheting back to their own country.
My favourite Link Wray song is Fallin' Rain, though I first heard a cover version from a more recent musician Karl Blau. It's a mere 33 million listens behind Rumble on Spotify. Depth, texture, expansive....