Link Wray - Stuck In Gear

1975, Virgin Records, V2050

A1: Southern Lady
A2: Tecolote
A3: Quicksand
A4: I Know You're Leaving Me Now
A5: Did You See The Man
B1: Midnight Lover
B2: Cottoncandy Apples
B3: BoJack
B4: Jack The Ripper (live)

Here's a relatively rare LP record by legendary guitarist and rock'n'roll cult figure Link Wray, the guy who invented the power chord, who first experimented with guitar distortion (reputedly by puncturing his amp's speakers with a pencil), and whose 1958 single "Rumble" was banned for supposedly inciting violence, which you have to admit is no mean feat for an instrumental!

Indeed, Link Wray concentrated on instrumental guitar music early on in his career. Having contracted tuberculosis during service in the Korean war, he had a lung removed in hospital and was told that he wouldn't be able to sing. However, after having a string of instrumental hits in the late 50s and early 60s, he did indeed start singing on his records, revealing a very pleasant baritone voice with perhaps a hint of the King himself.

Acclaimed guitarists such as Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend cite Wray as a major influence. When you think of who those guys influenced in turn, you have to concede that the history of the guitar could have turned out quite differently without him.

But to return to the record in question, Stuck In Gear was released in 1975 by Virgin Records in the UK, having been recorded on The Manor Mobile at Ridge Farm, near Dorking in England. It seems strange that such an iconic American guitarist should have come all the way to the UK to record an album, but I guess that was part of the deal he'd struck with Virgin Records.

Side one kicks off with "Southern Lady" and true to its title is a great slice of Southern Rock (even if it was recorded in Dorking), with fluid bass lines, understated piano and organ, a rather nifty stereo effect on the drums, and of course Link's intricate guitar playing. In fact the solo takes up best part of the second half of the song. I can't quite place who his vocals remind me of... perhaps somewhere between Gerry Rafferty and Roy Wood.

"Tecolote" (which is apparently a Spanish terms derived from Classical Nahuatl, and I think it means "Owl" but don't quote me on that) has a native American "tribal" feel to the intro and bridge, which feels appropriate as I believe Wray had native American ancestry. The song again launches into one of Wray's classic guitar solos, with some quite incredible use of the vibrato arm.

"Quicksand" is quite a standard boogie of a track and features a gorgeous harmony guitar solo (isn't that an oxymoron? I guess he doubled the solo in different complimentary intervals), and "I Know You're Leaving Me Now" is a country-esque ballad complete with pedal steel and which very nicely demonstrates the sheer power of Wray's vocals, which sound remarkably Elvis-like here.

"Did You See The Man" wraps up side one with its carnival atmosphere and more Presley-esque vocals, and even a sax solo just in case we were in danger of suffering guitar overload!

Side two begins with the highlight of the record. At 6.05, "Midnight Lover" is the album's longest piece and it's a cracker. The lyrics sound kinda cheesy, "I'm your midnight lover / I'm your midnight man..." but Wray pulls it off effortlessly without a hint of irony, and besides the lyrics are right at home here for this is a funk song. We've got a funky bassline, funky rhythm guitar and keyboard counterpoints, and then (I'm trying to avoid saying "funky" again) there are Wray's guitar riffs and solos a-plenty throughout the song, with some more impressive string bends on that vibrato arm. There's even a proto-rap spoken word section over a lone drum beat in the middle of this song. It's got it all! As I say, best track on the album - absolutely LOVE IT.

"Cottoncandy apples" starts off as a slower-paced piano-led ballad with Wray's vocals once again informed by The King, but half-way through the drums and bass kick in and the track moves up a gear (as opposed to being "stuck in gear"). Even though it has vocals ("My name is BoJack / And they call me Smokestack"), "BoJack" is informed by Wray's own instrumental pieces from earlier in his career what with its opening pentatonic guitar riff. It also features a crazy off-the-wall guitar solo, before changing tack completely for a piano and organ bridge reminiscent in style to the previous piece on the record.

Finally, the album's closer seems almost like an after-thought tagged onto the end of the record to make up the running time. It's the kind of piece you'd more likely expect as a bonus track on a CD, rather than on a non-compilation vinyl album. It's a live version of Wray's classic instrumental piece, "Jack The Ripper", recorded at The Lyceum in London. Even though it's placement here on this album is somewhat bizarre, it has heaps of attitude and bucketloads of feedback. There's a very odd "solo" section featuring a low rumble of feedback over drums towards the end of the piece - I'd love to know exactly what Wray was doing with his guitar there.

All in all, it's a very fine album with not a duff track in sight, and proof that Link Wray was not only a very fine guitarist but he could sing pretty damn well too. Alas, he passed away in 2005 at the age of 76. I mentioned earlier that this LP is relatively rare, and I know it's quite sought after by Wray's fans. It's never been reissued on vinyl or - amazingly - even on CD. The only way to get a copy is to track down an original pressing second-hand somewhere. I found my copy several years ago on eBay; I believe I paid approx £35 for it, but it's such a good record that I thought it was well worth the price. I was going through a serious Link Wray phase at the time and had even tracked down an original Yamaha SG-3 guitar which was as close as I could find to Wray's infamous "Screamin' Red" (which was actually a Yamaha SG-2).

Why this album has never been re-issued is quite beyond me; it's almost criminal! Track down a copy if you can!