Stray Cats
RUMBLE IN BRIXTON
Surfdog Records

After taking off 12 years, the Stray Cats are back with the outstanding Rumble in Brixton, a rockin’ two-CD set recorded on July 17th, 2004 at the Brixton Academy in London. They rocked that town and many others during their recent European tour that celebrated their 25th anniversary.

This first official live release by the Stray Cats includes all their big hits and is a must-have for fans of the band. There’s also a brand new studio track titled “Mystery Train Kept A Rollin’,” a wonderful tip of the hat to the legendary Sun Records and the artists that inspired the band.

I couldn’t believe that it had been since 1991 that they had given us any new material. Are they kidding?! As good as they are I can’t understand why these guys stop working together. Forget stem cell research and gay marriage; the federal government needs to get involved to keep these guys making music on a more consistent basis. They need to keep creating new songs and covering old ones. It will make the country and the world a better place to live. If you’re not too young to vote, go to your congressman and let’s make this happen.

A DVD of the show has been released as well and for hardcore fans you can purchase CDs from the other nights of the tour. My only complaint is that the set is too short. Both discs are only 43 minutes. Plus, when are they going to play near my house?

If by some cruel act of fate you don’t know the band, then this is a great introduction to their back-to-basics, rockabilly sound featuring Brian Setzer on guitar, Lee Rocker on bass and Slim Jim Phantom on drums.