Showing off sweaty physiques no one would be very proud to own, but playing songs from their debut album out only six months at the time – the Stray Cats took the stage in 1981 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Sweden and over 30 years later, we are privy to their 15-song antics on the Live At Montreux 1981 DVD. Shot right up close, so we get every facial expression of guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, the occasional screams but always four-on-the-floor beat of Slim Jim Phantom and the slippery, upright bass of Lee Rocker, this is Stray Cats at their best just as their zesty blend of old-school rockabilly was finding a brand new audience.
The Long Island trio tumble through tunes like the absolutely swinging “Double Talking Baby,” “Rumble In Brighton” with its blistering fast vocal delivery, and the trio’s rangy version of rockabilly legend Warren Smith’s “Ubangi Stomp,” a number the crowd really bops to. And through it all, we are aware of this three-piece band – in front a what’s supposed to be a 50s malt shop, complete with greasers hanging out – not missing a trick in their simple yet effective arrangements.
Certainly Setzer is the focal point, even this early on – he was only 22 at the time, the oldest in the band! It was obvious when he played that big red hollow body that he was a force to be reckoned with. Phantom and Rocker who are as much fun to watch and listen to as you realize the Stray Cats were quite a tight little trio mining a special sound here.
Of course, there are note-perfect renditions of the hits “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut.” I also like the band’s slow blues on “Important Words” (which doesn’t appears on any Stray Cat release) and their cover of Gene Vincent’s “Be Bop A Lula” with guitarist Wilko Johnson from Dr. Feelgood and female vocalist Pearl E. Gates of Pearl Harbor and the Explosions sitting in. Ending with three encores, Live At Montreux 1981 presents a blistering set on a summer night many years ago when the Stray Cats were strutting across the world’s stage.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
