Additional Information about Collection 1981-1988
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Track listing
1. Sexy And 17, (She's) - (single edit, with The Stray Cats)
2. Rock This Town - (single edit, with The Stray Cats)
3. Summertime Blues - (previously unreleased, outtake)
4. Knife Feels Like Justice, The
5. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
6. Echo Park - (previously unreleased, outtake)
7. When The Sky Comes Tumblin' Down - (single edit)
8. Cross Of Love
9. Every Tear That Falls
10. Thing About You - (previously unreleased, outtake)
11. Waiting For Desiree - (previously unreleased, outtake)
12. Bobby's Back
13. Keep Your Lovin' Strong
14. Living Souls - (previously unreleased, outtake)
15. Rain Washes Everything Away, The
16. I Won't Stand In Your Way - (a cappella version, with The Stray Cats/Fourteen Karat Soul)
17. Runaway Boys - (live, with The Stray Cats)
18. Chains Around Your Heart
Details
Producer: Kevin Flaherty (Compilation)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution
Recording type: Mixed
Recording mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: n/a
Album notes
Includes liner notes by Steve Roeser.
Brian Setzer was a driving force in two major revivals in popular music. With the Stray Cats, he made rockabilly cool again in the '80s, and with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, was one of the leaders of the big band/swing resurgence in the '90s. COLLECTION 1981-1988 focuses most heavily on his solo material, in which his songwriting incorporated influences that reach far beyond his seemingly retro roots.
Songs such as "The Knife Feels Like Justice" and "Every Tear That Falls" show a modern-rock sound that harkens to Roy Orbison as much as it does to the Replacements and Tom Petty. The previously unreleased "Echo Park" shows even more dimension to Setzer, with its country-styled guitar picking and syncopated rhythms. "Thing About You" achieves its mood and texture with mandolin and Hammond organ. The influence of Elvis Costello is unmistakable in "Waiting for Desiree." "The Rain Washed Everything Away" uses lush strings and horns, possibly hinting at the future big arrangements that Setzer would use in the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
This collection effectively shows that Brian Setzer is a diverse songwriter whose musical heart draws equally from the roots of the '40s and '50s and modern popular music.