Stray Cats - Greatest Hits! (2001)



Video: NTSC, MPEG-2 at 7 512 Kbps, 720 x 480 at 29.970 fps | Audio: PCM 2 channels at 1 536 Kbps, 48.0 KHz
Genre: Rock | Label: BMG Int'l | Copy: Untouched | Release Date: 27 Nov 2001 | Runtime: 45 min. | 2,90 GB (DVD5)

The key group of the early-'80s rockabilly revival, the Stray Cats scored several big
hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual style
tailor-made for the early days of MTV, as well as genuine musical chops
that evoked the best players of rockabilly's original heyday. the Stray
Cats were formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer in the Long Island
town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979. At first, Setzer played rockabilly
covers in a band called the Tom Cats with his brother, drummer Gary, and
bassist Bob Beecher; however, Setzer soon abandoned that group to join
up with newly rechristened school friends Lee Rocker (born Leon Drucker)
and Slim Jim Phantom (born James McDonnell). However, their retro '50s
look and sound didn't go over well around Long Island, and in the summer
of 1980, the group headed to England, where a rockabilly revival
movement was just beginning to emerge.
After one of their gigs in London, the Stray Cats met producer Dave
Edmunds, well known as a roots rock enthusiast for his work with
Rockpile, and as a solo artist. Edmunds offered to work with the group,
and they entered the studio to record their self-titled debut album,
released in England in 1981 on Arista. They were popular right out of
the box, scoring three straight hits that year with "Runaway Boys,"
"Rock This Town," and "Stray Cat Strut." The follow-up, Gonna Ball,
wasn't as well received and, stung by the negative reviews, the Stray
Cats decided to return to the States and make a go of it. They signed
with EMI America and in 1982 released their U.S. debut, Built for Speed,
which compiled the highlights from their two British LPs. Helped by
extensive airplay on MTV at the height of the anything-goes new wave
era, "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut" both hit the American Top
Ten, over a year after their British chart peaks. As a result, Built for
Speed was a left-field smash, and the Stray Cats were seen as avatars
of retro style. Their second American album, Rant n' Rave with the Stray
Cats, appeared in 1983 and produced another Top Ten hit in "(She's)
Sexy + 17," as well as a minor Top 40 entry in the doo wop-styled ballad
"I Won't Stand in Your Way."
Personality conflicts began to emerge in the ways the individual members
handled their newfound success: Phantom married actress (and former Rod
Stewart paramour) Britt Ekland, while Setzer made guest appearances
with stars like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks and became the concert
guitarist for Robert Plant's Honeydrippers side project. In late 1984,
Setzer broke up the band amid much bad blood. Rocker and Phantom
immediately teamed up with guitarist Earl Slick and recorded an album as
Phantom, Rocker & Slick, while Setzer waited a couple of years
before releasing his roots rock solo debut, The Knife Feels Like
Justice. By 1986, fences had apparently been mended enough for the Stray
Cats to reconvene in Los Angeles and record the covers-heavy Rock
Therapy, which didn't sell that well. The trio returned to their
respective post-Stray Cats projects, which both released albums that
performed disappointingly. In 1989, they reunited once again for the
album Blast Off, which was accompanied by a tour with Stevie Ray
Vaughan. No longer with EMI, the Cats entered the studio with Nile
Rodgers for the lackluster Let's Go Faster, issued by Liberation in
1990. 1992's Dave Edmunds-produced Choo Choo Hot Fish also attracted
little attention, and after another covers album, Original Cool, the
group called it quits again. They have since reunited periodically for
live performances. Setzer, of course, went on to spearhead the '90s
swing revival with his Brian Setzer Orchestra, which performed classic
big-band swing and jump blues tunes, as well as Setzer originals.

Tracklist:
01. Runaway Boys
02. Rock This Town
03. Stray Cat Strut
04. You Don't Believe Me
05. Look At That Cadillac
06. Little Miss Prissy
07. (She's) Sexy And 17
08. Rebels Rule
09. I Won't Stand In Your Way
10. Gina
11. Bring It Back Again
12. Gene and Eddie
Bonus Track:
13. Rock This Town (1981 UK Version)

Features:
- Direct Scene Access
- Interactive Menu








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