Shadowman

by Link Wray

Product Description:

Personnel: Link Wray (guitar, vocals); Eric "Danno" Greevers (bass, organ); Rob Louwers (drums).

Recorded in October 1995. Includes liner notes by Roger Armstrong.

The garage-punk guitarist and legendary power chord originator that made the music world shake with the sheer simplistic power of his 1958 instrumental hit "Rumble" returns with his first full-length in years. Traversing all the styles that he actually helped create, Link delivers a 12-song set that serves as a veritable history lesson. Take the rafter-shaking "Rumble On The Docks," the 7-plus-minute reinterpretation of his 1958 classic, or the new garage gems "Geronimo" and "Night Prowler." Wray's signature volcanic distortion, shimmering tremolo and reverb-drenched riffs prove that time does wait for some men. It just takes a while for everyone else to catch up.

SHADOWMAN also puts Link in front the mic once again. Unlike his Polygram material (which tends to be hit or miss), here Link assembles a vast array of songs that, although pulled from every corner of his universe, fit within the framework of the album. His psycho-billy cover of "Heartbreak Hotel," a venomous version of John Fogerty's "Run Through The Jungle" that The Cramps would kill for, and the high lonesome sound of his take on Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" show the many sides of a 68-year old rock veteran.