VA - Big Box Of Link Wray And More Kings Of Distortion [2014] (6 x CDs)

KINGS OF DISTORTION

VA - Big Box Of Link Wray And More Kings Of Distortion [2014] (6 x CDs)

Big Box Of Link Wray And More Kings Of Distortion is a six-disc compilation album that pays homage to the pioneering guitar hero Link Wray and his fellow rockers who experimented with distortion and feedback in the 1950s and 1960s. The album contains 155 tracks of raw and wild rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly and surf music, featuring some of Wray’s classic instrumentals such as “Rumble”, “Rawhide”, “Jack The Ripper” and “Ace Of Spades”.

Wray is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative guitarists in rock history, who inspired generations of musicians with his powerful and aggressive sound. He was one of the first to use distortion, fuzz, tremolo and reverb effects, as well as unconventional techniques such as picking with a metal slide, plucking the strings behind the bridge and stabbing holes in his amplifier speakers. He also created a distinctive style of playing that combined blues, country, rockabilly and surf influences.

This album is a fantastic collection of songs that showcase Wray’s legacy and influence, as well as the diversity and creativity of his contemporaries. The album covers a wide range of genres and styles, from hard-hitting rockers to moody ballads, from catchy melodies to experimental noises. The songs are well-chosen and sequenced, highlighting Wray’s development and versatility as an artist.

This box set celebrates the glorious early days of fuzzed-out rock ‘n’ roll, original psychobilly and rockabilly created by the likes of Link Wray, Johnny Burnette, Dick Dale and T-Bone Walker. These guitarists sounded like they were raised in the swamp on a steady diet of beer, cigarettes and rowdy women. They took the danger of rock ‘n’ roll and turned up the amps way past 10.

Bands like the Velvet Underground and The Stooges may have rewritten the language of rock music in the late 1960s, but they weren’t the first to use guitar distortion. Link Wray was a trailblazer in the 1950s and his presence is all over this remarkable six-disc survey of rock ‘n’ roll’s second wave which might have been beamed from another planet.

The sound and arrangements were simple and unadorned with a vibe that was a full-bodied, visceral thrill. The music here is hard, fast and raw full of extraordinary tracks, primitive stompers that broke new ground, particularly for the garage punkers of the mid-1960s who learned from Wray that ability and attitude in equal measures is a potent mix.

This superb collection makes it clear that Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash weren’t the only ones who oozed teen rebellion. (B)

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Pt.1     Pt.2 

NEW link for CD1 only, Tack 5 - 13 incorrectly labeled.

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Track lists

CD1

01 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Mary Ann 2:23

02 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Walkin' With The Link 3:12

03 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Trail Of Lonesome Pine 2:36

04 Link Wray & The Wraymen - El Toro 2:34

05 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Rumble 2:34

06 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Patricia 2:41

07 T-Bone Walker - T-Bone Jumps Again 1:46

08 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Right Turn 2:00

09 Keith Courvale - Trapped Love 2:17

10 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Poppin' Popeye 2:06

11 Doug Wray - Goose Bumps 1:55

12 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Rendezvous 2:54

13 Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' At Midnight 2:27

14 Bobby Gregg & His Friends - The Jam Part 1 2:25

15 Kip Tyler & The Flips - Jungle Hop 2:03

16 Marvin Rainwater - Tough Top Cat 3:00

17 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Missing Link (Alternate Version) 2:55

18 Ponies - Stupid Pony 2:22

19 Bill Allen And The Backbeats - Please Give Me Something 2:16

20 Lucky Wray - It's Music, She Says 2:25

21 Ventures - 2000 Pound Bee 1:57

22 Ray Ethier - President's Walk 2:14

23 Rock-A-Teens - Woo Hoo 1:58

24 Bunker Hill - Red Ridin' Hood & The Wolf 2:03

25 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Ain't That Lovin' You Baby (Alternate Version) 2:58

CD2

01 Dick Dale - Jessie Pearl 2:13

02 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Big City Stomp 2:21

03 Lucky Wray - What'cha Say Honey? 2:27

04 Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Space Guitar 2:35

05 Ron Thompson - Switchblade 1:57

06 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Danger, One Way Love 2:22

07 Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Freeze 2:28

08 Jackie Morningstar - Rockin' In The Graveyard 2:42

09 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Run, Chicken, Run 1:58

10 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Pancho Villa 2:11

11 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Creepy 2:08

12 Wray Brothers - 99 Years To Go 2:31

13 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Lillian 1:53

14 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Jack The Ripper 2:23

15 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Golden Strings 2:47

16 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Heartbreak Hotel 3:01

17 Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Swag (Demo) 2:59

18 Junior Thompson - How Come You Do Me 2:26

19 Bunker Hill - Nobody Knows 2:21

20 Marvin Rainwater - I Can't Forget 2:02

21 Eddie Bond - Slip, Slip, Slippin' In 2:08

22 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Dance Contest 2:31

23 Kingsmen - Weekend 2:22

24 Scarlets - Stampede 1:57

25 Ramrods - Ghost Riders In The Sky 2:36

26 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Ace Of Spades 2:23

CD3

01 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Raw Hide 2:15

02 Ray Vernon - Vendetta 2:43

03 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Rumble Mambo 2:42

04 Johnny Burnette - The Train Kept A-Rollin' 2:15

05 Imps - Uh Oh 2:09

06 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Missing Link 2:21

07 Don Willis - Warrior Sam 2:39

08 Shades - Strollin' After Dark 2:08

09 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Raw Hide (Alternate Version) 2:17

10 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Studio Blues / The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble Man 2:06

11 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Window Shopping 2:32

12 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Schoolgirl (Instrumental) 2:36

13 Rhythm Rockers - Madness 2:37

14 Johnny Burnette - Rockabilly Boogie 2:35

15 Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats - Rocket 88 2:47

16 Willie Joe & His Unitar - Unitar Rock 2:21

17 Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Swag 2:22

18 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Rumble (Alternate Take) 2:39

19 Jett Powers - Go Girl Go 2:21

20 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Ain't That Lovin' You Baby Mary Ann 2:48

21 Ray Harris - Come On Little Mama 2:18

22 Charlie Christian - Solo Fight 2:45

23 Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Black Widow 1:53

24 Guitar Slim - The Things I Used To Do 2:59

25 Lucky Wray - Teenage Cutie 1:55

26 Ray Vernon - Evil Angel 2:19

CD4

01 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Oddball (Rumble) 2:34

02 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Comanche (Demo) 1:59

03 Link Wray & The Wraymen - I Sez Baby 2:02

04 Marvin Rainwater - Boo Hoo 1:47

05 Gamblers - Moon Dawg 2:15

06 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Filthy Baby 2:03

07 Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Outlaw 2:11

08 James Cotton - Cotton Crop Blues 3:00

09 Chuck Berry - Maybellene 2:18

10 Mac Rebennack - Storm Warning 3:17

11 Sheriff & The Ravels - Shombalor 2:14

12 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Hillbilly Wolf 2:09

13 Scotty Moore Trio - Have Guitar, Will Travel 2:01

14 Dave Diddle Day - Blue Moon Baby 2:47

15 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Tijuana 2:37

16 Ray Vernon - Big City After Dark 2:54

17 Ray Vernon - I'm Countin' On You 2:13

18 Walter Brown - Jelly Roll Rock 2:15

19 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Comanche (Alternate Version) 2:41

20 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Alone 2:32

21 Rockin' R's - Nameless 1:40

22 Lucky Wray - Got Another Baby 2:23

23 Chuck Bennett - I Went To Your House 2:01

24 Link Wray & The Wraymen - I'm Countin' On You (Alternate Version) 2:12

25 Gene Summers & His Rebels - School Of Rock 'n' Roll 2:06

26 Ronnie Dawson - Rockin' Bones 1:56

CD5

01 Dick Dale - Misirlou 2:15

02 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Hand Clapper 2:22

03 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Ramble 2:16

04 Cody Brennan & The Temptations - Rude Baby 2:09

05 Mickey Hawks - Cotton Pickin' 1:35

06 Marty Robbins - Don't Worry 3:09

07 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Rebel Rouser 2:18

08 Dwight Pullen - Sunglasses After Dark 2:11

09 Ray Vernon - Pretty Blues Eyes 2:35

10 Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You 2:26

11 Bunker Hill - Hide & Go Seek (Parts 1 & 2) 4:28

12 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Johnny Bom Bonny 2:19

13 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Slinky 2:32

14 Riptides - Machine Gun 2:09

15 Fendermen - Mule Skinner Blues 2:25

16 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Mary Ann (Alternate Version) 2:41

17 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Comanche 2:05

18 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Radar (Alternate Take) 2:22

19 Chet Atkins - Blues In The Night 2:21

20 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Right Turn (Alternate Take) 2:04

21 Marvin Rainwater - Honky Tonk In Your Heart 1:55

22 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Drag Race 2:53

23 Mickey Hawke - Big Bop Boom 1:38

24 Frantics - Werewolf 2:02

25 Django Reinhardt - Topsy 3:02

CD6

01 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Caroline 2:28

02 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Dixie-Doodle 2:10

03 Bert & Ray - Night Life 2:12

04 Freddie & The Hitch Hikers - Sinners 2:38

05 Dale Hawkins - Tornado 2:24

06 Link Wray & The Wraymen - White Lightnin' 2:04

07 Ray Vernon - Roughshod 2:12

08 Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Stranger 2:15

09 Kai Ray - I Want Some Of That 3:12

10 Jim Mcdonald - Let's Have A Ball 2:01

11 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Studio Blues 2:05

12 Bob Dean - Walk, Walk, Walkin' Blues 2:03

13 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Radar 2:16

14 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Schoolgirl 2:28

15 Wray Brothers - You're Sweeter Than Sugar 2:00

16 Link Wray & The Wraymen - I'll Be So Good To You 2:26

17 Roy Buchanan - Mule Train Stomp 2:18

18 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Slinky (Alternate Take) 2:32

19 Ray Vernon - Hold It 2:17

20 Phantom - Love Me 1:33

21 Carl Perkins - Her Love Rubbed Off 2:52

22 Link Wray & The Wraymen - Walking With Link (Alternate Take) 2:08

23 Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park 2:44

24 Playboys - Jungle Fever 1:12

25 Don Willis - Boppin' High School Baby 2:31

26 Goree Carter - Rock A While 2:38

27 Bert & Ray - Slow Drag 2:31

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