Brian Setzer - Rockabilly Riot! Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records (2005)

Since his days leading rockabilly revivalists the Stray Cats in the 1980s, Brian Setzer has been the unofficial, modern-day ambassador of '50s rock & roll. With 2005's ROCKABILLY RIOT!: VOLUME ONE, Setzer pays homage to Sun Records, the label that helped define the genre. Focusing on the years 1954 to 1957, Setzer replicates the rockabilly sound of Sun's golden era by using vintage instruments, and arrangements that include urgent acoustic guitar rhythms and rocking roadhouse piano.

"Riot" covers well-known songs originally cut by Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, alongside tunes by more obscure artists like Billy Lee Riley and Kenny Parchman. Setzer also wrangled musical help from artists who were part of the early rock & roll scene. Famed vocalists The Jordanaires were brought aboard to lend their trademark harmonies to the toe-tapping shuffle "Lonely Weekends", the honky-tonk "Stairway to Nowhere" and twang-soaked "Flatfoot Sam". Setzer also recruited Jumpin' Gene Simmons (not to be confused with famous the Kiss bassist) to help recreate the former's boogie-woogie "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford". A musical time machine, RIOT is a "treat" for fans of Setzer's Stray Cats and solo work, and for devotees of the Sun Records catalogue.

Tracklist:

01. Red Hot - (Originally Sun recording by Billy Lee Riley)
02. Slow Down - (Originally Sun recording by Jack Earls)
03. Real Wild Child - (Originally Sun recording by Jerry Lee Lewis)
04. Rockhouse - (Originally Sun recording by Roy Orbison)
05. Put Your Cat Clothes On - (Originally Sun recording by Carl Perkins)
06. Lonely Weekends - (Originally Sun recording by Charlie Rich)
07. Get It Off Your Mind - (Originally Sun recording by Kenny Parchman)
08. Just Because - (Originally Sun recording by Elvis Presley)
09. Glad All Over - (Originally Sun recording by Carl Perkins)
10. Flatfoot Sam - (Originally Sun recording by Tommy Blake)
11. Rock 'N' Roll Ruby - (Originally Sun recording by Warren Smith)
12. Blue Suede Shoes - (Originally Sun recording by Carl Perkins)
13. Tennessee Zip - (Originally Sun recording by Kenny Parchman)
14. Mona Lisa - (Originally Sun recording by Carl Mann)
15. Peroxide Blonde In A Hopped Up Model Ford - (Originally Sun recording by Gene Simmons)
16. Get Rhythm - (Originally Sun recording by Johnny Cash)
17. Stairway To Nowhere - (Originally Sun recording by Ernie Barton)
18. Boppin' The Blues - (Originally Sun recording by Carl Perkins)
19. Rakin' And Scrapin' - (Originally Sun recording by Dean Beard)
20. Sweet Woman - (Originally Sun recording by Edwin Bruce)
21. Flyin' Saucer Rock And Roll - (Originally Sun recording by Billy Lee Riley)
22. Lonely Wolf - (Originally Sun recording by Ray Harris)
23. Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache - (Originally Sun recording by Warren Smith)

• Brian Setzer - guitar & vocals
• Bernie Dressel - drums & background vocals
• Mark Winchester - slap bass & background vocals
• Kevin McKendree - piano

Audio CD: July 26, 2005
Label: Surfdog Records