The problem with mastodons like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, BB King and others is that these guys have made too much music, and I don’t have much time to listen to it. Fortunately, I’ve recently gotten a car with a good audio system, and I’m slowly starting to break through all these legendary but also monstrous discographies, whiling away the time in endless traffic jams. In the meantime, my music collection mostly contains unknown guys: Bullet Proof and Built For Speed from Norway, great Boppin’ B is from Germany, Wild Angels – I don’t even remember where they come from, damn me.
Do you see the emerging paradox? The thing is, I have a bunch of great music from bands with absolutely zero history. No one writes about them, no one knows, and in general I stumble upon them in some paradoxical, magical way. It’s like they find me on their own. At the same time, I have very little music from internationally recognized legends, but since magazines write about them, films are made, and so on, I know their history almost thoroughly. For example, I know for sure that Brian Setzer decided somewhere at the very beginning of the two thousandth years, without dissolving his crazy jump blues swing big band, to return to the classic rockabilly line-up of three people.
When you have a whole orchestra named after yourself at hand, you don’t have to go far to get the musicians, and that’s why double bassist Mark V. Winchester and that crazy drummer with glasses were picked out right from there. Seriously, have you seen all those music videos and live performances? As soon as he starts playing the drum, his face takes on an indescribable expression of a mute cry of delight mixed with a madman’s smile.
His name is Bernie Dresel. Together with the already mentioned comrade Winchester and, of course, Setzer, Bernie became one of the members of the magnificent trio called Brian Setzer ’68 Comeback Special. This name directly refers to Elvis Presley‘s performance on television in 1968, which marked the beginning of the King’s return to live concerts after a seven-year hiatus in his career. That very performance is now known precisely as the ’68 Comeback Special.
It was in this line-up that Brian Setzer recorded only one album, which was released in 2001 under the name Ignition! I’ve never listened to it from cover to cover, but as is often the case with famous musicians, some tracks came to my attention by themselves. Let’s start with them.
First of all, let me mention Hell Bent. Yes, I still haven’t listened to much, but my collection currently includes more than 8000 tracks, and probably as many more music I’ve listened to didn’t get there. So, among these thousands, Hell Bent is the coolest rebellious hot rod grease ballad I’ve ever heard. She has a pleasant, melodic and not very heavy, but complex sound, coupled with first-class verses that I know by heart simply because I’ve listened to this track through the holes. It’s really the best and most romantic pure rockabilly track I’ve ever heard. If, unlike me, you are lucky enough to drive a car on the highway instead of standing in traffic jams every day, then this song is your best friend on a rainy day, cloudy evening, dark night and foggy morning. Yes, it’s definitely not the sunniest song, and it doesn’t bring up the most rosy thoughts, but for me personally, that’s exactly what it’s beautiful about. I haven’t listened to the album yet, but I doubt there’s anything better than Hell Bent.
Anyway, the second track that I would like to mention is Who Would Love This Car But Me? All rockabilly cats love cars, and Brian Setzer is no exception, but for the most part, odes are composed to chrome monsters, and when listening to such songs, the imagination paints a dream car sparkling with chrome and fresh paint. But few people sing about the old iron horses, who are clearly living out their last days. Who Would Love This Car But Me? imbued with warm love with a touch of pleasant humor, it is for the old, native car. Not only does this unit not stand out, but it more than loses to others, but we still appreciate it for the years we have spent together, we try to keep it on track as much as possible and we really don’t want to sell it. All this, you must admit, is somewhat more familiar to all of us than taking care of some 1958 Chevy. Therefore, the track Who Would Love This Car But Me? It occupies a special place in my collection along with several other similar tracks. In terms of music, it’s a well-played classic, nothing superfluous.
Well, the last track that is already in my collection is Ignition, which is also the first track on the album. Some heavy music coupled with the war howl of “Ignition!” The choruses are actually a little out of my taste, but everything is more than compensated for by the excellent verses. The right words in a track mean a lot to me in general – I forgive a lot for music that has a good text attached to it. So, Ignition has an extremely poetic description of a person’s feelings, character traits, and appearance through the details of a car. She’s got hydramatic hips, lips like fluid drive – that’s how the first two lines of the track sound. If you like them, then this is your track exactly the same as mine. Because Ignition is entirely written in this style. And by the way, maybe that’s exactly the sound the first track needs to set the right tone for the whole album. It’s time to find out.
So, click play… and what do we hear, the second track is already much easier than the opening one. 5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days is a homecoming track with a couple of very interesting sounding guitar solos. Is it just me, or is this song somewhat similar to Dave Dudley’s Six Days On The Road? Probably because the vocalist takes high notes before the key line, and then melodically descends, plus a similar theme. Actually, if someone thinks that this is a reproach, by no means. I have nothing against covers, borrowings and other stuff. This is always just a plus, and if you liked 5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days, you can safely listen to Six Days On The Road in addition. It’s less rock’n’roll, but maybe you’ll like it and get two road tracks instead of one. Don’t thank me.
Hot Rod Girl is a groovy fast song about the type of girls who are always few in number. I love these songs. In terms of music, it’s just a well-built rockabilly that doesn’t stand out in any way.
8-Track is an unfamiliar cassette format for us, and in general the text is not particularly remarkable, but the Setzer gives its best. A lot of this track is taken from country music, plus there is yodeling. This is the first time I’ve heard Brian yodeling. That sounds great.
’59 is more melodic and slower than the previous two songs. The text is first-class, it plays terribly on my dreams of that time. I feel like it will become one of my favorite tracks. Probably, such songs are the only chance for people like me to at least touch something that is gone forever…
Rooster Rock especially reeks of the old school spirit. Bad lyrics, fast rhythm, and so on… specific vocals. I can’t figure out what exactly it is about him, but there is some nuance that makes me think of all sorts ofWhole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On and Blue Suede Shoes. By the way, in the Rooster Rock track, the vocalist is not Setzer, but Winchester – maybe Mark just has a voice more like the guys from the last century. And in general, I like it when someone from the band is allowed to speak to the microphone. It’s very nice. Especially when it works; when the vocals fit into the track and the track fits into the set.
Santa Rosa Rita is a cool track that kind of consists of two tracks. It probably wouldn’t be great to listen to them all the time, but in the middle of an album, or when they occasionally appear on the playlist of a large collection, that’s it.
The second part of the legend of Johnny Cool! I’ve been waiting for this. The first part was sung in the Guitar Slinger album as part of the orchestra. By Brian Setzer.
The second part… Well, compared to the first one, it loses a lot in sound. But it would probably be weird if that cool fat cat with a pipe suddenly appeared in the middle of a rockabilly album… Yes, after all, three people are not a dozen. Oh well. But the text is great! Personally, I believe that this legend could not have ended in any other way, and the correct ending of such legends is the most important thing. So this track is just a must have for me.
Get ‘Em On The Ropes – I didn’t really understand the track. And the sound doesn’t fall right into the bullseye of my tastes, but it’s still solid rockabilly. I don’t think it surprises anyone. Setzer has been playing this thing for decades and knows his stuff. If something doesn’t sound right, it means he’s experimenting. And this album was kind of his return to the theme, so it’s unlikely that experiments are waiting for us in the remaining three tracks…
Blue Cafe is my theme again. And the words are good. The mention of the old Lincoln hot rod is a separate plus. Such small references to the immortal classics are always pleasing.
What’s next… Oh, damn it! I love this kind of vocal work! A slow rhythm… That’s what this album lacked – a slow song! Everything is in place now… Good… It’s generally amazing how a genre as incendiary and fast as a whole as rockabilly can roll out such awesome semi-blues slowies that I like so much, despite the trivial and worn-out themes of love and suffering for my other half. Yes, Dreamsville is not Vincent’s Lucky Star or Buddy Holly’s Everyday, but it’s nevertheless a wonderful slow track on which Setzer once again shows how talented a singer he is, and I was frankly pleased with the vocal backing of Winchester and Drezel.
Well, our album closes with the traditional Cuban melody Malagueña in a rock and roll version from Brian Setzer’s ’68 Comeback Special. Instrumental receipt. Everything is in place. There are no words here, so for me it’s just pleasant music. But that’s not really all: the Japanese version of the album includes three live performances as a bonus. These are Mystery Train, Gene And Eddie, and Rumble In Brighton. And if you really want to listen to them, then they are all included in the Rocks Your World compilation. I’m not a big fan of live performances, to be honest, but for the sake of completeness, I’ll tell you what’s good about these tracks. So, Mystery Train includes a first-class double bass solo. In Gene And Eddie, you can hear Brian’s unremarkable but enjoyable work with the crowd. Rumble In Brighton doesn’t include anything remarkable, but it’s already just an immortal classic. Just like Gene And Eddie, this track consists entirely of lines from songs by Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, experts can try to guess them all. It’s worth noting that all three tracks are perfectly recorded and edited, I didn’t even have to trim the applause at the end – they fade out neatly and quickly. Thanks to the editors, I appreciated it.
So, what do we have? A full-fledged album by a master of his craft. To be honest, I’m not sure if we should have reviewed it at all. I’m drowning in listening to all sorts of nameless cats, especially Brian Setzer… Even Get ‘Em On The Ropes, which I didn’t particularly like, was objectively recorded at a level of performance that is simply physically unattainable for many. What’s average for Setzer’s ’68 Comeback Special is five stars at the limit for the rest. The second and final part of the legend of Johnny Cool, a whole scattering of car or just rocking songs, two road tracks, a great slowie, one text soaked in nostalgia, and all this at the highest level. Three tracks performed live, a bit of romance, one instrumental – it seems to me that there is a composition for every taste. Well, Hell Bent… As I expected, this track has remained the best of the best in principle. Hell Bent, in my opinion, is Brian’s magnum opus, and it just so happens to be on this album.
Well, I got to know Ignition!. I think it’s your turn now.
2. 5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days
3. Hell Bent
4. Hot Rod Girl
5. 8-Track
6. ’59
7. Rooster Rock
8. Santa Rosa Rita
9. (The Legend Of) Johnny Kool, Part 2
10. Get ‘Em On The Ropes
11. Who Would Love This Car But Me?
12. Blue Café
13. Dreamsville
14. Malagueña
Bonus tracks for the Japanese edition:
15. Mystery Train (Live)
16. Gene And Eddie (Live)
17. Rumble In Brighton (Live)
P.S. Yandex.Music has clearly confused something with the year of Ignition publication!. Maybe they only digitized the album in 2012. Or they have some kind of reissue there. Unfortunately, there are no Japanese bonus tracks in their version.
