Link Wray
Label | Future Days Recordings – FDR 633Universal Music Special Markets – FDR 633 |
Format | Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Repress, Gatefold |
Barcode | 0826853063319 |
Country | US |
Released | 2018 |
Genre | Rock, Blues |
Style | Country Blues, Country Rock, Acoustic |
Recorded in a shaky makeshift chicken shack in rural Maryland, Link Wrays eponymous 1971 solo album is a compelling and forward-looking piece of honest, handmade Americana. This album is vastly different from his previous work, foregoing instrumentals entirely. Instead, Wray, left with only one lung following a bout with tuberculosis in 1956, gives us his raw voice, full of spit and vinegar, as he blends elements of country, rock n roll, roots, folk and gospel marked with fuzzy guitar and booming percussion. He kicks off with a track, "La De Da", that may be the greatest song the Stones never wrote. Elsewhere, the single "Fallin Rain" channels Dylan at his most political, with lyrics about "stabbings and shootings and young men dying all around." Link Wray proved to be the only album that the guitarist issued in his own name to hit the American charts during his nearly 50-year recording career. Although it didnt receive much critical acclaim at the time of its release, Link Wray has seen a resurgence in recent years and developed a cult following, with artists from Nick Cave to The Neville Brothers recording versions of its tracks.First official vinyl reissueecond pressing housed in a standard gatefold jacketNew liner notes by Chris MorrisNewly remastered
A1 | La De Da | 4:02 |
A2 | Take Me Home Jesus | 3:17 |
A3 | Juke Box Mama | 4:26 |
A4 | Rise And Fall of Jimmy Stokes | 3:58 |
A5 | Fallin' Rain | 3:42 |
B1 | Fire And Brimstone | 4:16 |
B2 | Ice People | 2:59 |
B3 | God Out West | 3:51 |
B4 | Crowbar | 4:47 |
B5 | Black River Swamp | 3:57 |
B6 | Trail Dragger | 4:29 |
Backing Vocals – Doug
Backing Vocals – Steve
Coordinator [Project Coordinator] – Hilary Staff
Design – Craigbrauninc.
Design [Rerelease] – Henry H. Owings
Drums, Percussion – Doug Wray
Executive-Producer [Rerelease Executive Producers] – Josh Wright
Lead Vocals, Dobro, Bass, Guitar – Link Wray
Liner Notes – Chris Morris
Mandolin, Piano – Bobby Howard
Mixed By [Re-mixing], Engineer – Chuck Irwin
Piano, Organ – Billy Hodges
Producer – Ray Vernon
Producer [Associate Producer] – Bob Feldman
Producer, Drums, Percussion – Steve Verroca
Proofreader – Lydia Hyslop
Recorded By, Engineer – Vernon Wray
Reissue Producer – Pat Thomas
Reissue Producer, Executive-Producer [Rerelease Executive Producers] – Matt Sullivan
Remastered By – Timothy Stollenwerk
Written-By – L. Wray (A5-B2, B4-B5)
Written-By – Y. Verroca (A1-A4, B3)
Matrix / Runout (Side 1:) – 27842.1(2)... FDR-633 / B0025910-01-A
Matrix / Runout (Side 2:) – 27842.2(2)... FDR-633 / B0025910-01-B