Robert Gordon

Rockabilly was pretty much a dead issue as far as American music fans were concerned when Robert Gordon released the two albums featured on this CD, and if he didn't kickstart the revival that would take hold a few years later all by his lonesome, he was certainly carrying the flag at a crucial time. Gordon also gave a major boost to the career of legendary guitar mauler Link Wray, who gets co-star billing on their two albums together, and though Gordon's classical take on rockabilly didn't always mesh with Wray's tough, noisy attack, Wray certainly made the most of his presence here, sounding potent if restrained on the quieter numbers and blowing the roof off when the opportunity knocked. If these albums have a flaw, it's the material: both 1977's Robert Gordon with Link Wray and 1978's Fresh Fish Special are dominated by rockabilly classics that most fans of first-era rock are very -- but very -- familiar with, and as good as Gordon sounds on them, he can't quite top the originals. However, that wasn't so much the case when these albums were cut, and while Gordon doesn't get the room to put much of a new stamp on "The Way I Walk," "Flying Saucers Rock & Roll" or "Summertime Blues," he sings them like they hold the keys to the Universe, and his enthusiasm is a big part of what makes these albums work. American Beat's two-fer reissue of these two albums features both in their entirety, but with no bonus materials, which given the fact the two LP's together clock in at less than an hour seems like a wasted opportunity (the Australian label Raven released a two-fer of these albums with a whopping nine extra tunes). Still, the original credits and liner notes are included, and the remastering sounds good; anyone into second generation rockabilly should dig this jive just fine. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide