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My #1 Instrumental Surf Album!!!

Henry R. Kujawa | "The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ) | 08/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mention "surfing music" to most and they'll think you mean The Beach Boys. So did I, until a friend introduced me to these guys at Philly's Khyber Pass. WHOA!!! I had my mind completely blown that night. It's LOUD! It's EXCITING! It's MOODY! It's MELODIC as all get-out. And most importantly-- it's FUN! When you have 4 guys onstage playing entirely instrumental guitar music while wearing Mexican wrestling masks, how could it NOT be? Starting out with the explosive "Fury", the power and quality of this debut CD never lets up. Through slow & mysterious ("G-Man"), quirky ("Straitjacket"), cool ("Jetty Motel"), powerful & awesome ("Caveman"-- this contains the only lyric-- yes, singular-- on the disc, a much-improved remake of an Eddie Angel song from '93) you're taken on a wild roller-coaster ride you don't want to end. High-speed powerhouses like "Tailspin" (a single in Finland!) are breathtaking and hypnotic at the same time. The outrageous fun of "Itchy Chicken" shows a sense of humor all too lacking in most of today's so-called "popular" artists! And listen to the sheer clarity and beauty of "Calhoun Surf"-- can 95% of the rock guitarists out there play anywhere NEAR this good? LOS STRAITJACKETS quickly became my #1 album of 1995, and led me to discover several hundred other bands playing variations of the surf / instro genre. But-- incredibly-- NOBODY's topped them yet! With Danny Amis & Eddie Angel, LS boasts my picks for the 2 most EXCITING guitarists anywhere, and I rank drummer Jimmy Lester (who's always UP FRONT onstage!) as THE #1 most exciting drummer I've ever seen! These guys are SO GOOD onstage and off I sometimes wonder if producer Ben Vaughn has nothing more to do when he works with them than point a microphone and roll tape. (Hey-- they're HIS #1 fave surf band, too!)"

Loco!

Stanley Runk | Camp North Pines | 04/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Los Straitjackets is one of the top dogs in the surf rock scene, and if you pop this disc into your cd player, you'll see why. This is some top notch surf/instrumental rock done by folks who obviously love this kind of music. It's very apparent that these guys are having alot of fun playing this music. Fun is something missing from alot of groups anymore. When I wanna take a break from my progressive rock snobbery and just have fun, these guys are great way to do it. If you ask me, you really can't go wrong with any Los Straitjackets material, but their debut is hard to top, and I would suggest it as your first one if you decide to get any. Slipknot can stick it where the sun don't shine."

Recalls sound of the past with original tunes

John B. Hall | PA, USA | 06/14/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Los Straitjackets, a "surf band" which hails from Nashville, (known for its surf, of course) has recorded an album which recalls the guitar greats such as Dick Dale, The Ventures, The Fireballs, Link Wray, Duane Eddy and others who caused hundreds of thousands of kids with electric guitars to sit at their record players with their ears pressed to the loudspeakers and play the records over and over to get that lick just right. Although the sounds are familiar, the tunes are original, written by one or more of the four band members. Los Straightjackets consists of Eddie Angel, guitar; Danny Amis, guitar; E. Scott Esbeck, bass; and L.J. "Jimmy" Lester, drums. On these recordings, the band has made an excellent effort in keeping its sound clean; no fuzz boxes, distortion boxes or wah-wah pedals for these guys. Instead, Los Straitjackets concentrate on producing the "Fender sound" (named after the brand of guitar and bass and amplifier which produced this unique and often-copied sound) with nothing more than reverberation, tremolo, and an occasional use of the guitar's "whammy bar." Look elsewhere for your modulated thirds and augmented fifths. This is rock'n'roll! Three, maybe four chords at most, with a modulation to another key now and then, nothing earthshaking. But the music moves! This is a well-produced fun album, recorded by musicians who understand the genre and have made it their own. See them on tour, too. Check their web page. But first, buy their album!"