Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 159 - Stray Cats

It's always a good thing when a band comes along with a sound and cool image that you were just not expecting. In 1980 it was their debut single produced by Dave Edmunds, Runaway Boys that had us all talking and wondering where on earth these three cool cats had sprung from. 

In 1981 they released two albums, the brilliant debut Stray Cats (February) and the not so successful Gonna Ball (October). The debut album made it to #6 in the UK and the second one only #48.

The band's beginnings were in Long Island, New York, but they uprooted themselves to London when word of a rockabilly revival came to their attention. After raising a following through live shows they got the attention of a number of major labels and Arista won the day to secure them. Bringing Dave Edmunds on board to produce the debut album was a stroke of genius (and maybe if he had been at the controls the second album might have stood more of a chance of success).

Built For Speed, their third album, was actually their first album release in their homeland and basically it is a combination of tracks mined from the first two albums (6 tracks from the debut, 5 from Gonna Ball and the title track which hadn't been released in the UK). It would reach #2 in the Billboard Pop Charts and #156 on The Billboard 200.

Although it's a compilation to us here in the UK I include it here mainly for my American friends and readers as it was the first vinyl to be released by the band on their home shore and it's always good to be reminded of classy music from the 1980s.

Built For Speed - Stray Cats

EMI America

Produced by Dave Edmunds, Stray Cats and Hein Hoven

Released 7th June 1982

US Album Chart #2

Stray Cats
    Brian Setzer – "Strummin' & Croonin'" guitars, lap steel guitar, vocals
    Slim Jim Phantom – "Bangin' & Yellin'" drums, vocals
    Lee Rocker – "Slappin' & Howlin'" bass, electric bass, vocals

 Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!