Legendary Masked Instrumentalists Latest LP – Spotlighting
Guest Vocalists Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos), Little Willie G. (Thee Midniters),
& Big Sandy (Fly-Rite Boys) – Available April 3 From Yep Roc
Taking a cue from the lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) masks that they have worn since their 1994 inception, Los Straitjackets apply their brand of guitar-fueled, instrumental sturm und twang to their first Spanish language album, Rock en Espanol, Vol. 1. Available April 3 via Yep Roc Records, the 14-song set finds Los Straitjackets (guitarists Danny Amis and Eddie Angel, bassist Pete Curry, and drummer Jason "Teen Beat" Smay) sharing the spotlight with guest vocalists Little Willie G. of East L.A. legends Thee Midniters, Fly-Rite Boys frontman Big Sandy, and – the album's producer – Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos.
Most of the songs heard on Rock En Espanol were originally huge U.S. Top 40 hits for riff-rockers The Kinks ("All Day And All Of The Night"), the McCoys ("Hang On Sloopy") and The Troggs ("Wild Thing"), R&B luminaries Jackie Wilson ("Lonely Teardrops"), Arthur Alexander ("Anna"), Brenton Wood ("Gimme Little Sign"), and Barbara Lynn ("You'll Lose A Good Thing"), country stalwart Marty Robbins ("Devil Woman"), and '50s jive-bombers the Coasters ("Poison Ivy") and Larry Williams ("Dizzy Miss Lizzy," "Slow Down," and "Bony Maronie").
However, these tunes were also recorded in Spanish language versions by such mid-'60s Mexican rock 'n' roll bands as Los Yaki, Los Freddys, Los Apson, Los Rockin' Devils, Los Teen Tops, Los Locos Del Ritmo, and Rebeldes De Rock.
As heavily influenced by the Beatles phenomenon as their U.S. counterparts – and "Anna," "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," and "Slow Down" were made even more familiar to mid-'60s audiences via the Fab Four's cover versions – all of the latter, as well as Los Apson frontman Polo, Hermanos Carrion, and the sublimely named Juan El Matematico (John The Mathematician), made dozens of records in their native Mexico. And it is from these flipped discs – mostly consisting of U.S. Top 40 hits sung in Spanish – that Los Straitjackets drew their primary inspiration for Rock En Espanol.
Two tracks (the bittersweet "Dejenme Llorar" and the storming "Whittier Blvd.") stand slightly outside the album's basic conceit. The former tune – whose lyrics translate as "Let Me Cry" – came to Los Straitjackets attention in a version recorded by Los Freddys. The latter – the album's sole instrumental – topped out at No. 127 in 1965 when it was first cut by Thee Midniters. While the Rev. Charles Williams adds piano and organ to the latter – and Rosas contributes occasional acoustic/electric guitar, organ, ukelele, vihuela, and cowbell – Los Straitjackets are solely responsible for the remainder of the instrumental sounds found on Rock En Espanol.
After all, Los Straitjackets began life when Danny Amis, formerly of pioneering modern instrumental-rock combo the Raybeats, joined forces with Eddie Angel after witnessing the latter perform a Link Wray number while backing Webb Wilder.
Since debuting with The Utterly Fantastic & Totally Unbelievable Sounds of Los Straitjackets in 1995, the masked marvels have unleashed an additional eight long-players on an unsuspecting world, including a live album (Damas y Caballeros), a Grammy nominated/Living Blues award–winning collaboration with bluesman Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (Rock 'N' Roll City), a Christmas album ('Tis The Season For Los Straitjackets), and a previous collection with guest vocalists the Reverend Horton Heat, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & The Raiders fame, Allison Moorer, Exene Cervenka of X, and former Mavericks frontman Raul Malo (Sing Along With Los Straitjackets).
Los Straitjackets' music has also graced the soundtracks to various TV shows – notably Malcom In The Middle and Melrose Place – and at least 10 feature films, including Meet The Parents, Harriet The Spy, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, Two Days In The Valley, and Psycho Beach Party (wherein they appeared as themselves).
Long before Nacho Libre was a gleam in Jack Black's eye, Los Straitjackets' live shows were legendary for their left-right combination of offhand chops, unashamed choreography, and serious humor. Look for them to perform selections from Rock En Espanol at the South By Southwest festival – and in a town near you – when they begin their Spring 2007 tour.