Yabba dabba doo, folks. Looking back on things, I'm sorta impressed by the wide variety of highly creative records that were released in the early 70's and today's Hot Platter is a great example of what I'm talking about. While Link Wray (Polydor, 1971) failed to ignite the public imagination, it is indeed one of a handful of records (The Rolling Stones Exiles On Main Street, The Band's Music From Big Pink, John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, among others) which had inspired musicians to consider a more laid back approach to record making. Wray, in particular, seemed to anticipate the future low-fi revolution in which musicians would record outside of traditional studios. In his case, he remodeled an old chicken coop on his family's farm in Maryland and, using only rudimentary recording gear, Wray managed to craft this low-fi masterpiece. "How low-fi is this record?" Well, listen to "Fire & Brimstone"...besides a basic drum thing goin on, Wray gets a percussion groove happening with a can full of nails. You can't get much more low-fi than that, eh?
If you're not familiar with Link Wray's overal musical history, he was originally known for being one of the first "heavy" guitarists in the 50's. His biggest hit, "Rumble", typifies his overall approach, using thick distortion and power chords (pre-Pete Townshend, folks) to get his point across. After his initial success, Wray's popularity began to fade and by the early seventies, he was sick of the music biz and searching for new sounds. Wray seemed to anticipate the future revolution in which musicians would record outside of traditional studio spaces. In his case, he remodeled an old chicken coop on his family's farm in Accokeek, Maryland and, using only rudimentary recording gear, went on to craft his self-titled low-fi masterpiece. The record met with initial indifference but over the years, it became a cult favorite. Link Wray is often considered part of a matched set of records; it is complimented by Beans & Fatback, which was released in 1973 and recorded in the same chicken coop.
If you're not familiar with Link Wray's overal musical history, he was originally known for being one of the first "heavy" guitarists in the 50's. His biggest hit, "Rumble", typifies his overall approach, using thick distortion and power chords (pre-Pete Townshend, folks) to get his point across. After his initial success, Wray's popularity began to fade and by the early seventies, he was sick of the music biz and searching for new sounds. Wray seemed to anticipate the future revolution in which musicians would record outside of traditional studio spaces. In his case, he remodeled an old chicken coop on his family's farm in Accokeek, Maryland and, using only rudimentary recording gear, went on to craft his self-titled low-fi masterpiece. The record met with initial indifference but over the years, it became a cult favorite. Link Wray is often considered part of a matched set of records; it is complimented by Beans & Fatback, which was released in 1973 and recorded in the same chicken coop.
Link Wray passed on to his great reward in 2005. That same year, a fine compilation titled Three Track Shack was released.
Track List:
01. De Da
02. Take Me Home Jesus
04. Rise and Fall of Jimmy Stokes
05. Fallin Rain
06. Jukebox Mama
07. Ice People
08. God Out West
09. Crow Bar
10. Black River Swamp
11. Tail Dragger
